Look Out! Dick Cheney's A'Comin'!

From our friends at the Trib:

Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to arrive in Westmoreland County this morning for a day of hunting at the Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier Township, a White House spokeswoman said Sunday.

Katie, bar the door! Cheney's in town for some "hunting" so for God's sakes stay away from him if he has a shotgun in his hand! You may have to apologize to him if he shoots you.

An avid hunter, Cheney is no stranger to Rolling Rock. He has made several trips to the club since 2002. During a 2003 trip to Rolling Rock, he bagged more than 70 pheasants and mallard ducks.

Here's the P-G on that trip:

One of Washington's big guns came to Westmoreland County yesterday for a day's shooting at the Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier Township.

For the second time in two years, Vice President Dick Cheney arrived at daybreak at Arnold Palmer Airport in Latrobe. Air traffic was halted briefly at about 7 a.m. as Air Force Two landed and Cheney's security detail loaded him and his favorite shotgun into a Humvee and drove up U.S. Route 30 to the exclusive country club.

Dick Cheney with a shotgun and a Humvee - if that doesn't inspire general anxiety I don't know what will. Back to the trip from 2003:

Cheney shot more than 70 ringneck pheasants and an unknown number of mallard ducks. The birds were plucked and vacuum-packed in time for Cheney's afternoon flight to Washington, D.C.

That's some serious plucking. Do you think it was a gang-pluck? A cluster-pluck?

Scott Wakefield, a dog handler at the club, said about 500 farm-raised pheasants were released from nets for the morning hunt. The 10-man hunting party that included Cheney shot 417 pheasants. The vice president was set to hunt ducks in the afternoon.

Here's how the Humane Society saw that particular "hunting" trip:

Vice President Dick Cheney went pheasant shooting in Pennsylvania in December 2003, but unlike most of his fellow hunters across America, he didn't have to spend hours or even days tramping the fields and hedgerows in hopes of bagging a brace of birds for the dinner table.

Upon his arrival at the exclusive Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier Township, gamekeepers released 500 pen-raised pheasants from nets for the benefit of him and his party. In a blaze of gunfire, the group—which included legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with major fundraisers for Republican candidates—killed at least 417 of the birds. According to one gamekeeper who spoke to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cheney was credited with shooting more than 70 of the pen-reared fowl.

By the way only about 266 American servicemen and women had been killed by the Time Cheney had this "hunt."

Ever wonder who's Congressional District encompasses the exclusive Rolling Rock Club? None other than our friend, the ethically challenged Tim Murphy. According to his website, his district covers both Ligonier Boro and Ligonier Township (can someone explain to me the difference?).

For those who don't remember Tim Murphy's issues, here's the rundown from the Wikipedia and from the City Paper.

Best of luck to everyone in Ligonier - here's to hoping YOU don't have to apologize to Dick Cheney if he shoots you. And of course, let's hope that Dick Cheney doesn't shoot you.

In the event you're curious, about 2,750 MORE American servicemen and women have been killed in Iraq since Cheney's last phake-pheasant hunt. So you know it's probably a good time for Cheney to blow off some steam and kill some birds.

Happy Monday everyone!