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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
 Posted - 02/15/2006 : 12:58:46 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Cuneiformist
And now, there's a evidence to suggest that some beer may have been involved:quote:
When first posted, NBC news quoted Katharine Armstrong as saying:
"There may be a beer or two in there," she said, "but remember not everyone in the party was shooting.".
About an hour later, the quote was deleted from the story.
Indeed!
But low and behold, the political censorship cops of the news media are no match against the power of the bloggers who see a news story before it is altered. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 13:23:06 [Permalink]
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Thank you, B'gal. All of that was most enlightening.
So, our perforated lawyer is not of the woods yet, and I've noticed that the news(?) is still standing behind that 30 yard hogwash.
I agree; thank Spagetti Monster for the blogs! Otherwise, we'd hear nothing but canned crap.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 14:55:45 [Permalink]
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Thank you, filthy or the further new information, Beskeptigal for the medical insights on both Whittington's wounds and alcoholism, and Cuneiformist for the revelation about the later-censored MSNBC quote from Armstrong. I do think we need to look into the quote from Armstrong further, at least to confirm that MSNBC did originally quote her about "one or two beers."
I've seen enough "Cops" episodes to know that "one or two beers" always means "one or two six-packs," or even "one or two cases." Katherine Armstrong was already minimizing everything else, so certainly the number of beers would be vastly understated.
Along with Dude's rough-but-ready ballistics testimony, we're putting together a remarkably detailed conjecture about the hunting accident. Amazing, isn't it, how far ahead of the national news media we few here may be? Or, if you take into account a conspiracy-loving Administration and censorship (self- or otherwise) of our Free Press, maybe it's not so amazing after all.
Let me sum up with one possible scenario, mostly from my fevered imagination:
The Armstrong ranch hands have driven ahead, releasing scores of tame, cage-reared quail from the tailgate of a pickup truck as it drives slowly along.
Now several armored SUV's, which include among their passengers Vice President Dick Cheney, Katherine Armstrong, Ambassador Pamela Willeford, Harry Whittington, heavily armed Secret Service agents, Cheney's omnipresent emergency medical team, and who knows who else, drive up, park, and disgorge their guests.
Neither Cheney nor Whittington have Texas quail stamps to go with their hunting licenses, a point for which they will both be sited later. In legal terms, both are poachers. The poachers are all wearing bright orange vests and caps over their other hunting garb and wearing headset-like hearing protection as well. Cheney has his priceless and beautifully engraved 28 gauge Perazzi shotgun in one hand, a can of Coors beer in the other. Ranch hands scuttle about like waiters, keeping the guests refreshed.
Cheney's feeling a buzz now, and he's glad he doesn't have to drink alone. Pam Willeford's looking better and better all the time, and she's finally starting to loosen up. But old Harry is such an experienced drinker that the beers he's drunk hardly faze him. Harry loves to hunt, and he has made an irritating wager that he will bag more quail than Cheney. The old turkey-necked bastard has been bagging more quail than anyone else all afternoon, and his smug confidence is getting on Dick's nerves.
Just then, one of Armstrong Ranch's Mexican ranch hands flushes out a covey of quail. As the birds whirr into fast low flight, the vaquero wisely throws himself flat on the ground. Dick Cheney fires, misses. A dead-eye shot, Harry Whittington fires, with a single shot bringing down two birds amid puffs of feathers. The quail fall to earth some distance away, and Harry tramps off westward after them.
Dick's a little peeved. Harry's been pulling further ahead in the hunt, and Dick hates to lose bets, or any other kind of contest. He cracks open another Coors.
Kate Armstrong has sent some Mexicans to circle ahead on foot to the east, and they are driving another covey of quail, the birds bunched together and scurrying along on the ground toward where the hunting party stands by the vehicles. Dick wants to show Pam his shooting skill, finally.
Dick takes one last draw at his Coors, then tosses the can for a Mexican to pick up. Several quail burst from the brush ahead, each taking flight low and in a straight line. Dick tries to lock his open sight one of the birds, follows it in a wavering attempt to aim, swings about as it passes low to one side. The Perazzi's muzzle traverses past Kate and past two Secret Service men, as Cheney swings the scattergun around. But, in his concentration, Dick hardly notices the small shit like that. He's got to get that bird!
[To be continued later today]
[Edited for spelling errors and typos] |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/16/2006 01:50:44 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 15:22:46 [Permalink]
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Cheney was on the toob today, hating every minute of it, to accept responsibility. As is right and proper.
So, I guess I shouldn't put this up:
Oops.....
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 15:41:58 [Permalink]
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Love the cartoon, filthy!
The "beers" censorship seems to be somewhat confirmed here:
http://blogs.philly.com/blinq/2006/02/was_there_beer_.html
This is said to be the censored, missing paragraph:
quote:
Armstrong also told NBC News that she does not believe alcohol was involved in the accident. She says she believes no one that day was drinking, although she says there may have been beer available during a picnic lunch that preceded the incident. "There may be a beer or two in there," she said, "but remember not everyone in the party was shooting."
I'll keep looking, and I ask that others do, also.
[My imaginative telling of Dick Cheney's Wild Hunt will continue soon.]
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/15/2006 15:46:14 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 17:17:25 [Permalink]
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["Dick Cheney's Wild Hunt" concludes. Note: Again, this is a purely speculative account, mainly fiction with a light leavening of guesswork thrown in.]
Dick continues to traverse with his Perazzi, now swinging westward. There's the quail, and there's that damned Harry Whittington, triumphantly grinning his old man's grin as he proudly hefts his two dead quail. But Dick is a great shooter, and he's confident he can probably still bag the bird without hitting Harry. Fuck him, anyway.
Boom!
With a loud squawk, Harry goes down. Dick's quail escapes.
Secret Service agents and Cheney's medics rush in to aid Whittington. Another agent comes over to Cheney, takes away his Perazzi, breaks it open, and removes both the empty casing and the remaining live round. Another agent is on his radio, calling someone.
Medical people on the scene begin working on Harry. He's a bloody mess, but conscious and pissed. Soon, Whittington has been put into an ambulance, and taken to a local hospital, then later transferred to another in Corpus Christi.
The excitement has sobered Dick Cheney only a little. Soon, he's sitting in the Armstrong Ranch, still feeling poleaxed. His medical team takes his pulse and blood pressure, and listens to his heartbeat carefully. They declare that Cheney's not in immediate medical danger. Someone thoughtfully brings Dick a pot of strong coffee. He needs it badly.
With Dick just sitting there like a stunned stump, Kate Armstrong takes charge. She orders a Jacuzzi to be fired up for Dick. She instructs the Secret Service not to let anyone into the Ranch. She calls her friend, Sheriff Salinas, and arranges for him to personally interview Cheney the next day. Meanwhile deputies unaware of the arrangement arrive at the Ranch gate, and are turned back at gunpoint by the Secret Service. Cheney aides contact the White House, first reporting vaguely that a hunting accident had occurred, then later giving the further details that Cheney had shot Whittington. The White House has no problems with Cheney doing things his own way, and agrees to sit on the news overnight.
The next morning, Dick Cheney is all spiffed up and feeling much better, and he is now thoroughly sober. Cheney agrees to make Kate Armstrong his crisis spokesperson and fixer for the duration of his stay in the area. Between them, they agree upon talking points, including minimizing the extent of Whittington's wounds, blaming Harry for the accident, and not naming the other hunting companions. Kate contacts a trusted friend at a local newspaper to finally break the news.
Cheney has brief interviews with Sheriff Salinas, and with a Texas Game Warden. Both interviews are friendly and uninquisitive, though Jason the game warden insists he's required to issue Cheney a ticket for poaching.
Dick then goes to see Harry Whittington in the Corpus Christi ICU, a quick 15-minute visit to assure himself that the old bastard isn't planning to be grumpy about being shot.
On the way to the airport, Dick Cheney grins to himself. Things are going more smoothly than he'd ever thought they would.
[Edited for spelling errors and typos]
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/16/2006 01:48:54 |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 17:27:52 [Permalink]
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| Unfortunately no one will ever know how close to reality HalfMooner's story is, but it was quite interesting and humorous! :-) |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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| Edited by - pleco on 02/15/2006 17:28:19 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 17:32:38 [Permalink]
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The full Cheney interview is here:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/15/cheney.transcript/index.html
All these years after his youthful drunk driving arrests, by his own admission, Cheney does indeed still drink!:
quote:
Cheney: Correct. We'd taken a break at lunch -- go down under an old -- ancient oak tree there on the place, and have a barbecue. I had a beer at lunch. After lunch we take a break, go back to ranch headquarters. Then we took about an hour-long tour of ranch, with a ranch hand driving the vehicle, looking at game. We didn't go back into the field to hunt quail until about, oh, sometime after 3:00 p.m.
The five of us who were in that party were together all afternoon. Nobody was drinking, nobody was under the influence.
A drunk Cheney with a loaded gun appears more and more to explain the accident.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 17:34:23 [Permalink]
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| Anyone care to wager on the beer? A little PBR perchance? |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 17:34:40 [Permalink]
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pleco said:quote:
Unfortunately no one will ever know how close to reality HalfMooner's story is, but it was quite interesting and humorous! :-)
Thank you very much! : )
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 17:41:59 [Permalink]
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quote:
As for Cheney, there is a liver enzyme that can tell if you drink daily and in excess. It's an ALT. It takes months to return to normal if you drink excessively. I've never seen a court or police agency take advantage of that marker in a criminal investigation.
The reason it isn't widely used is that the huge majority of alcohol related cases are about how drunk a person was at a specific time.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 19:52:09 [Permalink]
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I hadn't read Cheney's interview when I wrote my so-called account of the accident. Now, reading Cheney's Fox interview in detail, I'm surprised to find many close parallels with my fictional version. Aside from Cheney not admitting to being drunk, and the detail where Cheney said they were using dogs, rather than Mexicans, to flush out the game. This leaves me feeling weird.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 23:23:56 [Permalink]
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Here's my own incomplete list of outstanding questions:
- Was Cheney under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident? Cheney's denied this, though he admitted to having "a beer" hours before he shot Whittington. The other guests and staff who were present need to be interviewed properly. Photographs are probably available, too.
- Why did Kenedy County Sheriff Salinas agree to delay his interview of Cheney until the next morning? Is this the way he would investigate any other shooting?
- Why did the Secret Service keep Sheriff's deputies away from Cheney the first evening? By doing so, was the US Secret Service helping to cover up a felony?
- Why, after the delayed interview, did Sheriff Salinas blankly state that no alcohol was involved? Did he just take Cheney's and Armstrong's word? Is it typical investigative behavior to be so gullible? A man was shot in his jurisdiction, yet Salinas only filed a half-page report. Are his reports always so terse?
- When will the FBI or some other qualified investigative agency arrive on the scene, gather a list of all those who were present, and start to do interviews?
I admit to having suspicions as to the answers to each of these questions, but these and others should be raised in a loud hue and cry, until they are officially answered.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/16/2006 02:45:05 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2006 : 01:26:19 [Permalink]
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At CNN.com, columnist Molly Ivins' take on Harry Whittington and Dick Cheney is very good reading:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/14/ivins.cheney/index.html
Of Whittington, Ivins writes:
quote:
Dick-Cheney-shooting-Harry-Whittington is fraught, as they say, with irony. It's not as though the ground in Texas is littered with liberal Republicans. I think the vice president winged the only one we've got.
Not that I accuse Harry Whittington of being an actual liberal -- only by Texas Republican standards, and that sets the bar about the height of a matchbook. Nevertheless, Whittington is seriously civilized, particularly on the issues of crime, punishment and prisons. He served on both the Texas Board of Corrections and on the bonding authority that builds prisons. As he has often said, prisons do not curb crime, they are hothouses for crime: "Prisons are to crime what greenhouses are to plants."
Molly Ivins on Cheney:
quote:
I am not trying to make a big deal out of a simple hunting accident for partisan purposes -- just thought it was a good chance to pay tribute to old Harry, a thoroughly decent man. However, I was offended by the never-our-fault White House spin team. Cheney adviser Mary Matalin said of her boss, "He was not careless or incautious (and did not) violate of any of the (rules). He didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do." Of course he did, Ms. Matalin, he shot Harry Whittington.
Which brings us to one of the many paradoxes of the Bush administration, which claims to be creating "the responsibility society." It's hard to think of a crowd less likely to take responsibility for anything they have done or not done than this bunch. They're certainly good at preaching responsibility to others -- and blaming other people for everything that goes wrong on their watch.
Of course the Cheney shooting was an accident.
But is it an accident if your home and your life are destroyed by the flood following a hurricane? Especially if the flood was caused by failed levees, a government responsibility?
Is it an accident if you are born with a clubfoot and your parents are too poor to pay for the operation to fix it? Is there any societal responsibility in such a case?
Is it an accident when your manufacturing job gets shipped overseas and all you can find to replace it is a low-wage job at the big-box store with no health insurance, and your kid breaks his leg, and you can't pay the bill, so you have to declare bankruptcy under a new law that leaves you broke for good, with no chance of ever getting out of debt? Or was all of that caused by deliberate government policy?
Cheney is much given to lecturing us about taking responsibility. When and where does societal responsibility come in?
Cheney has a curious, shifting history on issues of blame and responsibility. He was vice chair of the congressional committee that spent 11 months investigating the Iran-Contra affair and author of its minority report. As John W. Dean highlights in a recent essay, the 500-page majority report concluded the entire affair "was characterized by pervasive dishonesty and inordinate secrecy." But Cheney's report said the Reagan administration's repeated breaking of the law were "mistakes ... were just that -- mistakes in judgment and nothing more."
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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