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Dick Cheney "accidentally" shoots his friend
[Posted 14 February 2006]

By now, I'm sure everyone has heard the big news -- walking, talking heart attack Dick Cheney shot his friend while hunting. The corporate-sponsored press has been careful to always use the word "accidentally" while referring to the shooting, but who knows for sure. We already know that Dick enjoys killing things -- both humans and animals. He has killed hundreds of thousands in Iraq, according to the most credible study done so far. So what's to stop him from trying to kill one of his friends?

Whether Dick was being careless or his usual mean self aside, Cheney shooting his friend draws well-deserved attention to the issue of human injuries and deaths from hunting. Aside from animals victimized by the "sport" of hunting every year, plenty of people are injured or killed in hunting "accidents".

Hunting accidents remind me of a neighbor from my childhood -- a man in Western New York who raised exotic birds. He'd built a man-made pond and had a variety of waterfowl species, and it wasn't uncommon to wake up and see one of his beautiful peacocks in our trees. That neighbor and his wife had adopted a son named Scott.

One of the big shocks of my childhood came when our parents informed us that Scott had been killed in a hunting "accident." Scott was out with his friend hunting, and according to his friend, Scott had propped his rifle up against a log. The gun allegedly slid off of the log and fired accidentally, shooting Scott in the stomach. My parents said that Scott's parents would never know what really happened, because Scott's friend was the only witness.

In the early 90's, I was working in Wisconsin when I heard about the woman in Maine who was shot in her own backyard. She'd been shaking snow out of her mittens, and a nearby hunter mistook the motion for a deer's tail. One of my co-workers who hunted said that the Maine shooting was inexcusable from a hunter's standpoint -- that as a hunter, you'd better be sure of what you're shooting, no matter what.

And I think it was just last year that a father shot his son to death, thinking that his son's movements on the other side of a bush were a wild pig in the brush. The father couldn't speak afterwards, he was so depressed.

All of these were unnecessary deaths, basically caused by carelessness or negligence. I've known a couple of hunters who used hunting as a way to live off of the land -- who really needed extra food, and hunting was a way to get it. But many other hunters only hunt for "sport", like Dick Cheney. Hunting for "sport" just means killing animals for fun. There's no intention of using the animal for food or anything other than a trophy. Obviously, Dick Cheney can afford his own food. In fact, the big problem of his life is too much rich food giving him heart attacks. The shooting of Cheney's friend was yet another unnecessary injury, caused by careless shooting while hunting for the joy of killing things. Supposedly Cheney's friend isn't talking about the accident out of respect for Cheney, but in reality this accident and hunting in general need to be talked about a lot more.

On the positive side, hunters are often on the side of environmentalists, as they have an interest in preserving their prey's habitat. They're out in the wilderness frequently, and usually aren't afraid to tell their elected officials what they see happening. Unfortunately, these days, preserving the planet seems to need some sort of cash incentive, like hunting or tourism. Hunters are also big on fighting for our rights to own guns, which may have thus far helped to prevent outright governmental dictatorship (although we're still getting closer every day). And hunting is a "dying sport" -- few children these days are interested in taking it up. But even so, every year, both animals and humans are brutalized and killed by hunting. It's not a pleasant fact.


To follow are a few articles on Cheney's big day. Notice who he was hunting with -- people from the old Halliburton crowd, and others who no doubt influence his decisions, for example decisions to award no-bid contracts to Halliburton in Iraq and New Orleans. Incidentally, much of that money has been exposed by the press as squandered...


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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0%2C%2C-5616828%2C00.html

Cheney Apparently Breaks Key Hunting Rule
Tuesday February 14, 2006 3:16 AM
AP Photo TXPI103

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney apparently broke the No. 1 rule of hunting: Be sure of what you're shooting at. He also violated Texas game law by failing to buy a hunting stamp.

Cheney wounded fellow hunter Harry Whittington in the face, neck and chest Saturday, apparently because he didn't see Whittington approaching as he fired on a covey of quail in Texas.

Hunting safety experts interviewed Monday agreed it would have been a good idea for Whittington to announce himself - something he apparently didn't do, according to a witness. But they stressed that the shooter is responsible for avoiding other people.

"It's incumbent upon the shooter to assess the situation and make sure it's a safe shot,'' said Mark Birkhauser, president-elect of the International Hunter Education Association and hunter education coordinator in New Mexico. ``Once you squeeze that trigger, you can't bring that shot back.''

The Parks and Wildlife Department said Cheney and Whittington will be given warning citations for violating game law by not having an upland game bird stamp, a requirement that went into effect in September. Cheney had a $125 nonresident hunting license, the vice president's office said Monday night in a statement, and has sent a $7 check to cover the cost of the stamp.

Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not commented publicly about the accident. He avoided reporters by leaving an Oval Office meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan before the press was escorted in.

President Bush was told about Cheney's involvement in the accident shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday - about an hour after it occurred - but the White House did not disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press questions. Press secretary Scott McClellan said he did not know until Sunday morning that Cheney had shot someone.

Facing a press corps upset that news had been withheld, McClellan said, "I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job."

Katharine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred, said she told Cheney on Sunday morning that she was going to inform the local paper, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. She said he agreed, and the newspaper reported it on its Web site Sunday afternoon.

Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said that about an hour after Cheney shot Whittington, the head of the Secret Service's local office called the Kenedy County sheriff to report the accident. "They made arrangements at the sheriff's request to have deputies come out and interview the vice president the following morning at 8 a.m. and that indeed did happen," Zahren said.

At least one deputy showed up at the ranch's front gate later in the evening and asked to speak to Cheney but was turned away by the Secret Service, Zahren said. There was some miscommunication that arrangements had already been made to interview the vice president, he said.

Gilbert San Miguel, chief deputy sheriff for Kenedy County, said the report had not been completed Monday and that it was being handled as a hunting accident, although he would not comment about what that meant they were investigating.

He said his department's investigation had found that alcohol was not a factor in the shooting, but he would not elaborate about how that had been determined. The Texas Parks and Wildlife hunting accident report also said neither Cheney nor Whittington appeared to be under the influence of intoxicants or drugs.

Whittington, a prominent Republican attorney in the Texas capital of Austin, was in stable condition at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial and was moved from intensive care to a ``step-down unit'' Monday. Doctors decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them.

Armstrong said the accident occurred toward the end of the hunt, as darkness was encroaching and they were preparing to go inside. Whittington was retrieving from tall grass a bird he had shot.

Cheney and another hunter, Pamela Willeford, the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, moved on to another covey of quail - Armstrong estimated it was roughly 100-150 yards away - and Cheney fired on a bird just as Whittington rejoined them. She said Whittington was in tall grass and thick brush about 30 yards away, which made it difficult for Cheney to see him, although both men were wearing bright-orange safety vests. She said Whittington made a mistake by not vocally announcing that he had walked up to rejoin the hunting line.

Armstrong said she saw Cheney's security detail running toward the scene. "The first thing that crossed my mind was he had a heart problem," she told The Associated Press.

She said Cheney stayed "close but cool" while the agents and medical personnel treated Whittington, then took him away via ambulance to the hospital. Later, the hunting group sat down for dinner while Whittington was being treated, receiving updates from a family member at the hospital. Armstrong described Cheney's demeanor during dinner as "very worried" about Whittington.

Duane Harvey, president of the Wisconsin Hunter Education Instructors Association, said if Whittington had made his presence known "that would have been a polite thing to do." But, he added, "it's still the fault upon the shooter to identify his target and what is beyond it."

Despite all the safety tips and training, hunting accidents are an unfortunate part of the sport. In Texas, there were 30 accidents and two hunting deaths last year, according to the state Parks and Wildlife Department. National figures kept by the International Hunter Education Association show 744 shooting accidents, with 74 deaths, in 2002, the last year for which figures were available. Twenty-six accidents involving quail hunting were reported.

The association estimates there are 15.7 million hunters who will spend about 250 million days hunting in the United States this year.

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, said the accident wouldn't keep him from going on a bipartisan hunt with Cheney. ``I would be proud to hunt with the vice president - cautious, but proud,'' he told reporters.
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Associated Press writers Elizabeth White in Washington, T.A. Badger in Sarita, Texas, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Lynn Brezosky in Corpus Christi and Dan Lewerenz in Cheyenne, Wyo., contributed to this report.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1618255

Hunter Shot by Cheney Has Heart Attack
Hunter shot by Cheney has heart attack due to pellet lodged in his heart, doctor says

By LYNN BREZOSKY and NEDRA PICKLER

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas Feb 14, 2006 (AP) -- The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot in or touching his heart and he had "a silent heart attack" Tuesday morning, hospital officials said.

The victim, Harry Whittington, was immediately moved back to the intensive care unit for further treatment, said Peter Banko, the administrator at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial in Texas.

Banko said doctors conducting a regular checkup on Whittington Tuesday morning discovered an irregularity in the heartbeat caused by a pellet, and they performed a cardiac catheterization around 10 a.m. EST. Whittington was in stable condition after treatment and expressed a desire to leave the hospital, but Banko said they would probably keep him for another week to make sure that more birdshot does not move to other vital organs.

Cheney watched the news conference where doctors described Whittington's complications. Then the vice president called him, wished him well and asked if there was anything that he needed.

A statement from Cheney's office said, "The vice president said that he stood ready to assist. Mr. Whittington's spirits were good, but obviously his situation deserves the careful monitoring that his doctors are providing."

Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not spoken publicly about the accident. Critics of the Bush administration called for more answers from Cheney himself.

The dustup over the accident and when it was made public "is part of the secretive nature of this administration," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "I think it's time the American people heard from the vice president."

The accident was fodder for jokes on late night TV and early Tuesday at the White House, before news surfaced about problems with Whittington's heart.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report issued Monday said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.

The department found the main factor contributing to the accident was a "hunter's judgment factor." No other secondary factors were found to have played a role.

Hospital officials said they knew that Whittington had some birdshot near his heart ever since Cheney accidentally shot him Saturday evening while aiming for a quail. The pellet always was at risk of moving closer since scar tissue had not had time to harden and remain in place, they said.

They said they are not concerned about other birdshot widely estimated to be between six and 200 pieces that might still be lodged in Whittington's body. Cheney was using 7 1/2 shot from a 28-gauge shotgun.

The doctors said Whittington did not experience classic symptoms of a heart attack, but they estimate that he probably had a minor one around 7:30 a.m. EST. They said they decided to treat the situation "conservatively" rather than conduct surgery to remove the pellet. They said he could live a healthy life with it left in place.

Asked whether the pellet could move further into the heart and become fatal, hospital officials said that was a hypothetical question they could not answer. But they said they are extremely optimistic that he will recover.

The shot was either touching or embedded in the heart muscle near the top chambers, called the atria, they said. Two things resulted:

It caused inflammation that pushed on the heart in a way to temporarily block blood flow, what the doctors called a "silent heart attack." This is not a traditional heart attack where an artery is blocked. They said Whittington's arteries, in fact, were healthy.

It irritated the atria, caused an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation, which is not immediately life-threatening. But it must be treated because long-term it can spur blood clots to form. Most cases can be corrected with medication.

White House physicians who attended to Whittington at the scene after Cheney accidentally shot him helped advise the course of treatment, the hospital officials said.

Whittington had initially been placed in intensive care after the accident. He had been moved to a "step-down unit" Monday after doctors decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them.

The accident raised questions about Cheney's adherence to hunting safety practices and the White House's failure to disclose the accident in a timely way.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department gave Cheney and Whittington warning citations for breaking Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing them to shoot upland game birds. A department spokesman said warnings are being issued in most cases because the stamp requirement only went into effect five months ago and many hunters weren't aware of it.

Cheney's office said Monday night in a statement that Cheney had a $125 nonresident hunting license and has sent a $7 check to cover the cost of the stamp.

Katharine Armstrong, a witness to the accident and owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred, said Whittington made a mistake by not announcing that he had walked up to rejoin the hunting line after going to retrieve his bird, and Cheney didn't see him as he took a shot.

Several hunting safety experts agreed in interviews that it would have been a good idea for Whittington to announce himself. But every expert interviewed stressed that the shooter is responsible for avoiding other people.

Bush was told about Cheney's involvement in the accident shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday about an hour after it occurred but the White House did not disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press questions.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060212/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_hunting_accident

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
Sun Feb 12, 6:19 PM ET

WASHINGTON - 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 "alert and doing fine" in a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday after he was shot by Cheney on a ranch in south Texas, said Katharine Armstrong, the property's owner.

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

Armstrong in an interview with The Associated Press said Whittington, 78, was mostly injured on his right side, with the pellets hitting his cheek, neck and chest during the incident which occurred late afternoon on Saturday.

She said emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington until the ambulance arrived.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president met with Whittington and his wife at the hospital on Sunday. Cheney "was pleased to see that he's doing fine and in good spirits," she said.

The shooting was first reported by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The vice president's office did not disclose the accident until the day after it happened.

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

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 discovered 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 said.

"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."

Whittington has been a private practice attorney in Austin since 1950 and has long been active in Texas Republican politics. He's been appointed to several state boards, including when then-Gov. George W. Bush named him to the Texas Funeral Service Commission.

McBride did not comment about why the vice president's office did not tell reporters about the accident until the next day. She referred the question to Armstrong, who could not be reached again Sunday evening.

Armstrong, owner of the Armstrong Ranch where the accident occurred, said Whittington was bleeding and Cheney was very apologetic.

"It broke the skin," she said of the shotgun pellets. "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."

"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."

Cheney is an avid hunter who makes annual hunting trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants. He also travels frequently to Arkansas to hunt ducks.

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 now, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.

The 50,000-acre Armstrong ranch has been in the influential south Texas family since the turn of the last century. Katharine is the daughter of Tobin Armstrong, a politically connected rancher who has been a guest at the White House and spent 48 years as director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He died in October. Cheney was among the dignitaries who attended his funeral.

___

Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Dallas contributed to this report.



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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11340558/

Man shot by Cheney has 'silent' heart attack
Controversy erupts over White House handling of hunting accident news

Updated: 5:35 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2006

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot in or touching his heart and he had "a silent heart attack" Tuesday morning, hospital officials said.

The victim, Harry Whittington, was immediately moved back to the intensive care unit for further treatment, said Peter Banko, the administrator at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial in Texas.

Banko said doctors conducting a regular check up on Whittington Tuesday morning discovered an irregularity in the heartbeat caused by a pellet, and they performed a cardiac catheterization around 10 a.m. ET.

Whittington was in stable condition after treatment and expressed a desire to leave the hospital, but Banko said they would probably keep him for another week to make sure that more birdshot does not move to other vital organs.

Cheney watched the news conference where doctors described Whittington's complications. Then the vice president called him, wished him well and asked if there was anything that he needed.

A statement from Cheney's office said, "The vice president said that he stood ready to assist. Mr. Whittington's spirits were good, but obviously his situation deserves the careful monitoring that his doctors are providing."

Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not spoken publicly about the accident. Critics of the Bush administration called for more answers from Cheney himself.

Incident prompts criticism, jokes
The dustup over the accident and when it was made public "is part of the secretive nature of this administration," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "I think it's time the American people heard from the vice president."

The accident was fodder for jokes on late night TV and early Tuesday at the White House, before news surfaced about problems with Whittington's heart.

The White House itself began joking about the shooting, apparently before news about Whittington's heart complication emerged, and then quickly became somber again.

White House Spokesman Scott McClellan said subsequent comments about Whittington being in "hearts and prayers" came with the knowledge that his condition had worsened.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report issued Monday said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.

The department found the main factor contributing to the accident was a "hunter's judgment factor." No other secondary factors were found to have played a role.

Monitoring the heart
Hospital officials said they knew that Whittington had some birdshot near his heart ever since Cheney accidentally shot him Saturday evening while aiming for a quail. The pellet always was at risk of moving closer since scar tissue had not had time to harden and remain in place, they said.

They said they are not concerned about other birdshot -- widely estimated to be between six and 200 pieces — that might still be lodged in Whittington's body. Cheney was using 7 & 1/2 shot from a 28-gauge shotgun.

The doctors said Whittington did not experience classic symptoms of a heart attack, but they estimate that he probably had a minor one around 7:30 a.m. ET. They said they decided to treat the situation "conservatively" rather than conduct surgery to remove the pellet. They said he could live a healthy life with it left in place.

Asked whether the pellet could move further into the heart and become fatal, hospital officials said that was a hypothetical question they could not answer. But they said they are extremely optimistic that he will recover.

'Silent heart attack' The shot was either touching or embedded in the heart muscle near the top chambers, called the atria, they said. Two things resulted: