To be honest, I thought HSUS would back out of this stunt before it got off the ground. Apparently not:
“He’s going to be contributing to our anti-dogfighting campaign next week.” Pacelle said of Vick, who vowed to spread the Humane Society’s anti-dogfighting message with inner city teens. Pacelle refused to elaborate on further details.
Refused to elaborate. Gee, what a promising start. I’m all like, filled with hope n’ stuff now.
Although HSUS tried to set it up from the outset as a “no way WE can lose” situation, not everything is about HSUS. To me, this is about a pile of dead dogs. Dead dogs whose blood is on the hands of HSUS and Michael Vick and others who are directly responsible for killing dogs abused in fight rings. Vick tortured and killed dogs, HSUS has historically done it “cleanly” by going to court and “advising” shelters to kill bust dogs, even puppies still nursing from their dams.
Now that both Vick and HSUS have been busted for their dog killing (Vick by the justice system, HSUS by the court of public opinion), they want to say they’ve changed. And they’re teaming up to stop dogfighting. Sorry but – cover your ears children – no fucking sale.
My parents taught me that the first step in righting a wrong is to make a sincere apology. Not a “sorry I got caught” apology but an unscripted “I’m sorry for what I did because it was wrong”. I haven’t heard anything of the sort from either Vick or HSUS. Vick offered a vague apology of sorts at the time of his guilty plea but there was no mention of the dogs he tortured and killed. HSUS of course – *crickets*. (Although they do have the audacity to demand Vick demonstrate sincere remorse.)
I am by nature a forgiving person. I think most people are. If I hear an apology from someone and it feels sincere to me, I am eager to forgive. That doesn’t mean I forget, it means I am open to hearing whatever comes next. As of the start of these shenanigans with HSUS and Vick teaming up to stop dogfighting, I am so not there. All I can see is two remorseless peas in a pod, with dollar signs in their eyes and blood on their hands.