Welcome to Monday.  This is the day of the week we hate most…Friday is so far away…and it may be gloomy and cold at the beginning of the week here in Montana with a chance of rain and a little snow.

But there’s good news!  Here at The Western Word we have searched in the nooks and crannies of the internet and found some political news that will arm you with knowledge this week.  Knowledge is power!

Today we take a look at Iraq, unemployment, Jesus, Forest Service, complaints, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, real Republicans and much more!

Iraq:

On Friday, President Obama announced that “…the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.”

There have been about 4,500 military casualties during the Iraq war.

The Obama announcement was not really news.  This date (December 31, 2011) had basically been agreed to in 2008 when George W. Bush was President through a status of forces agreement with Iraq.

Montana Unemployment:

It was reported on Friday that the unemployment rate in Montana fell slightly from 7.8% to 7.7% in September.  Whoopee!

Of course those numbers only count the actual people who are still filing for unemployment compensation. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, in Montana who have fallen off the radar because their benefits have run out – so they don’t count any more.

Leave Jesus Alone:

Probably due to my column “Caught My Eye” on Friday with my comments “leave Jesus alone” there may be some hope that the Jesus statue on Whitefish Mountain (in Montana) will be left alone.

All the congressional delegation needs to do is tell the Forest Service that they are introducing legislation to make this little patch of land a historical site.

The congressional delegation needs to get a spine – they are in charge of federal agencies, like the Forest Service.

More Forest Service:

Dale Bosworth, who was the former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and Northern Regional Forester, wrote an opinion piece that appeared in Great Falls Tribune on Monday in support of Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

That’s great.  I’m sure Bosworth appreciated stand-alone bills as Chief of the Forest Service – those that were not attached to other pieces of legislation or appropriation bills – those that were debated in the light of day. If Tester’s bill is so good, then it should pass as a stand-alone measure with an up or down vote.

Two Complaints:

We’ve mentioned on this website several times the problems we see with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices office.

According to the Daily Inter Lake newspaper (A northwest Montana newspaper), a Flathead Valley conservative has filed two complaints – one dealing with the commissioner.  You can read the story HERE.

As we get closer to Election Day 2012, there will be tons of complaints – and there is a lack of trust in the Political Practices Office.  Montana needs a better system.

Gadhafi and Montana:

The Associated Press reported that “A Montana Republican gubernatorial candidate who runs a Washington, D.C.-based security and counterterrorism firm says the family of Moammar Gadhafi sought his help earlier this year in finding an exit strategy…”

Since there are nine Republican candidates eyeing the Montana Governor’s seat, any press coverage is good press coverage, right?  Skills like this could come in handy dealing with the Montana Legislature…

Occupy Movement and Tea Party:

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Tea Party have a lot in common – for example they “share a cynicism about the political process.”

The Post also reports, “They believe that if good people simply refuse to play the game as it has come to be played, the Founders’ vision can again inspire a land of the free, a nation that lives up to the promise of “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one.”

Amen to that…

Lynch a Republican?

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that since Jim Lynch, the former director for the Montana Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced Oct. 13 he was running for governor as a Republican, there have been several people question his Republican credentials.   Lynch served as head of the MDOT under Democrat Governor Brian Schweitzer.

Lynch said in 2004 that he held a fundraiser in his home for Montana’s top Republican, Denny Rehberg.

I wonder if that information helps Lynch or Rehberg more…

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