To many of my readers, your children will be starting back to school this week – congratulations on making it through another summer!  But to some, there’s one big holiday left before classes start again, so hang in there you’ve almost got it made.  I personally prefer school starting after Labor Day and ending before Memorial Day.

To celebrate the end to another fabulous summer, this is a special “Caught My Eye!” You really need to read it and catch that “end of summer” feeling!  To the new folks visiting for the first time, Caught My Eye is my weekly look at the stories I did not have time to write about during the week – offered up with some commentary and sometimes a bit of sarcasm!

This week we take a look at a special road trip, picketing, Michael Vick, Wi-Fi names, earthquake jokes, Danica, Cheney, school starting, high school football and more. Oh yes, I share some of the e-mails from “My Political Inbox,” too!

So grab a cup of something with caffeine in it, plus a donut or bagel (it’s Friday) and read on…

Road Trip for Montana Little Leaguers:

I received this info via a press release:

The Montana State Society of Washington, D.C. has chartered a bus to drive a group of enthusiastic Montanaphiles roughly 200 miles north to Williamsport, PA in order to cheer on the Billings Big Sky All Stars as they play in the National Championship of the 2011 Little League World Series on Saturday.

“One of the best parts about being from Montana is that the support community follows you wherever you go,” said Jed Link, President of the Montana State Society. “We’re all so proud of these young men for representing our state so well. We just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see history in the making, and if we cheer loud enough, maybe even to help make it in our own small way.”

Sounds like fun…and good luck to the Montana Little League team who will play the team from California for the USA Championship and to go on to the World Championship game on Sunday.

White Michael Vick?

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that “ESPN is under fire Thursday for creating and publishing the Photoshopped image above of Michael Vick with a white face…”

Should we really care if Vick is white, black, red or green as long as he performs on the field?

BTW, my beagle was upset with me because I mentioned Michael Vick in this blog…

87% Disapprove of Congress:

A new Associated Press-GfK poll “finds the tea party has lost support, Republican House Speaker John Boehner is increasingly unpopular and people are warming to the idea of not just cutting spending but also raising taxes…”

“The poll finds more people are down on their own member of Congress, not just the institution…”

They also found that most people believe members of congress dress funny (just kiddin’).  Members of Congress do need a make-over…

FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN:

Guess you need to read this story and be very careful because the truth is out there…

Note to myself:  Change my wi-fi name…

Unemployed Man Pickets Senator:

Many elected officials never see the faces of the people who are hurting – but a man named Dan Haney made sure his senator knew him. Read the story HERE. I wonder what Baucus, Tester and Rehberg would do if the unemployed folks around the state would picket their events like Haney did at Senator Pat Toomey’s event?

Haney has a lot in common with me except my unemployment compensation has ended.  I also no longer count as unemployed in the state’s eyes. (I also don’t count in a lot of other people’s eyes either, but that’s another story).

Earthquake jokes:

The internet was full of earthquake jokes since the quake happened close to Washington, D.C.  There were variations of the following joke floating around the net:

US Geological Scientists have identified the place where the tectonic plates shifted under the Washington area. The earthquake was centered on the “Not My Fault” that runs from the White House to the Capitol. It was triggered by the collective rolling in the graves by our Nation’s founding fathers. The Obama administration has decided to name it “Bush’s Fault”

Hahahahaha…

Resignation Letter:

It’s always fun after a President’s term is over to hear and read about what went on behind the scenes.  Former Vice President Dick Cheney is publishing a book that is due out later this month called, “In My Time” in which he tells about a secret resignation letter he had prepared in case he became incapacitated due to health reasons.

Maybe he also prepared it in case he had a hunting accident…

I like Cheney – he was my SecDef toward the end of my military career – and he was a Vice President I admired.  I am not a right-leaning tea-drinking wacko, either…

Danica to NASCAR:

Looks like Danica Patrick will head to NASCAR full-time.  It’s reported that she will race the Nationwide series full-time in 2012 and Sprint Cup series part-time.

That’s good for NASCAR, but now Indycar is without their biggest star.  Hey NASCAR boys – a girl is coming to take over your sport…

A New Look:

You’ve probably noticed The Western Word’s new theme.  Thanks to all of you who commented!  I am toying around with a Facebook page, but not sure I want the hassle of this website, a Twitter page, and Facebook.  I’ll keep you posted…

The Political Inbox:

Almost every week I let my readers know what the candidates or political parties are sending through e-mail – and sometimes I poke some fun at the e-mails.  Here are four that caught my attention this week.  Enjoy!

-The Campaign team for Jon Tester sent an e-mail last Friday saying, “You’ve probably never heard of Tim Phillips, but you’ve probably heard of his backers, the secretive billionaire Koch brothers — and you’ve definitely seen his handiwork: the nasty smear ads run by their “Americans for Prosperity” corporate front group. Well, now he’s here in Montana, where the Kochs and Karl Rove are putting all their chips on my opponent — and helping him to amass a sizable bankroll of his own. It’s a good investment. Buying a Senate seat is a great way for massive corporations…”

I guess it’s OK if your backers do it to your opponent.  My faithful readers should be advised that candidate Jon Tester ran one of the dirtiest campaigns in Montana history in 2006.  What goes around comes around…

-The Campaign team for Denny Rehberg sent an e-mail yesterday saying, “Obamacare threatens to bankrupt our country. Just this week, the Office of the Actuary in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, released a report indicating that Obamacare will raise health care costs by 14%. That’s right — Obamacare is actually raising the price of our healthcare. To makes matters even worse, it forces $2.4 trillion in new spending onto the American taxpayer, cuts Medicare by $500 billion and raises our taxes by $552 billion.”

The Rehberg folks used the word “Obamacare” about six times and the word “Tester” three times in the one e-mail.  Aligning Obama and Tester together should be a major campaign goal – or it would be if I was advising them.  A photo of Obama and Tester together would fetch a pretty penny from the Rehberg campaign team.  Who’s got one?

-Ironically, the Montana Republican Party sent an e-brief out to subscribers saying, “Jon Tester’s support for Obamacare needs to change! Help us put the pressure on. Petition to Tester: Stop Obamacare’s gutting of Medicare. The Montana Republican Party has just launched a petition drive and we need your support! Please read and sign this new petition.”

It was nice to see them ask for Letters to the Editor (LTTE) in that e-mail, too.  LTTE are the bread and butter of a campaign – and something that is overlooked a lot.  People do read the letters.  I have written a few (?) in my lifetime…

-A friend forwarded me an e-mail from the Cascade County Democrats saying they need people to file for Neighborhood Councils in Great Falls.  They write, “If you have an interest in participating in local government, being a member of a Neighborhood Council is a great way to get involved.  It is an elected office and the filing deadline is Aug 25th.  We need our point of view represented on these councils.”

Grassroots participation is the key and the Democrats seem to understand that better. I was actually elected to the council several years ago and served one term.  I ran a cheap campaign…and won!

Are You Ready?

High School football starts across most of the nation tonight and @TheWesternWord will be tweeting some of the scores (just at the end of quarters so I won’t waste your time) from around Montana and some other scores from across the nation!

Twitter:

If you don’t follow me on Twitter, WHY NOT?  I was the first to pass on the Montana Boys beat California in the Little League World Series on Wednesday – and most of the time I beat the big dogs in the news world in tweeting the news.

Also, sometimes I am funny…sometimes I am not funny.

Please Drive Carefully:

There have been too many deaths on Montana’s roads this summer – so please be careful out there. Buckle up and don’t drink and drive – and don’t ride with someone who has been drinking.

School. School. SCHOOL!

School starts soon! Watch out for the kids walking to and from school.  Also, thank your child’s teacher and support them and the school district!  Teachers are great!

This little statement has been floating around Facebook and I want to share it with my readers:

Today a teacher somewhere in your neighborhood is preparing lessons for a new school year. In the minute it takes you to read this, teachers are using their “free time”, and investing their own money for your child’s literacy, prosperity and future. Here’s to a safe and successful 2011-2012 school year!

Amen to that!

Most Importantly:

Don’t forget to stretch…