Here we are almost at the official end of summer. I only hope the cold weather can hold off a little longer so my tomatoes will ripen! Have a great time this Labor Day weekend and remember, if you drink don’t drive! I want you back next week to read The Western Word.

In this week’s edition I take a quick look at some of the stories that “Caught My Eye” that I did not have time to write about this week. Enjoy!

POW/MIA bracelet:

Get your tissues out; this is a very touching story about a POW/MIA bracelet being returned to a family. We must never forget those who did not return.

Number 24:

No, NASCAR fans, I am not going to write about Jeff Gordon (NASCAR #24), but about Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) being ranked #24 in the House and Senate. Not in seniority, but in riches. The Hill’s annual look at the 50 wealthiest members of Congress was released this week and Rehberg is estimated to be worth $10.9 million.

The wealthiest is Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), sitting rather nicely at $188.6 million. By the way, to make the top 50, you had to have at least $5.1 million of estimated wealth, which leaves me off the list for two reasons: I am not a member of Congress and I am short a few million.

Whadda you know:

Just a day after writing about Senator Jon Tester using the “farmer Jon” routine as a campaign tool, I received an e-mail from the senator’s campaign team inviting me to “Reserve your Burger at the Farm Today” and “To Spend a Day on the Farm with Jon & Sharla Tester.” For a mere $50 I can partake in “Barbecue, Montana brews, music and games for kids of all ages.”

Of course, there was a photo of the senator with the tractor.

If that’s too cheap, I can have dinner with the Testers at the Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton that evening for $500 a person.

I’ll bet there will be an opportunity to have my photo taken with that darn tractor, too.

I-164:

I’ve never used a Pay Day or Title Loan business, and don’t know how I will vote on I-164, but I thought the segment that aired on KRTV (Great Falls) during Wednesday’s 5:30 newscast was a bit ironic. A Montana legislator named Anders Blewett said during the interview, “Anybody that drives down 10th Avenue South you can’t help but get hit in the face by Pay Day Loan and/or Title Loan sign.” He goes on to mention that it hurts the economy locally and throughout the state.

Huh?

First, I’ve never been hit in the face by a Pay Day Loan sign. Second, when I drive down 10th Avenue South all I see are freaking CASINO signs hitting me in the face. There are too many casinos and this isn’t Vegas, either. It looks like the Pay Day and Title Loan folks have not lobbied the Montana Legislature enough.

Murkowski Concedes:

The Tea Party helped beat another moderate Republican. Tea Party favorite Joe Miller beat Lisa Murkowski in Alaska. It was a close race. It’s always fun to watch an implosion from a major political party. The Tea Party is trying to clean house and get rid of the RINOs (Republican In Name Only). It was more of a Sarah Palin versus Lisa Murkowski duel though as there’s no love lost between them. Mike Huckabee chipped in to help defeat the RINO. Alaska lost Ted Stevens two years ago with trumped-up charges that were thrown out after he lost a close race. Now, another Alaska Senator is gone. So much for clout in Alaska these days – they have no seniority.

I guess moderate conservatives just have no place to go. I bet Palin and/or Huckabee will be needing a few moderate conservative votes if they run for President.

Hurricane Earl:

Maybe it’s just me, but every time I hear the name “Earl” which has been a lot lately because of the hurricane, I think of THIS SONG. It’s a Friday before a three-day weekend and nobody’s doing any work anyway…so watch it. Go ahead.

Turn the Page:

On Tuesday night during President Obama’s speech he used the words “turn the page” and on Twitter Bob Seger’s song “Turn the Page” became a topic. “On a long lonesome highway, east of Omaha…” Now that you have the song playing in your mind, you can watch the video HERE. Remember, it’s a Friday before a three-day weekend and nobody’s doing any work anyway…so watch it. Come on…do it.

Grandma & Crown Royal:

Instead of poor quality drugs, it was just grandma’s cremated remains…inside a baggie…inside a Crown Royal bag. Snort, snort. Read the story HERE.

Clemens Pleads Not Guilty:

Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t this whole Roger Clemens thing a waste of time and taxpayer money? It is just baseball, isn’t it?

It’s Weber:

Former Federal employee Jane Weber is the new Cascade County Commissioner. She is probably more liberal than the other two names put forward by the Cascade County Democrats and not my preferred choice. I thought George Paul would have made a great commissioner. The other guy on the list, well, let’s just be thankful he was not chosen.

KRTV (CBS) had the story in which Weber was quoted saying: “I’ve had great support from the Democratic Central Committee which has been a wonderful pleasure for me because I’ve not been involved with partisan politics as a federal employee.”

Sure you haven’t Jane, sure you haven’t. Just because you have been a Federal employee, does not mean you can’t donate to candidates, put a democrat’s sign in your yard, attend rallies on your free time, go to meetings, or use your federal position to promote what democrats in office have done for your agency. The “innocent and pure” routine did not impress me.

Twitter:

Remember that I tweet short messages throughout the day about happenings across the globe, so you really need to join the well over 300 folks following me on Twitter.

Have a nice Labor Day weekend and hug your loved ones!