[redwitch]

Society's fault that someone becomes a murderer? No. Possibly the fault of the family that raised that person, yes.

Vicks did something heinously wrong. He is the first to admit it today. According to the culture that raised him, his actions were acceptable. According to the majority of American society, his actions were abhorrent. I don't see Vicks as a sociopath or even a borderline personality, any more than I do a picador when he thrusts the lance into the bull's shoulders at a bull fight. To me, the picador's actions are torturing a bull for no reason other than to weaken it so another man can kill it. Sociopathic behavior? Technically, it could certainly be classified as such. However, it is, in reality, part of culture that I personally find obscene but is a sport loved by many.

I do see Vicks as having an extraordinary sense of entitlement -- many celebrities do. They really think they are above the law and the moral rules of our society. This was true in the 20s. This is true today. The sad thing is that they aren't entirely wrong. They do many things that we would condemn our neighbors for if our neighbors were to do the same things. The Simpsons and Vicks of this world have to cross many lines before they are vilified. Simpson is now in prison for a crime that would have normally been plead down to maybe a year or two in prison rather than a minimum of nine years and probably a life sentence of OJ. Vicks paid for his crime with a longer prison sentence than an ordinary citizen would have received for the same actions. Isn't it time to move on?

I'm not defending Vicks. I think what he did is obscene and there's no excuse for killing an innocent animal and I loathe dog fighting and those who participate in it. However, I do believe that everyone deserves a second chance if they've shown they've earned that chance. I do believe Vicks has done that.

As I said, if you don't like the laws or the way our justice system handles animal cruelty charges, then do something about it -- write your congressman, work with the SPCA and other organizations to force stiffer penalties, find out when a dog fight is going to occur and picket it.

(And please let me keep my fingers to myself the next time there's a Vicks thread.)