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:

As Congress moves toward recess, and Senator Tester prepares to travel to Montana and get ready for harvest in Big Sandy, he wanted to provide a legislative update to friends and supporters.

There was no indication in the e-mail that Tester will be holding any face to face “listening sessions” during the August recess unless, of course, one wants to head to Big Sandy and jump on a combine during harvest.

NFL Training Camps:

NFL training camps are opening this week and I am ready for some football. Expectations are high for the fans as we get ready to take a look at our teams. Every team has dreams of making it to the Super Bowl and this is the first step.

You can see where your NFL team is holding training camp and the dates by clicking HERE.

Be Careful Out There:

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems Montana has had a lot of deaths so far this summer. We had the bear attack that killed one, some drownings, a skydiver was killed, and motorcycle and vehicle accidents have claimed some lives.

Twitter:

If you are not following me on Twitter, why not?  Hundreds of people from all over the world (some well-known folks, too) follow Jack the Blogger. Click on the link on the right to follow me.

Have a great weekend!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rehberg has chiseled himself a place as the “people’s representative” because he’s there for Montanans and you can find him – probably holding a listening session somewhere in the state meeting Montanans.

If you don’t like his vote on this issue or that issue, you can attend and ask him about it. If you want to ask him about the Billings Fire Department issue, you can attend one of these sessions and ask him. I imagine you could even bring a camera and film it.

It’s really that simple and it appears to be driving the Montana Democrats wild.

Today, I saw on Rehberg’s website where he has scheduled 15 more listening sessions from July 31 through August 7. Yes, 15 more meetings with constituents. For those keeping score at home, that is listening session number 60 through listening session number 74. These have all been done since January 2009.

74 – That’s freaking incredible to say the least -especially for an elected official with a district the size of the whole state of Montana. Rehberg does deserve accolades for this. When the Montana Democrats saw his schedule, they probably said, “Damn! He’s everywhere.”

It’s probably not all that fun traveling around the big state of Montana. It’s not like Washington, D.C., and I imagine that is why our other two people (Senator Max Baucus and Senator Jon Tester) representing us in Washington have not been too keen on holding listening sessions.

Of course, our two senators claim they care about Montana – and maybe they do. Frankly, they have not shown it much the past couple of years. Their spokespeople claim their bosses have been out and about, but many of their meetings are not “come one come all” and any meetings they do have are not publicized as much as Rehberg’s or they are “one issue” meetings with invited guests.

I kind of feel sorry for Max and Jon. OK, not really. Baucus is like the long-time employee who has lost the skills needed to accomplish the job. Tester had a great interview for the position, but now that he is working for us, he has changed his tune and his work is completely different than what he promised. They get paid very well (yes, the same as Rehberg). Unlike Rehberg, they have staff running out their ears, so they should get it done. It makes one wonder what Rehberg could accomplish if he had the same amount of staff and resources that Montana’s Senators have.

But then again in defense of the Baucus and Tester it’s tougher when your party has not done what they promised voters they would do if put into power – and they do control all the marbles in Washington. It’s tougher when your party’s President has low approval ratings. It’s tougher when you have a personal scandal to answer for or when you’ve lied about what you would do if elected.

Life is just tougher for Baucus and Tester.

As we’ve seen on television many times, open and well-publicized listening sessions are not for wimps. First, you have to show up. Second, you have to be knowledgeable about the issues. Third, you have to be able to string a couple sentences together coherently.

It really is that simple.

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.

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!

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.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was bombarded with questions from several angles. He apologized to Sherrod for the entire administration. I think he did the apology at least three times. Gibbs looked tired and seemed to want to be about anywhere except in front of the White House press corps, who have mostly turned sour on the administration.

Vilsack was out on an island alone. He said he made the call to fire Sherrod by himself, but not too many people believe him. He apologized several times, too. The Obama Administration needed to make this problem go away, and they did, but failed to have all the facts and the whole thing backfired into four days of press coverage. After watching his press briefing, I understand why Vilsack never got any traction as a candidate for President. The USDA Secretary position is supposed to be a nice quiet place without much publicity – a nice place to hide.

Now folks are wondering which Obama Cabinet Secretary is more inept, Secretary Vilsack or Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar.

Sherrod graciously accepted everyone’s apology. Vilsack offered Sherrod “a unique opportunity” within the USDA which probably means a pay raise. Maybe she should take his job.

Fox News continued to cover it although they, along with the Obama Administration, were part of the problem. Both ran with the Sherrod story without checking all the facts. Bill O’Reilly admitted that on his show, but continued to pick on Sherrod for other comments – kind of like “we screwed up, but…”

Overall, Wednesday provided us with a “unique opportunity” to see a Presidential Administration backtrack and apologize, and apologize, and apologize. It was also a “unique opportunity” to see how the leader in cable news handled their screw-up. Both sides get a “C” in my book. They could have done better.

Although everyone learned a lot from the Sherrod incident, it won’t be long before it happens again. Presidential Administrations have to act quickly to keep the negative press from taking over the news cycle. The media must run quickly with stories to be competitive in our fast-paced world.

Sadly, the days of Woodward and Bernstein are long gone.

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.

Was the Obama Administration too quick to pull the trigger on Ms. Sherrod? Maybe. The event Sherrod was referring to in her speech happened in 1986 – 24 years ago. Sherrod wasn’t even working for USDA at that time. She was telling a story in her life about how this white farm family opened her eyes and she came to realize that poor whites were having the same problems as poor blacks with their farms.

According to the Associated Press, the “white” family Sherrod helped said she should keep her job:

“We probably wouldn’t have (our farm) today if it hadn’t been for her leading us in the right direction,” said Eloise Spooner, the wife of farmer Roger Spooner of Iron City, Ga. “I wish she could get her job back because she was good to us, I tell you.”

Sounds like she did OK by these farmers, and I’d bet there are others (white and black) that were helped over the years by this lady.

The Obama Administration should reconsider their action and allow Sherrod to return to her job.