Congress Condemns Dogfighting

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

27 Jul 2007 04:28 PM

Since May -- when the news of Michael Vick being involved with dogfighting came out -- both Republicans and Democrats in Washington have been speaking out against dogfighting.

Democrat Tom Lantos from California sent a letter to the commissioner of the NFL, asking for strong action against any athlete involved in dogfighting. A "strong rebuke," he wrote, would send a message that dogfighting is not welcome in our "civilized society." Anything less, however, would be seen as "tacit support for this atrocious activity." Republican Elton Gallegly also wrote to the commissioner in May, condemning the alleged dogfighting activities.

Last week brought official federal dogfighting charges for Vick and three others, and legislators spoke out again.

Two Republican senators who are also veterinarians -- John Ensign of Nevada and Wayne Allard of Colorado -- joined the Humane Society of the United States on July 18th in commending law enforcement officials for their work in this and other animal fighting cases. Ensign, Allard, Gallegly, and others helped pass the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act on May 3rd, which increases penalties for animal fighters who transport animals across state lines.

And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has got a new stack of mail to respond to. Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts urged for a suspension for Michael Vick until legal proceedings were resolved. Kerry also plans to work on legislation that will strengthen federal laws against dogfighting. Hopefully, we'll see unified action from both parties that will protect animals from "sport" fighting.

Want to make your voice heard?

• Contact your local and state legislators and ask them to support strong laws against dogfighting.
• Ask your local and state legislators to support animal welfare laws, too!
• Contact the NFL and ask them to keep Michael Vick out of training and games until the charges of dogfighting are settled.
• Contact Nike and ask them to drop their sponsorship of Michael Vick.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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