Originally posted Oct, 2006...
I've been very good about not ranting in here... but I just can't resist this one.
So, Dick Cheney shot someone. Not just anyone, either - his 78 year old friend. I think that bears repeating. THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SHOT HIS 78 YEAR OLD FRIEND. Let that sink in, OK?
Yeah, it was a "hunting accident". But we need to discuss a few things. First of all, they were on a ranch with cage-raised quail. In other words, these birds were bred specifically to get shot by old, white Republican assholes. Have some pity on the poor birds, eh? Second, they drove up to the "cubby" where these birds were kept, and got out of the car to shoot the birds as they flew away. I'm sorry, but hunting is not driving up to the target. Hunting is walking through the woods, waiting (in often uncomfortable quarters), and picking out your own prey. Not sitting in a heated, plush vehicle and waiting until someone releases the birds from their cage.
Everyone claims that Whittington (the friend) stepped out to pick up his downed bird, and at the same moment, a flock of birds took off, and Cheney took aim, "accidentally" spraying his friend with bullets. It has been noted that all the hunters were wearing bright orange hunting vests. Let's think about this. Quail aren't very big, and they're brown. A human wearing a bright orange vest is big and, well, bright orange. If this really was an "accident", Cheney needs an eye exam, stat. How the fuck did he confuse a human with a quail? Could he not see that his friend was in his line of fire?
This happened on a Saturday evening. The President was informed of the incident about an hour after it happened. Obviously, the Vice President shooting someone is big news. Yet, the White House did not announce anything. In fact, the local (Corpus Christi) newspaper got the story from the ranch owner, published it, and national media learned of the incident from the newspaper's website. At a White House press briefing on the following Sunday afternoon, reporters sternly questioned Scott McClellan about why there was no official news release. I watched this on TV, and it was very interesting. These reporters were obviously pissed off, and for good reason. McClellan looked like a deer (quail?) caught in the headlights. He was stuttering out answers very unlike a seasoned press secretary. He said that they felt the ranch owner should be the one to tell the world that the Vice President sprayed pellets into his friend's face. I'm sorry, but WHAT???? They do damage control on everything else those clowns do, but they didn't think to announce this? Were they hoping that the story would stay among the good ol' boys who were hunting that day?
Oh, but wait! It gets even better! Now, Whittington has had a heart attack due to one of the pellets that got lodged in his heart. NICE! If he dies, that is involuntary manslaughter. Yet we all know that Cheney would never be held responsible for his actions. No, his network of friends will keep him safe.
The only thing we can do with this joke of an administration is laugh. Otherwise, we'd all ask Cheney to shoot us out of our misery. The list of mishaps and law-breaking keeps growing. Karl Rove/Scooter Libby, illegal spying, inhumane torture practices, the Katrina mess... not to mention the daily embarassments and disappointments this administration brings to the United States. They can't do ANYTHING right. They're crminals, out for their own interests... and at this point, they're not afraid to let it show. Cheney's finger has been hovering over the red button for so long that he got a little bloodlust when he saw his friend out there in the field on that Saturday.
Two more years of this shit. It can't possibly get worse... right? GOD BLESS CANADA!!!
