Welcome to “Caught My Eye!”

Here at The Western Word, we’re always looking out for you, so here’s a friendly reminder to set your clocks ahead this Sunday morning! I found out the other day that you don’t have to get up at 2:00 a.m. to do it either!

If you are a first-time visitor, “Caught My Eye” is posted right here 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 to irritate you just a little.

Today I write about Ryan Zinke and the complaint, John Lewis, Mansfield-Metcalf dinner, the Daines family, the 564th Missile Squadron, C-130s, Pryor/Cotton senate race, the Book to Buy, Stillwater Mining Company, upskirting, plus we have a winner who is making Montana proud!

Zinke & the Complaint:

Just about anyone who follows politics could predict that some group or groups would file a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against U.S. House candidate Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.). After reading a few blogs from around the state, I figured it would not be too long after Zinke filed for office that complaints would be filed with the FEC.

According to a story from the Associated Press (AP) groups named “Campaign Legal Center” and “Democracy 21” say Zinke is “illegally coordinating with the political action committee he created.”

I would like to personally thank these two groups for protecting me. I will sleep better at night knowing you are standing guard.

Just kiddin.

These groups and the Democrats got their money’s worth. They can now say Zinke is being “investigated.” The story made the AP, Lee Newspapers, and the local TV news. Mission accomplished!

Now Zinke’s opponents can pile on using words like “investigation,” “ethics,” “integrity,” and so on. It’s a tried and true method of operation in politics.

Politics is a contact sport. Since Zinke’s possible general election opponent, John Lewis (D-Mont.), recently filed for office, it would not surprise me to see some groups go after him, maybe after the primary.

I like Zinke and Lewis, and I would vote for either one. It’s a coin toss to determine which. It’s a shame it’s getting ugly. In March.

If you want to really get serious about the whole matter of candidates, PACs, and third-party groups, it’s hard to believe in this day and age that people actually believe there isn’t coordination. For the people who believe there isn’t coordination, I still have that ocean-front property for sale near Geyser, Montana.

Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner:

It’s this Saturday night in Helena. Click HERE for details. As the song goes, Saturday night’s alright for fighting! This might be one of the more interesting Mansfield-Metcalf Dinners with some of the stuff happening on Twitter with the #mtpol #mtsen hashtags. It might be worth the price of admission to see if there are any fireworks!

On another note, it’s also good to see the Montana Democrats are keeping the late Mike Mansfield’s name associated with the dinner since he was born in New York. I know the Democrats have concerns about people born outside Montana holding elective office in the state.

The Daines Family:

It’s always interesting to see if candidates involve their families in their campaigns – especially in this day and age when campaigns have become so nasty with anyone associated with the campaign being fair game.

Will candidates use their families just to wave from stage, in an e-mail, in a few photos, or will they let them speak a little in a controlled environment and maybe do some campaign ads?

For U.S. Senate candidate Steve Daines (R-Mont.), it appears he is going to use his family. He recently launched two new television ads highlighting his family with his two daughters in one ad ironically called “Daughters” and one with his wife in another called “Cindy.” I have heard this is his wife’s name. You can watch them HERE and HERE. To save time and feelings, I won’t critique the ads.

BTW, if anyone knows how (without having to give a donation) I can get on Team Daines press list for his senate campaign and on his U.S. House press list, please let me know. Thanks.

564th MS:

Malmstrom AFB’s 564 Missile Squadron (MS) was deactivated in 2008 on the watch of U.S. Senators Max Baucus, Jon Tester, and U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg.

The launch facilities are now being permanently eliminated due to the New START Treaty which Baucus and Tester both supported.

According to a March 3, 2014, story from Malmstrom’s Public Affairs:

The permanent removal of 50 formerly deactivated Malmstrom Air Force Base 564th Missile Squadron Minuteman ICBM III launch facilities, located in Toole, Pondera, Teton and Chouteau counties, Mont., has initiated and is scheduled to be complete by early 2015.

According to the story, the launch facilities will be filled with earth and gravel. That’s a shame.

Montana needs someone from the Congressional delegation to be a leader on military/defense issues. Any volunteers?

C-130s

The Great Falls Tribune is reporting this morning (March 7) that “While the proposed defense budget calls for reducing the Air Force’s C-130 fleet, Montana’s newest flying mission is safe for now.”

The words “safe for now” should alarm the military supporters across Montana. The other interesting item reported in the story is “Currently, the Air Force has designated the units that will receive the new C-130Js, and Montana is not on the list.”

So the Air Force is reducing their C-130 fleet.  Montana has the older models. They will not receive the newer models. Not good.

By the way, just because the Air Force is building new hangars at the Montana Air National Guard (MANG) for C-130s does not mean the future is any brighter for the planes at MANG. A few miles across town at Malmstrom AFB, there are several hangars that were pretty new when the aircraft mission was removed from the base. You can find the same thing at several bases across the United States. It does not matter.

U.S. Senator Mark Pryor:

Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas and a Democrat. He is running for reelection. His opponent is Rep. Tom Cotton, a Republican.

Cotton is on his first term in the U.S. House, like Montana’s Steve Daines. Cotton is a veteran who served as an infantry officer in the Army. He did two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pryor commented about Cotton running for the U.S. Senate so soon after being elected to the House, saying, “I think that’s part of this sense of entitlement, that he gives off, that is almost like, I served my country, therefore let me into the Senate. That’s not the way it works in Arkansas.”

Cotton responded with, “You learn a lot more about leadership at officer candidate school and ranger school at Fort Benning and leading troops in the streets of Baghdad than you learn in the halls of Congress.”

Amen to that. We need more veterans in the House and Senate and fewer bozos like Pryor. Maybe Pryor can think more about the “sense of entitlement” statement when he is packing up his offices in November.

The Book to Buy:

If you are voting this year, you need this book. If you are running for office this year, you need this book. If you are working on a campaign this year, then you need this book. If you are writing stories about candidates this year, then you need this book.

The book is “Preparing for the Race: 50+ Questions for the Potential Candidate.” I’m the author and you can get it HERE for just $1.99.

Making Montana Proud:

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

-From the Helena Independent Record (and you can’t make this stuff up): “Employee receives 12 Peeping Tom charges.”

Jonathon Key Tucker (age 26), an “employee at Jensen Jewlers [sic] is charged with 12 counts of surreptitious visual observation for placing cameras in the women’s bathroom at the store and in the bathroom at his residence.” It was also reported that police found 27 videos at his house. He is being held on $50,000 bond.

I wonder if he knows you can rent movies from Redbox, Netflix, and Amazon…

Stillwater Mining Company:

According to this story, “Montana’s largest mining company (Stillwater) racked up a $270 million net loss last year.” Former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer is the chairman of Stillwater.

$270 million loss – WOW! I could do better than that – so make me chairman, make me chairman, make me chairman, make me chairman!

I wonder how many millions one can lose and still be the chairman?

Upskirting:

CNN reports that Massachusetts lawmakers passed a bill banning “upskirting” which “would make photographing or recording video under a person’s clothing illegal.”

You never know what you will learn by reading The Western Word.

One More Thing:

Don’t forget to stretch…

## THE END ##