Disarm Dick

I must confess to finding very little humor in the story of Dick Cheney shooting his hunting partner in the face with a 28 gauge at a distance of about thirty feet. His friend, a seventy-eight year old man, took pellets to the face, neck, and upper chest and was taken into intensive care. Katherine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred, has dismissed the seriousness of the injuries, saying things like "he got peppered," or "it knocked him silly," or "it's common." But there's nothing silly about taking rifle-shot at that close a range. And there's nothing common about the level of firearm mismanagement and lack of hunting prudence exhibited by Cheney. The victim, Whittington, will be very fortunate if his wounds indeed are not life threatening. But I don't take for granted, hearing it from Katherine Armstrong and the political handlers around the White House, that it's necessarily so.

It strikes me from time to time, when I happen to think of Dick Cheney or of any number of the very dubious politicians and bureaucrats we've placed in charge to safeguard our country's well-being, just how vulnerable we are to another great emergency. This emergency, should it arise, would no doubt be labeled "unexpected" or "accidental" or "unimaginable" by some. Of course it would be none of those things. It would be a direct result of the irresponsibility of our leaders. As a nation, we have handed this man and all of his cronies a loaded gun and he's decided to take us on a little hunting trip. And since I, as an American, must by necessity go along for the ride, I will at least keep my head up at all times.

I happened across another story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about Dick's special brand of hunting. This fella needs to be disarmed.

Picture of Ring-Necked Pheasant by Patricia Velte, www.backyardbirdcam.com