John Kerry Has Way Too Much Time On His Hands

2:07 pm EST July 20th, 2007 | Democrats | 10 Comments

John Kerry’s office just sent me this:

Kerry Asks NFL Commissioner to Immediately Suspend Vick Over “Sickening” Dogfighting Case

Says Congress Must Pass Tougher Laws to Restrict Disgraceful Dog Fighting

WASHINGTON D.C. – Sen. John Kerry said today that he will introduce legislation aimed at eliminating dogfighting, which is illegal but is by many accounts still far too common. Kerry said he hopes to go after the cruel sport by making it illegal to transmit images of dog fighting, to run websites that cater to dog fighting or to own or train dogs for the purpose of dog fighting.

In addition, Kerry today sent a strongly worded letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, requesting that he immediately suspend Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who was indicted this week on dogfighting charges. Kerry said the extensive role Vick played in the dogfighting ring at his Virginia farm and the sickening descriptions of Vick’s tourture-like treatment of animals argues for an immediate suspension and removal from the playing field. Kerry said the NFL must demonstrate that it does not tolerate animal cruelty in any form and noted that professional football, as the nation’s most popular team sport, bears a unique responsibility to address this charge of illegal and inhumane behavior.

I am totally against dog fighting and I think Vick should be suspended, but WTF is a U.S. senator doing wasting time on this? It just looks like so much pandering.

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10 Responses to “John Kerry Has Way Too Much Time On His Hands”

  1. Joyful Alternative says:
    July 20, 2007 at 2:41 pm

    A great many voters have “the well-being of dogs” as their number one issue. Which is why I doubt that Mutt Romney has as much as a 1% chance of being president.

    So it’s pandering. Thanks for warning me before I opened it.

  2. Waveflux says:
    July 20, 2007 at 3:24 pm

    I think Kerry has Joey Harrington on his keeper league team.

  3. Duros62 says:
    July 20, 2007 at 3:47 pm

    So he wants to…outlaw something that’s already against the… law.

    Okay, got it. Thanks, John. Next up, abolishing slavery.

  4. Kurt Montandon says:
    July 20, 2007 at 6:10 pm

    He’s a U.S. Senator … and he’s pandering.

    What doesn’t add up?

  5. william says:
    July 20, 2007 at 7:05 pm

    Sen. John Kerry said during a C-Span appearance that fears of a bloodbath after the US withdrawal from Vietnam never materialized. He says he’s met survivors of the “reeducation camps” who are thriving in modern Vietnam. An award-winning investigation by the Orange County Register concludes that at least 165,000 people perished in the camps and 2 million died in Cambodia.

  6. calling all toasters says:
    July 20, 2007 at 10:15 pm

    Well, I guess one man’s “pandering” is another’s “taking advantage of transiently increased public awareness to introduce legislation making sick and inhumane acts more difficult to perform or profit from.” I applaud Kerry, and wonder what y’all are smoking.

  7. Nimrod Gently says:
    July 21, 2007 at 8:38 am

    Nobody’s objecting on principle, but given that it’s already illegal, surely John Kerry has better things to do?

  8. pennywit says:
    July 22, 2007 at 6:26 pm

    Err … perhaps Kerry is on a related committee? But this strikes me as a strictly local issue.

    –|PW|–

  9. mdhåtter says:
    July 22, 2007 at 11:12 pm

    Pandering to me, his constituent. I’m fine with it.

    Maybe he’ll slip an Iraq withdrawl date into the bill, and paint all the republicans who vote against it as pro-animal torture.

  10. Xanthippas says:
    July 23, 2007 at 5:30 pm

    Nobody’s objecting on principle, but given that it’s already illegal, surely John Kerry has better things to do?

    Actual dog-fighting is illegal in all states, yes. But:

    Kerry said he hopes to go after the cruel sport by making it illegal to transmit images of dog fighting, to run websites that cater to dog fighting or to own or train dogs for the purpose of dog fighting.

    The acts listed above are not necessarily illegal in all states. And in two states dog-fighting is only a misdemeanor, not a felony. Congress has long had the ability to make certain acts federal crimes, when those acts were only unevenly criminalized for better or for worse at the state level. And while I generally respect the authority of states to deal with problems in the ways they see fit, the more egregious and disgusting the act or the less evenly criminal sanctions for the act are enforced, the less of a problem I have with Congress intervening. In this case, I have no problem.