Top to bottom : 'Fiddler on the Roof': Jeffrey Lurie, Eagles Owner; Joe Banner, Eagles Bean Counter/Rasputin; Andy Reid, Eagles Coach; Michael Vick holding puppy.
The Philadelphia Eagles shocked the sports world this week by signing convicted felon Michale Vick, former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Vick spent 18 months in Leavenworth fed prison for running dog fighting rings, and engaging in 'illegal' gambling activities. Some of Vick's boys down in Virginia also slaughtered some of the fighting pups when they outlived their usefulness. The Amerikan nation cried in outrage. The Amerikan nation that has accepted the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans with nary a whimper.
This week, my hometown Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick to a one year contract, worth $1.5 million, with an option year that could pay $5 million. Fans were shocked, because the Philadelphia Eagles are a team that puts on a facade of only wanting 'character' players. Yet here they sign a convicted felon, a 'dog murderer' and 'public enemy #1'. Many fans were expectedly outraged.
In reality, the Eagles 'ownership team' of Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner, two bullshit artists as shifty as they come, made a brilliant move. I will explain, then I will talk a bit about Vick and dog fighting in general.
In recent months, the Philadelphia Eagles have been forced off of the 'media' front page in the city by our World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have become 'numero uno' in the city. Philadelphia fans embraced the Phils because of their exciting play, blue collar work ethic, the down home character of Phils manager Charlie Manuel, and a number of brilliant baseball moves by new GM Rueben Amara Jr. Philadelphia fans have never liked or trusted Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, or his chief henchman Joe Banner because of their stingy and lying ways, their perceived mistreatment of certain players, and their enormous profiteering. Lurie bought the Eagles for approximately $185 million, but now the Eagles have an estimated worth of nearly $1.5 BILLION. They have a license to 'print money' and have never shown, for all their talk, a real commitment to win a championship. Coach Andy Reid, a rather arrogant character, has never been a fan favorite either. Quarterback Donovan McNabb, an outstanding player, has taken his share of criticism also for the Eagles inability to win a Super Bowl.
So, what to do? Well, the Eagles made some good aquisitions in the off season, including draft choices and free agents, but their training camp ha been plagued by injured players, while the Phillies keep winning, making good moves, and stay on the 'front page' of both print and audio/visual media.
So, they sign Michael Vick, 'Public Enemy #1' for his dog fighting and slaughtering activities, and announce that they will be th ones to 'give him a second chance'. Lurie has enlisted the support of the Pennsylvania Humane Society (doubless with a large donation), and various politically correct personages, and has testified that 'Michael Vick is truly remorseful and is a changed man'. Perhaps. 18 months in Leavenworth will give a man time to reflect. Losing most of your fortune to lawyer's fees and losing all your endorsement deals will also cause some 'reflection'.
Coach Reid, whose two sons have been arrested for drug trafficking, heroin use, and threatening motorists on a highway with a gun, is all in favor of this. He says 'This is America. We make mistakes'. This is quite true.
Immediately, the Eagles become 'front page' again. The local big sports radio station, WIP (owned by CBS), has played the Vick thing to the max. They say 'it is the number one story in town' and maybe the world. The newspapers have a field day. Advertising revenue goes up, people buy more papers. And of course gambling revenue will increase, Las Vegas will make money. Please remember the NFL and Las Vegas are like 'Siamese Twins'. They are 'hand-in-glove'
The Eagles White fans have generally been outraged. This foundation of their fan base is mostly suburban and corporate, and of course to maintain political correctness, how could one support an athlete who killed 'man's best friend' in a brutal and careless manner? But of course they are all Idol worshippers and will never put their money where their mouth is by giving up their season tickets. In fact, they will be buying their children Michael Vick jerseys in a month or so. These are the same White hypocrites who turned a blind eye to our destruction of Iraq and dope control operation in Afghanistan. You can slaughter people, especially when they are 'Muslim terrorists' with impunity, but kill a dog, and you go to hell. This is the state of White America today.
The Blacks take a more realistic attitute, because their reality is often a bit more harsh. Most African-Americans I talk to figure that, well, Vick did fuck up, but he did his time, so let him have a job. A man's got to eat, right?The fact that Vick is Black, a 'target of persecution' and an exciting athlete just simplifies things.
Lurie and Banner certainly though all this out, strategically, and now they again play us like a fiddle. AmeriKans are addicted to spectacles, like the ancient Romans, and most 'civilizations' for that matter, and 'moral misgivings' will give way to the 'just win baby' attitude and the love of the spectacle. Believe me, the Eagles get a nice cut as regards to merchandising fees for all those Michael Vick jerseys that will be sold. And all the controversy: well, controversy makes money for everyone involved.
As far as Vick himself, he will say anything so that he can get paid. Simple as that. But, in fairness, he did 'do his time' so he should have the right to make a living from his skill. How well he will do depends on his attitude, conditioning and how the coaching staff uses him.
Now, on dogfighting. In the US and Mexico, dog fighting is brutal and results in the death of dogs, either during the fight, by more often by the owners and handlers, who shoot, drown or eliminate them like dead meat. These practices occur due to the increasingly pagan nature of North AmeriKan kulture. Young males who grow up doing their killing 'virtually' through video games are highly suceptible to this mindset. Also, the brutal 'sub-mentality' of ghetto kulture, where human life is cheap makes this type of 'sport' acceptable. Although most Americans are under the impression that dog fighting is strictly a 'black thang', fighting 'pups' has always been popular among the American 'redneck' class, especially in the South. Many Chicanos love it too.
In other cultures it is a little different. In Russia, dog fighting is very popular, and a great variety of dogs are used for fighting. From the videos, and websites I have seen, the practice is nowhere near as brutal there: If a dog is injured in a match, the owner withdraws the dog, and does not kill him or torture him. It could be different if 'mafia' organizations are involved, and if large numbers of dogs are bred for fighting purposes.
In Japan, dog fighting takes on an almost 'samurai' quality. There is a special Japanese dog, white furred and quite large, that is used exclusively for fighting. The dog fights take place in a space that resembles a boxing wring more than the 'pits' that are use in AmeriKa. There is a referee, and if one dog sustains even a slight injury, the match is ended, with the other dog declared the winner. It is highly regulated, and there are trophies and the like given out for the best dogs and their owners. There is no brutality at all.
So, we must keep all this in some perspective. While brutality to an innocent animal is horrible, let us not put an animal life above a human life because of some 'guilt' or hysteria. In the specific case of Vick, he should be given a second chance. In the case of Lurie/Banner and the Eagles, they are slick, and made an almost Obama style move, simultaneously generating publicity, 'giving a man a second chance' (compassion), showing 'sensitivity' by 'consulting' animal rights groups, and increasing revenues by aquiring the NFL's most 'notorious' and 'exciting' offender. Like I said, they play us like a fiddle, the sound of the violin soars...
The Philadelphia Eagles shocked the sports world this week by signing convicted felon Michale Vick, former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Vick spent 18 months in Leavenworth fed prison for running dog fighting rings, and engaging in 'illegal' gambling activities. Some of Vick's boys down in Virginia also slaughtered some of the fighting pups when they outlived their usefulness. The Amerikan nation cried in outrage. The Amerikan nation that has accepted the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans with nary a whimper.
This week, my hometown Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick to a one year contract, worth $1.5 million, with an option year that could pay $5 million. Fans were shocked, because the Philadelphia Eagles are a team that puts on a facade of only wanting 'character' players. Yet here they sign a convicted felon, a 'dog murderer' and 'public enemy #1'. Many fans were expectedly outraged.
In reality, the Eagles 'ownership team' of Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner, two bullshit artists as shifty as they come, made a brilliant move. I will explain, then I will talk a bit about Vick and dog fighting in general.
In recent months, the Philadelphia Eagles have been forced off of the 'media' front page in the city by our World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have become 'numero uno' in the city. Philadelphia fans embraced the Phils because of their exciting play, blue collar work ethic, the down home character of Phils manager Charlie Manuel, and a number of brilliant baseball moves by new GM Rueben Amara Jr. Philadelphia fans have never liked or trusted Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, or his chief henchman Joe Banner because of their stingy and lying ways, their perceived mistreatment of certain players, and their enormous profiteering. Lurie bought the Eagles for approximately $185 million, but now the Eagles have an estimated worth of nearly $1.5 BILLION. They have a license to 'print money' and have never shown, for all their talk, a real commitment to win a championship. Coach Andy Reid, a rather arrogant character, has never been a fan favorite either. Quarterback Donovan McNabb, an outstanding player, has taken his share of criticism also for the Eagles inability to win a Super Bowl.
So, what to do? Well, the Eagles made some good aquisitions in the off season, including draft choices and free agents, but their training camp ha been plagued by injured players, while the Phillies keep winning, making good moves, and stay on the 'front page' of both print and audio/visual media.
So, they sign Michael Vick, 'Public Enemy #1' for his dog fighting and slaughtering activities, and announce that they will be th ones to 'give him a second chance'. Lurie has enlisted the support of the Pennsylvania Humane Society (doubless with a large donation), and various politically correct personages, and has testified that 'Michael Vick is truly remorseful and is a changed man'. Perhaps. 18 months in Leavenworth will give a man time to reflect. Losing most of your fortune to lawyer's fees and losing all your endorsement deals will also cause some 'reflection'.
Coach Reid, whose two sons have been arrested for drug trafficking, heroin use, and threatening motorists on a highway with a gun, is all in favor of this. He says 'This is America. We make mistakes'. This is quite true.
Immediately, the Eagles become 'front page' again. The local big sports radio station, WIP (owned by CBS), has played the Vick thing to the max. They say 'it is the number one story in town' and maybe the world. The newspapers have a field day. Advertising revenue goes up, people buy more papers. And of course gambling revenue will increase, Las Vegas will make money. Please remember the NFL and Las Vegas are like 'Siamese Twins'. They are 'hand-in-glove'
The Eagles White fans have generally been outraged. This foundation of their fan base is mostly suburban and corporate, and of course to maintain political correctness, how could one support an athlete who killed 'man's best friend' in a brutal and careless manner? But of course they are all Idol worshippers and will never put their money where their mouth is by giving up their season tickets. In fact, they will be buying their children Michael Vick jerseys in a month or so. These are the same White hypocrites who turned a blind eye to our destruction of Iraq and dope control operation in Afghanistan. You can slaughter people, especially when they are 'Muslim terrorists' with impunity, but kill a dog, and you go to hell. This is the state of White America today.
The Blacks take a more realistic attitute, because their reality is often a bit more harsh. Most African-Americans I talk to figure that, well, Vick did fuck up, but he did his time, so let him have a job. A man's got to eat, right?The fact that Vick is Black, a 'target of persecution' and an exciting athlete just simplifies things.
Lurie and Banner certainly though all this out, strategically, and now they again play us like a fiddle. AmeriKans are addicted to spectacles, like the ancient Romans, and most 'civilizations' for that matter, and 'moral misgivings' will give way to the 'just win baby' attitude and the love of the spectacle. Believe me, the Eagles get a nice cut as regards to merchandising fees for all those Michael Vick jerseys that will be sold. And all the controversy: well, controversy makes money for everyone involved.
As far as Vick himself, he will say anything so that he can get paid. Simple as that. But, in fairness, he did 'do his time' so he should have the right to make a living from his skill. How well he will do depends on his attitude, conditioning and how the coaching staff uses him.
Now, on dogfighting. In the US and Mexico, dog fighting is brutal and results in the death of dogs, either during the fight, by more often by the owners and handlers, who shoot, drown or eliminate them like dead meat. These practices occur due to the increasingly pagan nature of North AmeriKan kulture. Young males who grow up doing their killing 'virtually' through video games are highly suceptible to this mindset. Also, the brutal 'sub-mentality' of ghetto kulture, where human life is cheap makes this type of 'sport' acceptable. Although most Americans are under the impression that dog fighting is strictly a 'black thang', fighting 'pups' has always been popular among the American 'redneck' class, especially in the South. Many Chicanos love it too.
In other cultures it is a little different. In Russia, dog fighting is very popular, and a great variety of dogs are used for fighting. From the videos, and websites I have seen, the practice is nowhere near as brutal there: If a dog is injured in a match, the owner withdraws the dog, and does not kill him or torture him. It could be different if 'mafia' organizations are involved, and if large numbers of dogs are bred for fighting purposes.
In Japan, dog fighting takes on an almost 'samurai' quality. There is a special Japanese dog, white furred and quite large, that is used exclusively for fighting. The dog fights take place in a space that resembles a boxing wring more than the 'pits' that are use in AmeriKa. There is a referee, and if one dog sustains even a slight injury, the match is ended, with the other dog declared the winner. It is highly regulated, and there are trophies and the like given out for the best dogs and their owners. There is no brutality at all.
So, we must keep all this in some perspective. While brutality to an innocent animal is horrible, let us not put an animal life above a human life because of some 'guilt' or hysteria. In the specific case of Vick, he should be given a second chance. In the case of Lurie/Banner and the Eagles, they are slick, and made an almost Obama style move, simultaneously generating publicity, 'giving a man a second chance' (compassion), showing 'sensitivity' by 'consulting' animal rights groups, and increasing revenues by aquiring the NFL's most 'notorious' and 'exciting' offender. Like I said, they play us like a fiddle, the sound of the violin soars...
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