What About Michael Vick?

"Everyone makes mistakes."

I loathe this comment. Of course everyone makes mistakes. The question is how many people make serious mistakes like Michael Vick?

I forgot to put a quarter; that's a mistake. Funding a dog fighting operation is not a mistake.

It's simple. This is an issue of right and wrong. Not black and white. Yellow and brown. All this pontificating about culture and homies and all that is rubbish. Humans instinctively know what is right and wrong. Michael Vick was a professional athlete earning millions and scrutinized everyday. Either he is supremely arrogant or utterly stupid and ignorant or sadly misguided. Or all of the above.

As for people chiming in with the "who will be our role models?" logic. How's about we all retake our families? We have abdicated our responsibilities as parents in society.

It used to be that the parents were the rock in the family foundation. Outside the family walls it was extended to community professionals and leaders. The problem is that we're not willing to "outsource" our kids to a teacher - one of those leading people. Chances are, if a teacher seeks to discipline a student the parents will side with their child no matter how troublesome.

Michael Vick and all others like him - before and after - should mean nothing to us. He should merely be an athlete. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, we're dealing with kids and kids buy posters to put up on their walls. This is normal. This is where we have to step in and guide them. Everything in moderation is a prudent if not wise mantra. We can admire his skills on the field but that's where it should stop. It should never have gone beyond this.

But it does. Now what? Well, parents; this is where you step up to the plate, step into the pocket so to speak, and deliver that home run or 10-yard gain. Be a soul-parent.

Everything else around Vick; detractors, apologists, partisan lobbyists and so on - should be subordinate to the home and family.

It's that simple.