Welcome to “Caught My Eye” where clowns are to the left of me and jokers are to the right! That means everyone and everything is fair game…

If you are a first-time visitor, “Caught My Eye” is posted here every Friday morning! This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. Sometimes I throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile, or to irritate you just a little. Maybe both!

Today I write about C-130s/RED HORSE and the Montana Congressional delegation, the new VA Montana Director, District Judge Kenneth Neill, Net Neutrality, Gov. Scott Walker, Bill O’Reilly, the dress, House of Cards, plus we have a winner who is Making Montana Proud!

Buckle up…

C-130s/RED HORSE:

The Montana Congressional delegation (Senators Jon Tester, Steve Daines, and Representative Ryan Zinke) have their work cut out for them in the coming years.

This week multiple sources reported that the Montana Air National Guard’s C-130s may be grounded unless they get upgrades in the next five years, while Malmstrom AFB’s RED HORSE squadron may move to Guam (which isn’t all that bad a deal if you like warm weather, an ocean view, and white sandy beaches). (Source)

I would not be surprised if Montana’s C-130s are either last to get upgrades or removed from the Air National Guard because the Montana delegation, for several silly reasons, have come out against the expansion of the Powder River Training Complex in southeast Montana. It may be payback time from the Air Force for their non-support.

The Montana delegation does not have a strong record when it comes to defense issues. They allowed a whole missile squadron at Malmstrom to be removed, which cost several hundred jobs. They failed to keep the F-15s at the Air National Guard, and allowed them to be replaced with aging cargo planes. Those cargo planes may soon be obsolete.

As for Zinke, although he’s just a freshman he gained a valuable position on the House Armed Services Committee, but as far as I know he has not placed an office in Great Falls to be near his district’s only active duty military base. That’s pretty hard to believe. He is the only veteran of the three members. I expect him to be known for being a leader on defense/military issues in Montana, and not for being a talking head every night on cable news.

As for Tester, we know that he will be flying around the country over the next two years searching for Democrats to run for the U.S. Senate. This is time that could be better spent searching for military/defense missions for Montana.

The next few years are going to be important. To put it bluntly, Tester, Daines, and Zinke must get off their asses and work harder for Montana’s military.

New VA Montana Health Care System Director:

It’s good to have some clout. Just a few hours after I wrote “It is beyond comprehension that the VA has not filled this position. This is a management position and should be easy to fill” the VA announced that John Ginnity had been named the permanent director. He had served as acting director for eight months.

I don’t know if the new director and VA Secretary Robert McDonald served in the Special Forces together or not. Maybe they can share stories when McDonald comes to Montana (if McDonald is still the Secretary by then).

Back in January I told readers that the Montana VA will get their director – and you can bet it will be someone who won’t make waves and someone who does not expect 100%.

Looks like I was right…

District Judge Kenneth Neill:

The local media in Great Falls (MT) reported that State District Judge Kenneth Neill had announced his retirement. You can read one report HERE and another one HERE.

The media did some softball reporting on the retirement because they don’t like to make waves. I would have asked Neill if he regrets approving a plea deal that allowed Adam Sanchez, Jr., to get out of jail. Two weeks later Sanchez was charged with hitting and killing Cascade County Deputy Sheriff Joe Dunn during a car chase.

You can read my comments about the case HERE.

So yes, I’m happy Neill is retiring. Too bad Cascade County Attorney John Parker isn’t retiring with him.

Net Neutrality:

The FCC voted 3-2 to “impose sweeping net neutrality rules that supporters say are critical to protecting the freedom of the Internet.” (Source)

Since it’s a “freedom” thing, then it must be Republicans pushing it, right? Wrong. The three votes in favor of it were from Democrats.

Over four million people sent comments to the FCC about it. So how did this issue get to be so popular? Some say it was John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” who in June talked about it for 13 minutes. (Source) Oliver’s video has been viewed over 8,000,000 times. It’s pretty hilarious when John Oliver explains it.

It’s far from over and it will probably end up in court.

Scott Walker:

One thing that we have learned about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the past few weeks is that he is not ready for the national stage. He’s not in Wisconsin anymore, and it’s showing.

Walker recently failed when questioned about President Obama’s faith and patriotism (See this) and just yesterday many people believe he was comparing Wisconsin union members to terrorists. From the Washington Post:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said something he shouldn’t have on Thursday night during his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. Talking about the threat posed to the United States — and the broader global community — by the terrorist group that calls itself the Islamic State, Walker volunteered: “If I can take on 100,000 protesters. I can do the same across the world.”

It’s amazing how some people get burned by the national spotlight…

Bill O’Reilly:

Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly has encountered some issues this week with some of the stories he has told over the years. Some claim that O’Reilly may have “exaggerated stories from his time as a war correspondent” to “witnessing the execution of nuns while reporting from El Salvador” to “hearing the gunshot blast that killed a figure in the investigation into President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.”

The accusations have been coming out like a steady drip, drip, drip. It’s interesting to watch how O’Reilly is spinning his answers.

I think the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart may have said it best about Fox News, “No one’s watching them for the actual truth.”

I seldom watch Fox News. I’ve been “clean” for several years now. You, too, can come clean and make up your own mind about the issues!

I do believe that O’Reilly needs a time-out.

Making Montana Proud:

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

-From the Great Falls Tribune: Steven Eugene Dunn was arrested Monday and charged with felony criminal endangerment after reportedly leaving a 1-year-old on the side of U.S. Highway 89 near Vaughn. Before that, witnesses said Dunn pushed a female out of the vehicle in a different location.

Wow…he must be a really tough guy…

What colors are this dress?

If you’ve missed the phenomenon, click on #TheDress to learn more.

One More Thing:

The road to power is paved with hypocrisy. And casualties.  – Francis Underwood  (House of Cards) Season 3 is streaming on Netflix now!

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