Caught My Eye….

Here are a few things this week that caught my eye that I did not have time to write about.

Arlington:

Frankly, I am pissed (excuse my language) at the leadership of Arlington National Cemetery for their mismanagement. There may be upwards of 6,600 unmarked or mismarked graves.

I caught some of the questioning yesterday from the Senate committee, but I was not impressed. I wanted to see some anger from the Senators. Heck, I’d like to see someone throw something in anger. This is a big deal to veterans and their families and since most in Congress never served, they just don’t understand. Get ticked off. Scare the hell out of anyone who works or will work at Arlington so much that they will not to screw up again.

Harvest/Listening Sessions:

I commented this week about the number of listening sessions that Congressman Denny Rehberg has held since January 2009 and that he has 15 more scheduled well into August.

Anyone who follows politics knows that August is recess time and members of Congress head home to visit their constituents.

So yesterday, I was somewhat surprised to receive a “campaign” e-mail from U.S. Senator Jon Tester telling me that I can join Senator Jon Tester for an update from Washington (via the phone),. The e-mail had this message: (more…)

Published in: on July 30, 2010 at 9:14 am  Leave a Comment  
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Rehberg: Great Falls Finalist for C-27J aircraft

Congressman Denny Rehberg today announced that the Great Falls International Airport (Air National Guard) is one of two finalists for basing the C-27J aircraft.

That is good news for Great Falls. The other site being considered is in Boise, Idaho.

According to reports, no timeline for the selection has been set.

Never heard of the C-27J? You can read about it HERE. Basically it’s a cargo/transport plane – a new plane, which is great for the Guard to have.

One has to wonder if this plane could maybe be a replacement for the Montana National Guard’s F-15s, which are due to be removed from Montana Guard in late 2011.

Published in: on July 29, 2010 at 1:58 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Pony Express?

The U.S. Postal Service predicts they will lose $7 billion this fiscal year. Maybe it was just a tad bit late, but they came up with a plan to only deliver mail five days a week to save money.

I am fine with five days a week mail delivery. If I need something delivered somewhere and want to make sure it gets there on time, I use FedEx.

It’s a typical business decision by the USPS – cut back where you can to save some bucks. Sadly, the USPS needs a lot more of these cost cutting measures or we may see them go the way of the Pony Express.

The Montana Congressional delegation, at least Senator Jon Tester and Congressman Denny Rehberg, have said no to this plan mostly citing the need for six-day delivery in rural areas.

They are wrong for opposing the five-day per week plan. Their blocking of this plan will mean more drastic cuts down the road, like the closing of more Post Offices, much higher rates, etc.

Maybe privatization is the answer?

Ultimately, it’s probably more about votes than anything: Tester lost almost all rural counties in the 2006 election (even his own home county), so I see his reasoning for opposing the plan and gaining favor in the rural areas, and Rehberg’s bread and butter is the rural vote.

Sadly, in the House and the Senate there are 533 other politicians with the same Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) mentality on the myriad of issues that comes before them – and nothing much gets done.

So, it will be interesting to read about Senator Tester’s and Congressman Rehberg’s plan to save the Pony Express U.S. Postal Service.

Published in: on July 29, 2010 at 7:20 am  Leave a Comment  
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Montana Politics 2010: Money Talks?

The Associated Press is reporting that the attorney for Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg has decided not to donate to the Montana Democratic Party.

In a piece of fine, not to mention detailed, reporting, the AP tells us that Rehberg attorney Cliff Edwards “has given a lot of money to the Democratic Party in the past.”

By the way, I’m just joking about the “fine” and “detailed” part. You can read the “short” story HERE.

Now it’s time to cue-up the AC/DC song “Money Talks” for your listening pleasure. I doubt it will in this case, though.

By the way, that AP story was just about as amusing as this one from the local CBS station last night. One must wonder who contacted whom for the CBS story.

Published in: on July 28, 2010 at 4:26 pm  Leave a Comment  
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48

48 years ago yesterday (July 27, 1962) the Strategic Air Command’s first Minuteman 1A went into site Alpha-09 which is under the command and control of Malmstrom AFB near Great Falls, Montana.

Although Malmstrom AFB has been around quite a few more years (1939), missiles have been the mainstay at the base since 1961.

48 years of protecting our freedoms and liberties and still going strong! Congratulations to all the men and women who have served at Malmstrom AFB over the past 48 years. It has been a job well done!

Malmstrom has seen a high of 200 missiles deployed over 23,500 square miles of Montana. In 2007 after the loss of some clout in the U.S. Senate, Malmstrom lost 50 missiles. Currently they have 150 missiles, but more cuts may be on the horizon under the Obama Administration.

I hope the Air Force and communities across Montana plan a big event for July 2012 which will be the 50th anniversary of the first missile going into the ground here in Montana.  Many folks have passed through the gates of Malmstrom AFB over the years. It would be a heck of a reunion.

Additionally, let’s hope that everyone works together to ensure Malmstrom AFB continues to protect the United States for another 50 years.

Published in: on July 28, 2010 at 5:30 am  Comments (3)  
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Montana Politics 2010: It Really Is That Simple

I happened to catch a story in the Great Falls Tribune on Saturday about Democrats sending their folks with cameras to the listening sessions being held by GOP Congressman Denny Rehberg.

The Montana GOP cried foul about an e-mail they obtained that was sent by a Democrat saying they should show up and “heckle” the Congressman at these listening sessions.

On the other hand the Montana Democratic Party (MDP), with their new mouthpiece from Lee Newspapers, have been sending press release after press release talking down Rehberg’s listening sessions and just about everything else he does.

If I were Rehberg, I’d tell the staff at the Montana GOP to butt out. He is very capable of fighting his own battles. And I’d let the MDP continue to help publicize the listening sessions and his votes.

In regards to MDP’s take on the Rehberg listening sessions, at least some of the die-hard Democrats who attend will get to see an elected official without having to pay.

But really the first thing I thought was we should congratulate Rehberg for being out and about in Montana. He’s just one the three people representing us in Washington, D.C., who is actually out and about meeting constituents, hearing their concerns face to face, and not hiding from his record. (more…)

Published in: on July 27, 2010 at 6:18 am  Leave a Comment  
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Seven

Lance Armstrong finished his last Tour de France on Sunday. He finished in 23rd place, about 40 minutes behind the winner Alberto Contador Spain.

Now it appears Lance Armstrong’s next appearance will be in front of a Federal grand jury and that’s too bad.

With seven victories in a row from 1999-2005 in the Tour de France, people had their doubts that Armstrong could do something this amazing without cheating, but Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test. Not one.

The allegations continue today with some of his former teammates claiming Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs, but Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test.

To me it is sour grapes. It is also a total waste of time and money for the Federal government (U.S. Attorney) to even be involved. Doesn’t our government have more important things to do?

Thanks to Lance Armstrong, cycling was put on the map in the United States. A cancer survivor himself, Armstrong continues to raise awareness about the disease (not to mention millions of dollars for research).

Thank you Lance Armstrong and best of luck in all your future endeavors.

Published in: on July 26, 2010 at 7:58 am  Leave a Comment  
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Caught My Eye

Happy Friday! Here are a few things that caught my eye this week that I did not have time to comment about here at The Western Word:

Tea Party Caucus:

In Washington they seem to form a “Caucus” for most everything (I think there are about 70) so I guess it was just a matter of time before a Tea Party Caucus was formed. According to a press release from Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachman (who in my opinion is not the brightest bulb in the pack) there are about 40 members including Rep. Denny Rehberg (Mont. AL).

Let’s just hope they don’t fly our flag upside down during their meetings.

Danger, Danger:

The Montana GOP issued a press release about sex:

The Helena school board is reconsidering the sex ed policy it recently debated, but families throughout the entire state of Montana face the possibility of having a similar curriculum taught to their children. Will Deschamps, chair of the Montana Republican Party, pledged that the MT GOP would lead the fight against a statewide version of that policy.

With so much state and national exposure about the Helena School Board’s sex education plan, I figured it was just a matter of time before the GOP jumped on board to use it as a campaign tool.

The Press and Politics:

Here in Montana, there does not seem to be much separation from the press corps and the Montana Democratic Party. It became more evident last week when the Montana Democratic Party announced that they had hired Martin Kidston, a reporter from the Helena Independent Record, as their new communications director.

Kidston is a veteran, so I salute him for that. As you know, I am a veteran and pro-veteran on most issues. I wonder how many veterans are on the payroll for the Montana Democratic Party and the Montana Republican Party.

Unemployment:

I have been on unemployment in the past and probably will be again, so I was happy to see congress pass the extension of unemployment benefits. With the unemployment rate at record highs, this is an emergency in my book so if we have to borrow for it, OK, but we need to find some way to pay for it down the road. Sometimes the GOP just fails to look out for the little guy. Maybe it’s because many GOPers are richer than the average John and Jane Doe.

Charlie:

According to the House Ethics Committee, Rep. Charlie Rangel broke some rules. They did not announce what rules he broke yet, but they will at a later date. There will be a trial – possibly in September – and this is not what the Democrats needed before the mid-term elections.

Have a great weekend!

Published in: on July 23, 2010 at 10:03 am  Leave a Comment  
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Unique Opportunity

Next season, Saturday Night Live (SNL) will have to do a skit about the Shirley Sherrod story. Sherrod was fired by the Obama Administration on Monday from her position as Georgia State Director for the United State Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development after a video surfaced of her saying she did not do all she could for a white farmer. Sherrod is black. She was speaking at a NAACP Banquet. The video had been edited and Sherrod was really talking about reconciliation and what she learned 24 years ago.

SNL will have a lot of material just by watching Wednesday’s White House Press briefing. If that is not enough, all they will need is a copy of USDA’s Secretary Tom Vilsack’s press briefing a couple of hours later. They can also find some funny lines just by watching Fox News coverage of the incident. (more…)

Published in: on July 22, 2010 at 6:50 am  Comments (2)  
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Shirley not

On Tuesday, the Obama Administration demanded that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) director of Rural Development in Georgia, Shirley Sherrod, resign after she was “caught” on camera telling members of an NAACP banquet that she was slow to help a white farmer. By the way, Sherrod is black.

A conservative website posted a partial video that showed Sherrod in a negative light. It was a gotcha moment in the world of political videos that was posted on the internet. It was a cheap shot. Fox News ran with the story without all the facts. They like “gotcha” moments, too.

Sherrod was forced to resign by the Obama Administration. They did not have all the facts, either. (more…)

Published in: on July 21, 2010 at 5:45 am  Leave a Comment  
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