“What’s the surprise. It’s not like we ever thought Dick was a straight shooter,” comments Maryb2004. Yesterday, while on a quail hunting trip in Texas, V.P. Dick Cheney “accidentally shot” a fellow hunter named Scooter Libby Patrick Fitzgerald Jack Abramoff Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old man (his name is spelled Whittington, according to the AP/Sun-Sentinal and BreitBart.com).
Whittington, a wealthy Austin attorney who was involved in at least one Bush scandal when Bush was governor of Texas (see the last story on Whittington below the fold), was sprayed with pellets by Cheney. This was breaking news on MSNBC, which is trying to learn more about the incident. (Update: NBC has confirmed the incident with Cheney’s spokesperson. Medics came and helped the man, who is “okay,” according to MSNBC.) (No, this is NOT a joke.)
I’ve Googled for Whittington. The results are below the fold..
Update [2006-2-12 16:4:22 by susanhu]: From the AP:
Harry Whittington, 78, was “alert and doing fine” after Cheney sprayed Whittington with shotgun pellets on Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.
Armstrong said Cheney turned to shoot a bird and accidentally hit Whittington. She said Whittington was taken to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital by ambulance.
Cheney’s spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said [Cheney] was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, Texas, and his wife at the hospital on Sunday afternoon [with a wad of cash, a pistol, and an “or else” message]. (See also: ABC News)
Okay. Who did he REALLY shoot?
About Whittington … oh, he fits right in with that bunch:
Just the guy we need to get those liberal and druggy hippie musicians outta Austin!
Little Guys who take on the government rarely win,
unless the Little Guy is a guy like Harry Whittington.
Whittington, an Austin lawyer, is very rich, very stubborn and very patient — qualities that come in handy if, like him, you’re waging a long legal battle against the city.
Six years ago, Austin condemned a downtown block Whittington’s family owned to build a $10.5 million parking garage. Whittington’s been fighting the city ever since. He racked up two legal victories last year, and on Friday racked up a third: The Texas Supreme Court denied the city’s request to hear an appeal, which basically re-affirms a prior ruling in Whittington’s favor.
The city law department, which has spent $387,000 on the case, doesn’t plan to throw in the towel just yet. … Austin Statesman
I just know he’ll help patients:
Whittington named committee head
Austinite Harry Whittington was appointed chairman of the Office of Patient Protection Executive Committee by Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday.
Whittington is a private practice attorney who has been practicing law in Austin since 1950. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and received his law degree from the University of Texas.
The committee was established in House Bill 2985 during the 2003 regular legislative session. The Office of Patient Protection is responsible for helping patients who have complaints regarding medical service from Texas healthcare providers. … Biz Journal
And, when you die after Harry rejects your appeals, Harry is on the Texas FUNERAL SERVICE Association:
COMMISSIONERS
Harry Whittington ( Austin), Presiding Officer/Term Expires 2/1/07
Help me remember. Wasn’t there a big brouhaha about this major funeral association shake-up in 1999 — when Bush was still the governor of Texas? And Bush was involved?
AUSTIN – A former state funeral home regulator who said she was wrongfully fired for investigating a large funeral home chain operated by a longtime family friend ofGeorge W. Bush has settled her 2-year-old whistleblower lawsuit for $210,000.
The state will pay Eliza May and her lawyers $155,000 and Houston-based Service Corp. International will pay $55,000, said sources familiar with the agreement. … [,,,]
Ms. May contended in her lawsuit that she was fired in 1999 as executive director of the Texas Funeral Service Commission after SCI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert Waltrip met with Joe Allbaugh, a top aide to Mr. Bush while he was governor, to complain about the agency’s investigation of the company’s homes.
After the investigation, fines totaling about $450,000 were assessed against more than 20 of SCI’s affiliated funeral homes for using unlicensed embalmers. SCI has appealed, and a state hearings officer is expected to rule soon on the case.
Neither SCI, Mr. Bush nor any of the other defendants admit wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement. Attorney General John Cornyn, who was also named as a defendant as a result of a legal opinion he wrote that was favorable to SCI, represented the state in the case. … [,,,]
Harry Whittington of Austin, who was named presiding officer of the Funeral Service Commission after a major shakeup of agency in 1999, said his board reluctantly agreed to pay $50,000 as part of the settlement to end the 2-year-old case. … At Crawford Peace House’s Web site, and originally printed in the Dallas Morning News
