For legal clarification I must immediately state that I do not wish any bodily harm to Tucker Carlson. I merely thought the title was an appropriate correlation between a '06 flick and statements made by Tucker Carlson himself (haven't seen John Tucker Must Die, but honestly the title is terrible enough). Call me a sell-out, but I gotta grab the female readers somehow... What I will stand by is that Tucker Carlson's comments about Michael Vick were completely out-of-line. Here's the highlight reel:
"I'm a Christian, I've made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances. But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. And I think, personally, he should've been executed for that."For those of you familiar with internet speech, WTF? Did Carlson actually preface a statement about KILLING a human-being for making a mistake (a horrific one, I agree) with saying how he believes in second chances? The contradictions are too laughable. I'm not going to guess which network allowed for such a statement to be broadcast. Tucker Carlson both regretted and backed off wishing execution upon Vick. My beef isn't with Tucker Carlson anymore (I'm a softy for apologies), but rather why he was pushed to make such a statement.
I have to admit that despite all the wrongdoings Vick committed (there's quite a few, check Wikipedia) he has been the definition of a second-chance opportunity. I've been impressed with his turnaround from what I hope is his last ultimate blunder. Before the fall of the Vick, he was a celebrated athlete, relying on his "inhuman" physical tools to carry him to be a moderately successful quarterback, albeit a very wealthy NFL player. Then his dog fighting operation was exposed and Vick paid the price according to our legal system. Some people may argue that the punishment should have been harsher, that he should never be able to play in the NFL, etc. Let the debate continue, but stop before you go as far as to wish death upon another person. That's wrong and you know it! I'm also intrigued to learn why Vick made such mistakes and what we can understand from such vile behavior so that others do not follow the same misled path. A sort of historical defense.
7 or 8 years old. That's the age Michael Vick said he was when he was exposed to dog fighting. He was ingrained with this "acceptable" violence as a child! I'm not certain that this reason, or any other explanation is an adequate defense for his cruel acts of torture. I cannot elaborate on these misdeeds as they make me sick to my stomach. However, I am certain that to blame this entire situation on one man and his personal decisions would be simply unwise. There are some clear negative influences that have clouded Vick his entire life. Look no further than his younger brother. Anyone remember Marcus Vick stomping on the leg of Elvis Dumervil while attempting to follow his brother's footsteps as QB at Virginia Tech? That was one of the more despicable acts of bad sportsmanship that I've ever witnessed (behind Albert Haynesworth's head stomp). The Vicks clearly grew up troubled. Whatever the cause; family, neighborhood, peer influences, etc., we need to address repairing those rather than scapegoating the end results after the fact.
Because of his status, Vick got lucky and got help while many others (mostly because of financial reasons) are not so fortunate. Props to Tony Dungy and Andy Reid. I can only imagine that their experiences with their own troubled children gave them the compassion necessary to help Vick when no one else would. Vick was patient, observed and studied from an excellent QB in Donovan McNabb, and learned to play the quarterback position "between the ears" complimenting his physical gifts instead of relying on them. After proper preparation and an injury to Kevin Kolb, Vick was given the starting QB opportunity and never looked back. He took control
I believe losing to an impressive Aaron Rodgers is a good result. I don't think America nor Vick is ready for the idolization that accompanies NFL playoff success. He needs more time to heal and for us to forgive. Whether or not you believe in Michael Vick's comeback, believe in his statements about his desire to own a dog again:
"I miss having a dog right now. I wish I could. My daughters miss having one, and that's the hardest thing: Telling them that we can't have one because of my actions"I hope that one day Michael Vick will do enough good to right his wrongs and be able to do what many Americans fail to even attempt: make his children happy and proud of what he did with his life. I wish him the best of luck and I hope the city of brotherly love does too. Philly, you could jettison him like the last guy and maybe he will land in the city by the bay! (I'd love to land Donovan as well)
Last, I cannot forget to explain my leading man Tucker Carlson. What irks me about his comments was the "convenient" timing and proximity to our President's own appraisal of the Philadelphia Eagles and their efforts with Michael Vick's return. If Carlson truly wanted to spark the Vick discussion, Tucker could have said comments after Vick's verdict, after he got reinstated to the NFL, after he served his suspension, after he became starter, or after he captured the limelight this season. Instead, his agenda was rooted in a political circus attacking a man unjustly at the expense of a potentially educational debate.
As my roommate informed me, these days you need money to trump money. Until we have enough financial influence to create good change, at least I'm having a blast calling out these indiscretions. I hope others do too. If you agree with what I'm promoting, maybe something crazy might happen, like getting paid to do good...
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