Cheney: more stylish than we thought

An article in Rico's commodious files (yes, yes, the packrat strikes again) from a February 1984 issue of Esquire, written by Taki Theodoracopulos, the Greek social climber, goes into excruciating detail about the European penchant for shooting each other (and the occasional staff of beaters) rather than the intended targets of grouse, partridge, pheasant, snipe, woodcock, or geese.
They're all guilty of the problem, but Taki makes the usual subtle distinctions:

Americans get off rather well in British estimation— they are considered triggerhappy but safe. The Italians, on the other hand, are thought to aim for birds across the line where the hunters are, knowing that their chances of getting a human are more than likely. Similarly, the French will resort to the homo sapiens target if they are thwarted in their efforts to poach other people's birds. Surprisingly, the Germans escape British censure. They are known for their aversion to hitting anything, including birds.

According to the Texas state Parks and Wildlife Department, in 2005 there were 30 accidents and two hunting deaths in Texas. At the national level, according to the International Hunter Education Association, there were 744 shooting accidents with 74 deaths in 2002.

Rico says Dick Cheney just made the mistake of shooting an attorney in Texas, where they only shoot each other in courtrooms, rather than in England...