It was August of 1969, the summer after my freshman year of college. As I prepared for my return to school, I learned of an outdoor concert that I wanted to attend before hitting the books again. It was to take place on a 600-acre farm in Bethel, New York. Of course, I speak of Woodstock.

As I made arrangements with a few friends to make an end-of-the-summer 5-hour journey to this “happening” event in upstate New York, my plans were shattered by my father. He suggested I not go. As a police officer, he heard of the possible unrest. He never told me that I couldn’t go, but when Dad strongly suggested something to me, I seldom ignored his advice. Initially, I was glad not to have made the trip. A mostly rainy weekend with more than 500,000 concert-goes didn’t sound like it would have been a pleasant time. However, as the stories developed and the legend of Woodstock grew, I will be forever disappointed that I heeded my father’s advisement, as I missed being at one of the most significant moments in Rock ‘n Roll history.

As I reminisced about Woodstock, I thought back to 1969. It was certainly a year for the ages. It’s hard to believe all these events occurred in the same year…40-years ago.
•    Jets upset Colts in AFL-NFL Super Bowl
•    Elvis makes his comeback
•    Nixon becomes president
•    Beatles make last public performance
•    The Godfather novel is published
•    Midnight Cowboy released
•    John Lennon – Yoko Ono “Bed-In”
•    Neil Armstrong walks on the moon
•    Tate / LaBianca Manson murders
•    Ted Kennedy Chappaquiddick incident
•    Hurricane Camille responsible for 248 deaths
•    Vietnam My Lai Massacre
•    Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid released
•    Beatles Abby Road released
•    The Brady Bunch premiered
•    Miracle Mets win World Series
•    First ARPANET link (progenitor of the Internet)
•    Dave Thomas opens first Wendy’s
•    First Draft Lottery since WW II

1969. A year for the ages.
(Thanks to Wikipedia for helping to refresh my memory.)

I am a dog lover. My life has consisted of four Great Danes, a Rough Collie, and a Shih Tzu. Each dog remains logged in my memory bank from different times of my life. One of my most heartbreaking memories is when a Dane died in my arms. Another dog memory is loosing my Shih Tzu when a woman broke my heart and left me. She got the dog. I miss that little dog.

So, like many, when I learned of Michael Vick’s heinous crimes, I was appalled. Send him to jail and throw away the key! However, now that he’s paid his debt to society, isn’t it time to let the man return to work and start making a living again? Hell, there are players in the NFL who have committed violent crimes against humans that are active in the league. And, while I’m probably a bigger fan of dogs than humans, Vick-haters need to relax – and PETA needs to focus on its mission of protecting animals. Unfortunately, I think most NFL owners fear PETA more than they relish utilizing the talents of Vick.

Michael Vick may not be a great quarterback, but he’s a great athlete. He’s a talent that could play almost any skill position and would help most NFL teams. He’s also probably one of the top 15 quarterbacks in the league.

I love dogs, but come-on…let the man make a living. Isn’t a second-chance the American way?