Isn’t it funny how, in the blogosphere, the “Left” has one opinion on the Atlanta Falcons’ (soon to be, I predict) former quarterback — “heinous risk to society” — while the “Right” has another (i.e., “innocent until proven guilty”), YET, at the watercoolers around America; almost EVERYBODY is appalled at Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation.
“Left”, “Right”; it doesn’t matter; we’re all pretty much on the same page. I think it’s funny. And I also think it’s sad, because the blogosphere does this again and again; divides itself from “Mainstream America” (bad) as quickly as it distinguishes itself from the “Mainstream Media” (good).
The blogosphere has SO MUCH POTENTIAL if my fellow bloggers would just stop playing games with the awesome POWER they hold at their fingertips, and start being HONEST; taking each issue on its own versus being overly-careful not to state an opposing opinion to the one of Firedoglake (Left), or Instapundit (Right) before garnering the courage to type their initial reactions. Sadly, the blogosphere is full of COWARDS in this regard.
One day, I expect the blogosphere to purge itself of the disengenous amongst us; much like the biosphere USED to do before humans aided in its accelerated demise. Human interference in the blogosphere, on the other hand, is exactly what the blogosphere needs. It’s a digital world here; it’ll survive our filth and clutter; and in fact, will THRIVE on it as that filth and clutter falls to the wayside of a digital “blogger -slash- garbage man”… or two… or three. One day in the not-so far off future, those who just read that last statement will understand it; I promise.
Another case in point regarding the blogosphere versus “common sense” and “Mainstream America” — the issue of illegal immigration. In the blogosphere, the “Right” says “close our borders TIGHT”; the “Left” calls them biggots for feeling this way, while polls of “Mainstream America show us again and again — not only do the majority of Americans agree we need to seriously tighten our borders; the majority of Democratic voters are right there with the rest of their neighbors. Turn to the blogosphere for your “news” though; one gets the wrong idea — i.e.: the “Right” says cruel dogfighting operations are simply the American Dream of an imaginative capitalist and we should shoot all illegal aliens on sight; the “Left” says open the borders and shoot Michael Vick on sight.
So… onto today’s latest “Michael Vick Is The Antichrist” (and I’m not so sure he isn’t, myself) news…
Nike, Reebok Give Vick the Boot
By PAUL NEWBERRY
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Nike suspended its lucrative contract with Michael Vick on Friday, while Reebok took the unprecedented step of stopping sales of his No. 7 jersey.
In another dose of bad news for the indicted quarterback, a top trading card company announced it was pulling Vick’s likeness from any new packs.
Facing protests from animal-rights groups, Nike announced it was suspending Vick’s endorsement deal without pay, as well as halting sales of Vick-related shoes and other products at its retail stores.
“Nike is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick, and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent,” Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said in a statement.
Reebok, the official uniform supplier of the NFL, said it would stop selling Vick’s replica jersey at retail stores and through its Web site. …” – The Washington Post
Good, and well-deserved responses. If I just happened to INNOCENTLY own and operate a “cat-gassing” business, whether or not I was aware that my company’s sole focus was on sales for gassing cats, I would deserve whatever came my way; no matter whether or not I was “aware” of the fact my “bidness” gassed cats. That’s just the way it works in America, and that’s just the way it should…
Michael Vick is (technically) “innocent”. So is Karl Rove. And, so is Alberto Gonzales. We all know there is a very good chance they’ll, all three of them, be buying their ways out of prison though, don’t we? They’ve got the money and the “hook ups”; they’ll probably be fine, or at worst; get off with a slap on the wrist and a bad reputation in the wake. The vast majority of the rest of us, be we “Left”, or “Right”; bloggers, or non-bloggers; would have already been arrested and read our miranda rights, were we to be implicated for the same infractions any of the above have been. For an ordinary American, law enforcement perceives you have committed a crime, then they arrest you. You have the privelege of calling your lawyer so you can be freed as you mount your defense against the Government’s charges. If you’re wealthy and famous; politically “connected” like any of the above, you’ll likely never feel the cold, hard steel of the handcuffs as they click on your wrists…
“The best justice system money can buy”, they say about our so-called “laudable” court system. And Michael Vick, Karl Rove, and Alberto Gonzales are proving it right before our very eyes.
UPDATE (11:20 AM, CST):
What HE said (Glenn Greenwald – Salon)…
And what SHE said (Anne-Marie Slaughter – Washington Post) -
(Hat Tip to MemeOrandum)
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10:10 am on July 28th, 2007 1
The problem, which you hinted at but didn’t state, is that too many sheeple feel that they have to spout their party line by rote and can’t deviate from it.
This may be because the 5% on each end of the spectrum who make the most noise and get the most attention will rake them over the coals if they are not in lock step with the extremes.
What the bookends who bracket our political spectrum don’t, or maybe can’t see, is that 90% of us want common sense, moderate politics. We don’t want to have to bleed for every cause that comes down the pike, and a lot of those causes are trupmped up, emotion laden publicity stunts to keep certain capons in the spotlight. Kinda like the Rev. J. Jackson picketing legal gun shops “to get guns out of the hands of our youth.” Yeah, the gun that some thug used may have come from that gun shop, but that was one legal transfer, one theft and five illegal transactions ago. Maybe some parental intervention is needed, not using KKK tactics against honest businessmen (I’ll be damned if I write “businesspersons”).
10:54 am on July 28th, 2007 2
[...] 1. Michael Vick Brings Dogfighting For Dollars To Debate In The MSM And The Blogosphere – : guntotingliberal.com [...]
11:42 am on July 28th, 2007 3
I agree about the unfortunate degree of partisanship in blogs, both left and right. It does get irritating. But on the Vick case, I’ve actually been a bit surprised to see some pretty conservative blogs rake Vick over the coals. I’ve only seen maybe one or two comments on conservative blogs that support Vick in any way (mostly just in the “innocent until proven guilty” vein). Pretty much everyone—whether Left partisan or Right partisan—are appalled by this barbaric “sport” and the barbaric “culture” of which it is a part. Here’s a post from a conservative blog in my state about Vick, and here’s another one from a larger conservative blog.
Unfortunately, I think Vick will get the same slap on the wrist that one of the criminals on the local NBA team got when he was caught doing the exact same thing. No jail time and a tiny (for a rich athlete) fine. As far as I’m concerned, a rope and a tree are too good for the savages who engage in this activity.
8:51 pm on August 2nd, 2007 4
I cant believe someone would take a risk such as Dog Fighting. He had everything in the world and he flushed it all down the toilet. Idiot.