Does the punishment fit the crime?

Does the punishment fit the crime? You be the judge.

There have been several cases lately that make you go hmm.

I love animals -- you know that. I believe strongly that we should protect those domesticated animals we've made pets, the wild animals we endanger and etc. But I'm not sure I understand the scaling of these crimes.

Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcon quarterback) funds/oversees a dog fighting operation. Terribly cruel, culturally relevant. I think cock fighting is disgusting, bull fighting is cruel -- but in some cultures those are accepted means of entertainment. For his crime he receives 18 months in prison, some house arrest, and etc. The protestors made a huge deal out of his reinstatement to the NFL this year. He can sign and practice with a team but is not yet eligible to play in a game.

Donte Stallworth, (a Cleveland Brown receiver) hits and kills a pedestrian while drunk driving. He drew a 30 DAY sentence and was suspended without pay from the NFL for the season.

2 NFL players, 2 heinous crimes, but I'm just not sure that the penalty's, nor the outpouring of protestors, is comparable between the two situations. Maybe it's just me.

A man punched and killed a man in a fight. He received 2 months jail time.
A man punched a police dog (who is a certified police officer). He received 6 months for assaulting an officer.
A man shot and killed 2 dogs because he didn't want to pay and board them while on vacation. He was a fireman. He received a 3 month sentence and lost his job -- which is being appealed.

I think all of the crimes are awful. I think the fireman who killed his dogs because he was going on vacation should be shot too. But if you compare the three crimes -- really?

I do think animals need more protection from us because they cannot protect themselves. Even amongst the animal crimes the punishment seems random. And as angry as I get about the treatment of those dogs, I don't really understand 6 months for punching a policeman/dog, 2 months for killing a man with a punch.

A few weeks ago a well known Columbus cyclist was hit and killed, by a drunk driver. At 6:30 in the morning. With a well known newscaster in the car (who was apparently texting and didn't see a thing). This was a guy who did everything right -- lights, reflective vests, etc. This was a wide, well marked, lit road. The driver had many options, the cyclists never saw him coming. He spent 4 days in a coma before succoming to his injuries.

There have been memorial rides, large gatherings, a large cyclist presence at the initial hearing, and much bicycing related publicity due to Steve's status in the community.

I wonder. To which punishment standard will his killer be held?