Vegetarian Star

Joel Travis Sage on Wikimedia Commons

The Michael Vick hype may take a long time, if ever, to wind down.

Until then, we’ll continue to update you on those in the veg community who have something to say about the matter.

Peter Singer, famous for his book, Animal Liberation, has a viewpoint somewhat like Alec Baldwin’s in that he feels Vick’s actions were horrible, but were minor compared to the meat industry.

“What he did was certainly awful. But many people do or participate in things regarding animals that are awful. To some extent, I think people may have rushed to judgment because he did something awful to dogs.”

“For example, the kinds of things that are done to pigs to turn them into ham or bacon are awful, but we don’t care as much about pigs as we do dogs. And I think there’s every reason to believe that pigs are as sensitive and intelligent as dogs.”

“What I’m saying is that the people who are very quick to jump on Michael Vick maybe could spend some time thinking about how they participate in the cruelty to animals just by walking into the supermarket, spend some time thinking about what happened to that animal before it was turned into meat.”

Continue reading Peter’s entire interview at philly.com.

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Michael Vick has blogged at globalgrind.com, which is, ironically, a website started by vegan Russell Simmons.

In his post, Vick claims the one thing that made him remorseful for his role in dog fighting was meeting dozens of animal lovers and activists.

“Sitting in a prison cell didn’t make me feel remorse. It was meeting so many animal lovers, speaking with them and looking them in their eyes. Staring at them. Looking so deep into their eyes that I began to feel their pain. Allowing that pain to enter into my body is when I started to understand how bad it really was. I have been trying hard to connect with people who feel this pain,because for my whole life I was disconnected from the suffering of animals. And you might say, “come on Mike, how could you do those things to those dogs?” And you’re right…I ask myself those questions every day. What kind of person does this? How does a human-being treat dogs or any animal with such pain and cruelty? And the hard part for me is the answer to these questions. Because the answer is ME. And I am trying so hard right now to become a better person, because who I was, I am ashamed of.”

What do you think? Is Vick legit? Or are these fake feelings of empathy in a well pulled publicity stunt?

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Gotta love Alec Baldwin when he writes a thought provoking piece.

In the midst of the Michael Vick comeback, Baldwin has written at the Huffington Post his thoughts on the matter.

Sure, Vick was evil.

But shouldn’t we be directing equal hostility towards the millions of people who regularly consume animal products and run inhumane research labs?

“What Vick did is, obviously, senseless and reprehensible. But I believe Vick, as a wealthy and talented athletic superstar who performs his job out in the open before crowds of amped-up and highly opinionated fans, suffers an unfair disadvantage as compared to, say, the heads of a meatpacking plant or the directors of a medical research lab where animals are suffering the cruelest imaginable abuses behind walls and doors that remove them from our sight and, therefore, judgments. Vick did horrific things and he deserved to be punished. He served his time and now I wonder what good does it do to exile him in shame and not let him show his example of how one can be rehabilitated after that kind of behavior. If Vick returns to his true form as an NFL pro, that platform can mean real progress for the animal rights movement. Or do some people really not want to open that conversation?”

“Vick is one man who, along with his friends, brutally tortured and killed many innocent dogs and called it a sport. Each day in this country, millions upon millions of animals are suffering lives of daily abuse in factory farming, but we turn away because that animal, unlike Vick’s dogs, ends up on a grill and then on our plates. Animals that are not raised as pets suffer in ways that you and I don’t really want to know. And in economic hard times like now, support for groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and other prominent players in the animal rights movement, drops precipitously.”

Continue reading Alec’s post at huffingtonpost.com.

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Things just got real ugly in Philadelphia, as the city of brotherly love that Michael Vick recently signed to play football with just happens to be the hometown of singer and animal activist Pink.

Yes, THE Pink. Same gal who suggested Kanye West be skinned and made into a fur coat for his fur loving tendencies.

Her latest kind thoughts about Vick from Twitter:

“wow. michael vick in MY hometown, Philly. of all the places. I hope the fans tear him to pieces like his beloved dogs”

There are already several protests planned in Philly.

via TMZ.com

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Michael Vick has been signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on a two year contract.

To some, seems like an awfully short time he spent away from the football field as punishment for the conviction is his dog fighting activities.

PETA has taken the time to issue a statement about how they feel about the matter.

“PETA certainly hopes that Vick has learned his lesson and feels truly remorseful for his crimes—but since he’s given no public indication that that’s the case, only time will tell. At this point, all Eagles fans can do is cross their fingers and hope that they won’t ever have to explain to their sons and daughters what a “rape rack” is and why their favorite player was using one, as Falcons fans once had to.”

Read more at peta.org.

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When Michael Vick expressed interest in working with the Humane Society for anti-dogfighting education programs, he had his share of skeptics.

And while it’s still unsure of whether or not he’s actually contrite or pulling a publicity stunt, at least he’s following through on his word.

According to TMZ, Vick was spotted giving an anti-dogfighting lecture in the Englewood section of Chicago, Illinois yesterday, as part of community based End Dogfighting outreach programs sponsored by the HSUS.

According to a recent blog entry by HSUS CEO and president Wayne Pacelle, the programs were built around the concept that ex offenders may have a powerful role in preventing the behavior.

“We took note of the anti-gang and anti-violence programs done by others in urban communities, and re-engineered these programs to combat dogfighting. These programs are built around the leadership of ex-dogfighters who have turned around their lives and who are now engaging kids in more positive interactions with pit bulls.”

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Boxing champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley has recorded a PSA against dog fighting.

Incidentally, this was released around the same time convicted dog fighting ringleader Michael Vick was reinstated into the NFL.

“I’m a boxer,” says Mosley. “I fight for a living. My opponents and I know that if you step into the ring, you choose to be there. And if you don’t come out on top, you can at least walk away. Dog fighting isn’t like that. Dogs don’t have the choice. In the end, they get hurt badly or are cruelly killed. Dog fighting is dirty.”

We second that, Sugar.

Watch the PSA above, but be warned, there are some graphic pictures that illustrate just why these PSAs need to be made.

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PETA’s co-founder and president, Ingrid Newkirk, sat down with green gossip website Ecorazzi.com over a vegan bacon cheeseburger for an interview.

Ingrid’s latest book, The PETA Practical Guide To Animal Rights, has just been released and offers tips for everyday folk to get involved with protecting animals.

Ingrid said one of the most important things an activist can do is to arm themselves with answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

She, like Russell Simmons, also said Barack Obama should stop publicly going out for cheeseburgers and opt for healthier, vegetarian choices instead.

So many are talking. Think Mr. President will get the message?

Watch the video to hear what Ingrid had to say about Michael Vick and other topics.

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