Tag Archives: Barack Obama

Thursday Numbers

Welcome to my weekly column called “Thursday Numbers!” I’m glad you stopped by!

If you are a new visitor, this is where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes with a little sarcasm).

DISCLAIMER: By reading this column you may be able to use the information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. Please consider yourself warned.

This week I write about the highest-earning athletes, Powerball, salaries for university presidents, unemployment, Barry Beach, Montana Department of Justice, anesthesiologists, deer and bus, satisfaction, shampooers, Trevor Runyon, IRS and Obama, BAC, and much more!

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When It Rains…

Yesterday I wrote about five issues the Obama Administration owns and will have to defend during the mid-term elections of 2014 and the Presidential election of 2016. You can read it HERE.

Now there are six issues. It’s very hard for a Presidential Administration to juggle six issues.

The Associated Press (AP) reported yesterday “The Justice Department [DOJ] secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press.” The AP claims the records obtained listed outgoing calls from their offices in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn.

The fourth estate was just slapped across the face, and it probably hurt a little more since it came from the Obama Administration.

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Obama: One Tough Spring

Spring is in the air. It’s a time of renewal with new flowers sprouting from the ground, gardens being planted, and the aroma of fresh-cut grass encircling the neighborhood.

I doubt many in the Obama Administration have stopped to take in the sights and sounds of spring. To say the spring of 2013 (so far) has been tough on the Obama Administration would be an understatement – and summer is still over a month away. That means people will be paying attention for a while longer before school is out and they head off on vacations.

You can bet that some of these issues will stick around and have an effect on the 2014 mid-term elections and some will be the topics of the Presidential race of 2016. Here are the top five issues that the Obama Administration (as well as Democrats) now own and will have to defend for the next few years:

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DOD: 26,000 Sexual Assaults in 2012

As a former member of the United States Air Force, I was shocked to read that the head of the Air Force’s sexual assault prevention unit was arrested for sexual assault. It was also somewhat shocking (to me) that the head of the Air Force’s sexual assault prevention unit was only a Lt. Colonel (his name is Jeffrey Krusinski). It seems that the leadership of the Air Force did not believe sexual assault was an important enough issue to put someone in charge of it with at least a star or two (Brigadier or Major General) on his/her shoulder.

U.S. Representative Jackie Speier probably said it best (Pg. H2443) on the floor of the U.S. House yesterday when she asked (while standing next to a mug shot of Krusinski), “The best and the brightest the Air Force has to offer to run this office, and he’s a sexual predator?”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Continue reading →

Thursday Numbers

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” If you are a new visitor, this is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes with a little sarcasm).

NOTICE:  By reading this column you may be able to use the information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers, so consider yourself warned.

This week I write about President Obama’s budget, fundraising for the Presidential library, executive pay, the Postal Service, unemployment, Sally Jewell, Montana Legislature, Anthony Weiner, Carol the elephant, obesity, K.C. Royals, egg salad, and much more!

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Thursday Numbers

Welcome to the first “Thursday Numbers” of April! If you are a new visitor, this is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes with a little sarcasm).

DISCLAIMER: By reading this column you may be able to use the information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. You are hereby warned.

This week I write about the Michael Jackson family lawsuit, finding Kony, a unique stimulus study, unemployment, Martin Luther King, Jr., Daines listens, Women in Montana, the cell phone at 40, jury duty in Los Angeles, highest paid NFL players, Obama giving back, Cebull moving on, my latest book, and much more! Continue reading →

Caught My Eye…

It’s Friday and time to celebrate! For those readers on spring break, it’s time to really celebrate!

It’s also Good Friday!

If this is your first time visiting The Western Word, the “Caught My Eye” column is where I take a quick look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week – and I often throw in some sarcasm just to make you smile. So get ready to head into your weekend armed with knowledge and a smile.

Today I write about the Bullock veto, Drone paranoia, Idaho’s Larry Craig, Iowa’s Steve King, the Obituary, Most/Least Religious places, Local TV News, the Broken Cheeseburger, Eyeballs, and much more!

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10 Years and a Wake-up

On this date 10 years ago (the evening March 19, 2003, here in the USA) the invasion of Iraq began. At that time I supported the war. I was not alone. A Gallup Poll taken right after the war started showed 76% of Americans supported the war.

The Great Falls (MT) Tribune is asking their readers this morning, “Was the Iraq War a mistake?” The answer to that question is really pretty simple: It was a mistake. 10 years ago most folks believed it was the right thing to do because almost everyone believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and they feared he would use them.

It’s OK to Monday morning quarterback the Iraq War to prevent us from repeating those mistakes.

It seemed almost everywhere we looked back then someone was beating the war drum to take out Saddam Hussein – both Democrats and Republicans – and it became a slippery slope. Around 40 governments participated (in some capacity) in the Iraq War.

For some reason the checks and balances that normally strangle our government (and other governments) failed. It’s interesting to watch some of the news networks today playing clips of politicians from both parties saying in 2003 that we needed to take Saddam Hussein out.  Continue reading →

Feinstein and Guns

A faithful reader and commentator (Barry) pointed out to me that U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) made some silly remarks about veterans and gun ownership last week. So I checked it out and today’s column is about Feinstein and guns. By the way, if you have tips or ideas about columns, you can leave a comment or e-mail me at western_word@yahoo.com.

To set this up, I am a veteran who spent almost 12 years in the military (honorably discharged). I carried an M-16 rifle for several of those years. I currently own four guns, I don’t actually think President Obama is lurking outside my home waiting to take them, the Patriot Act does not scare me, and drones do not bother me (I do love to joke about all these things).

Sometimes the intelligence of elected officials fascinates me. For example, an article in Military.com about Sen. Diane Feinstein reported, “She was especially concerned over veterans being able to acquire the weapons.”

It goes downhill quickly for Feinstein.  Continue reading →

Caught My Eye…

Welcome to the second Friday of March – Whoop, whoop!

As a public service from The Western Word (TWW) here’s a reminder to get up at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday and set your clocks ahead one hour.

By the way, how’s that sequestration thingy working out for you? I am currently waiting for President Obama to ask me out to lunch or dinner…

If this is your first time visiting The Western Word, the “Caught My Eye” column is where I take a quick look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week – and I often throw in some sarcasm just to make you smile. So get ready to head into your weekend armed with knowledge and a smile.

Today I write about WaPo’s best blogs, jobs, the catheter, McCain & Graham, Piers Morgan Live, NRSC & RNC Plot Comeback, a special video showing a North Korea missile test, the Insane Rope Swing video, plus I crack open my political inbox and share! There’s a lot more so read on…

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