We’re just about 20 days from Thanksgiving, and 48 days from Christmas (you probably did not need to hear that).

But first, Monday is Veterans Day 2013! Make sure you thank a Veteran. On Monday I will have a special Veterans Day message so stop by and check it out!

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 John Bohlinger, Steve Daines, Voices of Montana, Shannon Augare, the Tea Party and me, the Obama apology, traffic alert, Jimmy Kimmel, statehood, plus there’s a winner who is Making Montana Proud!

Bohlinger Remarks:

On the same day when Republican Steve Daines announced he was running for U.S. Senate, former Republican Lt. Governor John Bohlinger announced that he was running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat. Bohlinger’s comments about the Tea Party angered some. In case you missed those comments, Lee Newspapers reported:

“We need to challenge the tea party representatives who like the Taliban shut our country down,” Bohlinger told reporters, comparing it to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the terrorists’ actions on Sept. 11, 2001.

Suddenly, the excitement about Daines waned and his supporters turned their attention (and anger) toward Bohlinger on blogs, talk radio, and Twitter. Whether you agree with Bohlinger’s remarks or not, he took some attention and momentum away from team Daines.

In other words, Bohlinger rained on the Daines parade…

It Was a Very Special Event:

It was down-right exciting on Wednesday as Rep. Steve Daines’ held his long-anticipated “special event” in Bozeman. I did not attend. The travel budget here at The Western Word would not allow it.

Montana State University Bobcats quarterback DeNarius McGhee led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, which was more exciting to some than Daines announcing he was running for U.S. Senate. About 99.8% of the people there already knew Daines’ plans – one of the worst-kept secrets in Montana political history.

Daines’ announcement video “scooped” the actual announcement by a few minutes. His Facebook page was not updated and his campaign website was only partially updated from “Congress” to “U.S. Senate.” Other than that, it looked like the event went off flawlessly.

But most importantly there was a lot of love for Steve Daines – from the 200 supporters and media in attendance. Candidates need all the love the can get.

Speaking of love, Thursday morning I happened to catch Daines doing a short interview on the right-wing radio show, Voices of Montana. As expected, he was thrown softball questions. I was hoping he would be asked his thoughts about the Democrats saying “’As a 5th generation Montanan…’ born in Van Nuys, California,” but it didn’t happen. There are several other questions I’d like to ask him, too.

Maybe next time…

The Shannon Augare Finale?

The Associated Press (AP) reported, “Blackfeet tribal leader and state Sen. Shannon Augare has pleaded guilty in federal court to misdemeanor charges after he fled a sheriff’s deputy who stopped him for drunken driving.”

Augare had already been found guilty in Tribal Court of basically the same charges.

I am disappointed it ended like this, because I wanted to see the jurisdiction and sovereignty issues ironed out in court. While I don’t agree with Augare’s actions, I think U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong was way off-base – like in the outfield bleachers type of way off-base.

Although our Federal Court system can handle traffic violations and other misdemeanors, I think they should use our taxpayer dollars wisely.

Augare’s attorney, Joe McKay, probably said it best when he told the AP “this case was a setback for tribal sovereignty and that an overreaching U.S. attorney’s office had extended its jurisdiction into Indian Country like never before.”

Truth…

Bi-Polar Logic?

A local Tea Party group did not like my column “Halloween 2013: What Scares Me” that was published in the Great Falls Tribune, because I said the Tea Party scares me and the debt scares me (I also said Ted Cruz scares me). So they wrote about the column calling what scares me “Bi-polar logic” and saying the Tea Party has been fighting against spending and debt for the past four years.

Wonderful – how’s that working out for you?

They closed their remarks saying my “bi-polar thinking typifies the shallow logic that is causing such harm to our country.”

It was signed “Love, Mom” (just kidding about the “Love, Mom” part).

Actually, I agree with some principles of the Tea Party – I even went to an event on the Civic Center steps several years ago and saw some old friends. But when the hatred and anger toward those who might be different or have different views from us started showing up in e-mails, on Facebook, and other places, I distanced myself from the group. I have not voted for anyone affiliated with the Tea Party since.

Although you might not care for my “bi-polar logic,” you lost me (and many other conservatives). By the way, when you lost my support, you lost one hell of an advocate for the conservative cause.

Sincerely,

Moderate & Independent

Obama: “I am sorry…”

NBC News reported, “President Obama said Thursday that he is ‘sorry’ that some Americans are losing their current health insurance plans as a result of the Affordable Care Act, despite his promise that no one would have to give up a health plan they liked.”

I imagine his apology will be accepted by those on the right, and we won’t hear about this issue again.

Fat chance.

The President did say, “We’ve got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this.”

There’s another election next year, and this apology was needed to help the Democrats.

North Carolina Traffic Alert:

A Department of Transportation (DOT) contractor posted on their Twitter and e-mail alert system that a “crash had closed an exit ramp on I-440 East in Raleigh.” That seemed pretty normal until the details of the accident were posted saying it was caused by “Women Drivers, Rain, Obama Care.”

The contractor was “let go immediately.”

Obamacare will probably be blamed for many things in the future, just like everything was Bush’s fault.

I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy:

A classic from Jimmy Kimmel:

Making Montana Proud:

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

From the Billings Gazette: Summer Breeze Merrill, 34, “has been accused of driving around a Pioneer Park neighborhood drunk on Halloween with her 13-year-old daughter and the daughter’s two friends”

During questioning, Ms. Merrill said that one of the officers had beautiful eyes…

That never worked for me, either…

Happy Statehood:

On this date in 1889 Montana became the 41st state.

Party on…

One More Thing:

Don’t forget to stretch…

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