August 20-26, 2009 P 4 M Perr ' s Free Pr s ag -iv . At the age of 29 Michael Vick re- enters the NFL attempting to start over again. In a league that features dozens of players with domestic violence charges, assault and bat- tery cases and even manslaughter, it seems improbable that a man running a dog fighting ring would be enemy number one in the minds of many. Vick was definitely wrong for his role or sponsorship of the dog fighting ring, but for people to still hold a grudge is wrong. Most ani- mal rights activist site studies that show animal cruelty and crime against humans are related. Since when does a two-year con- viction turn into a life sentence? Vick served 18 months of a 23- month federal conspiracy sentence for his role in the operation. As apart of his plea agreement he vowed to redeem himself by work- ing with Boys and Girls Clubs and speaking out against dog fighting. In fact, I feel that NFL Commissioner Goddell's suspen- sion of Vick for the first few regu- lar season games is not fair consid- ering the fact that he essentially paid his debt to society. A columnist from the Philadelphia Enquirer wrote the following, "But Vick's crime is dif- ferent from most. He was convicted of running a business centered around the spectacle of dogs tear- ing each other to pieces. He was also convicted of electrocuting one dog, drowning another, and beating a third to death." No one argues that Vick did not deserve punishment or that his crimes were not bad, but his crimes were not related to hurting humans. He was convicted and sentenced to serve time in a federal prison. He lost millions of dollars, and a couple of years out of his life, yet some animal lovers want more than Vick has already given. Are you serious? Some are even saying that Vick probably took pleasure in his torture of animals. Now folks are jumping to conclu- sions how would anyone know if Vick is sincere about his apologizes without giving him the opportunity to prove himself? Obviously these critics don't fol- low traditional Christian values of forgiveness and repentance. Here's the central conflict with the Vick issue. Either you fall on the side of Vick deserving a second chance or shot at redemption or you feel that once a criminal always a criminal. If you fall on the side of the latter of the two schools, then you proba- bly think that this is another exam- ple of the declining mortal values in American society. Or perhaps you feel that this is another example of money ruling over everything else? Since Vick is a big name star that would generate a lot of money for the NFL that's what his reinstatement is about. Last week Vick was featured on "60 Minutes," and I am no special- ist, but Vick seemed extremely sin- cere when speaking to James Brown. Vick said, "There is no way to explain the hurt and guilt that I felt and that was the reason I cried so many nights. That put it all in per- spective." Brown asked, "You cried a num- ber of nights? About?" Vick said, "About what I did. Being away from my family. Letting so many people down. Letting myself down. Not being out on the football field. Being in a prison bed, in a prison bunk, writ- ing letters home ... All because of the so-called culture 1 thought was right, I thought it was cool, I thought it was fun and exciting. It all led to me lying in a prison bunk by myself with nobody to talk to but myself." Last week 1 wrote about how the state of Florida leads the nation in the conviction of minors to life in prison. I argued that many of these young men deserve a second chance. I feel the same way about Vick. Whether you personally "forgive" him or not he has served his required sentence and deserves to have an opportunity at redemption. "The weak can never forgive. Race is not the only reason for jump in assassination rates by Earl Ofari Hutchinson President Obama has got- ten more death threats in a shorter period of time than any other president in US history. The legion of right side talk radio gabbers, the GOP induced professional mobsters who commit orchestrated mayhem at health care townhalls, the birthers, the countless websites and chat- rooms that c rackle with anti Obama venom, and the endless montage of race baiting cartoons, characterizations and depictions of Obama and First Lady Michelle have created a viperous climate of hate and that knows no bounds. The stock assumption is that race is the reason that Obama is a bigger target than any other president. That's a huge factor. The mere sight of a black man at the helm is more than enough to drive countless loose screw unreconstructed KKK, Aryan Nation, Skinhead, and the just plain wacky fringe into a froth. But anti-black hate is only one rea- son for the record number of death threats against him. Threats against Presidents often come fast and furi- ous immediately after their elec- tion. The reasons are varied; many are the chronic cranks and nut cases, others hate the views of the president, fear change, or just get a titilation from making the threat. But the GOP strategists and their stealth talk radio and blog allies are playing for much bigger stakes than just bashing a black president. The stakes are a rework of the GOP to take back power. A full throttle destabilization of the Obama administration on everything from the economy to health care is the obvious attack point. The GOP and their surrogates have snatched a page from the playbook used against every Democratic presiden- tial candidate and president by the GOP since Nixon. That's create havoc through character assassina- tion, rumor mongering, fear, intim- idation, and emotionally charged code words. The operative tag they've slapped on Obama is socialist. That sets off a Pavlovian drool; reason quickly goes out the window and the red flags run up the mental flagpoles of countless Americans. Obama's message of hope and change feeds into rightist paranoia. He has drawn an instant global throng of admirers who see in him the embodiment of change and a fresh direction for US policy on the war and the easing of global ten- sions. He's also seen as a potential president who can put a diverse, humane face on American foreign policy. These are the exact qualities that stir the deep fury, hatred and resentment among a steadily grow- ing frenetic number of malcontents and hate mongers. The thick list of fringe and hate groups as well as the hordes of unbalanced violence prone individuals running free in America can fill a telephone book. The long history of hate violence in America is more than enough to raise the antenna on the danger of violence against prominent politi- cal figures. The gun culture of the nation, adds even more fuel and danger to the mix. Gun and ammo sales have gun through the roof since Obama's election, with many openly brag- ging that they are ready for a war to win back the country. Whether it's the wholesale wipeout of families, gunning down police officers, or the shoot up of a women's fitness center, the police invariably find that the cracked shooter has made some rant about guns and spouted wacky extremist views. Obama, of course, has been the target of unbounded hate from the moment that he announced that he was a presidential candidate in February 2007. The personal death threats began flooding in to his campaign. Obama had the dubious distinction of being the earliest presidential contender to be assigned Secret Service protection on the campaign trail. As the crowds grew bigger at Obama ral- lies and his public visibility grew even greater, the Secret Service increased the number of agents assigned to guard him. Obama campaign aides and vol- unteers continued to report occa- sional racial taunts and jibes when they passed out literature and pitched Obama in some areas. This further increased the jitters that Obama was at risk. As the show- down with John McCain heated up in the general election, the flood of crank, crackpot, and screwball threats that promise murder and mayhem toward Obama continued to pour in. This prompted the Secret Service to tighten security and take even more elaborate meas- ures to insure his safety. The troubling question though is how tight can the Secret Service clamp the security shield around Obama as president. The same report that there's been a four hun- dred percent leap in death threats against Obama also noted that the Secret Service in underagented and under resource. That's not very comforting. But threats come with the presidential turf, a turf that Obama stands firmly on, and for some that's just to much to stom- ach. 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All letters must be type writ- ten and signed and include a tele- phone number and address. Please address letters to the Editor, c/o JFP, P.O. Box 43580 Jacksonville, FL 32203. (No CALLS PLEASE) CITY STATE ZIP,'" MAIL TO: JACKSONVILLE FRE PIRES! P.O. BOX 43580, JACKSONVILLE, .FL32" ,". 1 A CONTRIBUTORS: Lynn Jones, Charles Griggs, Camilla Thompson, Reginald Fullwood, E.O.Huthcinson, William Reed, Andre X, Brenda Burwell, Dyrinda Sapp, Marsha Oliver, Marretta Latimer, Phyllis Mack, Carlottra Guyton, Brenda Burwell, Rhonda Silver,Vickie Brown, Rahman Johnson, a Everyone Deserves a Shot at Redemption Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong," said Gandhi. I will flip the coin somewhat. Now that Vick has been given this opportunity I think that it would be a travesty not to help children and other ex-offenders. And I am not talking about him giving a ton of money to nonprof- its, although that would be great. I am talking about getting on the speaking circuit. He says that he's going to get involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs then make the best of it. Vick has to talk to young adults not just about why dog fight- ing is wrong, but how you can overcome obstacles in life. He should reach out to young men getting out of jail with the same message that he telling NFL executives I made a mistake, learned from it now I am a better person. I am not saying that he needs to be a preacher, but he has to feel a sense of obligation to both youth and folks who have been convicted of crimes. If you saw Vick on "60 Minutes" then you saw a man who is either a great actor or is truly remorseful. We have all made mistakes - some of us get caught and some of us don't. But we all deserve a chance at redemption. Signing off from First Timothy Baptist Church, Reggie Fullwood I Live and Let Live Michael Vick too Michael Vick's reinstatement to the NFL and recent signing by the Philadelphia Eagles is a bit of victory for those who tire of seeing American main- stream society make Black American athletes "pub- lic enemy number one" when they screw up. If you are in synch with values and a mindset that accepts as fact: Allen Iverson is 'edgy", Michael Irvin is some kind of criminal and Terrell Owens is a malcontent, you are a part of an American tradition of vil- ifying Black athletes. Payback is a mother, so it only seems appropriate that Vick signed his con- tract in a city like Philadelphia. It is said that Philadelphia sports fans would boo a cancer patient. During a game in 1998, they threw snowballs at Santa Claus. And, in 1999, they cheered when the Dallas Cowboys' Michael Irvin injured his neck and had to be carried off the field. Though he received offers to other NFL cities, the City of Brotherly Love is where Vick will make his comeback. And Eagle fans sure as heck aren't going to pay much attention to animal rights protesters blocking their path to a Super Bowl. In a city like Philly, where the slogan is: "If you win, we forgive all," Vick should be right at home. Twelve percent of Black In 2005 the Atlanta Falcons men between 16 and 34 signed Michael Vick to a 10-year; are in jail or prison. $130 million contract extension re in jail r prison, that guaranteed him an NFL- Like Vick, they are spend- record $37 million in bonuses. ing the most productive times That made Vick a successful and of their lives displaced wealthy young Black athlete. Many Blacks hold the belief that and behind bars. Out of it's because of this stature, fame that genre Vick got a job. and his Blackness, Vick is being made to suffer society's scorn. On his signing, it was a humbled Vick that said: "I think everybody deserves a second chance. You only get one shot at a second chance, and I am con- scious of that". Chances are Mike Vick won't ever be able to live down events of Bad Newz Kennels, the dog fighting ring that landed him in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary for 18 months. Despite once being the NFL's highest- paid player, Vick is now bankrupt. His deal is one-year for $1.6 million, with a team option for a second year at $5.2 million. None of the money is guaranteed, so the Eagles face no financial risk if Vick doesn't make the team. In 2007 Michael Dwayne Vick, alias "Ookie", was convicted for stran- gling dogs that didn't show enough promise in the ring. Vick is 29 and an example of American Black men between the ages of 20 34; one in nine is incarcerated. It's a sad social statement that 10 percent of the Black male population aged 25 to 29 is incarcerated. Self-righteous Americana is tone- deft to this situation; the number of Black men in prison is the largest of any racial or ethnic group. More African-American men are in jail than in col- lege. A sad indictment on society is its ongoing persecution and distain of young Black men like Vick. Twelve percent of Black men between 16 and 34 are in jail or prison. Like Vick, they are spending the most productive times of their lives displaced and behind bars. Out of that genre Vick got a job. To keep it Vick will give money, raise money and beg money for ani- mal rights. As part of his employment, Vick is required to meet with inner city kids twice a month to talk about his personal experiences with dog fight- ing and why it's wrong. Russell Simmons, an avid supporter of protection of animals endorsed Vick's reinstatement. Vick rushed for 1,039 yards in 2006, the most by a quarterback in a single season in NFL history. So, don't be surprised if the "Negro felon's" return brings the NFL bonanza TV ratings. In the world of entertainment, and put- ting butts in seats, the NFL is King. For league owners, it's all about Benjamins and Vick's first game is likely to be on pay-per-view. It's a win- win situation: Philadelphia Eagle's owner Jeffery is going make money, as will owners of other NFL teams, by bringing Michael Vick back on the field of play.