Update: Cockfighting now illegal in Louisiana! Also, dogfighting & Mike Vick:

[Ninong]

Whoopi Goldberg defends Michael Vick on The View.

Whoopi Goldberg used her first day on the daytime chat show Tuesday to defend football star Michael Vick in his dogfighting case. Goldberg said that "from where he comes from" in the South, dogfighting isn't that unusual.

"It's like cockfighting in Puerto Rico," she said. "There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of the country."

Lynching wasn't "that unusual" in the South at one time. Does that mean it was morally acceptable then because it was "indicative" of the South?

Whoopi's comments are outrageous in more ways than one. She defames not only African-Americans but all Southerners by claiming that it's a Southern tradition. According to Whoopi, Southerners, particularly African-American Southerners, are too stupid to realize that torturing and killing dogs for no reason other than that they aren't suitable for fighting other dogs is immoral.

As far as her comments about cockfighting are concerned, it's quite popular in the Philippines, too, but that doesn't make it right. And it's still quite common in Louisiana but it has just been outlawed... finally! Cockfighting still goes on all over the country, especially in Oklahoma and New Mexico in spite of recent laws there banning it. Cockfighting was quite common when I was a child in Louisiana -- much more common than dogfighting. In fact, I never heard of dogfighting when I was growing up.

Having lived in the SF Bay Area for more than 21 years, I can tell you that pitbull fighting is a problem there, too, especially in Oakland.

P.S. -- Polls in recent years showed that 85-87% of Louisiana residents wanted to see a full statewide ban on cockfighting. In spite of the fact that the vast majority of Louisiana residents were against cockfighting, it still took us years to get our corrupt politicians to actually ban it. We couldn't even get the bill out of the Agriculture Committee, where the redneck chairman refused to allow it to go to the floor for a vote.

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Vick indicted on state dogfighting charges

SUSSEX, Va. (AP) - Michael Vick and three co-defendants were indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on state charges related to a dogfighting ring operated on Vick's Virginia property.

Vick, who already pleaded guilty in federal court to a dogfighting conspiracy charge and is awaiting sentencing Dec. 10, was indicted on one count of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and one count of engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each count is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

The grand jury declined to indict the Atlanta Falcons quarterback and two co-defendants on eight counts of animal cruelty, which would have exposed them to as many as 40 years in prison if convicted.

Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter asked that the four be arraigned Oct. 3 and requested that each be released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond. None of the defendants nor their lawyers were in court.

The charges are the first leveled against Vick in the county where he built a home on 15 acres that was the base of the dogfighting operation.

The grand jury — made up of two black men, two black women and two white women — met for more than three hours.

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Vick tests positive for marijuana

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal judge placed tighter restrictions on Michael Vick on Wednesday after he tested positive for marijuana.

Because of the result, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson placed special conditions on Vick's release, including restricting him to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and ordering him to submit to random drug testing.

The urine sample was submitted Sept. 13, according to a document by a federal probation officer that was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

Vick, who admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation on property he owns in Surry County in his written federal plea, is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 10.

P.S. -- I have a feeling this guy will never get out of jail because as soon as he is released, he will violate his probation. Let's not forget that he hasn't even been sentenced yet. This is the period prior to sentencing when he's supposed to be cooperating with federal law enforcement in their ongoing investigation. And the local D.A. finally decided to file state charges against him just yesterday.

[Ninong]

Vick ordered to pay back $19,970,000.00 of the bonus money

More good news for Michael Vick. He has been ordered to pay back nearly $20 million of the bonus money he has been paid over the past three years on his $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

In a highly technical, nine-page ruling, Burbank said the Falcons were entitled to $3.75 million of the $7.5 million bonus that Vick was paid after signing the deal in 2004, $13.5 million of the $22.5 million in roster, reporting and playing bonuses he was paid in 2005 and 2006, and $2.72 million of the $7 million roster, reporting and playing bonus that he received this year.

He has already been sued by an Indiana bank that claims he defaulted on at least $2 million in loans for a car rental business and by a Canadian bank that claims he owes $2.3 million for real estate investments.

Maybe the marijuana was prescribed by his psychiatrist to help him forget about his problems?

[Ninong]

Michael Vick will probably get at least 18 months!!!

Michael Vick's plea bargain — like those of his two co-defendants who were sentenced Friday — states that the government will recommend to the judge that he be given a sentence "at the low end of the applicable guideline range." The key revelation in court Friday was that, despite the government's recommendation of the low end of the range for Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, Judge Henry Hudson stated that the high end of the range was appropriate because of the "cruel" nature of their dogfighting activities.

The "applicable guideline range" for Peace was 12-18 months, just as it is for Vick, and Peace was sentenced to 18 months. (Phillips' range was higher because of the nature of his criminal record.) Since Vick is accused of committing essentially the same crime as Peace, Judge Hudson will inevitably sentence Vick to at least the high end of that range — 18 months.
But I say "at least" 18 months because things may go worse for Vick.

Remember, the "guidelines" are just that: guidelines. The only real limitation on the sentence the judge will give Vick is the 5-year maximum mandated by Congress.

[Ninong]

Michael Vick's Sentencing Hearing, 10 a.m., Monday, Dec. 10th.

I wonder why it takes 2-4 hours?

Here.

[Ninong]

Michael Vick sentenced to
23 months!


Time to order more of this.