ABC NEWS: (Mods, story contains fresh info on Dick's lawyer hunt)

[goodboy]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1611044&page=1
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas Feb 12, 2006 (AP)— Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday.

"He is stable and doing well. It was almost like he was spending time with me in my living room," said hospital administrator Peter Banko, who visited Whittington.

Banko said Whittington was in the intensive care unit because his condition warranted it, but he didn't elaborate. Whittington sent word through a hospital official that he would have no comment on the incident out of respect for Cheney.

-snip-
Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year and is "a very safe sportsman." She said Whittington is a regular, too, but she thought it was the first time the two men hunted together.

"This is something that happens from time to time. You know, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1611044&page=1

[napi21]

1. I LOVE this "Stable" condition, but in intensive care BS!

You do remember, that's the way they describe Sharon's condition too, don't ya?

[goodboy]

3. What about this happening "from time to time" What the hell is going

on down there>

[napi21]

6. The only way I can imagine that being true is that the primary

business on that ranch is a "restricted game hunting business". IF you have 50,000 acres, and have hundreds of hunters on it every day, the odds would be some hunters would get hit with some pellets once in a while. I don't know if that's their prime business or not.

[goodboy]

39. I can't believe that. Lead bb's flying in every direction?

[bmbmd]

47. I've been peppered twice-

Now I don't hunt in large groups any more.

[goodboy]

53. what size shot, and guage? (nt)

[crankybubba]

60. 28 gauge

probably 7 1/2 shot.

[goodboy]

64. no shit. I've seen first hand what that'll do to squirrels and birds...

wow.

[Nite Owl]

2. They make it sound like there is a good

chance of getting 'peppered'. Why then is Cheney even allowed to participate if that is the case. I mean being vp and all isn't there some sense of responsibility? They take so much care not to let anyone near the guy when he is out speaking anywhere and yet they let him do this? It doesn't even make sense.

[goodboy]

4. CHeney is 10000% to blame, Look here;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x399869
He's lucky he's not blind or dead. They removed 50-80 bb's from his face and neck! There aren't that many more bb's in a fuckin' .28ga! If he was 30 feet away, and using 7.5 shot, that poor dude took the whole blast to the face, and it's all DICK's responsibility.


<>

Even the Repukes have to admit that Cheney is not "careless" or "irresponsible" He committed assault with a deadly weapon. He's guilty of misuse of a firearm, and gross negligence. Mr. Repuke Gun-Nut fucking jagoff bastard criminal even broke every single goddam NRA gun safety rule.


1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
This is the primary rule of gun safety. A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.

Know your target and what is beyond.
Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. (ON A SIDE NOT, DIDN'T DICK SAY "THERE IS NO DOUBT SADDAM HAS WMD'S?} Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second.


http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp



ON EDIT: Think about this for a second, FOR SAFETY's SAKE, "Think first, Shoot Second"
What DICK did: SHOOT FIRST. FIGURE IT OUT LATER.

SAME AS OUR IRAQ POLICY.

[TomInTib]

7. I do not believe the 30 feet thing. If the gun was medium choke or

tighter, they would be writing his obit.

[goodboy]

11. They did admit to taking 50-80 bb's out of him, so he took a full blast to

the face...There aren't that many more bb's in a .28ga shell, assuming they'd use #7.5 shot. I can't imagine them using anything lighter than that, unless of course they were standing right on top of the birds and blasting the feathers off them from a few feet away (which wouldn't surprise me either)

Just estimating, the spread at 30 feet would be the diameter of a basketball...

[TomInTib]

15. Then he ain't doing too good.

I have blasted a lot of different targets with shotguns and I wouldn't want to get caught at that distance with a 410.

We used #6 with quail in Texas. That would prove cosmetically detrimental at 30 feet.

Long shots,etc.

I'm still saying alcohol was on the scene.

[AnneD]

67. Alchol is top on my list....

esp when they (Secret Service)wouldn't let the sherrif etc interview Cheney. Any time there is an injury involving a gun, a report is generated, and they test for alchol. Wonder what the blood alchol level in the victim was. Now they WILL have that info, and that will tell you if alchol was at the scene.

[sandnsea]

20. They jumped out of vehicles

and ran to shoot the birds, so yeah, they were shooting them pretty close. This isn't any kind of hunting trip I've ever heard of.

[orleans]

66. wussy hunting: when real hunting is too rough for the sudo-tough guy n/t

[dennis00]

31. 30 yards, not 30 feet

[Capn Sunshine]

68. The Gun was a .410 ( 28 ga)

That means even with a full choke it's tiny shot; still packs a wallop but a 410 is the smallest gun you can get; there's no kick from it at all. The pattern begins to dissipate after about 20 ft.

Regular 20 gauge, there wouldn't be anything left of the guy's face.

[f-bush]

9. Cheney was probably drunk as shit when he shot him and..........

and the repukes probably threatened to kill the guy if he talks.

[goodboy]

12. True dat...why do you think they waited 24 hours, and ONLY after it was

published in the local paper?

so they could get their story straight...maybe Rove had enough time to get a focus group together figure out the another way of telling the american people?

like: Peppered

vs.

Shot in the fucking face

[f-bush]

14. Absolutely!

[AndyTiedye]

37. Had To Give Dickie Time to Sober Up

[aquart]

27. He was part of Funeralgate.

I assume they could destroy him. Still, he's 78. Why would he care?

[leftchick]

42. he is a "bush pioneer"

I doubt he would talk.

[tanyev]

54. As soon as he is released, he will give a press conference

about what an honor it was to be shot by Vice-President Cheney.

[WhiteTara]

62. those rules were made before 9/11 and are quaint

and now everything has changed! :sarcasm: :rofl:

[Maddy McCall]

5. Uh, NO, it doesn't happen from time to time. It's not common...

to "pepper" your hunting mate.

I used to rabbit hunt with my dad and his friends when I was a young teen. We hunted every weekend during rabbit season. No one ever "peppered" anyone else when we all hunted together, and rabbit hunting is MUCH more dangerous than bird hunting.

That said, I'm also kinda perturbed with their use of the word "peppered" when they mean "shot."

Cheney SHOT Whittington. Period. "Peppered" may sound kinder, but the fact is that Cheney SHOT another human.

[goodboy]

8. "Peppered" = "shot" ,"BLASTED" in his face! like you, Maddy, I

went wabbit hunting, and grouse hunting, and nobody EVER got shot. We NEVER pointed our guns at each other. We never even pointed them at the freakin' DOG, but DICK manages to shoot his 'buddy' in the face.

[Punkingal]

25. I am seriously offended by this term "peppered"

My uncle was killed in a hunting accident when I was a little girl, by his own son. It was a horrible tragedy, and I don't appreciate the spin machine minimizing this. To use one of their favorite phrases, "What do I tell the children?" Oh yeah, honey, it doesn't hurt someone when you shoot them with a shotgun? It just peppers them with tiny little metal balls. No harm done! This is just about the most ridiculous spin they have come up with yet. Shot is SHOT, dammit!

[KatyaR]

48. When I was in grade school, a younger classmate of mine

was accidently shot with a pellet gun by her brother. He thought the gun was unloaded and was cleaning it. It went off, went through a bedpost, and hit her in the abdomen. She almost died and still has scars to this day.

They're doing one of two things--he's not badly hurt but they're keeping him in ICU to isolate him from the public, or he's badly hurt and they're lying about it by saying he's so fit "it's almost like he's in my living room."

Gve me a fargin' break . . . .

[Sugar Smack]

55. "it's almost like he's in my living room."

What garbage, too. The spinners are really supersizing the smiles around there, aren't they? I wonder what's next?

[goodboy]

56. except his face was blasted off (nt)

[Buford Pusser]

32. It RARELY happens, per TX stats

"In 2004, Texas' 1 million-plus hunters were involved in 29 hunting-related accidents, four of which were fatal."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3654597.html

29 over 1,000,000+ is a small small fraction.

[oldcoot]

34. It sounds like that is one scary ranch

Thank you for posting this statistics.

[Toots]

58. Yes but that figure is more than all of Japan and France combined

:shrug:

[Maddy McCall]

65. Are you from Texas? I am.

I said that shooting your hunting mate isn't common. I stand by my assertion.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

61. Very convenient term...if it works out for cheney, maybe the msm

will start saying that our boys are just getting peppered in Iraq. No big deal.

[Maddy McCall]

10. I'm calling bullshit on this paragraph, too.

Armstrong told The Associated Press emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington before an ambulance routinely on call because of the vice president's presence took him to a hospital in Kingsville. From there, Whittington was flown by helicopter to Corpus Christi about 40 miles away.




If the injuries weren't serious, emergency transport via helicopter would not have been required, from one hospital to another hospital only 40 miles away.

Something smells...

[goodboy]

13. no doubt. WHY couldn't Kingsville fix him up if he was just "peppered"

WHY THE LIFE FLIGHT? WHY THE ICU?


because he's probably gonna croak.

[Tom Joad]

19. kinda doubt that. Its going to be hard to hide that now, dont you think?

I think some people will be wanting to do a followup. What are they going to do, find a body-double? If he did not have a good prognosis, doubt they would have said he was doing ok. That will only help for a short time.

The worst thing for me, regardless of how at fault cheney is, WHY was it withheld for a full day. Even if the whole thing is as the spin goes, if i were a reporter, i would be grilling about that more than anything. It has already been conceded that they waited a day to release this news.

[goodboy]

22. They needed to figure out how to explain the shit, that's why...

Rove had to come up with "peppered" rather than "nearly got his head blown off"

They only confirmed the incident had happened 24 hours earlier AFTER it'd been reported in a local paper. Otherwise, they wouldn't have said a damn thing

[badgervan]

17. Police Report?

Cheney should have been required by law to fill out a witness report on a shooting. This signed statement, probably on file with the local police, should also be publicly available to the press.
By the way, this is not a common thing to be blasted at short range by a fellow hunter. Long distance, from spent bb's fired from a long way off, and usually up in the air, I could understand, if there were many, many hunters in the immediate area. But to shoot one of your group? Sorry, this is not something that happens regularly, as the female land owner tried to infer.
Cheney also, at the very least, should have been charged with careless use of a firearm. Someone might want to check this out. In any case, this was effectively covered up for a full day. Something does not meet the smell test. Par for the course with this group, I know.

[goodboy]

23. nice post. I agree 100%. Where's a police report?

[crankybubba]

63. I agree

since alcohol leaves the body at a rate of approximately .01 per hour. waiting 18 hours to report this. possible blood alcohol level of.18 more than 2x the legal limit for driving. I smells a coverup in the making. good thing for him this happened in the heart of bushland.

wait a minute!!! i got it it was'nt released for 18 hours because info like that would help the terrists.

[Megahurtz]

70. And who knows,

maybe alcohol wasn't the only thing?:shrug:

[sandnsea]

21. Absolutely right, not only that

But a routine "peppering" with bird shot wouldn't require the guy to be moved at all, even my little hospital could manage that. This guy not only had to be moved to a bigger hospital, he had to be life-flighted there and that is one thing that money really can't buy, unless they specifically hired a private helicopter for the transport.

And where's the guy's family and how come they aren't speaking for him. Very fishy for sure.

[Mnemosyne]

52. It also calls into question why an

ambulance is on continuous ready for killer dick. If he's in decent health, why the need?

Things that make you go hmmm...

[expatriot]

16. wow, have you ever seen such pathetic attempts to play down a story.

Being in ICU is like being in a living room...
Being the victim of a shotgun wound is no big deal... hasn't every Texan been "peppered" at least once before?

[Straight Shooter]

18. Methinks they all doth protest waaaay too much. n/t

[appleannie1]

24. happens from time to time????????????

What kind of place is that. Peopled with idiots? There is such a thing as gun safety or do they play paint ball with real guns?

[emlev]

26. That's "peppered with idiots" to you, friend. EOM

[Endangered Specie]

30. I dont know, but Im guessing Darwin hunts frequently in that area too

[oldcoot]

33. The biggest idiot is Armstrong

If you had nearly been shot several times by careless hunters, why would you still allow hunting on your ranch?

[Raine]

35. Their's is definitely

the shallow end of the gene pool. :silly:

[Demeter]

46. It's Texas. "Nuff Said.

[Seabiscuit]

28. "I've been peppered pretty well myself" Hyuck, Hyuck, Hyuck.

Fuckin' lame-ass idiot.

[Endangered Specie]

29. I think when he says "peppering"

he mean shot coming down from top (like a mortar). This would be at extended ranges (well past the "effective range"). However, if the distance is 20 yards, that equates being SHOT.

Go outside and take 20 long steps, that distance is alot shorter than it seems.

[radfringe]

36. the spin

"spraying fellow hunter with shotgun pellets..."

this sounds pretty minor - like spraying someone with silly string

it it happened to anyone else the line would have read "Shot in the face and chest with a shotgun....police are investigating..."

ennywhooo - they are being pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. How far away was Whittington? Why couldn't Cheney see him?

White House officials will offer some statement of regret -- and the choir will be out there talking about the 'accident'. Underlying attitude seems to be Quail, Pheasant, peasant what's the difference?

[symbolman]

38. Wascally Wabbit

Anyone remember the insane hunting practice they did before? They actually had someone THOWING BIRDS into the air, ducks, pheasants, etc, and then were blasting them at short range. REAL TOUGH GUYS. One of the cruelest things I had ever heard of and I spent 10 years in Alaska..

I'm betting that Cheney was thinking, "Hmmm.. wonder what they're going to do with the heart?"

ONE BB in the juglar vein and you are toast - a human can bleed out in under 8 minutes dying on the spot.

Cheney should be arrested and held for attempted MURDER as he actually DOES have a motive if this man is involved in FUNERAL GATE, this could well be voluntary Manslaughter..

Peppered? You want SALT with that? As I recall when I was a kid, the old guys used to sit around and guard their watermelons and their shotguns were loaded with ROCK SALT, you want some PAIN, think about having ROCK SALT under your skin dissolving..

Sit down while reading this article as the SPIN will make you dizzy.

My brother in law, who is an exemplary sportsman shot off part of his hand, about three of his fingers at close range and he told me that a shotgun simply REMOVES MATERIAL. All of a sudden Flesh is GONE. Takes the meat right off he skull. I imagine this poor man may actually have buckshot IN his BRAIN at that range.. if he caught the shot from the side of the head the skull is fairly thin there.

Our family one went hunting together and being of like minds we all shot at exactly the same time when a pheasant flapped straight up from his hiding place - the bird was at least 15 feet in the air and mostly disappeared with feathers floating down. The shots were so exact from all four corners that the bird, or what was left of him didn't get blown any particular direction - just feathers, that was all that was left..

So TELL ME how innocuous a FUCKING SHOTGUN IS Mr Cheney..

As one of my friends used to say, "There is nothing better for home protection than a shotgun, outside of a FLAME THROWER.."

Jail that POS.

[Judi Lynn]

40. Just heard on Fox radio news in my town something which might make you gag

They did an update on Cheney's shot at his pal, and had a female voice, probably a hospital spokesperson in a sound bite claiming the victem is sitting up in bed, "chatting it up with the nurses," "flirting with the nurses," and "having a grand old time."

It's a virtual picnic, apparently, according to Fox news radio. Is this not vile? How many people who get shot in the face really want to "flirt" with anyone right away?



Harry Whittington

Local interest story from Austin:
Stubborn reformer stays in the fights
Harry Whittington's tussle with city just latest in lifetime of challenges.

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/07/17harry.html?COXnetJSessionIDbuild119=DwN4sd1PqfADdq6Z5k2MP3SxgTiVoYYQ6xVtowIFfnDHHkZPeJHN!-1635422768&UrAuth=`NcNUObNWUbTTUWUXUWUZT




http://www.lakeoconeeshootingclub.com/Cheney%20Pictures.htm

[hang a left]

43. He sounds like one of the good guys, actually.

Wonder what he was doing with Chaingang.

[pokercat999]

44. Well, now the "good guy" gets a taste of what the quail feels.

I think that is JUSTICE!

Gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. No, no quail for me sir, just the pellets, thank you........love it.

[CottonBear]

49. Lake Oconee is south of my town here in GA. Rich folks & Bush Pioneers

are all members of the Reynolds Plantation gated golf and lake community on Lake Oconee (a rather nasty and muddy Middle GA lake IMHO) and places like the Lake Oconee Shooting Club. Notice the awful red mud and lack of trees in the photos in the link. Bush & Cheney only ever appear in GA at Lake Oconee or at military bases when they even bother to come here at all. Greene County is populated by the very rich and the very poor (both black and white.) Not much in between.

[Judi Lynn]

74. A place with a huge gulf between very, very wealthy, and very, very poor

must sound like a little bit of Paradise to someone like Cheney and his ilk. Lotsa cheap labor.

That landscape could be less stark, for sure. Nothing significant between the red dirt and the blue sky.



Might as well be on the salt flats!

[Laelth]

71. Reminds me of Babs ...

... implying that the NOLA evacuees were having a grand old time at the Astrodome in Houston.

Why do these folks assume that every time they F*** someone, the person being F***ed is better off? How out of touch with reality can one be? Oh, yeah. I'm sure Mr. Whittington is glad he got blasted in the face by the VP. See how happy he is now?

:puke:

-Laelth

[Judi Lynn]

73. Downright spooky, isn't it? That sounds similar to their tax cuts for the

middle class. Ya get a paltry tax break, the very wealthy get HYUUUUUUUUUGE cuts, and your state taxes go out of control, and the country's economy down the drain.

How can the nation afford to do business with these mutants any more?

As for the insult "disguised" as a thoughtful comment, Mrs. Bush should have had her mouth taped shut after her Astromdome remark, and all interview privileges withdrawn. Why should ANYONE have to listen to that drool?

[Laelth]

75. LOL!

I'm with ya on the duct tape, but I'd extend the requirement to a few other members of that dystopian family. :toast:

-Laelth

[brentspeak]

72. He doesn't sound like a Bush Republican type

Too honest.

[wickerwoman]

41. The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable... n/t

[Ian David]

45. I don't have time for today, but can someone update the Wikipedia article?

A lot of people will be looking at Whittington's Wikipedia article today, and there is no mention there of Funeralgate.

Would someone like to update it please?

Thanks!

A BUSH WATCH SPECIAL: DUBYA AND THE GRAVEDIGGER.
http://www.bushwatch.com/gravedigger.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/Harry_Whittington

[Geo55]

50. Ok , where's Libby hidin' ?

[Cooley Hurd]

51. "You know, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong...

Both of my brothers have been hunters for over 40 years and have NEVER been shot.

Hey Katherine, can you show us your hunting "scars?" What a load of shit...:eyes:

[WinkyDink]

57. The man has no face!

He will NEVER leave that place. Maybe he'll get "an infection", and Cheny/Bushco will pay off the hospital/doctors.

But hey--"peppered"? Bushco is all about controlling language.

[donsu]

59. first thing I thought was snake cheney was handing out punishment

or a deal didn't go down as planned. these hunts he goes on are more then hunts.

[Megahurtz]

69. Seriously,

how can you "accidentally" shoot someone???:eyes:

And hunting quail. What an asshole!