Kingbee:

if you--or any of us--were the person who pulled that trigger, the amount of scrutiny to which you'd find yourself subjected by local law enforcement would increase in direct proportion to the amount of time you delayed reporting the incident.

Non Fatal hunting accidents almost never even make the news, much less result in an arrest. This incident is about as newsworthy as Sen. Kerry's hunting trip in Ohio during the campaign...

If it was "anybody else" even the local paper would have yawned and given it an inch or two on among the "oh by the way" crap... and only if it was a slow news day anyway.

Suspeckted:

Every hunter should be able to take enough precautions so as not to shoot someone, if they can't, then they shouldn't be hunting.

Have you ever been walking through a field when a bird took off? You have about 3 seconds to identify the target, aim and fire before the bird is out of range.

This is the very reason quaille, pheasant and other bird hunters walk in a line. As long as everyone stays in a known place, it is a relatively safe sport.

If you can do all that AND make sure someone isn't out of the line in that 3 seconds, you are a better hunter than most. ;~D

know two people who were involved in similar hunting accidents, one of which resulted in a death, and it went about the same as it did here

i missed it and can't find it. one of your articles?

Non Fatal hunting accidents almost never even make the news, much less result in an arrest

prolly cuz the shooters involved in most non-fatal hunting accidents requiring hospitalization don't ask a third party to file a report nor when local law enforcement authorities show up to find out what's up do they fail to cooperate.

i dunno about you, but in my experience any time something goes wrong and and anyone who was there at the time initially, emphatically and incorrectly denies any use of alcohol, it aint an innocent oversight. just as inevitably, when, much to everyone's surprise, it turns out there WAS some drinking going on, the actual amount consumed is diminished by a factor of 3.

"i missed it and can't find it. one of your articles? "

Never really wrote about it, I mentioned it elsewhere in terms of Cheney. I had a friend who was hunting from a boat and the person in front of him stood up abruptly as he fired his gun. That was a situation where two people were out hunting and one was shot in the back of the head, and I remember that there was no huge scandal or dubious looks. Just an investigation that was over before the funeral and a really, really sad funeral.

"prolly cuz the shooters involved in most non-fatal hunting accidents requiring hospitalization don't ask a third party to file a report nor when local law enforcement authorities show up to find out what's up do they fail to cooperate. "

As far as I know it is law in the US that any gunshot wound is immediately reported to the police. If there are places without that law, I don't know of it. It's not really something you could keep quiet.

I haven't paid enough attention to this, evidently, but how did they fail to cooperate with authorities? Everyone involved could give a statement, so it would be difficult to cover something up, right? If someone was dead, sure, they could hide something.

any gunshot wound is immediately reported to the police.

how did they fail to cooperate with authorities?

whittington was shot late last saturday afternoon. someone (prolly the secret service?) reported the accident to the local sheriff's office. a deputy showed up at the armstrong ranch saturday night to take a report. he was told arrangements had been made for cheney to give a statement on sunday.

here's a report which seems as informed as any i've seen. i doubt very much you or i or anyone reading this woulda been sitting down to dinner--somber or not--if we'd have tried to turn the deputy away from the door the night of the shooting.

Link

"here's a report which seems as informed as any i've seen. i doubt very much you or i or anyone reading this woulda been sitting down to dinner--somber or not--if we'd have tried to turn the deputy away from the door the night of the shooting. "

Difficult to say, given that police let a lot of people wander around while they gather evidence, much to the dismay of the public. The Vice President isn't what you'd call a 'flight risk', is he?

I think we are far too comfortable with the whole "police grilling" thing, personally. If the police want you for questioning, they can get you. I would assume since the guy was in the hospital, and talking from what I understand, and Cheney told him when he'd be giving a statement, what reason would they have to strong-arm it?

The Vice President isn't what you'd call a 'flight risk', is he?

only if the kenedy county sheriff deputies outnumber cheney's secret service guys. otherwise, he's just one imminent threat away from an undisclosed location.

kb -

Your stretching muscles must be at the breaking point by now. This "story" has never been about Cheney's accident or at what time he spoke to police, it's been entirely about how the White House press corps felt stiffed & got their knickers all in a wad. You know it, too.

I've been cracking up at all the articles I've seen since Whittington was released citing "media relations experts" and describing what a "public relations disaster" the incident was. What horseshit. The only "experts" that matter are the public, and the public is, for the most part, laughing its collective ass off at the uppity, spoiled little kids in the press. The "media relations experts" are apparently unaware of the rule of thumb that says, "When you find your friend in a deep hole, give him something other than a shovel."

This "story" has never been about Cheney's accident or at what time he spoke to police

what time he spoke to police is exactly what it's about because it's one more example of the type of arrogant elitism assumed by dick cheney, boy monarchist--the man who "had other priorities in the '60s than military service" in vietnam.

The only "experts" that matter are the public, and the public is, for the most part, laughing its collective ass off at the uppity, spoiled little kids in the press

at the same time they're laffing, they're also indicating their disapproval of cheney making exemptions for himself by a margin of 55% to 39%.

Does this look bad on Cheney, or does it make obvious the ridiculous ends those who oppose him will go to in order to find fault. This is the second week pundits on TV have been complaining about this. I've heard more than one person talk about what a joke it is.

at the same time they're laffing, they're also indicating their disapproval of cheney making exemptions for himself by a margin of 55% to 39%.

Come on, kb. You know you can get any answer you want out of a poll - just bias the question the right way, presto you're validated.

And there is no question that the press is now out to extract their revenge. All the heavy hitters are going to work with "big" pieces this week (Newsweek, Time, blah, blah) on the "secretive White House" shit. A pox on all of them.

I notice that everyone defending the whiners in the press didn't take my challenge. I spoon fed you information about as many hunting accidents as the anti Hunting crowd could muster and still you decided it wasn't worth your trouble. Link

Face it, VP Cheney didn't get preferential treatment here, and the ONLY reason the National Press Corps is crying is because they got dems feewings huwt.

We should all just pat them on the heads and send them to bed to cwy themsewves to sweep. If they want to act like prepubescent children we should treat them accordingly.

I notice that everyone defending the whiners in the press didn't take my challenge. I spoon fed you information about as many hunting accidents as the anti Hunting crowd could muster and still you decided it wasn't worth your trouble

i hadn't seen it previously. possibly the reason you haven't had any chumps go for the okeydoke is it makes no sense to dig up coverage of hunting accidents unless they involve someone in high national office who refused to file a report with the local authorities for 18 hours.

hunting accidents aren't news...vice-presidents who believe themselves worthy of special consideration are.

Kingbee:

It matters because the oafs in the press is falsely accusing VP Cheney of something that they would have ignored completly if he wasn't the VP.

If charges are rarely (if ever) filed against anyone who did what VP Cheney did, why are they whining so much about it?

The statement, "if you or I did this we would be sitting in jail" (or anythign like that) is nothing but a blatant lie prepetuated by peope who have nothing better to whine about.

i don't know that charges are rarely if ever filed against someone who refuses to speak to the cops following a hunting accident. especially if the person involved is vice-president.

i have a difficult time believing a cop would allow himself to be turned away from the door if i were the one who pulled the trigger.