Hunter Shot by Cheney in Stable Condition

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060213/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_hunting_accident

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 78-year-old hunting companion of Vice President Dick Cheney was recovering in stable condition Monday after Cheney accidentally shot him during a weekend quail hunting trip, a hospital official said.

Harry Whittington spent "a great night. He slept throughout the night," said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman at Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial. She listed his condition as "very stable," but said she did not know if Whittington would be discharged Monday.

Whittington, an Austin attorney, was flown to the hospital after Cheney accidentally shot him late Saturday afternoon at the Armstrong Ranch.

The vice president visited Whittington and his wife before returning to Washington on Sunday. Cheney "was pleased to see that he's doing fine and in good spirits," said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.

Whittington sent word through a hospital official that he would have no comment on the incident out of respect for Cheney.

cheney heading back to the bunker....



Vice President Dick Cheney arrives at the White House, Monday, Feb. 13, 2006, to attend morning security briefing with President Bush. 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. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

[Junkdrawer]

1. "a great night"???? Yeah, probably one of the best of his life...

Such an honor to be blasted in the chest and face by the Big Guy himself!

[Canuckistanian]

44. Thank you sir may I have another!

I'd like to hear what he's REALLY muttering under his breath.

[Solly Mack]

2. Morphine helps to have a great night

just sayin'...

No comment , huh? Out of respect? respect? lololololololololol

fear, maybe. lolololol

Sorry.

[booksenkatz]

11. Or a total inability to move his facial muscles to comment. nt

[Solly Mack]

12. good point

it would have to hurt to speak

[Sugar Smack]

23. Respect, LOL!!!!!

Good to hear he had SUCH a great night & he's "Very stable"!!! Getting shot in the face. Good times, good times.

[Endangered Specie]

3. "a great night. He slept throughout the night," ...translation:

"Damn near slipped into a coma"

[Wheezy]

4. He was FLOWN to the hospital?

I thought there was an ambulance.

[noamnety]

17. Ambulance, then airlifted

I heard that on Rachel Maddow this morning - an ambulance took him to the first clinic/hospital/something medical, then a decision was made there to medevac him to another hospital.

[Wheezy]

25. wow, sounds minor, doesn't it.

:eyeroll: Thanks for the info.

[wordpix]

29. he is in the ICU

[HereSince1628]

5. No comment...out of respect for Cheney.

Geez. The only thing I'd respect about Cheney after that is how dangerous he is as a hunting companion.

[Ready4Change]

21. Yah, that's an odd comment.

I could see him either daying "Damn idiot shot me, I'm going to press charges" or "It was just one of those things. An accident."

But "No comment out of respect?" Sounds more like "I'll take my hush money, rather than face 'unfortunate complications' in the hospital before I can press charges."

[Lasher]

6. You know, I've been thinking

Being told to go f*ck yourself doesn't seem so bad after all.

[KansDem]

42. LOL! You have an excellent point!

Sen. Leahy is no doubt thinking the same thing. Everything's relative, I guess.

[johncoby2]

7. His buddy would have been just fine, if Cheney hadn't gutted him!

[Ready4Change]

20. Are there pics of Whittington arriving at the hospital?

Was he tied to Cheneys fender?

[Ishoutandscream2]

35. LOL!

:rofl:

[Dhalgren]

8. Here's something I don't understand about all of this -

"Whittington, an Austin attorney, was flown to the hospital after Cheney accidentally shot him late Saturday afternoon at the Armstrong Ranch.

If Whittington was shot in the "afternoon", why wasn't he admitted to the hospital before 8:15pm? Let's assume that the bloody VP was not "night hunting" quail (of which I have never heard), why did it take them so long to get him to the hospital? If Cheney had collapsed because of his rotten heart, you can bet he would have been in the hospital in a much shorter time. Does this time-line make sense or am I missing something?

[Junkdrawer]

13. I'll bet they tried to patch him up quiet-like and only sent him..

to the hospital when his condition worsened and the doctors insisted he be taken to an ICU.

[LibDemAlways]

18. These bastards live by the mantra

"Cover Your Ass." I think they were probably more interested in damage control for crashcart than in medical attention for Mr. Whittington and were looking for a way out that wouldn't involve any publicity.

[C_U_L8R]

9. Is Whittington really OK??

Some tidbits I heard (on TV and around here) mentioned that the
unfortunate birdman underwent surgery yesterday and that he was
in intensive care. I can't imagine getting shot in the face with a
shotgun (no matter what guage) is as trivial as the repukes are
trying to paint it (peppered... yeah whatever).

It also seems quite suspicious that everyone's story is word-for-word identical...
like the alibi was written by the same person. Hmmmm.

Something stinks.... and I think it's Cheney. ewwww.

[wizstars]

10. Impeachable offense

I hope in the future mr. cheney will restrict himself to flipping the bird (a la Sen. Leahy) instead of shooting it. Just like the bushies to go off half-cocked. BTW, assault w/ a deadly weapon is an impeachable offense, isn't it? One of those high crimes & misdemeanors?

[bluethruandthru]

14. How can we get Whittington to press charges?

Wouldn't it be great!?

[superconnected]

27. Since he's one of cheneys buddies

how can you expect anything less than a crooked lawyer.

Somehow I don't trust the victim and more than I trust chaney.

[LibDemAlways]

15. The hospital spokeswoman is going to

great lengths to paint a rosy picture - "a great night....very stable." I'm sure the threats spelled out in the phone call from Rove weren't anywhere near as pleasant. A 78 year old man being shot in the face with pellets intended to kill a quail is more serious than they are letting on. The fact that they didn't come clean on this immediately tells me they were waiting to learn if Whittington was even going to make it.

[ixion]

16. shouldn't he have a weapon slung over his shoulder?

I mean, it just seems fittin'. :evilgrin:

[rodeodance]

19. wonder where the police report is?

[chelsea0011]

24. Any shooting requires a full investigation, right? And any news station

that keeps calling this an "accident" is assuming something not yet determined by an investigation. This is serious and anyone would be subjected to an investigation. And even if it is found to be an "accident" may still be charged with a minor charge like "reckless discharge of weapon". Am I correct?

[onehandle]

22. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the shadow President.

The man who really runs the country.

He shot a guy in the woods.

oy.

[Wheezy]

26. Poor man will have that pock-mark look of an infected pimply-faced boy

for the rest of his life.

[superconnected]

28. Yeah, poor lawyer friend of cheneys...

Some how I think the odds are that he's a crooked lawyer. Lets see, who he pals around with...

[Wheezy]

30. Maybe he asked Cheney to do it

so he could have that 'tough, Mafia look'

[superconnected]

33. actually I'm becoming more suspicious of him the more I read

why is cheney hanging out with a lawyer known for prison reform and funeral reform - where whistle blowers have law suits against his funeral agency.

"Dietz's ruling is the latest development in the whistle-blower lawsuit filed six months ago by May, a former treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party. May sued the state, Houston-based SCI, and SCI's CEO Robert Waltrip, alleging that she was fired after she and other agency employees found numerous violations of state law by the company's funeral homes. As a result of the investigations done by May, the agency recommended that SCI be fined $445,000. So far, the company has not been required to pay the fine.

May, who was fired by the TFSC's board in February, claims that state legislators and Bush's office interfered with her agency's investigation in order to help SCI, the world's largest funeral company. Waltrip is a longtime friend of the Bush family and has contributed at least $45,000 to Bush's political campaigns; CNN reported recently that Waltrip and his associates have contributed nearly $62,000 to Bush's campaign.
"

Wittington fougt for Bush in subsequent lawsuit for this, he runs the state commission for funeral homes and is mentioned in this article. Looks like he is shrowded in corruption after all.

http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=%22Harry+Whittington%22+lawyer+Bush&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&x=wrt&u=www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/1999-09-03/pols_feature3.html&w=%22harry+whittington%22+lawyer+bush&d=Xa-2lm1aMPR9&icp=1&.intl=us

It appear Whittington and another lawyer mysteriously lost boxes of Ms. Mays investigation paperwork and it mysteriously appeard again for them.
http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=915

"Harry Whittington of Austin, who was named presiding officer of the Funeral Service Commission after a major shakeup of agency in 1999, said his board reluctantly agreed to pay $50,000 as part of the settlement to end the 2-year-old case."

The funeral case involved GW and wittington directly.

http://jmhm.livejournal.com/1418607.html


okay the agency was using an unlicensed embalmer and bush stepped in and tried to thwart the case - someone who donated 100k to his campain and who he put in charge of FEMA before michael brown was being sued -

"Mr. Allbaugh went on to manage Mr. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign and is director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "

http://www.bushwatch.com/gravedigger.htm

[superconnected]

31. pic of harry

best known for prison reform in TX. Fighting the dem controlled texas for republican values - he's nearly libertarian.

He has done good for prisons

"Whittington was dismayed by prison officials' ignorance about mental retardation, perhaps because the subject is so close to his heart. One of his four daughters is mentally retarded. He felt that the condition contributed to inmates getting into jail and that those inmates, who are outmatched in prison, deserved a chance to fare better. He persuaded the board to open a separate unit.

At the time, the state was embroiled in a long-running prison-reform lawsuit filed by inmate David Ruiz in 1972. The suit, which stretched well into the 1990s, showed state prison officials as an unchecked, unregulated authority presiding over shockingly brutal conditions. The case led to unprecedented judicial control over the prisons and a revamping of the state's incarceration practices.

The lawsuit also targeted the practice of "tenders," a cruel, unofficial system of inmates disciplining other inmates. State officials held firm that no such system existed.

"

Hes also supported gw bush with neighboorhood zoning issues that bush put him up to, to legally fight the people of those neighborhoods. Looks like GW has used him a lot.

from http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/07/17harry.html

a republican biased story.

--------------

WHITTINGTON IS INFLUENTIAL IN TEXAS POLITICS
Prison reformer, property rights advocate and troubleshooter for several Texas governors, Harry Whittington runs in powerful circles. Whittington, 78, a Republican, is chairman of the Texas Funeral Services Commission and has served on the state prison board and Texas Public Finance Authority. He is a familiar figure in downtown Austin, where he keeps a law office and owns millions of dollars worth of property. One of his buildings is frequently leased by Republican candidates, including the 2006 campaign of Gov. Rick Perry. "Harry is a very respected attorney here in Austin," said Republican political consultant Reggie Bashur. "He has served on a number of boards for a number of governors over the years. He is a man of absolute integrity."

off this website

http://www.quorumreport.com/sl.cfm?CFID=777476&CFTOKEN=38642018
-------------

several sites have harry fighting against eminent domain to take several blocks of his own land for a hotel.

[Gregorian]

32. I thought Quayle was a republican.

Cheney really must be dumber than we thought. :)

[ConcernedCanuk]

34. IN Canada - at least a Charge with careless handling of a firearm

.
.
.

would result.

But in a nation where shoot first, ask questions later seems to be the norm

I'm not surprised that this is just treated as an "oops - sorry" type of thing

Shooting another HUMAN, even by accident, deserves a bit of scrutiny I think.

Except in the USA where he is still qualified to act as the second in command

Gawd help y'all if'n sumone offs the BoyKing and Cheney moves up . . .

Hate to say it, but the world is better of with Bush at the helm than Cheney . .

Y'all got a serious problem down there methinks . . . .

And it is affecting us all

(sigh)

[grytpype]

36. If Whittington dies, do you think we'll ever hear about it?

He'll just disappear.

[daleo]

37. Didn't Bush accuse Saddam of (personally) shooting people?

Once more, the Bush administration ends up doing the same thing.

Imagine if some world leader the west didn't like (say the president of Iran) shot someone on a hunting trip, then covered up the news for a day, then claimed it was an accident. Our media would be all over it, speculating that it must have been more than that. The fact that the injured party agreed that it was an accident would be greeted with raised eyebrows and sarcastic tones by CNN.

Now I am not saying it wasn't an accident, just pointing out that the media treats things very differently depending on where they happen.

On edit - Also, had Gore shot someone by accident in 1998, hundreds of media would have been camped outside the hospital and the din from the cable talk shows would have been unbearable.

[leftchick]

39. I wonder if the chimp will ask cheney for the gun

did he ever end up getting saddam's gun like he wanted? And you are damn straight about Gore. I said the same thing to my hubby last night. The repukes would be screaming for his resignation.

[daleo]

41. I heard Bush had Saddam's gun (a "trophy")

Furthermore, about the media treatment. If this had been Gore, the papers (and TV news) would have been full of "photo illustrations" of just what a head and chest would look like after being blasted with a shotgun. And Bob Barr would be blasting watermelons from 30 paces to show everyone what that looks like.

[grasswire]

38. no comment on the incident out of respect for Cheney.

That's odd. Sounds as if he's admitting that he could damage Cheney but will pull the punch.

[ConcernedCanuk]

40. Just more "collateral damage" - that's all - -

.
.
.

Corral the Iraqis for ten years then slaughter them

Corral the quail in a "controlled" hunt for the VP's pleasure

Then just slaughter them for pleasure - I'm quite sure Cheney didn't need to supplement his diet for lack of $$ . . .

so Mr Harry Whittington's injuries are just "collateral damage" to the USA's Administration's national sport

- Killing . . .

no need for any criminal charges here

- this is accepted behaviour it seems . . .

(sigh)

[Xenotime]

43. He should resign because of this...

this is very irresponsible.

[pinniped]

45. Friends til death.

--Whittington sent word through a hospital official that he would have no comment on the incident out of respect for the POS.--

[Garbo 2004]

46. If it's so minor why isn't the hospital saying he's in good condition?

"Stable" doesn't necessarily mean he's in ok shape as they're trying to claim. Strange.

[Mandate My Ass]

47. If he's still in intensive care, he'd be *critical* but stable

This is very odd to say the least.

[henslee]

48. Think of the ribbing Crashcart will get. Just gotta point your finger at

him like a gun.

[Karmakaze]

49. Here's why he is only listed as being 'stable'

"Many people load their shotguns with birdshot, usually #6 shot or smaller, to minimize interior wall penetration. Number 6 lead birdshot, when propelled at 1300 fps, has a maximum penetration depth potential of about 5 inches in standard ordnance gelatin. Not all of the pellets penetrate this deeply however; most of the shot will penetrate about 4 inches."
http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs10.htm

"In your scenario, the nature of the injury depends upon the location of the wounds, the distance between the muzzle and his chest, the size of the shot, and the type of load used. As mentioned above, bird shot is typically No. 8 or No. 9 lights.
If your attacker was five feet away, the shot could do a great deal of damage. It could penetrate the chest wall, collapse a lung, damage his heart, and even kill him. This would be a serious injury, requiring surgery, several days in the hospital, and several weeks of healing.


If he were 50 or more feet away, the shot would likely embed in his skin and muscles. If he were100 feet away or more, the shot would likely only enter the skin. In these situations, the shot would be removed in the operating room or perhaps the emergency room. He would likely be admitted to the hospital for a couple of days, given antibiotics, then would rest at home for a few days and be none the worse for wear."
http://www.dplylemd.com/Questions/archive/BirdshotWound.htm

These two sources make it clear that it is highly possible that the wounds suffered by Whittington are a lot more severe than is being reported. Apparently it is possible that birdshot, especially the smaller ones used on quail, can enter the circulation and be sent all over the body, even from essentially non-life threatening wounds. One report I read had a young man hit in the neck end up having a foot amputated because a pellet travelled down into his ankle, cutting off the blood supply. Another was killed when blood supply to his liver was cut off.

So it is possible that even if the injuries themselves were rather minor, the fact that the pellets are so small can result in a far greater theat to life if any of the pellets enter the bloodstream.