Forgiveness? Think Michael Vick

When I first heard the news that Michael Vick was running a dog fighting operation in the back of his multimillion dollar house in Virginia, I was disgusted and angry. I was glad they found it, had stopped it, and I hoped he would get all the punishment possible for this egregious behavior. How cruel can he be? Training a dog to attack and injure one of its own kind just might be unforgivable. Reports had it that he had killed a dog if it didn't fight well enough. I can't even imagine how twisted the "emotions" of those unfortunate animals must have been.

I love animals. They are, in many ways, dependent on us as children, and to abuse them is beyond my imagination. Dogs, handled properly, give us unlimited love. Animals depend on us in many ways, and we also depend on them. I am convinced that animals, especially dogs and cats, have a "spirit" much like people. They communicate, have emotion, experience fear and happiness, and have much to teach humans, especially about loyalty.

When I was in medical school, we did terrible things to dogs and cats all in the interest of learning.  I would object to doing that now. I had a cat of my own for twenty years, and as he got older, he used to sit on my lap and stair at me the way cats do. I used to imagine he was thinking how horrible I had been to those cats years ago. I guess I felt guilty.

Because I had a lot of feelings about this episode I followed the news of Michael's goings on, and  was elated when he was suspended from the Atlanta Falcons, went to prison,  became bankrupt, and I wanted even more.  I have to say, that as he neared the end of his prison term, and started to look for a new team to play with, I hoped he wouldn't get a second chance.

Once Philadelphia picked him up and I knew that on some Sunday afternoon I would once again be confronted with his athletic antics again and I was forced to think more deeply about Michael.

When and how does one forgive someone anyway? He did his prison time, began speaking about animal rights, admitted he was wrong and shouldn't have done what he did. He even began working with PETA. Should I forgive him?  I knew it wouldn't make any difference to him, but I began to wonder if it would make a difference to me.

Mr. Vick taught me something. He taught me to reconsider the whole idea of forgiveness. All those who have done something hurtful, or wrong, have repented and try to get back into our good graces? What a useful lesson, not only for Michael to have taught all of us about him, but taking if further to the many others in similar situations who are trying to recover from something they should not have done. Forgiveness is liberating for each of us. It let's us use that energy for more useful projects. It is a burden we do not have to carry.

So in this Christmas season, think about someone who has done something wrong to you, and think about what they may have gone through because of their action. If it is appropriate in your particular circumstance, think about forgiveness. Think about Michael Vick.

 Michael, I forgive you, and I hope you do get that dog for Christmas. I know that dog will surely teach you something about love and loyalty.

Censure? Big Deal for Rangel

So Charlie Rangel was censured. So what. He was embarrassed and had to stand in the well of the House of Representatives and listen to some scolding. "Bad, bad man." Why didn't they make him sit in the corner with a dunce cap on? It would have accomplished about as much.  The least they could do was require him to do community service, or get some type of training: anger management, lying management, who knows. Aren't there all  different types of training now to get you back on the straight and narrow? Standing in the well and being "disgraced" is nothing to him. He is a politician. He has been through this and worse before, and I'll bet he has a thick skin.

 Tiger Woods had  some training after his misbehavior, and how about Lindsay Lohan she's getting some "training."  Then there is this guy in Florida who got on the school bus and chewed out the boys who were bullying his disabled 10 year old daughter. Maybe "anger management" would help Charlie? The fact is that if you don't pay your income taxes, the "training" for most of us is prison. I haven't heard any discussion of that possibility here. It just goes to show you, we don't do that to a Congressman.  Congress is SPECIAL.

Apparently, he didn't pay his income taxes on the income from his rental home in the Dominican Republic for 17 YEARS! Forget trying to influence corporate donors for his Rangel Center at the City College of New York. Is that what they do in Congress? Yes, they are exceptional.

They have their own health care system, and pensions, and parking places and transportation and just about everything. I always have a problem when one group requires another group to do something, and they don't have to do it themselves. Would they pass different laws if they had to get the same treatment as the people? Let's see what happens with ObamaCare.

Either way this episode seems to be another example of how intolerably arrogant our elected representatives have become. If we really knew all that goes on up there it would probably make all of us vomit. The best news is that their shenanigans  are usually are exposed gradually. It only gives us heart burn.

The last election was a good beginning at sending an epistle to them.  I hope all the people will wake up , and throw out the Congressmen and Senators who do not listen to us because their thrones are too lofty for them to hear us. "You work for us, and not for yourselves!"

This last election I did more politicking  at the grass roots   than I ever have: walking the precincts, giving money, and calling voters on the phone. I did it because of one sentence spoken by the soon to be previous speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, "Let's pass it first, then we will see what's in it!" There was no greater demonstration of arrogance-forget the multi-million dollar flights home- than I can conceive of. It made me sick.