More Smoke and Mirrors
February 15th, 2006 | by Dr. Forbush |Let me get this straight. Scott McClellan, the administration’s mouthpiece is telling us that the Vice President shooting someone isn’t an important story. Let’s suppose that the lawyer that Dick cheney shot died as a result of the shooting. You might think that since it was a hunting accident in Texas Cheney or any other hunter in a similar situation would get an automatic walk, right? Well, just doing a little research turned up a similar case where a guy hunting in Texas accidentally shot another guy.
I’m guessing that there are plenty of cases like this one, but that isn’t the point. The point here is what the sheriff said in this case.
Sheriff Juan Garza said interviews with other hunters and with the victim’s companions led him to rule out anything but an accidental shooting.
“But then again, Texas criminal law says that when you recklessly discharge a firearm and it kills another person it’s a manslaughter charge,” Garza said.
And, after all, when you hit a fellow hunter with a shotgun blast most people would consider that a “reckless discharge a firearm.” But, the point here is that the Vice President was involved in a serious accidental shooting that could possibly result in manslaughter charges against him if the victim were to die.
Scott McClellan is telling us that this story isn’t very important. Then he tells us that we should be focused on important issues like making sure that people are able to get healthcare. In fact, as the reporters are trying to get information from him he dodges the questions in yesterday’s press briefing by saying:
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, Suzanne, if you all want to continue to focus on this, you all can spend your time on it. We’re going to keep focusing on the pressing priorities of the American people, like talking about how to make health care more affordable and accessible. We’ve got important work to do for the American people, and that’s where we’re going to keep our focus. You’re welcome to continue to focus on these issues. I’m moving on.
Actually, the president isn’t really interested in making “…health care more affordable and accessible.” This is another smoke and mirrors trick that the administration is pulling over the American people. In the State of the Union speech George W Bush told us that he had a great plan where you could save money in special accounts so that you can use that money tax free if you have an illness.
First of all, how many people are having trouble paying their health care bills because their taxes are to high? Most people that are having problems paying their health care costs are having this problem because they don’t make enough money to pay for their health care costs. They work at jobs that pay low wages and they don’t offer a comprehensive health care insurance plan. These people need to be able to see a doctor when they have minor problems so that they don’t end up spending much more of the tax payers money when that minor problem turns into something major and they wind up in the emergency room. This problem is sucking money out of our system.
Second, the people that are having problems paying their health care costs don’t have the extra cash that they could put into a health care savings account. Where are they going to get this extra cash? The only people who are going to be able to take advantage of this plan are the people who have the extra cash that they already have stashed away in savings accounts, stocks, bonds and off shore banks. Who do you think these people are? And, are they really suffering from the rising cost of health care?
So, it is quite interesting that Scott McClellan wants to change the topic from something important to something that will only actually help the wealthy Republican contributors like the lawyer that Dick Cheney shot. Maybe that should be the point that the administration should be making. If George W Bush was able to get his health care plan through congress, then Mr. Whittington would be able to pay for his medical care tax free. Now, that’s what they should be saying.
Cross Posted @ Bring It On, tblog, Blogger and BlogSpirit
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6 Responses to “More Smoke and Mirrors”
By steve on Feb 15, 2006 | Reply
“And, after all, when you hit a fellow hunter with a shotgun blast most people would consider that a “reckless discharge a firearm.â€
What? Most people??
So if I pull out of my drive way and run into a friend’s car parked behind me should I go to jail and pay a fine for Felony Reckless Driving?
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo………
I suppose you want fire arms to just totally be illegal right?
By Dr. Forbush on Feb 15, 2006 | Reply
Steve, if you back into someone and kill them you are likely to be brought up on manslaughter charges. But, there is one difference here. Backing down a driveway is normal operating procedure. Wheeling around and firing your gun without looking at the target is reckless.
Certainly hunting weapons should be legal. Hunting is a sport. Target shooting is a sport. Shooting pen-raised birds with clipped wings on the other hand is questionable.
By steve on Feb 15, 2006 | Reply
“Wheeling around and firing your gun without looking at the target is reckless. ”
How the fuck do you know what happened? Were you there? UM NO!!!
” Shooting pen-raised birds with clipped wings on the other hand is questionable.”
Yet abortion is A-OK!! That’s what I love about you little blue people. No contridictions! Try again.
And note when I suggested a car backing out and reckless driving, I was talking about normal operating procedure. The two men, Cheney and Whittington had orange vests, safety goggles and a spotter. Yes another person watching out for them. Dr. Forbush, have you ever been hunting?
By Dr. Forbush on Feb 15, 2006 | Reply
Of course I’ve been hunting. I have family in Texas. I used to own hunting dogs.
But, it still doesn’t seem to me that the VP was hunting safely. I have not seen any evidence of it, and the bits that slip out then get deleted seem to point toward drinking and flirting instead of hunting. Also, where were those secret service agents that are supposed to be protecting the VP? Shouldn’t they have been there to make sure that they were hunting safely, so Cheney wasn’t the one shot?
It seems to me like a normal Bush administration SNAFU. Fortunately there are less than three years left of these idiots…
By the stuffed tiger on Feb 15, 2006 | Reply
30 yards away, between 5 and 200 pellets in the victim’s body, the victim is human, Cheney wheeled around (as he said he did in his interview today)… that’s called an unsafe shot. Shooting at low birds is a big no no for this very reason.
By steve on Feb 15, 2006 | Reply
Stuffed Tiger…
Take a look at the definition of wheeled on Webster’s.
Uh…. what now?
“in the victim’s body, the victim is human” Really? Republicans are human now. For second I though ya wanted us all dead?