There aren’t many people running to the defense of Michael Vick these days following his arrest on dogfighting charges. But one who has is WorldNetDaily columnist Ilana Mercer — who paints Vick as a misunderstood manly-man and even quasi-defends dogfighting as part of a noble tradition of “blood sport.” From Mercer’s Aug. 17 column:
Dog fighting, which has been outlawed in all 50 states, is certainly uncivilized and cruel (although not everything that is immoral ought to be illegal). But even more uncivilized than Vick’s alleged dog fighting violations has been the zeal among media pack animals to convict him. Vick is not a thief, a murderer or a rapist. Neither has he defrauded anyone. He is a gifted athlete – and an obviously aggressive young man, who may have channeled his abundant aggression into a blood sport, as men have done throughout time.
The English relished dog fighting for centuries. Fox hunting is still a much cherished way of life in rural England, and, some argue, beneficial to conservation “and a method of pest control.” The same animal-rights activists who’ve successfully lobbied to have dog fighters declared felons are gunning for hunters. These activists consider hunting a blood sport, too. To them, the toreo – the Spanish bullfighter – is worse than a terrorist.
Mercer goes on to claim that “Animal-rights activists share a humanity-hating agenda with environmentalists,” concluding: “Human beings ought to care for and be kind to animals, but a civilized society is one that never threatens a man’s liberty because of the callousness with which he has treated the livestock he owns.”