Thanks for stopping by for April’s first “Caught My Eye!”

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 to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little.

Today I write about the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, the Tester quote, new leadership at Malmstrom, Daniel Murphy, The Beatles, plus we have a winner who is Making Montana Proud!

North Fork Watershed Protection Act:

Politics won out this week as three Republican senators stopped the North Fork Watershed Protection bill from progressing. According to Lee Newspapers, Ted Cruz of Texas, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma objected to a unanimous consent agreement brought forth by U.S. Senator John Walsh (D-Mont.).

The three Republican senators undoubtedly objected to the bill because it would make Walsh look good and score him some political points back home, which he needs. Walsh and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) are the top two candidates running for the seat that was previously occupied by Max Baucus. Republicans have a good chance of winning the majority in the Senate.

Daines supports the North Fork Watershed Protection Act. We’ll see how three out-of-state senators messing with this bill plays in Montana. I see a future campaign commercial about this.

The Tester Quote:

After the blockage of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act by three Republican senators, the quote from U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) made me giggle:

Today, the North Fork – and the thousands of Montanans working to protect it – fell victim to a few folks who can’t even find the Flathead River on a map. Politics trumped good policy, hurting Montana’s economy and our outdoor heritage in the process. The American people deserve better. I remain committed to working with Senator Walsh to get this done.”

I’m thinking all those involved need to take a float trip…

New Leadership at Malmstrom:

Colonel Tom Wilcox is the new Wing Commander at Malmstrom AFB. According to the Great Falls Tribune, Wilcox “had nine days notice before arriving in Great Falls.”

Wilcox has a history with Malmstrom. The Tribune also reported that he “started his career at Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1992 as a security forces airman in the missile field. He’s the first missile cop in at least two decades to command the missile wing at Malmstrom.”

Since he was a security forces member, then I already know he will do an outstanding job (I was in the security forces). (Wilcox Bio)

Welcome back to Montana, Colonel Wilcox, I wish you well. Now start repairing the damage…

Making Montana Proud:

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

-From the Great Falls Tribune: A Cascade County sheriff’s deputy named Matt Darlington “was cited for a misdemeanor DUI after a Friday night traffic stop.” It was also reported that Darlington refused to take a field sobriety test, which means his license was revoked.

The second to last paragraph from the Tribune story makes me shake my head:

In 2010, Darlington was honored by the Cascade County DUI Task Force for his work in arresting DUI offenders.

Daniel Murphy:

ESPN is reporting, “New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy on Thursday calmly deflected talk-radio criticism of his decision to miss the first two games of the season for the birth of his first child.”

Two WFAN radio hosts, Mike Francesa and Boomer Esiason, criticized Murphy for missing two games.  ESPN reported that Esiason said, “Murphy’s wife should have had a “C-section before the season starts.”

There are 162 games in a long and mostly boring Major League Baseball (MLB) season, and missing two for the birth of your child is no big deal. It shows what’s more important to Murphy and that’s a good thing.

As for Francesa and Esiason – they can be called the Dumb and Dumber of the sports radio world…

The Beatles:

On this date (April 4) in 1965, the Beatles did something that has never been repeated with their songs occupying “the top five slots of the singles chart, a feat never repeated” according to USA Today:

The Billboard Hot 100 ranking on April 4, 1964:

1. Can’t Buy Me Love

2. Twist and Shout

3. She Loves You

4. I Want to Hold Your Hand

5. Please Please Me

That was 50 years ago. Wow…

One More Thing:

Don’t forget to stretch…

 

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