Whoopi Goldberg defends Michael Vick

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."

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 awhile for Vick to realize that he was up against serious charges.

...but a hunt that is commercially viable, scrutinized and shown to be humane, of a healthy species and population, that has great potential for use of fat, oil, fur, meat - is condemned in the US. Not only condemned but true to the ideals of upper-middle class Americians their view is forcefully imposed on other countries.

There is no torture in the seal hunt, there is no gaming or recreation. Seal hunters are not multi-millionaires, not famous athletes nor movie stars.

Who in the US is prepared to stand and state the fact that the Atlantic Canadian Seal hunt is a justified, humane and sustainable harvest? Anyone? What is truth worth?