Should we forgive Michael Vick?

On the way to work this morning I tuned in to a national syndicated morning sports talk show. As I listen to the anchors of this show discuss Michael Vick's return to football stardom, I couldn't help but notice how they so delicately handled his past dog fighting offenses. His dog fighting activity sent him to prison for 2 years. I listened to them go on and on asking, "should we forgive him, have we forgave him? What does it say about us as a society and fans that he has received the most votes for the pro bowl this year?" Listening in, my thoughts weren't really about Michael Vick at all. To be honest, I hope he has turned his life around. I hope that he makes a huge contribution to his community. But he really isn't my point or focus.

I couldn't help but notice how these guys talking about Michael Vick's past didn't even mention his past in any detail. It was obvious they were doing everything they could to avoid mentioning it, describing it, or discussing it. They did mention how disgusted they were with what he did and how they were outraged by his actions back then. They also described how they received enormous outrage and hate mail for even mentioning his come back a year ago.

What struck me by all of this is how they wouldn't say that he "killed" dogs. It was clear they were avoiding it.  I suppose perhaps they didn't want to be offensive. Their handling of the topic really began to bug me. Here is a guy that killed dogs and did prison time for it. But he didn't abort a baby. He didn't take advantage of a woman or women and then discard them. He didn't infect a child with aids.  He didn't buy a little girl for sex.  The effects of these and other offenses to humans are far graver and more devastating than killing some animal.

I guess my problem with that conversation was just how skewed our values are and have become. There is outrage over animal abuse and in contrast there is very little reaction over the abuse to mankind that goes on daily all around us.

Am I alone in this? I wonder what you think?