Welcome to Friday and “Caught My Eye!”

If this is your first time visiting The Western Word the “Caught My Eye” column is posted every Friday morning! This is when I take a quick look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. I often throw in a touch of sarcasm just to make you smile – or maybe to irritate you just a little.

Today I write about Shannon Augare, F-15s, the 2014 election, the Montana Legislature, Malmstrom AFB, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, Sean Hannity, Stricter Gun Laws, Grenada, plus there’s another Making Montana Proud winner!

Shannon Augare:

This case is getting interesting! Readers may remember that back in May, Montana State Senator and Blackfeet tribal leader Shannon Augare was pulled over by a Glacier County deputy sheriff who suspected him of drinking and driving. The stop occurred on the Blackfeet Reservation. Augare reportedly told the deputy that the deputy had no jurisdiction. The deputy attempted to take Augare’s keys, but Augare reportedly fled the scene. The deputy contacted Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services about Augare. He was not arrested.

The Feds stepped in and charged Augare with drunken driving, obstructing a peace officer, and reckless driving.

The jurisdictional issues were debated in Federal Court. On Thursday it was reported that Augare was “charged and pleaded guilty on Wednesday to threatening a public official, DUI and reckless driving” in Tribal Court. These were similar to the Federal charges.

So now what will the Feds do? It seems a waste of money to go after him, but that’s not stopped Montana’s U.S. Attorney and other U.S. Attorneys from wasting taxpayer money on silly things.

F-15 Column:

Get ready – on Monday morning I will post my column about the F-15s leaving Montana. I’ll write about the loss of the jets being a decisive win for Fresno, California, (where the jets are headed) and a devastating loss for Great Falls and Montana. Each and every elected official including those no longer in office and those serving today will be called out for not fighting harder to keep the F-15s in Montana.

Check it out first thing Monday morning…

Election 2014:

If you are attempting to keep track of which candidate is running for which office and find it confusing, you are not alone.

Basically, the confusion is Rep. Steve Daines fault. He started it during the 2012 election season when he switched from a U.S. Senate contest to a U.S. House contest to accommodate Rep. Denny Rehberg, who ran for U.S. Senate. Rehberg lost and Daines won, so that worked out good for Daines.

Here we are gearing up for the 2014 races and some folks are running for the U.S. House, because they think Daines may run for U.S. Senate. There may be several Republicans running for the U.S. House, and it may harm the winner’s chances to win the General Election.

I am looking forward to March 10, 2014. That’s the filing deadline in Montana, when the candidate maze should be a little clearer. If you are running for elective office in Montana, follow me on Twitter @TheWesternWord and I will follow you back.

Montana Legislature:

About 12 members of the Montana Legislature met to learn “how to strengthen their branch of government.” They believe they are not on equal footing with the judicial and executive branches.

They may be correct – the executive and judicial branches do not have as many clowns in their circus as the Montana Legislature.

There were complaints about the length of the session only being 90 days every two years. Some people would like for them to meet every 90 years for two days.

I expect they will try to change term limits, too. They are set at eight years. But some switch from Senate to House or from House to Senate after serving those eight years. So a person can actually serve for many years. I could go for an increase in term limits to 12 years, with the rule that when a legislator reaches that limit, they would be required to permanently leave Montana.

I doubt my ideas will be adopted.

Malmstrom AFB:

Malmstrom passed their Limited Nuclear Surety Inspection (re-evaluation) in which “inspectors found zero errors or deficiencies throughout the multiple evaluation scenarios, special interest items and formal assessments.”

I guess all blast doors were secure, too.

They needed some good news at the base. Congrats.

Party On:

Gawker reported, “This past June, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler walked into a party full of drunk teenagers dancing on Skoal can-covered beer pong tables in Bethany Beach, Delaware. But did he, as Maryland’s most powerful legal authority and a candidate for governor, do anything to stop it? Nope. He just found his teenage son, asked him a question, and left.”

Someone took his photo and it was published. People wondered why he did not intervene as it was clear that teens were drinking. Gansler basically said it was not his job to police the party.

When I read that, I wondered where he draws the line.

As the story made its rounds, there was outrage. I saw part of a press conference where he slowly crashed and burned trying to explain his position.

Gansler has changed his tune and said he should have done more to intervene.

Sean Hannity:

Hannity called the Affordable Care Act phone number and asked a woman named Erling Davis on the other end of the phone line several questions – mostly about glitches on the website.

Davis was fired from her job due to that call.

Hannity said he  would “compensate Davis for a year’s salary tax free and try to help her find a new job.”

Although I think Hannity is a wimp, he did the right thing.

Stricter Gun Laws:

Gallup released a new poll that tells us “Nearly a year after the Newtown, Conn., school shootings spawned considerable U.S. debate about passing stricter gun control laws, almost half of Americans believe the laws covering the sale of firearms should be strengthened and half say they should stay the same or be less strict.”

58% felt the need for stricter laws after the December 2012 Newtown shootings. Now that number is 49%.

Grenada:

On this date in 1983 U.S. forces invaded Grenada.

Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway was involved in this, I believe…

Making Montana Proud:

This section is where I mention people or groups whose actions embarrass Montana in some way.

-From the Billings Gazette, Allen Bruce Chappell, 61, who had “at least nine previous drunken driving convictions admitted Monday to a 10th offense.”

It always amazes me that someone with that many DUIs is still free to drive on our streets.

One More Thing:

Don’t forget to stretch…

 

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