CHENEY'S GOT A GUN ...

CHENEY'S GOT A GUN ...

Man shot by Cheney listed as ‘very stable’

Vice president back in D.C. after accident while quail hunting in Texas

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• Man shot by Cheney set to leave hospital Feb. 13: A lawyer is expected to be released from a hospital today after being accidentally shot by Vice President Dick Cheney during a quail hunt on a Texas ranch. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. Today show

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Updated: 10:01 a.m. ET Feb. 13, 2006

WASHINGTON - A 78-year-old hunting companion of Vice President Dick Cheney was recovering in stable condition Monday after Cheney accidentally shot him during a weekend quail hunting trip, a hospital official said.

Harry Whittington spent “a great night. He slept throughout the night,” said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman at Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial. She listed his condition as “very stable,” but said she did not know if Whittington would be discharged Monday.

Whittington, an Austin attorney, was flown to the hospital after Cheney accidentally shot him late Saturday afternoon at the Armstrong Ranch.

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The vice president visited Whittington and his wife before returning to Washington on Sunday. Cheney “was pleased to see that he’s doing fine and in good spirits,” said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.

Lawyer won't comment
Whittington sent word through a hospital official that he would have no comment on the incident out of respect for Cheney.

Katharine Armstrong, the ranch’s owner, told The Associated Press that the accident occurred after Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of a car to shoot at a covey of quail.

She said Whittington went to retrieve a bird he shot. Cheney and the third hunter, whom she would not identify, walked to another spot and discovered a second covey of quail.

Whittington “came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn’t signal them or indicate to them or announce himself,” said Armstrong, who was in the car.

“The vice president didn’t see him,” she said. “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.”

Armstrong said the shotgun pellets broke the skin.

“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.

Delay with the news
Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time, Armstrong said.

The accident was not reported publicly by the vice president’s office for nearly 24 hours, and then only after it was reported by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on its Web site Sunday.

McBride said the vice president’s office did not tell reporters about the accident Saturday because they were deferring to Armstrong to handle the announcement of what happened on her property.

Armstrong said everyone at the ranch was so “focused” on Whittington’s health Saturday that it wasn’t until Sunday she called the Caller-Times to report the accident. Her ranch is about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.

'Looks like chicken pox'
Sally Whittington told The Dallas Morning News her father was being observed because of swelling from some of the welts on his neck. His face “looks like chicken pox, kind of,” she said.

Emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington before he was taken first to a hospital in Kingsville and then transferred to Corpus Christi.

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.

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.

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.

Cheney was legally hunting with a license he purchased in November, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman Steve Lightfoot said.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

   My neck still hurts. I can't tell if I just slept on it wrong, or if tearing off that posterboard priest collar actually injured me in some fashion.

   No sense worrying I suppose. I have some Icy/Hot.

  Like to thank Lilac_Laurel for her wonderful post-Halloween Halloween party. I'm glad Lisa and I came early and got to help set up. (And because I got to use a pristine oven to bake the egg rolls in, that was a treat) That, and since we left so early, I felt like we contributed something useful to the festivities.

   Lisa was on call yesterday, and I spent the day alternating between chores and slacking. Laundry and dishes were done, and a long delayed quest to aquire some Aluminum Foil was undertaken. (Since we ran out of it weeks ago, I've been to the store at least half a dozen times and have forgotten to get it each time.)

  Watched some of Lawrence of Arabia, and played some Halo, and watched some of Josh's wonderful present of the SciFi CHannel's  DUNE DVD.

   Which I thank him greatly for, since it is the version Lisa likes so much, and also it has some interesting featurettes that would be fun to look at.

    Interesting to note. I don't think I remember there being any nudity when it was on the Sci Fi Channel. Then again, naked Fremen butts and boobs are never discouraged.

   Today's thoughts ...

           - I love the fact that Altoids are made in Great Britain. Most times here in the U.S. of A, we wrap our candies in plastic, or paper and foil. Not saying that the British don't do that as well, but I love that their minty emmisary comes in a tin with a decided air of nostalgia.

           -Through numerous politically related discussions with Alex here at work, we've both come to the consensus that John McCain will probably run for office in 2008. I actually respect McCain for a lot of things (Still need to research more into his stances on issues though). I the so called "Moderate Republicans", and the equally so called "Moderate Democrats" decide to break off and form their own party. Mostly because we need someone else besides Nader to rile up the mix. That, and if Conservatives and Liberals would just shut up and listen to each other, they might just learn something. If Hilary Clinton runs for the Dem. Nomination, I would be torn between voting with my party (And for a woman candidate, which would be cool). But as Lisa reminded me one day, I should actually look into what each candidate is saying before jumping to conclusions.

            -The Chinese are planning on sending a 3 man spaceship into orbit. This might be fun, because in the next decade, it'll be US versus the Chinese on a race to the moon. (And yeah, Arthur C. Clarke predicted China being all jumping forward in the space race too.)

            - Just found out Merck won one of it's big Vioxx cases in court. Sigh.

            - Does anyone else think that "Scooter" Libby sounds like something they pulled out of the Nixon era? Is this a bad portent for the Bush Administration? Then again, isn't everything else?

             -Best doctor name ever found today on a survey. "Nelson Jesus Spinetti" (I know, it's probably Hey-Zeus, but then again, maybe it's not!)

             -NASA recently held it's first Space Elevator contest, to see if a bunch of teams could get a climber to travel up 100 feet of super strong ribbon staright into the air powered only by a 10,000 watt light source. No one won, but like the X-prize, it's only the beginning.

                 -Arthur C Clarke predicted the Space Elevator too, beeyach.

( No Nukes is Good Nukes )</nobr></div></div></div>

Hmm, update update ...

    First of all, I had a wonderful time doing the 48 hour film project with Jere and the rest, and would love to do it again if the opportunity arises. Highlights:

    -Chris kissing chicken.

   - Chris being freaked by chicken.

   -Chris eating chicken and crying.

   -Eating chicken that Chris ate. (It was pretty damn good)

  -Bill channelling the ghost of Kurt Cobain.

 Second of all, how freakin' cool is it that the Queen of England eats Fish and Chips on a regular basis? (I watched a show on the chefs of the Royal Family last night before bed.) I mean, they are really really fancy fish and chips, with Bernaise', but still ...

   Lisa, you were asleep for this, but you would've enjoyed it. And yes, if I ever make fish and chips, there will be a Bernaise'. Remind me, though.

   Note: if I was the monarch of a country, and I made a state visit to a foreign land, I would not politely decline eating the local delicacy (At least some of it), because not only is that ingracious, but how cool would the Queen be if she could say that she at a Lamb's eyeball?

  The argument they made was that these tours were planned 3 years in advance, so if the Queen got food poisoning or soemthing, it could jeapordize the whole endeavor. I can understand this, but you don't have to eat the whole eyeball.

     I think I've been spoiled by all the images of a Queen/King being more lowbrow than they probably are in real life (Thanks again, Hollywood)

   She visited the Pope in Rome, wouldn't eat Pasta with tomato sauce and wouldn't drink the water (She had cases of bottled water flown in from England.)

      Also, everything has to be in small pieces, otherwise embarassment might occur with a piece of green bean sticking out of her Royal Highnessessessess' mouth.

     Then again, if I was royalty, I'd probaby be picky too.

    Hell, I'm picky now, I don't drink milk over a week old.

   God save the Queen!

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 Wow, it's been forever since I updated.

     Let's see ...

     Tai Chi is going well. Lisa and I are already on the third section of the first long form we have to learn. I also re-cloth'd the hanging lamp I got at the goodwill to donate to the Institute's silent auction later this month. (It's actually called an institute, though I keep thinking that sounds kind of pretentious for a martial arts school that's being run out of what might have been an old auto-shop.) Maybe it's just me. They are pretty cool though, and we have fun there.
  
     I'm currently stuck on the first level of Halo 2, playing the super dooper difficult level (Legendary). I think my character has died about three dozen times in the same spot. Apparently many players have complained that it's almost impossible to defeat this game alone on the highest level.

      The dork in me has to say this, (And all you Firefly nuts need some competition)

      Just found out that Peter Jackson has signed on as Exec Producer for the HALO movie, which means the digital effects company that worked on the LOTR is also on board.) Which means kick ass special effects on an epic scale (And possibly a series of movies in the grand old style)

       Yeah, Halo has become my new Star Trek since Star Trek is for now no more.
 
     Yes, it's a video game, and yeah it's like Aliens and not quite as introspective as Trek, but it's got a kick ass story and some good characters. And also the Grunts, the cutest little cannon fodder aliens you've ever seen. I feel so bad when there's only one left and I have to shoot it and it runs away screaming because all it's comrades are dead.

    Well ... I don't HAVE to shoot it.