I have always been proud to be from Philadelphia. Of course, there is that famous quote (a mock epitaph) by W. C. Fields, “I would rather be living in Philadelphia.” The reality is Philadelphia is a city ranked fifth by population, diverse and rich in culture; chock-full of history, museums, the first zoo; tops in education and the medical field and having wonderful restaurants. The city is easy to get around and one can drive in and around without a hassle; this cannot be said of the other four cities above Philadelphia. And as my uncle used to say, “What do you think of the Phillies?” But for the first time I am embarrassed to be associated with Philadelphia. It all stems from the Philadelphia Eagles signing Michael Vick. Oh, I know: poor little Michael has paid his debt to society; he is a changed man. Real Sports with Bryant Gumble put a positive spin on Vick — his work with the SPCA convincing young kids not to become involved in dog fighting will do more good than the bad he has done. That, my friends, is a load of dog crap! Read all the articles and listen to all the reports on what they do to these animals. These are animals who have been bred for centuries to be “man’s best friend,” to come to us no matter how we treat them. Now you have people like Vick who shatter a hind leg of a dog to make it weaker for a fight or tape its muzzle shut so that it cannot defend itself. This is what Vick did with dogs in the ring. He and his hoodlums had “fun” with other dogs, including soaking one with water and electrocuting her, hanging them, shooting them and at least one account of slamming a dog with all his force to the floor. Forcibly drowning a pit bull is not an easy task; they are strong and full of muscle, but for Vick’s group this was child’s play. Let’s not forget the starving of dogs to make them more vicious for fighting. He kidnapped family dogs, trained, starved and beat them in preparation for the ring. I have friends who think that Philadelphia made a good trade, economical — a smart move. All it did for me is lower my head and make me feel ashamed. –Fran Gallagher, Publisher and CEO