Hmmm…

“I don’t think that the reason people are appalled about dog fighting is because it is dogs. I don’t think it has anything to do with the type of animal it is. The difference between raising animals for meat and fur and forcing them to fight eachother for our entertainment is vast.”

Do you think people would be as outraged if Vick was raising roosters for cock fighting? I doubt it. Americans care more about dogs than any other animal.

“Is it more cruel to raise a cow and kill it for its meat, or to raise a cow and then put it in a ring and torment it until it fights and then is killed for the entertainment of humans? (Bullfighting) Is it more cruel to raise a rooster to mate for food purposes or to raise a rooster and routinely torment it and force it to fight other roosters until it eventually dies in a fight? (cockfighting)

The two things are not comparable even if the animal isn’t as cute and fuzzy and bonded with human kind as dogs are.”

I think they are comparable because humans neither need animals for entertainment nor for food. The only legitimate reason to eat meat is because it tastes good, which is really just pleasure, another form of entertainment.

I think the reason people have sympathy for dogs and not for Iraqis or US soldiers is because of Lassie and other pro-dog media we’re exposed to as children. Our society is pro-dog, anti-cow, anit-Iraqi, pro-milk…

I don’t think that the reason people are appalled about dog fighting is because it is dogs. I don’t think it has anything to do with the type of animal it is. The difference between raising animals for meat and fur and forcing them to fight eachother for our entertainment is vast.

Is it more cruel to raise a cow and kill it for its meat, or to raise a cow and then put it in a ring and torment it until it fights and then is killed for the entertainment of humans? (Bullfighting) Is it more cruel to raise a rooster to mate for food purposes or to raise a rooster and routinely torment it and force it to fight other roosters until it eventually dies in a fight? (cockfighting)

The two things are not comparable even if the animal isn’t as cute and fuzzy and bonded with human kind as dogs are.

Also, I can’t help but want to point out how “concern troll”y this post is. So often people get mad on blogs when someone stops by and says “Oh you’re so concerned about women’s rights, but look what is happening HERE, it’s even worse.” And I think that is exactly what this post does, though I guess the clarification helps.

Also, I don’t think the “but this” is even very valid in this instance. The reason this is getting so much more attention in the media has less to do with the fuzzy puppies being tortured and more to do with the football player at the center. Our country does love to watch its celebrities fall from grace. (Helloooooo Paris.) This same post could be directed at any number of other stories by the press, Paris’s jail stint, Britney Spear’s vagina, so on and so forth.

And I am glad that this is being used as an opportunity to educate people about dogfighting and how horrible it is. However people are brought up on dog fighting charges all the time, and it rarely recieves any kind of attention. This is just another celebrity fall from grace story, that is being used (imho rightly) to educate people on an ongoing act of crime that is happening under our noses.

Maybe if Paris had been at Haditha people would actually care.

Please don’t mistake my support for free expression as an indictment of prudery or sexual hang-ups. You characterize Hustler as, “I’m not talking about ordinary sex acts here.� To which, I would respond that I’ve read a few issues of Hustler from cover to cover, and I would remind readers that what one may consider “ordinary sex acts� could be quite kinky to someone else. Same with the opposite end of the spectrum. There are lots of kinks that are considered quite vanilla to some enthusiasts.
Now, I’m not suggesting that Flynt is a friend to women and feminists, but, to answer your question:

My question is, what are you and other porn defenders afraid of? Seriously?

I’m afraid of the slippery slope. I’m afraid that if we ban Hustler today, it’ll be Playboy tomorrow, followed by the Victoria’s Secret catalog. I’m afraid that banning adult materials is inherently anti-woman because it sends the message that women’s bodies are so inherently disgusting and evil and vile that they cannot even be viewed .
I’m also aware that pornography and prostitution are situations brought about by economic conditions. Adult film is one of the few occupational categories where the female actors are consistently paid more than the male actors for the same films. I’m against anything that inhibits women from taking advantage of market demands to improve themselves economically, and that includes adult film, still photography, audio services (900 numbers), exotic dancing, escort services, and prostitution.

I think they should all be legal and available because they serve as economic fulcrums that allow women financial leverage that they wouldn’t ordinarily have in mainstream job categories, given the wage gap, the mommy track, the glass ceiling, and all the other forms of institutionalized discrimination that women must face and overcome to succeed economically.

P.S. What made you think I was a man? I find it rather interesting that you’d think so.

As I said, sometimes employers continue paying suspended employees. That means Vick could still be drawing his salary. I do not know if he is or not.

Employers are not above the law; they just are not held to the standards of evidence in a criminal trial. I took no position on Vick’s situation in my comments to you.

Wrong. His job is NOT to carry a football (or block or whatever position he plays). His job is to sell tickets and merchandise, and being indicted of ugly charges DOES affect his ability to do that.