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To order a Duffy book, click on one of the covers to the left.

I have a t-shirt with a cartoon of a dog peeing on a football with a number seven on it. The inscription reads “My Dog Hates Vick!” I bought it when the news come out.

I’ve never felt quite right wearing it.

The facts state that Michael Vick did horrible inexcusable things to dogs that I don’t understand. The argument that it had something to do with culture doesn’t fit quite right with me.

Yet, I type this with a leather belt holding up my pants.

I love dogs. I love dogs more than a lot of people.

Not everyone does. Some people see animals as things to utilize. Some people will quote the bible on such things. In some cultures dogs are eaten which I find repulsive yet we glorify the eating of other animals.

I went vegetarian three years ago–one who eats fish–which gives me a special veggy name. I drink milk and eat cheese and I know cows are treated poorly. The fish I eat certainly don’t appreciate it.

After Michael Vick got out of prison there was a big PR campaign about how he was going to give speeches discouraging inner city youth from getting involved in dog fighting.

This year he’s been getting all sorts of press for being great on the football field. I thought to myself that you didn’t hear anything more about the crumb making speeches about being kind to animals.

I did a little research to see what a hypocrite Vick was.

Turns out he isn’t. He’s kept his word and he regularly speaks to kids about abusing animals being wrong. He still doing it this year. In fact dog fighting is down across the country probably related to all the negative publicity around Vick’s case.

I don’t want to cheer for him and it isn’t up to me to forgive him. Calling what he did a mistake seems way too trivial.

Yet, he’s kept his word. He did something rotten and now he’s doing something he said he would to prevent it from happening in the future.

Is it enough? Doesn’t seem like it but I don’t think that’s my existential call either.

I won’t wear a green number seven.

But I don’t feel right actively hating the man either.