Byrd on dogfighting: ‘Hear me! Barbaric!’
Byrd on dogfighting: ‘Hear me! Barbaric!’
Yesterday, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) took the floor of the Senate and argued passionately against dog fighting, a sick practice has recently been in the news in the wake of the indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on federal charges. “Barbaric!” Byrd shouted at least eight times, adding, “Let that word resound from hill to hill, and from mountain to mountain, from valley to valley, across this broad land. … May God help those poor souls who’d be so cruel.” Watch it:
In April 2007, Byrd gave a speech to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the dangers of contaminated dog food, professing his adoration for his shih tzu, Baby. “She sleeps on my bed,” said Byrd. “She goes with me to the Senate, rides in the car with me. She stays in my office. When somebody comes into the office, she rises and comes over and greets them, goes on about her business and gets back on the couch.”
The Humane Society has more on Vick and dogfighting HERE.
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Enforce the rules on the books.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:33 pmByrd got this one right.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:36 pmThe Senator chose the right word: barbaric.
Dog-fighting mangles the personalities of what could be loving, devoted animals. They look to humans for guidance, protection and love, and some of us instead provide them with pain, abuse and cruelty.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:37 pmEnforce the rules on the books.
Comment by Egreggious — July 20, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
I’m with you on this but I do think 6 years is a bit light. 10 to 15 would be much better.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:40 pmYes, dog fighting is barbaric. Throw the offenders in jail for a very long time.
Let’s get back to stopping this barbaric administration, and their horrific war.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:41 pmI am Dog! Hear me Woof.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:41 pmIt looks like it turns out that Michael AND his brother Marcus are both THUGS. How can Vick NOT be boo’d at every away venue, and even in Atlanta too?
July 20th, 2007 at 1:42 pmIt’s a shame!
Good Lord!…I agree with Robert Byrd; dog-fighting is barbaric.
/ He’s still a crazy old coot though.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:45 pmI would love to see a Senator be so passionate about ending this bullsh!t war in Iraq!!!
July 20th, 2007 at 1:45 pmYou’d think Byrd would care as much about the dogfighting our soldiers in Iraq are going through on a daily basis.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:46 pmI wish they would get as upset, if not more, about the war in Iraq, needlessly putting troops in harm’s way, elimination of habeus corpus, domestic warrantless spying, national health care, social security solvency, etc, etc, etc.
Yeah I feel bad for the dogs but Congress needs to be much more concerned and upset about how people are being treated.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:47 pmYou’d think Byrd would care as much about the dogfighting our soldiers in Iraq are going through on a daily basis.
Comment by ann — July 20, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
He does, Ann. Byrd was one of the first vocal critics of the push to invade Iraq. He made a very eloquent and moving speech on the Senate floor to that effect prior to the vote for authorization.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:49 pmI agree that dog-fighting is barbaric — but isn’t it already against the law? Considered a felony? Why is Senator Byrd spending precious senate time arguing against it?
Oh wait! I know! The Republicans don’t want the Dems to “win” anything, so expect them to come out in favor of it — and anybody who doesn’t support the right of dogs to tear each other to bits is a rotten traitor! A wimp! A surrender monkey!
Crafty move, Robert!
July 20th, 2007 at 1:50 pmYouTube is full of wonderful, passionate speeches by Byrd on the Iraq war.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:53 pmI love dogs.
But, c’mon isn’t there anything else going on in the world?
*sarcasm off, now*
July 20th, 2007 at 1:54 pmWhere have you gone Steve Bartkowski? Atlanta turns it’s lonely eyes to you.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:54 pmI think our society has become less humane in its bloodthirst after 9/11, an instinct fed by this hateful Administration. If there has been an increase in the kind of behavior Byrd is condemning, I think it is a symptom of a society that puts less and less value on empathy with the suffering of others.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:57 pmI think our society has become less humane in its bloodthirst
Hear that Chimpy and Darth?
July 20th, 2007 at 1:59 pm# 17 Like the 2006 elections.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:00 pmLMAO AM (at myself)
YouTube is full of wonderful, passionate speeches by Byrd on the Iraq war.
Comment by Candyce
You are correct.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:01 pmDon’t so quickly dimiss cruelty to animals as unimportant. A nation that turns it back on abused and tortured animals will also be unmoved by the horrors of this gawd-awful war.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:04 pmFor those of you dissing Byrd, he has been one of the ONLY tiny handful of Senators to stand up and denounce this president and vice president. He opposed the illegal underpinnings of the Patriot Act. He has stood on the floor waving his copy of the Constitution,a nd frankly, I think he is one of the maybe half dozen members of the Senate who could honestly swear they had ever read the Constitution.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:08 pmI am a dog person, Jack Russel Terrier named Dart – I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could be so cruel to mans best friend.
IGNORE THE TROLLS – Mr. President, CT_V1, Eck and the like, they are destroying your site.
Yesterday was ridiculous, they should be banned
July 20th, 2007 at 2:09 pmThis mentality is typical of football players in general. Hormone-driven, ignorrant neanderthals playing with balls. A bunch of sweaty guys piling on top of each other. This is what we call entertainment? Seems kinda gay to me. Nothinig wrong with the gayness but don’t act like a tough, muscle-bound meathead, macho, mongoloid, “real man”. What a joke. Why do we Americans worship such mindless entertainment? And we wonder why our country is in such bad shape. Too many people mesmerized by “sports”.
Also, Byrd does care about ending the war! Watch his videos on YouTube where he trashes the Shrub Admin. Listen to some of his speeches over the last four years. Byrd was against the war from the beginning.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:10 pmWhere have you gone Steve Bartkowski?
Comment by Menehune
Or even Matt Schaub.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:15 pmIt’s nice to see Byrd making his point, but like mentioned above, shouldn’t he be more concerned about other issues right now?
Let the legal system take care of Vick and other alleged people involved.
If Vick is found guilty, he deserves and should get, the fullest penalty afforded by the law.
But, until he’s convicted, let’s reserve the judgement on him unless you happen to be one of the people that actually saw him commit these atrocities (in which case, err..you are guilty as well)
July 20th, 2007 at 2:15 pm“Let’s get back to stopping this barbaric administration, and their horrific war.
Comment by Zooey — July 20, 2007″
Hey “white flag” zooey? You mean surrender?
July 20th, 2007 at 2:20 pm#23 –
I don’t think anyone should ever dismiss this sort of blatant cruelty to animals as unimportant. What will be readily apparent is that anyone who agrees, but supports what we are doing in the Middle East, will be seen as holders of an awful double standard.
The tough talking wingnuts may suffer a few exploding heads as they try to reconcile this paradox. And disagreement with Byrd’s proclamations will necessitate so much spin they may hurt themselves.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:20 pmI think Sen. Byrd is fully capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. In other words, he’s perfectly able to decry dogfighting while at the same time support the withdrawal of our troops in Iraq.
In fact, I can even do that!
July 20th, 2007 at 2:28 pmThe National Dog-killing Football League, starring the Atlanta Dog-Killers.
Vick: dogs:: Bush: Iraqis.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:33 pmI think Sen. Byrd is fully capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. In other words, he’s perfectly able to decry dogfighting while at the same time support the withdrawal of our troops in Iraq.
In fact, I can even do that!
Comment by KathyF
It is possible to be outraged about more than one, er, outrage. One of the Portland Trailblazers was apparently fighting his dogs, as well as leaving them outside in the snow without a shelter when he was out of town. I believe he was fined and the dogs taken from him, but I would have given him jail time.
Good for Byrd, I say.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:36 pmMichael Vick murdered pacific pit bulls, who had the unmitigated gall to not want to fight.
Bush has murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, who may or may not have been actively resisting his war of oil-nazi imperial aggression.
Two fascist peas in a pod.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:36 pmMaybe after Vick is convicted the state can execute him and feed him to the dogs. Worthless trash.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:37 pmAwww… poor puppy! Cute lil’ puppy dog! Cutie cute cute cute!!! How could anyone do something so barbaric to such cutie McCutertons?
Now, does anyone have any parmesan for this tender slab of veal?
July 20th, 2007 at 2:39 pmThis mentality is typical of football players in general. Hormone-driven, ignorrant neanderthals playing with balls. A bunch of sweaty guys piling on top of each other. This is what we call entertainment? Seems kinda gay to me. Nothinig wrong with the gayness but don’t act like a tough, muscle-bound meathead, macho, mongoloid, “real manâ€. What a joke. Why do we Americans worship such mindless entertainment? And we wonder why our country is in such bad shape. Too many people mesmerized by “sportsâ€.
Also, Byrd does care about ending the war! Watch his videos on YouTube where he trashes the Shrub Admin. Listen to some of his speeches over the last four years. Byrd was against the war from the beginning.
Comment by Jason — July 20, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
You got that right!!! And some of these Cro-Magnons are making $10 million a year, while nurses and teachers are making $40K. Our culture is riddled with sex and violence, coming from BushCo, Sports, Movies, Religion, Music, and the glorification of the military. I was taught as a child to respect all creatures, both human and non-human, and so far it has done me quite well.
My cousin owns two pitbulls, and they will lick your face into submission and sit on your lap all night if you want. Here in Jersey City, it is a well known fact that some of these creeps feed these poor animals gunpowder, so the lead contained harms their brains, and they are functioning on an approach-avoid circuit. Being who they are, they are usually approaching with intent to kill.
On a psychological level, I see not much difference between Sports and Religion, especially bible-based. The good guys vs the bad guys, God vs Satan, Pious vs pagans, Men vs Women, etc. Maybe these cruel people should read the kindness and compassion in the bible instead of the war and competition.
Oh, before I forget, here is a great quote from Einstein:
“Our task must be to free ourselves . . . by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
July 20th, 2007 at 2:42 pmHey “white flag†zooey? You mean surrender?
Comment by michael
Hey “loser” michael, how about instead WE WIN? Oh right, you guys don’t know HOW TO DO THAT!
July 20th, 2007 at 2:46 pm#37 – my thoughts exactly – you nailed it sir… and its not just young lambs & calves, I think even grown up animals feel pain when they are slaughtered…. how outrageous a concept!
July 20th, 2007 at 2:47 pmI agree it barbaric, but is this the most pressing issue he has to spend time on right now?
July 20th, 2007 at 2:50 pmFor all of those ‘crazy’ and ‘coot’ comments about Sen. Byrd…he was so crazy that he was right from the beginning on this wear. We should all have 1/2 the understanding about OUR Constitutuion that this man has.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:51 pmI think even grown up animals feel pain when they are slaughtered…. how outrageous a concept!
Comment by Ohioan — July 20, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
How true! Like when an alligator “rolls” it’s prey, or a herd of female lions attacking a slow antelope, or a cat that instinctively “tortures” it’s catch, before eventually killing it.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:59 pmOutrageous
Whats worse…being a dog fighter, or a KKK member?
http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com/
July 20th, 2007 at 3:05 pmFor once, I agree with Sen. Byrd…this is an abominable and barbaric practice.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:09 pmIt’s Bush’s fault!
July 20th, 2007 at 3:10 pm….and there it is folks! It took all of 44 posts for someone to bring up Senator Byrds racist past, to which he has publicly apologized, and admitted he was wrong! And of course, by bringing up his past, one cas see that the poster doesn’t want to discuss/debate the topic.
44 posts!
J.Mark English, you are the this threads weiner!
July 20th, 2007 at 3:13 pmI’d be impressed if he could get so worked up over the unnecessary deaths of 700,000 Iraqis due to the Fueherer’s demolition of the country.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:20 pmno one cares about the millions of maltreated animals that our glorious factory farms process each day or those abused by the billion dollar fur industry in the name of fashion. i guess its only bad when you do it to dumb dogs instead of dumb cows, pigs, and foxes.
so unless youre vegan or only buy organically grown, free range meat from small farms that properly treat their animals you can shut up about how evil michael vick is.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:24 pmI agree it barbaric, but is this the most pressing issue he has to spend time on right now?
Comment by Shawn — July 20, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
As others have pointed out, why must it be an “either/or” proposition?
Are you capable of speaking out on two different subject in a single day? Does giving someone your opinion on the new season of “Beauty and the Geek” mean that you won’t get your bills paid this week?
Personally, I find animal cruelty not just abhorrant in itself, but I think it also gives us a window into the violence and disregard for others in the humans who are cruel to animals.
Case in point, our President, who is known to have tortured frogs as a boy in Texas before growing up to become the first Chief Executive dismiss the Geneva Conventions and approve of torturing our enemies and anyone else caught up in a bounty-fueled sweep of tribal regions of Afghanistan.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:28 pmI understand we are in the post 9/11 time and space continuum but can’t we at least wait till the Judaical system comes up with a verdict before we break out the Lynch mob?
July 20th, 2007 at 3:32 pmJuly 20th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
so unless youre vegan or only buy organically grown, free range meat from small farms that properly treat their animals you can shut up about how evil michael vick is.
Comment by spare me your indignation — July 20, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
Nice attempt to frame the issue in a narrow and almost meaningless way via an unsupportable moral equivalency.
In fact, we buy free range eggs and my wife has recently all but cut meat out of our diet, and we rescue dogs and cats, feed ferals and protect whatever creatures come into our world. But I occasionally order a hamburger when on the road, so I must stand silently by while a$$holes abuse dogs for their own sport?
That’s the same kind of logic that says Al Gore can’t advocate for cutting greenhouse emissions unless he moves into a yurt in the Yukon and bikes cross-country, or that John Edwards can’t advocate for the poor unless he gets his hair done at Supercuts.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:35 pm“Whats worse…being a dog fighter, or a KKK member?”
Comment by J. Mark English — July 20, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
Both are barbaric, immoral and just plain wrong.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:40 pmSo what’s your point?
Comment by spare me your indignation — July 20, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
July 20th, 2007 at 3:47 pmShould we all join PETA and assist them in the elimination of ALL pets?
If making animals fight is “cruel”, what would you call eating them?
It is not against the law to eat dogs and chickens, so why should it be against the law to fight dogs and chickens?
Do you believe that being eaten is less cruel than being made to fight?
Do you not think that a dog or chicken would rather be put in a fight instead of a pot?
If you are not a vegetarian, then are you not being more “cruel” to animals than dog and chicken fight proponents could ever be?
Cows, goats, chickens, turkeys, cats, and dogs are all domesticated animals, and all can be pets, why should one get different laws than the others?
July 20th, 2007 at 3:54 pmJames wins at number 35.
First Nazi reference of the thread!
“Bush has murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, who may or may not have been actively resisting his war of oil-nazi imperial aggression.
Two fascist peas in a pod.
Comment by james k sayre — July 20, 2007 @ 2:36 pm”
July 20th, 2007 at 3:55 pmput the con-Vick to death
July 20th, 2007 at 3:55 pmBush has murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, who may or may not have been actively resisting his war of oil-nazi imperial aggression
where are the names and graves of theses hundreds of thousands of death folks.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:56 pm“criticalthinker”
Do you not see an elemental difference between using an animal for food and using it for sport?
I agree, conventional llivestock practices are cruel and should be banned just as dog-fighting is. But the very act of killing an animal for food needn’t be cruel. It’s a part of life.
Training a domesticated animal to fight another, simply for the amusement of its handlers is cruel. They are not fighting for territory or matings rights. They are fighting because they’ve been taught to.
If you don’t understand the difference, then you’re either not trying or you aren’t very bright.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:03 pmNo one to blame for this ‘athlete’s’ doing but the owners of the professional sport teams. They pile on heaps of money to the so-called ’stars’ who in turn have no moral character. Where are the Christian rights and are they doing anything about these ’star athletes’? More importantly, where are the police and justices to apply and enforce the laws?
July 20th, 2007 at 4:04 pmIt is barbaric and Vick is going to have to take all the hits on this one. Lets all remember the US destroys more domestic pets by ten fold then any other country in the world. These are animals and not humans. Lets focus on the real issues.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:07 pmso it’s America’s fault not Vicks?
July 20th, 2007 at 4:08 pmRelevant cartoon: http://harekrsna.com/sun/laffs/laffs89.htm
July 20th, 2007 at 4:15 pmsen byrd is absolutely correct..vick should be made to fight until he is dead ,then thrown into the garbage.any one that treats an animal this way should be treated likewise.throw the bum out of sports
July 20th, 2007 at 4:33 pmTurn off the tv. Focus, Byrd, Focus. Do us all a favor and leave Iraq (and dogfighting) to the local authorities.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:35 pmGood for Robert Byrd. Can you imagine being so wretched and depraved that you enjoy such a disgusting and foul activity?
Vick ought to be tossed in jail for a while. Then he’ll learn something about being on the other end of the cruel stick.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:36 pmShawn @50, and others who are criticizing Byrd for his impassioned speech, asking why isn’t he going on about more important issues, Senator Byrd strongly opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and has given other impassioned speeches against the War and against the dismantling of our Constitution. Very strongly worded speeches.
He just happens to really, really love animals, too. And for all his elderly mannerisms and long pauses, I savored every word because I was happy to see a Senator speak out so forcefully against animal cruelty and with such eloquence and fire.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:38 pmJudith Founts @23: Unfortunately, I think this has already happened. Otherwise, we would not be where we are right now.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:52 pmHahahaha! Senator, is Lynching barbaric?
July 20th, 2007 at 4:53 pmHere we go again–members of the federal government taking up precious time to give their viewpoints on Mr. Vick and dog fighting. Reminds me of when they stuck their noses into the Shiavo case. Some things need to be left to the states to handle—and if a majority of the American people find dog fighting that repulsive, then Mr. Vick will have to look over his shoulders no matter where he goes. Everyone commenting on Mr. Byrd’s comments ought to put things into proper perspective—we have thousands of soldiers dead in a phony war on terror, hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians dead, American contractorsin Iraq making more money than any of us will ever see throughout our entire lives, American people being taxed TO DEATH, the American government slowly eroding our freedoms, liberties and God given rights, but all of you knuckleheads have to either “nay nay” Mr. Byrd, or “Amen” Mr. Byrd without actually ASKING YOURSELVES why our congressional members are wasting precious time on something that should be totally out of their jurisdiction. Wake up you bunch of morons and put on your thinking caps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 20th, 2007 at 5:07 pmIf the NFL lets this sociopathic piece of crap play, I’ve got one message for all the OLB’s, DT’s and DE’s – go for the knees, boys, go for the knees!
And, M12, not that you pay any attention to things like this, but for the umpteenth time, Byrd profusely apologized for his association with the clan decades ago and has supported all civil rights legislation ever since. You, on the other hand, support a party which nominates David Duke for public office and lionized Strom Thurmond.
July 20th, 2007 at 5:49 pmDanielle, some of us can actually think about and be angry about more than a couple of things at the same time. Senator Byrd, you may recall, was one of the few Senators to stand on the floor of the Senate and argue passionately AGAINST the war authorization act.
July 20th, 2007 at 5:51 pmIt’s subhuman!
July 20th, 2007 at 5:53 pmAnd, M12, not that you pay any attention to things like this, but for the umpteenth time, Byrd profusely apologized for his association with the clan decades ago and has supported all civil rights legislation ever since.
Someone has forgotten who, besides Thurmond and Gore, filibustered the Civil Rights Act!
July 20th, 2007 at 8:00 pmPeople who tolerate and participate in dogfighting should be castrated and sterilized so that they will not breed anymore cretins and college republicans.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:09 pmAs one who rescues pit bulls I tell you that they are the most loving loyal creatures on the planet. Vick you smell worse than anything that goes into my septic tank you f—— pile of filthy scum. Give him to Al Queda and have them cut his filthy f—– head off.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:22 pmI agree, pitman. Pit bulls can be magnificent companion dogs and very loving.
Unfortunately, the breed’s inherent characteristics of powerfully muscled frame and fierce protectiveness have been magnified by backyard breeders looking to create a killing machine. In my neighborhood, at least, the majority of pits are used as status symbols, penile proxies and deadly weapons.
They don’t get that way without being abused by the people who are supposed to care for them.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:00 pmYes, pit bulls can be magnificent companions and very loving to those humans they know, and on the territory they know. But, get them around a strange human, such as a crawling child, in strange territory, away from their trusted humans, and you have a different animal altogether. I was a kennel master for two years and please don’t try to sell me the pit bull is a loving animal theory. Other dogs may fill that bill, but not pits. After all, the most heinous and murderous members of human crime families are gentle and loving to their families. Take, for example, ol’ what’s his name in the White House.
July 21st, 2007 at 12:02 amZooey #5, you suçk!
July 21st, 2007 at 2:17 amHave we talked enough about the war for you?
Enough about the mistreated animals, huh.
Oriential Asians butcher and EAT dogs — Are they also Barbaric?
Aren’t you people imposing your values on others, just like you are imposing your WILL on Iraq?
July 21st, 2007 at 2:50 amScrew Byrd. I lost total respect for this man when he supported Alito and Roberts on the bench. In my world Byrd is a sell-out and always will be. He trashed his legacy.
July 21st, 2007 at 6:02 amAnother relevant cartoon:
July 26th, 2007 at 4:44 pmhttp://www.polyticks.net/archive025.html
(Third cartoon down)
Scary! I think this guy is way past due for sitting in an old folks
July 27th, 2007 at 4:39 pmhome. And he’s helping to lead the country…where?