More proof that Dave Zirin is the most engaging sports writer in the US. Here is a brief from his latest post, addressing the plea deal that Michael Vick just struck:

Katha Pollit of the Nation has written that it says something positive about humanity that people are in an uproar about dogs and against the "poisoned narcissists" who make up the athletic community. I think it is the opposite. The humanization of the dog is the painfully ironic mirror image of the dehumanization of the rest of us. Just look at the world with semi-open eyes: How can we rally for the pit bull when one million Iraqis are dead and the US media barely yawns? How can we humanize dogs with such piety as Texas puts Kenneth Foster to death next week – puts him down like a dog for a murder all sides agree he didn't commit? How can we imbue dogs with "language" when the actual words of those calling for help in HIV ravaged Africa are being ignored by our government? How can we cheer violent sports, ignoring – or even celebrating - the mutilation of people's faces and voices, and weep over the pit bulls?