Letters: Use Michael Vick to educate on dogfighting

Re

"Animal Fighting on the Rise" (Aug. 25)

:

I disagree with the comments of the head of the ASPCA, Marsha Pearlman, that Michael Vick can't make a difference. As prevalent as dogfighting is said to be in this era, I feel that Vick can make a difference - education is something that can help.

Using someone as high-profile as Vick can and will reach many people. Use him for the benefit of the organization. His situation has made me more aware of the problem and what to look for. It all depends on how the media and animal groups handle the problem. Nothing else is working.

Silvia Puglia Velykis

Philadelphia

Letter-writer Jim Zaremski, you seem to hate the fact that Michael Vick got his job back.

You want to see him begging for money on the sidewalk somewhere? But it's not going to happen because Vick paid his debt to society, and, thanks to the Eagles, he'll continue do what he loves. The team deserves credit for bringing down the recidivism rate.

Only people who've been to jail can understand what Vick has been through, the lessons he's learned. They were only dogs, and he did the time. It's not like Martha Stewart and her Merrill Lynch buddies who got off easy in their multimillion-dollar fiasco.

She came back to no public outcry, but what she did affected far more people. As a longtime Eagles fan, I have to congratulate the team on making a move that most companies won't.

I know how hard it was for me to find a job, being a convicted drug dealer. I did my five years and was released only to find every employer slam the door in my face, even if I was qualified. It took me a year and about 50 applications.

If it wasn't for nepotism, I'd have been unemployed for 10 years.

Zaremski, are you a Phillies fan who supported the team when Brett Myers beat his wife? Where were all the protesters? Phillies win a World Series and everybody forgets.

How about Pedro Martinez, who supposedly likes cockfighting? Do you hate him for it? Newspapers don't write about that. I bet they won't write about the good Vick does in the neighborhoods, either.

Trek Jones, Philadelphia