Has anyone noticed MSM's reticence to use the word "shot" in what Cheney

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

did today?

I've heard, sprayed and peppered, but not the word "shot."


Bowing to their masters.

[Punkingal]

1. "Peppered" is what they call being shot with a shotgun....

A ridiculous thing to call it if you ask me. Shot is Shot, IMHO.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

4. Go to the hospital to have pellets dug out of your hide, you've been SHOT

[King Coal]

36. I have been peppered by shotguns. Let me tell you what that means.

I you are a long ways from a shooter (80 yards or so) and he shoots a bird way above you between you and him, when the shot falls on you, it is called being "peppered". It happens but is considered ill form on the part of the shooter. It is not particularly dangerous if you just put you head down so that you don't get the shot in your eyes. It is just gravity raining the shot down on you, and it doesn't hurt at all. Getting shot in the face and chest at thirty yards is not being "peppered". It is being shot and can be very dangerous. And is stupid on the part of the shooter. It sounds like it was a small shotgun (28 gauge) and small shot. That is what kept the man from being hurt badly or killed.

[madokie]

39. you got that, once I was fishing out in the lake and I heard gunshots

quail hunter's as it was quail season. I hear a couple shotgun blasts and a short moment latter it was like all of the second, a bunch of somethings was hitting the water all around me, one hit in my hair and a couple landed in the boat. I didn't give it a seconds thought but what had happened is one of the shots were heading my way and the person didn't have a clue, I'm sure. couldn't have been aware I was even there. A dense tree line and a small lake that gas motors were not allowed. That was getting peppered. And yes if it breaks the skin you have been shot, if you have to go to intensive care it's was intentional. I never quail hunted as a youngster because we didn't have many quail here in mayes county then. As i got older i quite hunting altogether. Today i own only a pellet pistol, that needs new seals so its pretty useless.
me thinks

[FightingIrish]

2. I notced that.

Thaey say "sprayed him" or "pepper shot" him. I can't help screaming at the TV that he SHOT him, damn it.

[NYC]

3. SHOT as in SHOTgun.

Part of the name of the weapon.

It can't be good being shot in the face, neck, and chest, especially for an old man.

[Kadie]

5. From MSNBC earlier

ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING

[varkam]

8. Accidental Peppering

Just doesn't have the same ring to it, and it sounds as though it could have happened in a restaurant.

[Kadie]

9. .

:spray:

[Cobalt Violet]

32. Accidental Spraying

Sounds like something a tom cat might do.

[meisje]

6. Yahoo says "Shooting" I guess not everything is a conspiracy

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. Is the phrase "...was shot by Dick Cheney" in the piece?

Or a variant with the active verb being shot?

[meisje]

13. Yes, "Shot" is the 6th word....Oy!

By LYNN BREZOSKY and NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writers
16 minutes ago



CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

ADVERTISEMENT

Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday.

yadda yadda yadda

[progdonkey]

7. yeah, WTF?

When you've been hit by water, you've been sprayed.

When you want your steak to have a little kick, you pepper it.

When a you're hit with fucking buckshot, you've been fucking shot!

Next they're probably going to say that a marine lost his arm when he got "salted."


:banghead:

[ShortnFiery]

38. Further, being "life flighted" via helicopter ...

AND the Hospital Administration being censured to NOT report this to the public, IMO, that sure as shit means that he was SHOT AT CLOSE RANGE.

---Did the Corpus Christi Administrative staff, follow the law and REPORT this shooting to the local police department?

---Why did any mere whiff of this shooting remain under wraps until another member of the Armstrong family leaked this to the press?

---Who (exactly who) is investigating this shooting and when will the Doctors be able to give the public a press release?

---If the information of this shooting was not leaked would they keep this story buried forever?

---Why were the initial reports have the victim placed in ICU but later reporting states that he's going to be released today. Incongruent? The vast majority of patients that are admitted to ICU have a LONG recovery time ahead of him.

---Exactly what is this man's condition now?


The only fact that I have an inkling of confidence in is that somebody in the Armstrong Family is going to be cut out of The Old Man's Will for leaking this incident. :(

[Zen Democrat]

10. He shot him with a 28 gauge shotgun.

I heard on the local Houston news tonight that Whittington's wounds were "superficial" -- and that he is expected to be released in a few days.

A few days???? For superficial wounds? Then a doctor was interviewed who said that even thought the wounds "appeared" to be superficial, there was no way to know without CAT Scans whether any vital organs were threatened.

Also, when asked why the White House delayed reporting this accidental until today, the reporter said that they wanted to keep it a secret forever, but that a local Corpus Christi newspaper somehow got wind of the story and printed it today. This forced the White House to announce it.

Then a "political consultant" (who worked in the Reagan White House) discussed how this will hurt the White House if the media keeps reporting it because the late night shows will make jokes about this and prevent the administration from "getting their message out".

Just what message are they trying to get out now? That they aren't dangerous idiots?

[Nothing Without Hope]

27. Got a link for this part?

"Also, when asked why the White House delayed reporting this accidental until today, the reporter said that they wanted to keep it a secret forever, but that a local Corpus Christi newspaper somehow got wind of the story and printed it today. This forced the White House to announce it. "

I would LOVE to have this link, if it's actually been printed or recorded. Sounds like you may have heard it live.

[FreedomAngel82]

12. Oh good grief!

I just can't stand it anymore!

[jean]

14. Cheney would say, his victim , er, target, 'got hit'

[hopeisaplace]

15. Can't miss this chance to say this again: I hate guns.

I hate guns. I hate bombs. I hate war. I hate killing and
I hate having to hate anything, but I can safely say that
I hate violence. I'm a dove, so shoot me. :)

[Frank Cannon]

35. Guns don't shoot people in the face

Blood-thirsty, crazy bastards shoot people in the face.

[hopeisaplace]

42. lol, k, I hate blood-thirsty crazy bastards...and guns :)

O8)

[hopeisaplace]

delete

dup

[hopeisaplace]

43. delete

dup

[THUNDER HANDS]

47. me too

couldn't have said it better myself.

[hopeisaplace]

49. kindred spirits :)

O8) :hi:

[Ready4Change]

16. Not allowed to say "F***ed Up" on the air.

Pardon my language.

[Bjornsdotter]

17. Local NBC Chicago

...used the word "shot" with a very, very small smirk and also mentioned that it took almost 24 hours for the news to be released. Also stated that the news was released by the local news in Texas, meaning that it wasn't released by the White House. They definitely were making a point of that particular fact.

Cheers

[peekaloo]

31. I thought I heard NBC national news say the press wouldn't have known

about it if someone (Armstrong?) had not called a local paper.

It's rather funny the way the reporters are stumbling over themselves to say the word "accidentally".

[Beausoir]

18. "Small pellets" from Andrea Mitchell.

Gosh..she made the shooting downright folksy!


"Oops! I just plinked y'all with my pellet gun! Happens all the time down here in da south."

[JohnnyRingo]

19. Tomorrow on Fox the word will be "nicked"

"The avid sportsman and Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally nicked his hunting partner and long time friend Saturday." "Mr. Wittington expressed sorrow for being in "the wrong place at the wrong time"."

[PsN2Wind]

20. Well

He only winged him: sarcasm:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

21. No, next will be "friend stepped into the path of Cheney's pellets",

like Neo in the Matrix. There was no rich lawyer there when Cheney shot, but then this dude warped space and time to step into the path of the speeding pellets.

[niyad]

22. further down in the threads about this is already spin saying that it was

whittington's responsibility to not get in the way or something like that. anybody have the link?

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. Oh yes - the NYT article quotes a bootlicking local as saying that

and it's an important part of the spin, along with how minor the injury is. Good thread for this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x400204
thread title (2-13-06 GD): A few things I've noticed about the shooting accident
Comment/excerpt: “First was the expected minimization of the incident and the downplaying of the wounds of a man who's still in intensive care. Most of these comments are from the ranch owner Katharine Armstrong, daughter of a former Halliburton director and professional Republican Pioneer bootlicker. … The true scope of Wittinton's injury is indicated in this Dallas Morning News article:
‘A friend who has talked to family members said that Mr. Whittington was hit by about 50 birdshot pellets. He underwent surgery Sunday morning to remove some of the pellets, and doctors have told his family that the shot apparently did not damage any major organs.’”

The NYT story is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/13/politics/13cheney.html?hp&ex=1139893200&en=ef5d2efe3efde24c&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Here's an excerpt from the NYT showing the "it's the victim's fault" and "it's a meaningless accident, it happens all the time" spin. It ain't subtle:

According to Katharine Armstrong, the daughter of Anne Armstrong, Mr. Whittington broke away from a line of three hunters, including Mr. Cheney, and failed to announce that he was returning to the group. When he approached, Mr. Cheney had already begun to shoot into a covey of quail that was taking off from the ground.

"This all happened pretty quickly," Ms. Armstrong said in a telephone interview from her ranch. Mr. Whittington, she said, "did not announce — which would be protocol — 'Hey, it's me, I'm coming up,' " she said.

"He didn't do what he was supposed to do," she added, referring to Mr. Whittington. "So when a bird flushed and the vice president swung in to shoot it, Harry was where the bird was."

Mr. Whittington was "sprayed — peppered, is what we call it — on his right side, on part of his face, neck, shoulder and rib cage," she said, noting that she, too, had been sprayed on her leg in a hunting accident.

[mikeytherat]

40. It's called "Maintaining the Firing Line"!

"He didn't do what he was supposed to do," she added, referring to Mr. Whittington. "So when a bird flushed and the vice president swung in to shoot it, Harry was where the bird was."

You never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever "swing in to shoot." Your firing line is in front of you (spread about 45 degrees) and that is the direction you are SUPPOSED to fire. If you swing around and start shooting, you are NOT maintaining the firing line, which is absolutely verboten among responsible gun handlers.

Cheney f-ed up. BIG TIME.

mikey_the_rat

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

41. Yup, all Whittington's fault...

Until they decide that Clinton was hiding in the bushes and fired the shot.

[Marr]

23. If Gore had done this, the headline would be

"Al Gore Shreds Innocent Bystander with Miniature Howitzer".

[DearAbby]

24. What was Cheney Doing? Seasoning the seasoned old man?

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nothing Without Hope]

26. here's a good thread on the blatant spin of the corporate press:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x400204
thread title (2-13-06 GD): A few things I've noticed about the shooting accident
Comment/excerpt: “First was the expected minimization of the incident and the downplaying of the wounds of a man who's still in intensive care. Most of these comments are from the ranch owner Katharine Armstrong, daughter of a former Halliburton director and professional Republican Pioneer bootlicker. … The true scope of Wittinton's injury is indicated in this Dallas Morning News article:
‘A friend who has talked to family members said that Mr. Whittington was hit by about 50 birdshot pellets. He underwent surgery Sunday morning to remove some of the pellets, and doctors have told his family that the shot apparently did not damage any major organs.’”

Oh yeah, the wording is not matching what really happened. The guy was hit with 50 pellets, many of them in his face, and is in intensive care after surgery to remove some of them. But he's just fiiiiiine, and this l'i'l meaningless accident - the sort of thing that happens all the time - was all his fault anyway!

[JI7]

29. if it was a Dem they would omit the word "accident"

they are doing everything to make this a non story. they are acting like it's just a regular everyday news item .

[radfringe]

30. spin control at it's best

spraying someone with pellets sounds less serious than being shot

shouldn't come as a surprise - when have any of the bushies ever come right out and say anything plain and simple? They have always spun their words to fit the scenario they want us to see

here are a few other spinning snippets:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-cheney-hunting-accident,1,2182649.story?coll=chi-news-hed

"He is stable and doing well. It was almost like he was spending time with me in my living room," said hospital administrator Peter Banko, who visited Whittington.
----------

Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time, Armstrong told reporters at the ranch about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. She said Whittington was "alert and doing fine."

"He is very, very lucky that nothing seriously was injured," Sally Whittington said in a story in Sunday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News. She said her father was being observed because of swelling from some of the welts on his neck.

"It looks like chicken pox, kind of," she said of her father's face.
-----------

Armstrong, owner of the Armstrong Ranch where the accident occurred, said Whittington was bleeding after he was shot and Cheney was very apologetic.

"It broke the skin," she said of the shotgun pellets. "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.
-----------

[Solly Mack]

33. "Fellow hunter sprayed with dirt and rocks from misfire"

See, what really happened was Cheney misfired into the ground, sending up rocks and other debris that peppered the face of his fellow hunter...

well...I'm surprised this wasn't the official story.

[goodboy]

34. He almost got his head blown off. He was shot in the face with a shotgun

over a hundred bb's were ejected from the muzzle of the FIREARM.

SHOT.

[Coexist]

37. British anchor on CNN said "shot" with glee a few moments ago

a lot of emphasis on the word, too!

Zain is her first name.

[dogday]

44. He shot him and he has to live with that,

it may not even affect Dick, but if it does, I hope it haunts him the rest of his life. Get a little taste of what it feels like to shot someone....

[Ladyhawk]

48. Ah, he doesn't care. He wouldn't care even if the poor guy dies.

The only thing Cheney cares about is how it plays in the press.

[dogday]

45. dupe

[leftchick]

46. my local news call it an incident!

It is a fucking shooting!