Whoopi Goldberg Gets Controversial

"The View" Co-Host Defends Michael Vick In Dogfighting Case

(AP)  So much for a sedate alternative to Rosie O'Donnell on "The View."

Whoopi Goldberg used her first day on the daytime chat show Tuesday to defend football star Michael Vick in his dogfighting case.

Goldberg said that "from where he comes from" in the South, dogfighting isn't that unusual.

"It's like cockfighting in Puerto Rico," she said. "There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of the country."

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Photos: Whoopi Goldberg

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The Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded guilty last week to federal dogfighting charges, admitting that he provided money for a dogfighting ring that operated on his Virginia property and helped kill six or eight pit bulls. Vick grew up in Newport News, Va.

Goldberg was selected by series creator Barbara Walters to replace O'Donnell, whose stormy tenure on the ABC program lasted less than a year.

In the Vick discussion, Goldberg served notice that she won't shy away from controversy.

Co-host Joy Behar looked horrified at Goldberg.

"How about dog torture and dog murdering?" Behar asked.

For many people, dogs are sport, Goldberg replied, and it appeared it took a while for Vick to realize that he was up against serious charges.

"I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized this was something that the entire country didn't appreciate," she said.

Vick has been suspended indefinitely by the National Football League and will be sentenced on the dogfighting charges in December. He apologized and asked for forgiveness upon entering his plea in federal court.

[pinkgirl161]

This is in response to the comment on slaughtering millions of other animals each year. Yes, God did put animals on earth for us to eat. Do I like the thought of slaughtering animals? No. But do I like eating them? Yes. Did Vick kill the dogs to eat them? I hope not. Besides that, the whole point is that he broke the law. It doesn''t matter what you think about the law. If you break it, you should be punished.

[precious_45]

Whoopi did not walk onto the set her first day at The View - through the back door, straight to the stage, sit down, grab her coffee & start talking aimlessly about M.Vick.

Tell me she wasn''t in bed the night before she premeries her big debut - pondering what she was going to talk about?

She knew!

I''ll bet her cronies at ABC knew too. I''ll bet they all thought Whoopi could put a new spin on the Vick mishap & that she would be the shows new Paula Zahn.

It backfired.

And now the light is going off in her head, as she scratches it - "hmmmm, I guess the people really didn''t appreciate my point of VIEW."

Right. We need to change the topic: CBS News falsely accuses Whoopi Goldberg of Defending Vick.

[kevzgrl]

You all need to back off Whoopie - she DIDN"T defend that scumbag Vick and his actions. All she did was COMMENT on it, that doesn''t mean she supports it, agrees with it, defends it or thinks it is right - she only COMMENTED on it. It was the CBS headline that said she defended him, you dummies - get your heads out of your butts and read the whole article, not just the HEADLINE!!!

[themurph2000]

Whites are the biggest bunch of rapists, robbers and mass murderers the planet has ever seen, even to this day in Iraq -- stealing oil and mass murdering Iraqi children, women, old people, etc in the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS!
Posted by Agnim at 04:55 PM : Sep 05, 2007


You know, I might actually have considered the filth Agnim wrote, until spotting this under the Jerry Lewis story:

Thought ole Jerry was a filth-stirring f@got himself? LOL

No doubt Jerry is unhappy with the deviant and perverted homos who are too dumb to keep their sick behinds in the closet.
Posted by Agnim at 04:46 PM : Sep 05, 2007

Hello, Kettle? This is Agnim. You''re black.

What would you call it when someone defends another''''s actions?!? When you defend an action you are agreeing with the action therefore you support the action.
Posted by jinxkity at 03:08 PM : Sep 05, 2007

OK, but she didn''t defend it. She just commented on it.

[jinxkity]

To ge556

What would you call it when someone defends another''s actions?!? When you defend an action you are agreeing with the action therefore you support the action.

[misssuzq]

I was at my daughter''s and saw the show...it was a touchy subject, I do not believe she was saying it was right of him to slaughter animals for sadistic pleasure, but she did speak eliquintly and without screeching, so I think she will be an asset to the View and hopefully Joy will not bail because she is not the only "funny" gal there now.

H-m-m-m-m, you know Whoopie, there was also an old Southern tradition called lynching. Just because it''''s a ''''tradition'''' doesn''''t make it right Lady!
Posted by jinxkity at 01:18 PM : Sep 05, 2007

She didn''t say it was right! I guess the lesson to be learned here is: If you comment about something without condemning it, people will think you are supporting it.

"I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized this was something that the entire country didn''''t appreciate," she said.

Kind of looks like defending him to me. Don''''t you know he just figured out he was breaking the law after he was arrested. They have arrested different people in Central Florida those types of crimes but none of them are pretending to not know what they did was criminal. Come on Whoopi give us a little more credit than that.
Posted by biglil711 at 12:28 PM : Sep 05, 2007

She appears to think he is ignorant. That''s not defending him.
You seem to imply that no one is ignorant of the law. Well, she didn''t talk about whether he knew it was illegal. She said it seemed he didn''t think people would care so much.

[dgshiner]

This is quite strange to me 1. OJ got off for killing a whitewoman, 2. Kobe got off for raping one3. Mike vicks gets stripped of his NFL title and faces a prison term for promoting dog fighting, and there are races right here in America where dogs are mistreated, used and abused not to mention eaten in foreign countries, Whats wrong with this picture? Are you now saying a dog is more valuable than a human life? But better yet who started Dog fighting? Also to the post about lynching this is just another form of it!!!!

I doubt he will get *** out of it anyways, so many people are backing him because of who he is..They should do the same thing to him that he did to those dogs..

[jinxkity]

H-m-m-m-m, you know Whoopie, there was also an old Southern tradition called lynching. Just because it''s a ''tradition'' doesn''t make it right Lady!

"I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized this was something that the entire country didn''''t appreciate," she said.

Kind of looks like defending him to me. Don''''t you know he just figured out he was breaking the law after he was arrested. They have arrested different people in Central Florida those types of crimes but none of them are pretending to not know what they did was criminal. Come on Whoopi give us a little more credit than that.
Posted by biglil711 at 12:28 PM : Sep 05, 2007

She appears to think he is ignorant. That''s not defending him.
You seem to imply that no one is ignorant of the law. Well, she didn''t talk about whether he knew it was illegal. She said it seemed he didn''t think people would care so much.

"I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized this was something that the entire country didn''''t appreciate," she said.

Kind of looks like defending him to me. Don''''t you know he just figured out he was breaking the law after he was arrested. They have arrested different people in Central Florida those types of crimes but none of them are pretending to not know what they did was criminal. Come on Whoopi give us a little more credit than that.
Posted by biglil711 at 12:28 PM : Sep 05, 2007

She appears to think he is ignorant. That''s not defending him.
You seem to imply that no one is ignorant of the law. Well, she didn''t talk about whether he knew it was illegal. She said it seemed he didn''t think people would care so much.

[biglil711]

"I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized this was something that the entire country didn''t appreciate," she said.

Kind of looks like defending him to me. Don''t you know he just figured out he was breaking the law after he was arrested. They have arrested different people in Central Florida those types of crimes but none of them are pretending to not know what they did was criminal. Come on Whoopi give us a little more credit than that.

It looks like the problem is that the article, and its headline, claim that Whoopie defended Vick. This will certainly bias people into reading it that way. Maybe she did, but none of the quotes in this article show her defending Vick.

And the irresponsible reporter''s name isn''t even shown.

[likeitis5050]

mswolfestock she is very intelligent, but not watching The View is your choice...it''s stupid, no matter who they get. Whoopi was not defending dog fighting, or Vick. She was stating her opinion based on her perspective of the whole thing. Where does she say it''s okay to torture dogs? They still use live rattlers in some of the fundamental worship services around the country...I just made a statement...did I defend it? Did I suggest it is okay to have live rattlers in a prayer service. But there will be those who defend their right to do that. I didn''t defend or oppose...just stated a fact. What is it with people who jump to such conclusions over something not really that important...now I just weighed in on the issue. Considering all the things going on in the world right now...how important is this... really?

[sblake63]

LOL Goldberg said in 2000 and even 2004 she would leave the country if Bush won the elecion. Why in the hell is she still here? I wish her and her kind (liberals) would make good on their word and leave. Perhaps they love it here because people are waking up and turning more conservative so people like Whoopi can do what they do best.. While and complain endlessly.

[bond00721]

Goldberg is an idiot, in this regard. What a dumb, stupid comment to make. Vick knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and it has NOTHING to do with geography, culture or upbringing or environment: illegally funding illegal, vicious dog fights in which dogs mauled each other to death, and illegally drowning and electrocuting dogs to death. Hey, Whoopi--that has nothing to do with anything but dumb cruelty to animals and thug behavior! Goldberg showed she''s just as out of it as Vick.