previous post next post  

Cheney @ The Range.

Obviously, someone was out of position when the Veep went hunting yesterday. Whether it was the Veep or the Victim, the Veep has ultimate responsibility as the trigger puller, unless the victim was behind some bushes taking a leak or something. I'll leave that for others to settle.

It certainly didn't take long for the jokes to appear, once it was clear Mr. Whittington would survive.

Owen Dyer, in an email to me, observed it was a good thing that Cheney was a Republican, and therefore hunting with fatcat corporate lawyers. If he'd been a Democrat, those would have been personal injury lawyers...

IMAO has a contest going.

Go forth, Denizens, find the good, the bad, the ugly jokes. Find the Moonbat Howls at the Moon from the anti-gun, anti-Cheney, anti-anything-not-me crowd.

If you have posting privileges, slap 'em in here. If you don't, put 'em in the comments. Lets be a Cheney@TheRange clearinghouse!

For the record - after the investigation is over, based on whatever evidence is gathered and what the laws of Texas provide for - Cheney should suffer whatever consequences fall out from that. No more, no less. And no, a hunting accident is no more justification for confiscating weapons from law abiding citizens than car accidents are justification for banning car ownership.

Speaking of investigations, The Keystone Cops go Hunting.

CHENEY STATEMENT -- ON THE LICENSE, NOT THE SHOOTING [Byron York]

Vice President Cheney has not yet made a public statement about the incident in which he accidentally shot a fellow hunter in Texas Saturday, but his office has just released a statement about the issue of whether he had the proper license to be hunting quail:

It has been brought to the Vice President’s attention by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this afternoon that, although he had acquired a 125 dollar Texas non-resident season hunting license, he lacked a 7 dollar stamp for hunting upland game birds. To address any questions about the licensing:
-- A member of the Vice President’s staff wrote a check for 140 dollars understanding that this would purchase a Texas non-resident season hunting license that would permit the Vice President to hunt quail in Texas. It appears now that the license itself cost 125 dollars, and an extra 15 dollars covered the cost of a Federal migratory bird stamp. The Vice President did not need the Federal stamp, as he already possessed one.

-- The staff asked for all permits needed, but was not informed of the 7 dollar upland game bird stamp requirement.

-- Because the requirement is new, the Department has informed us that it is issuing warnings, and the Vice President expects to receive one. He will take whatever steps are needed to comply with applicable rules.

-- In the meantime, the Vice President has sent a 7 dollar check to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which is the cost of an upland game bird stamp.

Sigh. Amateurs. In my case, that would be a literal truth when it comes to hunting in Texas. In the Veep's case, he's been let down by his staff, *and* Ms. Armstrong, on whose ranch the hunt was conducted (if it's done as a business, anyway). No, I *don't* expect the Veep to take the time to personally check on all these details - that's what the staff is for. But he *should* take the time to clear his target area.

1 Trackbacks

TrackBack this entry at http://www.thedonovan.com/cgi-bin/mt41/mt-tb.cgi/5260

Around my blogroll from She Who Will Be Obeyed! on February 13, 2006 8:01 AM

I need to try to keep up with the folks on my blogroll. I'm not great at that - for example, I just learned that Margie had her precious baby boy a little on the early side - ok, a... Read More

11 Comments

This guy had some funny stuff about the Cheney incident. His blog is called "The Nose On Your Face" http://www.thenoseonyourface.com/the_nose_on_your_face/2006/02/top_9_reasons_d.html
 
Funny, Hillary and Teddy Kennedy are almost tied on the Hunting Trip to Texas. And just for the loony left's POV on this one, I went to Democratic Underground, and had a good laugh at their comments. 574 since last night, and it provided a much needed laugh for me today.
 
Somebody pointed out that if this had happened with the veep from two administrations back, the headline would have been "Quayle shoots hunter".
 
That's funny, OD!
 
Seriously, though, a lot of people out there are putting their love of Dick Cheney before their defence of the Second Amendment. I've read conservative blogs today that said: 1. Getting peppered with birdshot is a common experience for birdhunters. 2. Shotguns aren't dangerous like rifles and pistols are. 3. This accident was not Cheney's fault, but Whittington's for not announcing his presence. In fact this Armstrong woman hosting the shoot herself made claims 1+3 above. The conservative blogger John Podhoretz rightly pointed out: "Saying that, hey, people get shot all the time when they're out hunting and it's no big deal really isn't an argument you want to be making if you are a supporter of gun rights." It's also garbage. From Texas Parks and Wildlife website: "In the last decade only 1 hunter per 26,250 licenses was involved in a hunting accident." http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20060213c There were just 29 hunting accidents, with only two fatalities, in the whole state of Texas in 2005. And gun accidents are ALWAYS the shooter's fault. Saying otherwise is grossly irresponsible and the GOP better drop it quick. This Jonah Goldberg character, who appears to be some sort of rightwing blog celebrity, said: "If John Pod is right about the politics, then the best thing for Cheney to do is have the victim make a statement taking the blame and making a joke out of the whole thing." Whittington should apologise to Cheney? The hunters need to set the party spinners straight on this one.
 
Oh-oh. Bringing in the Blogfather... (We're Jonah's Military Guys. Yep, *that* Jonah). I've taken the position that in the final analysis, Cheney is at fault. That doesn't mean that Whittington isn't. The reason for the rule of 'announcing yourself' stems precisely from the nature of bird shooting. Whittington got out of the line, didn't announce himself - and then *he* apparently flushed the bird that Cheney - whose turn it was, went for. There's blame all 'round - but if you follow *all* the rules, people don't get shot. As for the statistics - people *do* get showered with birdshot out hunting birds - if you are doing it in open order (well spaced line) and the birds flush from one end of the other. I rather think it isn't 'all the time', but I have to admit that while I know the general rules because I've had a license - I've never hunted birds. And yes, those people trying to pooh-pooh the thing are being dumb. I've mostly agreed with JPod through the day, though I think he's a bit shrill on the subject. But then there is a noticeable Blue State/Red State (regardless of left-right) twinge to the response, with non-hunting Blues of all stripes seeing this as nigh unto a horror, and hunting Reds of all stripes as seeing how it could happen. If you were reading the *gun blogs*, vice the political blogs, you'd see that the Veep has not fared well, with guys like me leaving it at, "In the final analysis, Cheney was at fault" to rather more savage bites on Cheney's very targetable butt. We're pretty much in agreeement that Whittington is at fault, too. It's rather like blundering into the firing line on an open rifle range - while it's the responsiblity of the Range OIC to shut down firing, and of the shooters to make sure their lanes are clear - you still walked into an open range in violation of the rules. I don't free the Veep from his culpability - but Whittington is at fault, as well. Which is the source of some of Blue-state Jonah's comment. The whole thing is stupid, and if everybody had been following the rules, never would have happened. A pox on all their houses in that regard.
 
Re the missing bird stamp -- why not just go with the argument that the VP is above the law and doesn't need any stinkin' bird stamp.
 
I'm suprised he didn't just say that he didn't need the license, as quail hunting as a direct exercise of his powers under Article II. It seems to work for everything else...
 
Air Bear, Stormy - are you guys serious? So, apparently, with warnings as the standard LE response, you guys are rather extending things to where Cheney should be in jail. No doubt, oh, for life? C'mon - just because you apparently hate the guy doesn't mean a disporportionate response is in order. Does it? And what part of my assertion:
For the record - after the investigation is over, based on whatever evidence is gathered and what the laws of Texas provide for - Cheney should suffer whatever consequences fall out from that.
...was insufficient? That I didn't call for his immediate incarceration as a felon? Which isn't really an option under the applicable statutes?
 
Yes, anyone who makes a joke about the VP "hates the guy" and wants him "sent to jail for life".
 
Unfortunately this whole thing continues to develop a life of its own. Cheney will receive a citation for the missing stamp, just as anyone in that position would. His staff blew that deal, but it's his resposibility to know the laws and permit requirements before he goes afield. I'm an avid wingshooter from the part of the world where this occurred and I can see how it could happen. That said, it should never have happened. It was a combination of mistakes made by both hunters that caused it. The ultimate blame lies with the shooter and Cheney has publicly accepted full responsibility. I'm sure both men are sorry this happened. Can you imagine how it must feel to have accidentally shot one of your friends? It must be a horrible feeling.
 
© 2008 John Donovan
All rights reserved.