Michael Vick, Donte Stallworth, Plaxico Burress: Blind Justice?

He killed dogs. He strangled, brutalized, tortured, and any other emotive words you want to throw into the brew of hate that is being boiled over a fire of animal rights fury. However you view his offenses, and more specifically, his rehabilitation(or lack of such, in some minds), no one outside Micheal Vick's mind knows truly whether he regrets what he has done because he has been caught, or because he truly knows what he did was morally wrong.

Yet I have an interesting wrench to throw into the mix: how Micheal is a symbol of all things evil, yet players like Plaxico Burress and Donte Stallworth are barely making headlines outside the convictions, sentencing, and appearances. People are mad at Burress for shooting a gun in public; the system is rewarding him with a plea bargain sentence of two years. in prison. for being careless with a gun, harming only himself, and being cooperative with law enforcement.

Donte Stallworth is the worst of the bunch, in my opinion, yet he has walked, and is suspended, but still in the league, for killing a man with his car while drunk. He paid the family off, had the sentence reduced down to thirty days in jail, served 24 of those, and now is a free man (not in prison).

How would a private citizen be treated for all these crimes? Many would argue that since these people are public figures, it doesn't matter how others are treated for the same crime, since those people aren't such "dedicated individuals" to their sport, etc. I submit that Lady Justice has a blindfold on because that's the way justice works: blindly. If we make exceptions for people simply due to their fame, as many tax evaders and other figureheads have shown, or let someone who kills another human being with brute force walk free with barely a whisper about his misdeed, then we are shaming the very nature of our legal system, and doing a disservice to others who had the book thrown at them for being horrible enough to do such things--and that all for not being famous.

Micheal Vick did bad things. He may be sorry, he may not be. We will never know for sure. Plaxico Burress needs a steadier trigger finger, a licensed handgun, a proper holster for his gun, and self confidence. How he was stupid enough to discharge his gun in public when there wasn't a credible threat on his life? well, that's why they call it evolution. Give some people enough time, and they'll weed themselves out of the gene pool. The Darwin Awards aren't named that for no reason. Donte Stallworth needs a proper judgment in light of what he did, whether he remembers it or not. Holding people responsible for their actions is difficult enough when lady justice is blind; peeking under the blindfold and allowing those with privilege and resources different options should not be tolerated. the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't end with "and justice for all" without merit.