You’ve made it to Friday – and there’s only one week left in January – so congratulations!

If you are a first-time visitor, “Caught My Eye” is posted right here every Friday morning! This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. Sometimes I throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little – or maybe both.

Today I write about veterans, robo calls, optional orange, Wittich trial, falling off horses, end of an error, Conrad Burns, UFO files, plus we have a winner who is Making Montana Proud!

Buckle up…

40 Miles Bill:

I applaud U.S. Senator Jon Tester and Congressman Ryan Zinke for their support of Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015.

According to press releases The Western Word received from Zinke and Tester, the “bill will ensure veterans who live in rural areas – more than 40 miles driving distance away from the nearest VA facility – would be able to seek treatment at local health care facilities.”

This is a good thing for Montana veterans.

Robo Calls:

I was excited when I read about a bill in the Montana legislature that would “crack down” on robocalls during political campaigns. Then I read that the “bill would not apply to national elections, including those for a congressional or U.S. Senate seat.” (Source)

So, it’s a waste of time. It reminds me of the national Do Not Call Registry, which allows political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors, or companies with which a consumer has an existing business relationship” to still call you. (Source)

The bill should be pulled; it’s a waste of time.

Optional Orange:

Another bill that should be shredded is one by MT State Senator Scott Sales (R) of Bozeman that if passed could make wearing orange optional for adults hunting in Montana. (Source)

It gets better, “Sales also introduced a directly contradictory bill that would require all users of public land to wear orange where and when hunting is allowed, whether or not they were hunting.”

The circus is now on full display in Helena. At least the clowns are making us laugh.

Wittich Trial:

According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, political junkies should mark their calendars for Feb. 22, 2016 (yes, 2016) for a jury trial in the political practice case against state Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman.

Wittich is “charged with violating the state’s political campaign laws during the 2010 primary election.” Yes, 2010.

Montana’s court systems are so screwed up that it will be almost six years since the alleged incident happened before a jury trial.

Falling Off Horses:

Congratulations to former Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg for his mention in the Jan. 22 Mother Jones article, “Gallop Poll: A Brief History of Politicians Falling Off Horses.” Rehberg made the list for a 2004 incident in Kazakhstan. Here’s the paragraph:

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) falls off a horse during a congressional delegation to Kazakhstan after downing six shots of vodka. Montana Democrats circulate an unsubstantiated rumor that Rehberg consumed a total of 20 shots of vodka and serenaded his hosts by chanting “meep meep” like a Conehead.

I wonder if Mother Jones will be doing a story about boating…

End of an Error:

I must admit when I saw the bumper sticker that the Republican National Committee (RNC) was trying to sell with the message, “January 20, 2017, End of an Error” it gave me a chuckle.

Of course, that “error” the RNC is referring to is President Obama, who won both his presidential elections. You can see Obama refer to this in the State of the Union speech (HERE)

Happy Birthday:

Happy birthday to the Marine, the U.S. Senator, and my former boss, Conrad Burns. He hits the big 8-0 this Sunday (January 25).

Making Montana Proud:

This section is where I mention people or groups whose actions embarrass Montana in some way.

-From Dennis Carlson – MTN News, Helena: “Shawn Kevin Smaage will spend at least the next 25 years in prison for his 11th drunk driving offense.”

In 1988, he killed someone. “Smaage’s record includes three DUI convictions as a juvenile and a negligent homicide conviction in 1988 when he killed a 15-year old passenger while he was driving drunk.”

Smaage should not have been on the streets to get an 11th DUI. He is an embarrassment to Montana, plus Montana’s drunk driving laws are an embarrassment.

UFO Files:

According to a report from CNN, “Nearly 130,000 pages of declassified Air Force files on UFO investigations and sightings are now available in one place online.”

Here is the link.

For fun and giggles, do a search for “Malmstrom” or “Montana” or some word such as “probe.”

The truth really is out there…

One More Thing:

It’s Friday, remember that bad decisions = the best stories.

 

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