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| -Lurid Crime Tales- | |
| Vick's other co-defendants agree to plea deals | |
| 2007-08-14 | |
Michael Vick’s remaining two co-defendants in a federal dogfighting case are scheduled to enter plea agreements this week. Oops. Purnell Peace will appear in federal court in Richmond on Thursday and Quanis Phillips will appear in federal court in Richmond on Friday. Not the main circus around the Federal Courts Building, but certainly a sideshow. Another of Vick’s original co-defendants, Tony Taylor, pleaded guilty July 30 to his role in a dogfighting conspiracy he says was financed almost entirely by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback. That was the original oops. With sideshow. As part of a plea agreement, Tony Taylor pledged to fully cooperate with the government in its prosecution of Vick, Peace and Phillips, who are accused of running an interstate dogfighting enterprise known as “Bad Newz Kennels” on Vick’s property in rural Surry County. Looks like it's "bad newz" for somebody.... Calls to Peace’s and Phillips’ attorneys were not immediately returned. Collins Spencer III is a spokesman for Vick’s defense team. He says the lawyers were surprised by the plea deals. I'll just bet they were. I can't imagine Vick pleading, so I guess the circus is coming back to town just after Thanksgiving. I work a couple of blocks from the courthouse, and thankfully can get to and from work without going near | |
| Posted by:Barbara Skolaut |
| #26 And it just keeps getting weirder: "Embattled NFL quarterback Michael Vick, facing federal charges related to his alleged participation in dogfighting, has been hit with a "$63,000,000,000 billion dollar" lawsuit filed by a South Carolina inmate who alleges the Atlanta Falcons star stole his pit bulls and sold them on eBay to buy "missiles from Iran," FOX News has learned. Jonathan Lee Riches filed the handwritten complaint over "theft and abuse of my animals" on July 23 in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va." It gets funnier.... link |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-08-14 17:59 |
| #25 Sorry to rant on on this. Don't be. Any of the dogs I've ever owned had more character than a raft of the so-called friends that have passed through my life. My first mutt—named Bear Dog, because he looked like a little polar bear when he was born—was part Keeshond, Labrador, Shepherd and Coyote. Out of seven pups that were pitch black with white stars, blazes or boots Bear was snow white but not albino. He was a genetic "sport" and grew beautiful light brown feathers and a superb coat. He learned tricks without any rewards. Somewhere I have a list of all 60—count 'em 60—commands he could do. He smiled and sneezed on command plus responded to all the classic silent hunting hand signals. He even fished! I have pictures of him sticking his head underwater to bring up neutral bouyancy sticks and shake them "to death". My wolf hybrid, Zen, is the spitting image of Bear Dog save that Zen has erect ears. Of course, if one believes that he simply evolved and is of like kind with the animals, then one can naturally conclude that a crime against an animal is just as serious as that against a human being. mcsegeek1 makes a crucial point. Out of a weird sort of mammalian relativism, some people are willing to dismiss their own anthropic distinction. This suddenly allows for such absurdities as "animal rights", PETA and a host of other lunacies. Finally, mojo really summarized this entire boondoggle quite well: What, you couldn't dump your old dog-fightin' buddies for a 10 mil payout? A lucrative career that a tiny percentage of those who pursue it ever get to realize and Vick cannot bring himself to merge with a society that criminalizes such cruelty. Go figure. If Vick can reach an agreement by the end of this week, he would not have to answer to any additional charges. If "superseding" charges await this cretin, it would be criminal to let this rectal cavity off of the hook by letting him plead down at this point. This bastard needs to face all counts for which he is indictable. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-14 17:45 |
| #24 Word of advice to other athletes: If you manage to get out of the ghetto, don't take it with you. Think what he threw away.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-08-14 17:41 |
| #23 Vick attorneys negotiating plea Falcons QB would serve prison time if agreement reached If the announcement is that Vick has reached a plea agreement, the embattled star quarterback is expected to be sentenced to some time in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines. Vick's motivation to enter a guilty plea is likely fueled by the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement last month that it will seek a new "superseding" indictment against Vick by the end of August. With the cooperation of Vick's three co-defendants, there will likely be new, and more specific, allegations against Vick. The federal grand jury in Richmond is expected to hand up that indictment sometime early next week. If Vick can reach an agreement by the end of this week, he would not have to answer to any additional charges. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2007-08-14 16:35 |
| #22 lotp, I agree with pretty much everything you said. I've been a dog owner as far back as I can remember. I currently have two. I personally can't imagine fighting dogs for money, and that people who do have something wrong with their wiring. It's also a cultural and regional thing. Dog fighting in the deep south and the Southeast is and has been an all too common problem. My original point had nothing to do with whether fighting dogs is wrong. It is. It's reprehensible. It's barbaric. It's disgusting. Vick deserves a good amount of prison time to figure that out. But again, in the end, I place a clear distinction between those who commit atrocities against animals, and those who do so against human beings. Our post-Christian post-modernist society often does not. "Animal Rights" is an oxymoron, because rights are a human concept. Of course, if one believes that he simply evolved and is of like kind with the animals, then one can naturally conclude that a crime against an animal is just as serious as that against a human being. Whether one has the "potential" to commit violence against humans because he fights dogs is not the point either. We don't punish potential. We punish actions, and rightfully so. I never liked Vick, and now I like him even less. Suspicions confimed. But I'm sorry, I can't shovel on him the pure unadulterated hatred that others seem so willing to do. Send him to jail, let him do his time and maybe he'll learn something. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2007-08-14 15:14 |
| #21 I agree lotp, as one who is a big fan of canines and particularly my dobie I feel that there are no bad dogs only bad owners. Vick's a clown w/a bad attitude just like his little brother who got kicked off his college team for his behavior (spiked another player while the guy was on the ground). Mike Vick is also possibly one of the dumbest multi-millionaires ever. Cruelty to animals will be the one big in-your-face charge but the gambling charges might actually cost him more fines. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-08-14 13:27 |
| #20 To deliberately force these creatures to kill each other or be killed One of the horrific aspects of dog fighting is that it is so contrary to basic dog instincts. I'm not denying aggression and territoriality, especially in some of the breeds like terriers where it has deliberately been selected for. But even in those breeds, as in the original wolf stock, there are strong instincts and behaviors that usually keep things short of actual violence. All the body signals that negotiate pack leadership, territory ownership and submission ensure that dogs generally work those things out without bloodshed. The few exceptions are things like a leadership challenge when the alpha is aging or injured. Breeding dogs to fight is bad. Taking dogs NOT bred to fight well and using them for bait is spit more than despicable. Torturing and killing a dog because you didn't make enough in bets on it in the bloody death ring is ..... OK, I'll just put my soapbox away here in the corner and make sure my dogs get an extra couple minutes of play time tonight. Sorry to rant on on this. But there's those that deserve killing and those that don't, and most dogs are in the latter and dogfighting types are in the former category as far as I'm concerned. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-08-14 12:44 |
| #19 I'm a dog lover just like the next guy, but in the end, they're just dogs, not human beings. I'd save the pure hatred for those who harm their fellow man. Just sayin'. I'll bite. Agreed that dogs aren't human. I've been fighting the animal rights people for well over a decade on that one (and other issues). However, they're like us in some pretty important ways. Dogs and the wolves from whom they descend have the most complex social skills, body language and societies of any animals except the great apes and us. Moreover, they're MORE flexible and adaptable than even the apes. The degree to which they can and will adapt to our ways of living, which are quite different from how they would live in the wild, is pretty amazing. All this means they have a rich emotional life. They don't think like us, but they sure as hell feel, including the higher emotions like loyalty and grief. To deliberately force these creatures to kill each other or be killed -- and to kill and torture them oneself -- really does stand right along with murdering humans on the "deliberately causing great pain and suffering" scale. Not all dogs are the same, even within the same lines. I am a very low-scale show dog breeder (a hunting breed and a sighthound breed). Among the couple dozen dogs who've lived with me during the last decade there are a few who I'd keep over most humans any day. Bright, awesomely talented, independent-but-loving companions and friends, of a doggy sort. ;-) |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-08-14 12:38 |
| #18 Z-man got to make the point before I did. Crusader: you nailed it. Word. Period. |
| Posted by: Mark Z 2007-08-14 12:32 |
| #17 Vick had better get the best legal team his money can buy. Even then, It doesn't look good for him. His case is in Federal Court as I understand it, Federal judges have such things as mandatory sentencing with defined stints in prison. Vick has to be one of the dumbest mothers in the history of pro football. He is probably tied with OJ and maybe a couple of others. Being a dog person, I don't really give a $hit if the guy does time and is out of football. He did it to himself. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-08-14 12:24 |
| #16 Vick's done. Stick a fork in him. I'm a dog lover just like the next guy, but in the end, they're just dogs, not human beings. I'd save the pure hatred for those who harm their fellow man. Just sayin'. While I agree that the public often over-reacts to animal welfare issues and then remains silent about man's inhumanity to his fellow man, Crusader's point still stands: Anyone who can look a dog or cat in the eyes and then turn around and kill them for sport is quite capable of harming their fellow man. We had an incident at a local car wash whose decorative "lake" had a large family of resident ducks. Some assclown came by one night and repeatedly drove back and forth over a dozen fluffy baby ducklings. Community outrage pumped up the reward to over $20,000. That sort of intentional mayhem really pisses people off. Vick's lawyers had better cherry pick a jury full of slaughter house operators and mink ranchers if he hopes to get off lightly. Regular folks aren't going to take very kindly to his cretinous behavior. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-14 11:49 |
| #15 That dumb bastard is so screwed. And deserves it. What, you couldn't dump your old dog-fightin' buddies for a 10 mil payout? Stupid. And every NFL player who owned a dog sold it, like, last week. |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-08-14 11:20 |
| #14 Mike "RICO" Vick Not as cleaver as "He Hate Me" but kinda catchy non the less. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2007-08-14 11:20 |
| #13 I'm a dog lover just like the next guy, but in the end, they're just dogs, not human beings. I'd save the pure hatred for those who harm their fellow man. Anyone who can look a dog or cat in the eyes and then turn around and kill them for sport is quite capable of harming their fellow man. |
| Posted by: Crusader 2007-08-14 11:00 |
| #12 Personally, I'm betting he walks Yep. And for all the reasons mentioned above. On the other hand, I'm a little surprised by the amount of vitriolic hate being poured on him. I'm a dog lover just like the next guy, but in the end, they're just dogs, not human beings. I'd save the pure hatred for those who harm their fellow man. Just sayin'. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2007-08-14 10:34 |
| #11 Good points, Mike, but you haven't seen the local support he's still getting here in the "da ATL." Arthur Blank and crew are shrewd businessmen and I think he's done here. But, someone somewhere will pick him up as a QB just for the business side of the show. He'll bring in money (ticket sales) and help a team needing him. Maybe Oakland or Baltimore. I just can't believe how many people still support him BECAUSE he's black and BECAUSE he's the entire Falcons team (again, here locally). I've had educated folks I work with stating, "What's the difference between how he treated those dogs and how YOU whites treated us as slaves back in the day?" Again, I don't think the Falcons' owners want to touch him anymore, and he may very well do some time. But, it'll be a SLAP on the wrist compared to what he deserves and his "street cred" will have shot through the roof. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-14 10:33 |
| #10 Vick's done. Both as a free man and a football player. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-08-14 10:33 |
| #9 Falcons went from 30-1 odds in January to 80-1 today to win the SB. Vick's toast |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-08-14 10:15 |
| #8 Not so sure of that, BA. The Nike endorsement deals are over, the league's coming down on him, his co-defendants have turned state's evidence, and nobody's really sticking up for him. Thatks to OJ and the backlash against him, I think the race card is losing its power; and thanks to Paris and Britney and the backlash against them, the time when celebrities could get "celebrity justice" is ending. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-08-14 09:48 |
| #7 BH6: ESPN has already beat even the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constipation) to the punch. Had an article last week, which interviewed the Rev. Joseph Lowery's widow and other Civil Rights activists (REAL activists, not the race-baiters) and went through Atlanta's ENTIRE racial history, including the "last lynching in the U.S." held in suburban Walton County. Why this has ANYTHING to do with a multi-millionaire athlete who drowned, shot, beat and electrocuted dogs in rural Virginia, who knows? But, the race card has been (and will continue to be) played in this case. Personally, I'm betting he walks, much like O.J. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-14 08:49 |
| #6 From what I've heard, the NFL has already decided that Mike is taking this year off. At least. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-08-14 08:43 |
| #5 Skip the trial. Hand this scumbag over to a dozen randomly chosen show/performance dog breeders and trainers. No dogs, just us. Come back in an hour or two to collect what remains of him for disposal. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-08-14 07:16 |
| #4 Hey, it worked for OJ! |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-08-14 06:57 |
| #3 4) Or he can conjure the ghost of Johnny Cochran: "if the muzzle don't fit you must aquit." *side note -- how soon will sharpton and the other victocrats get there with this is race thing? The man is just trying to keep a black athlete down will be an editorial in the Atlanta JC I guarantee. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-08-14 06:29 |
| #2 VICK's Option Plays: 1) Clip all the witnesses. 2) Pray like hell, then plea Nolo/c and beg, snivel and snot the Judge for mercy. 3) Spend every last dime on Lawyers and pray like the fires of hell are burning your |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-08-14 03:17 |
| #1 Another of VickÂ’s original co-defendants, Tony Taylor, pleaded guilty July 30 to his role in a dogfighting conspiracy he says was financed almost entirely by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback. In other news, Nike and Reebok have announced a new line of Vick approved "Guncheck" apparel. This despite rumors that any reference to it as a "houndstooth" pattern is thoroughly discouraged.. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-14 01:16 |