After being bored to tears over the ages by Phil Mushnick’s crusades against overpriced Nikes, Spike Lee, ESPN, the WWE, late start times for sporting events, the expression “walk off hit” and all manner of slurs against white people, I’m (kind of) pleased to read he’s found a new windmill to battle. In this case, one marked “savagery”.

It was inevitable that the federal prosecution of Michael Vick would be twisted into a case about race, that white America doesn’t understand that dog fighting is a “cultural” endeavor.

Dog fighting might be explained as cultural, but it can’t be excused as cultural. If savage cruelty of any kind is part of anyone’s culture, then right-headed, clear-sighted and foresighted people should spend their time, energy and authority trying to change that culture as opposed to explaining it, excusing it, or in any way defending it.

Hear, hear. Though funnily enough if you type the words “Mushnick” and “Abu Ghraib” into Google, there aren’t any “Equal Time” columns to be found. Same thing if you combine Dr. Phil and pig slaughter.

If Michael Vick does plead guilty to the assortment of federal dog fighting charges he’s facing, I have no problem with the Falcons QB being taken to task for savage cruelty. But there’s all sorts of savage cruelty taking place, some of it legal and/or institutionalized. I’m all for changing the culture for the better, but I’m just curious why Mushnick would have us start with one professional football player (as opposed to say, an entire league).