BFJFY, actually in terms of hunting protocol, the whole party was at fault. Not that I hunt but many relatives of mine do (Italians toting guns what a novel idea) and from what I can understand, when the 78 yr. old shot the bird, he should have announced it, then EVERYONE should have stopped in their tracks allowed him to claim his bird and then move on. That clearly didn't happen. The geezer told no one crept by the party to get his bird, then when another quail flew out (which happens at eye level, unlike a pheasant) Cheney wheeled, tracked the bird, and pulled. Hence, geezer takes bird shot to face and neck. Soooo do I have any objections? "No unless you count their ridiculous outfits and general attitude, but hey let's go hunt some quail I'm fu%$ing psyched!"

 

"Hush. It wasn't." is now officially my response to any and all political debate.

 

Two replies by two Mikes. Radical.

Goose, per your comment, while I cannot deny that there is shared culpability in the hunting party, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that you will not find a single human who would not place the lions share of blame on the man who pulled the trigger, regardless of who he was. We are not savages, so caught up in impulse and instinct that once we sight and track an animal we cannot stop ourselves if a human enters our range of sight. That having been said, it is awfully silly to go ahead and fetch your bird while everyone else is behind you with loaded weapon. Regardless though, the majority of the blame I feel has to go on whomever pulled the trigger.

Garv, "Hush. It wasn't" is the result of years of analysis, creating the perfect amount of tonal soothing, while still seeming to talk down to an opposing side. Enjoy!

 

The shootee fucked up. Granted. But anyone who has ever fired a gun, touched a gun, looked at a gun, unknowingly been near a gun, or is familiar with the concept of "gun" knows full well that the motherfucker who pulls the trigger is the motherfucker ultimately responsible for where the little pellets go, be it into a quail or into some campaign contributer's heart.

Why is no one discussing how fucking drunk these retards were? Go ask MSN's timeline. At 4pm, these old bastards returned from "lunch". 80 year-old white guys eat lunch at 10:30. So, that sounds like 5 and a half hours of drinking, before these Texan studs went bach out to bag nine pound birds. I would have to be so hammered. I can only assume I'm not the only one.

Old rich white dudes don't shoot each other unless they're drunk. I don't blame Dick Cheney, I blame Johnny Walker.

 

A stupidly valid point Dave. I actually had not put one and one together on this one, knowing what time the accident took place, but not even realizing that 'lunch' may very well have consisted of a Fifth of Wild Turkey each and stories about the good old days.

In which case, the whole damn thing enters a new world of idiotic for everyone involved. I don't even hand a KNIFE to people without hearing them say 'Thank you' after they grab it. I don't anyone in thier right mind should hand out guns to an 80 year old who has to slur it out while delivering a Clint Eastwood glare through one bloodshot eye.