Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

[AGBF]

February 12, 2006
Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 4:20 p.m. ET

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said Sunday.

Harry Whittington, 78, was 'alert and doing fine' after Cheney sprayed him with shotgun pellets on Saturday while the two were hunting at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

Armstrong said Whittington was mostly injured on his right side, with the pellets hitting his cheek, neck and chest, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Whittington was in stable condition Sunday, said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Christus Spohn Health System.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, Texas, and his wife at the hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Armstrong said she was watching from a car while Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of the vehicle to shot at a covey of quail late afternoon on Saturday.

Whittington shot a bird and went to look for it in the tall grass, while Cheney and the third hunter walked to another spot and found a second covey.

Whittington 'came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn't signal them or indicate to them or announce himself,' Armstrong told the Associated Press in an interview.

'The vice president didn't see him,' she continued. 'The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good.'

The shooting was first reported by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

She said Whittington was bleeding but not very seriously injured, and Cheney was very apologetic.

'It broke the skin,' she said. 'It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that.'

She said emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington, holding his face and cleaning up the blood.

'Fortunately, the vice president has got a lot of medical people around him and so they were right there and probably more cautious than we would have been,' she said. 'The vice president has got an ambulance on call, so the ambulance came.'

Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year. 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 now, I've been peppered pretty well myself,' said Armstrong."

 

[AndyRosse]

Yeah I saw that too!

 

[moon river]

I just heard this too. Wonder if the guy he shot was a democrat?

 

[Kaleigh]

I didn''t hear that yet, but thank god the guy is ok. Ouch!!

 

[moon river]

This CAN''T be good for his career.
BTW don''t hunters wear those bright orange vests so they DON''T shoot each other?

 

[Demelza]

Date: 2/12/2006 5:42:01 PM
Author: moon river
This CAN''T be good for his career.

BTW don''t hunters wear those bright orange vests so they DON''T shoot each other?

Good question!

I''m sure the NRA is happy about this!! As someone who is anti-hunting and anti-guns, I say, this couldn''t have happened to a better person (other than Bush himself!). Thankfully, no one was serioulsly injured, although I don''t imagine it''s partiuclarly good for a 78 year old guy to be sprayed with pellets.

 

[fire&ice]

The man shouldn''t own a gun.

Here in VA all the hunters don''t wear orange vests. Some do. Some are even worse wearing camaphage.

 

[perry]

It varies state by state - but "hunters orange" is most typically used during Deer season. High powered deer rifles are much more deadly than other forms of hunting.

Bird and small game hunting is typically done in either street cloths or camaflauge.

Hunting "accidents" are quite common. Fortunately, this one was minor.

I actually stopped Deer hunting after experiencing the stupidity of some people in the woods who only handle a gun during hunting season. "Buck fever" isn''t just limited to deer hunting. I did not feel safe arrond them.

Perry

 

[strmrdr]

Two rules got broke...

rule never walk up to someone when they are shooting until they see you and know you are there.
rule be sure of your target and what is around it.


What I want to know is why the others in the party didn''t holler that someone was in the shooting zone.
You should always have a lookout that isn''t actively hunting for this kind of hunting.


Riding a bike is more dangerous than hunting.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 2/12/2006 6:39:38 PM
Author: strmrdr

Riding a bike is more dangerous than hunting.

Not for the animals. I suspect they'd much prefer we spend our Sunday afternoons riding our bikes than killing them.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 2/12/2006 6:39:38 PM
Author: strmrdr
Riding a bike is more dangerous than hunting.

Certainly it has proven so for President Bush...but then, so did eating pretzels!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/12/2006 6:52:50 PM
Author: Demelza

Date: 2/12/2006 6:39:38 PM

Author: strmrdr


Riding a bike is more dangerous than hunting.

Not for the animals. I suspect they''d much prefer we spend our Sunday afternoons riding our bikes than killing them.

yea lets leave them to starve to death.
Several states are actually having to hire people to thin the deer herds or a very large chunk of them would stare to death and hunters aren''t taking enough.
With no predators they over populate and you get mass starvation.

 

[monarch64]

Yes, Storm, let''s let nature run its course and let the animals starve to death. Sorry, no one likes to hear this view, but it is nature''s way of population control.

 

[monarch64]

Despite hunters'' attempts to justify their blood lust by claiming that hunting is a form of "population control," in reality hunting creates the ideal conditions for overpopulation. After hunting season, the abrupt drop in population results in a higher birth rate. Hunters also kill natural predators who help keep prey species strong by killing the only ones they can catch-the sick and the weak.

Hunting disrupts migration and hibernation and ecological balance. For animals like wolves, who have close-knit family units, hunting can severely harm entire communities. Fishing also disrupts nature''s balance, not only by killing the fish, who make an ecosystem whole, but by killing "nontarget" victims, such as sea birds and otters, with discarded fishing line, hooks, and other litter from anglers.

To combat hunting in your area, post "no hunting" signs on your land and join or form an anti-hunting organization. Call 1-800-448-NPCA to report poachers in national parks to the National Parks and Conservation Association. Encourage your legislators to enact or enforce wildlife protection laws, and insist that nonhunters be equally represented on wildlife agency staffs.


from the animalactivist.com website

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/12/2006 11:53:31 PM
Author: monarch64
Yes, Storm, let''s let nature run its course and let the animals starve to death. Sorry, no one likes to hear this view, but it is nature''s way of population control.

I would have to disagree.
A quick death is a lot less painful and the meat doesnt go to waste.
but anyway you can keep your views and ill keep mine :}

btw im sorry to tell you but a grasshopper was killed so you could eat your veggies today :}
poor grasshopper gasped in agony as it was washed from the plant with water and flussed into the drain and drowned.
Or is it ok to kill things as long as its for something you want to eat?

 

[Demelza]

Date: 2/12/2006 11:42:31 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 2/12/2006 6:52:50 PM

Author: Demelza

Date: 2/12/2006 6:39:38 PM


Author: strmrdr



Riding a bike is more dangerous than hunting.

Not for the animals. I suspect they'd much prefer we spend our Sunday afternoons riding our bikes than killing them.

yea lets leave them to starve to death.

Several states are actually having to hire people to thin the deer herds or a very large chunk of them would stare to death and hunters aren't taking enough.

With no predators they over populate and you get mass starvation.

Come on now. You can't seriously be claiming that hunting is GOOD for animals and the environment?!? Next you're going to claim there's no such thing as global warming!

 

[monarch64]

LOL, Storm, good comeback. You''re right, I do eat my veggies and no meat. I aspire to one day becoming a raw-foodist, FYI. And I am one of those people who will carry a spider from inside the house to outside to avoid killing it--Charlotte''s Web just KILLED me as a child!!!

I know that it would certainly upset our whole economy and political system to stop the practice of hunting for supposed conservation, and there are so many arguments in favor of hunting. I disagree with them all. If you as a human were being hunted, I don''t think you''d be in favor of it.

 

[moon river]

Date: 2/13/2006 12:19:52 AM
Author: monarch64
LOL, Storm, good comeback. You''re right, I do eat my veggies and no meat. I aspire to one day becoming a raw-foodist, FYI. And I am one of those people who will carry a spider from inside the house to outside to avoid killing it--Charlotte''s Web just KILLED me as a child!!!

I know that it would certainly upset our whole economy and political system to stop the practice of hunting for supposed conservation, and there are so many arguments in favor of hunting. I disagree with them all. If you as a human were being hunted, I don''t think you''d be in favor of it.

DITTO from your fellow animal loving, butterfly loving, vegetarian

Charlotte''s Web was as bad as Bambi for me. I will carry a spider outside even after getting bitten by a brown recluse a couple of years ago and almost lost my left foot.
But they can hunt for republicans as much as they like

(Just kidding)

 

[moon river]

According to the news, there is a big stink about this not getting reported. It happened Saturday and was reported a day later by the lady who owns the land and not by the White House.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 2/13/2006 1:06:32 AM
Author: moon river

Date: 2/13/2006 12:19:52 AM

Author: monarch64

LOL, Storm, good comeback. You''re right, I do eat my veggies and no meat. I aspire to one day becoming a raw-foodist, FYI. And I am one of those people who will carry a spider from inside the house to outside to avoid killing it--Charlotte''s Web just KILLED me as a child!!!


I know that it would certainly upset our whole economy and political system to stop the practice of hunting for supposed conservation, and there are so many arguments in favor of hunting. I disagree with them all. If you as a human were being hunted, I don''t think you''d be in favor of it.

DITTO from your fellow animal loving, butterfly loving, vegetarian

Charlotte''s Web was as bad as Bambi for me. I will carry a spider outside even after getting bitten by a brown recluse a couple of years ago and almost lost my left foot.

But they can hunt for republicans as much as they like

(Just kidding)

Too funny, MR!!! I like the way you think!

 

[monarch64]

Ha ha, Moonriver! You''re right, we are soul sisters! Bambi 2 just came out and there''s no way I can handle that movie, so I''m not even attempting to buy it! LOL! What about "where the red fern grows" did you read that book like I had to in 4th grade? Oh, just KILLER!

My dad took me rabbit hunting exactly ONE time, when I was about 6, on our property. Guess who scared all the game away, after waiting anxiously for what seemed like hours??? He gave up the guns shortly after that, and has been an avid preservationist ever since. One of my favorite courses in college was a conservation class, we learned a lot about Muir and others, including a certain political figure, Teddy Roosevelt, hee hee.

My parents raised us on a farm, and taught my brother and I the love of animals. After raising a few calves and keeping some dairy cows, and my dad hunting a few times, it didn''t take longer than a couple of years for them to shut down animal farming operations and concentrate on their other small businesses for a living. To this day, they enjoy their 70 acres of beautiful land as a sanctuary for animals and love watching wild turkeys, deer, and every other animal indigenous to the state of IN in their very backyard. I love going there and enjoying the peacefulness.

 

[moon river]

Yes I remember that book and another one "ole yeller" that just killed me. And in ''To kill a mockingbird''. I know these dogs were rabid but

One a less somber note: Jay Leno and David Letterman pretty much have their work week laid out for them this week. And I can hardly wait to hear Jon Stewarts take on the situation.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 2/13/2006 1:18:45 AM
Author: moon river
According to the news, there is a big stink about this not getting reported. It happened Saturday and was reported a day later by the lady who owns the land and not by the White House.

Well of course they had to have 24 hours to do damage control. What''s new?

To KIll a Mockingbird came to me the second I hit submit...old yeller, too.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/13/2006 12:19:52 AM
Author: monarch64
If you as a human were being hunted, I don''t think you''d be in favor of it.

Iv been hunted and hunted right back many times.
pellets and paintballs hurt too let me tell you.
Was great fun :}
Well its not exactly the same but we took it pretty seriously.
Setting up an L shaped ambush with 4 people and luring a group of 20 into the trap and then tearing into them with full auto paint ball fire is fun :}
Not so fun when your in the 20 however.
before it was paintballs it was with bb''s and pellets which was a little bit too dangerous looking back on it and not recommended.
If I was in better shape id love to round up a group and do it again sometime.
ah the thrills and stupidity of youth :}
Unless you have done it you would not understand.......

For the record id did most of my hunting with a camera not a rifle.
Too bad all my photos were lost :{

 

[fire&ice]

Well, I can speak from experience. I hated hunters when I first moved to the country. I wouldn''t let them hunt on our land. Over the years, I changed my view. I saw first hand what over population can cause - as well as something that developed called "dog deer". The population being born weren''t healthy because of over population & lack of food in winter.

I now believe in controlled hunting. "Letting them starve" attitude is quite inhumane if you witness it first hand. Perhaps I should "shoo" them away when they eat my cat''s kibble or nibble on my all year plants. That would be the humane thing to do.

Hunting messing up ego-system and natural migration doesn''t ring true. In a perfect world, one would stop developing the land. Ain''t gonna happen.

Of course it just takes one or two dopey hunters (kinda like PS doing away w/ PM) to poo-poo all hunting. I don''t have issues w/ responsible hunters who don''t drink & shoot & those that use the meat.

 

[treysar]

I have a great idea - why don''t we kill all of the starving PEOPLE too!! You know, thin out the pack a little...

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 2/13/2006 9:43:05 AM
Author: treysar
I have a great idea - why don''t we kill all of the starving PEOPLE too!! You know, thin out the pack a little...

Great logic.

While we are at it, let''s condemn to death all pet lover''s who put their beloved pet down when they are suffering.

 

[strmrdr]

over 90% of the money for conservation comes from hunters and shooters.
There is a 11% tax on guns and ammo that goes to conservation.
Every year the politicians try and steal the money for other things.

 

[monarch64]

I''m certainly not saying "let them starve" in a callous or cold-hearted way, believe me. I''m just saying that every species of animal has young ones born from time to time who are weaker than the rest and that nature does its own job of taking care of the problem--the weaker animal does not survive because it either gets shunned by the rest of the "pack" and can''t survive on its own, or it gets killed and eaten by another predator. If a deer came into my backyard and looked to be starving, would I shoo it away from my garden or flowers? No. Would I shoot it to put it out of its misery? No. Would I call someone else and tell them to bring over their rifle and go huntin''? NO. Would I assume that if or when it died, it would either provide food for a hungry coyote or birds, not humans. The hunting for pop. control argument is one of those quick fixes we humans love to use instead of dealing with the real issues and fixing them long term, or trying to actually undo some of the damage we''ve caused.

 

[moon river]

Date: 2/13/2006 9:43:05 AM
Author: treysar
I have a great idea - why don''t we kill all of the starving PEOPLE too!! You know, thin out the pack a little...

Why, that would NEVER happen in AMERICA