Cheney’s shot still being felt by sportsmen

Sportsmen were thankful Wednesday that after four days Vice President Dick Cheney finally was persuaded to take responsibility for accidentally shooting his hunting partner.

But before checking out the damage from shots directed at the veep, let’s focus on brighter lights in the sportsman’s world.

Badge of honor: Two Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agents have a well-deserved distinction under their belt.

Officers Bill Lantiegne and Paul Mossman were presented Wednesday with brass Big Horn belt buckles from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council, the region’s most active pool of wildlife conservation volunteers.

The buckles are given only to club members and others distinguished by wildlife conservation service beyond the call of duty. Lantiegne and Mossman are good examples.

According to Lloran Johnson, the council’s executive director, “These two gentlemen went the extra mile and then some to provide assistance and expertise” to:

“ The hunter education classes the council sponsors for six months a year.

“ A program that trains prosecuting attorneys on fish and wildlife regulations and enforcement.

“ The council’s “Roadkill Committee,” which salvages edible meat from the region’s highways so it can be field dressed, skinned and delivered to charity kitchens.

So here’s a thankful tip of the hunter-orange cap to the officers and the council, too.

What’s the big deal? Back to our vice president and the shot heard round the world – 21 hours after he pulled the trigger.

During his exclusive interview in the gentle hands of Fox News, Cheney revealed that he’d had “a beer” at lunch before going out later on the infamous hunting trip in which he accidentally shot his hunting partner, who remains hospitalized five days later.

We all know the vice president travels the country with the communications capability of a Trident submarine. But because he was negligent in reporting the incident, it appears there is no way we’ll know whether he had “a beer” in the literal sense or “a (wink) beer” in the Texas barbecue sense.

No license to kill: Maybe hunters can see how the Cheney shooting accident could happen, but how did two prominent rich guys find themselves hunting without a license?

Last summer, when I had the honor to take Associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor fly fishing, she didn’t have to be prompted on such basic rules.

“Where do I get my fishing license?” she asked the day before the trip.

She could have had her U.S. Marshall escorts get it for her, but she went in person to the South Side Licensing and got it herself. When the employees behind the counter recognized her, they all stood up.

Does the vice president deserve that level of respect as a sportsman?

Cheney feeding frenzy: Radio talk show bully Bill O’Reilly predictably twisted the Cheney shooting into his crusade against newspapers. He claims the Cheney incident should have been a news brief.

The first thing sportsmen must understand about O’Reilly and the others who vilify the so-called lefty media every few minutes is that smearing the press is a pillar of their business plan. It’s how they make money with a pinch of truth and a heap of innuendo.

On several occasions Wednesday, O’Reilly referred to his work as “reporting.” That is a huge disservice and distortion of the hard grunt work actual reporters endure to provide the information talk show hosts distort on a daily basis.

O’Reilly is a commentator, as I am in this column.

Before relating this to the Cheney incident, consider that on Monday O’Reilly was condemning newspapers for reporting Wayne Gretzky’s possible association with gambling. O’Reilly categorically condemned all newspapers for initially smearing Gretzky and then putting any clarifications “on page 22.” That’s simply not true.

Like many other papers, The Spokesman-Review has had five major stories on the Gretzky case as it’s unfolded. All of them were on page one of the Sports section.

The arrogance of saying all newspapers are this or that, left or right, is as blatant and silly as saying all farmers have the same opinion or all vice president’s are prudent.

On Wednesday, O’Reilly stabbed at the press for coverage of the Cheney hunting incident. O’Reilly claimed the press was pursuing the issue as a matter of revenge on a secretive administration.In a few cases, maybe, but categorically, no.

The press is interested in this because Americans are interested in what our leaders do behind the veil of secrecy.

Hunters in particular, both Republican and Democrat, want to know the details.

What others say: “No, Mr. Cheney won’t be charged, but all hunters have been convicted.” – Jim Shepherd, Wednesday, in The Outdoor Wire, the Outdoor Sports Industry’s daily newsletter.