Your strongest muscle and worst enemy is your mind. Train it well. – Unknown

Welcome to the big column to end the week, “Caught My Eye” (CME)!

If you are a first-time visitor, welcome! CME is the once a week column that 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. There may be some sarcasm and pointed independent commentary so be warned!

Here are the topics that “Caught My Eye” this week:

• The Sound of Freedom
• MTSen – Mues
• Trump & Citizenship
• One More Thing

THE SOUND OF FREEDOM:

Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) (near Great Falls) is hosting an open house this weekend. The Air Force’s F-22 Demonstration Flight Team will perform. The team will take off and land at the Great Falls Airport and fly over Malmstrom AFB, because Malmstrom’s runway is permanently closed.

The F-22 Demonstration Team arrived in Great Falls a couple of days early to do promos and it was wonderful to hear jets screaming across Big Sky Country once again. It was the sound of freedom!

Montana lost its jets at the Montana Air National Guard a few years ago mostly because the three-member Montana congressional delegation did not have enough clout or knowhow to stop the jets from being taken. As a consolation prize, the Montana Air National Guard was given C-130 cargo planes.

Cargo planes are just not as sexy as jets.

More information about Malmstrom’s open house, called “Mission Over Malmstrom” can be found by clicking HERE.

MTSEN – MUES:

MTN News reported that Democrat John Mues, a U.S. Navy veteran and former oil-company engineer and high school teacher from Loma, entered Montana’s 2020 U.S. Senate race Thursday.

I always like to see veterans run for elected office – no matter which side of the fence they reside. Mues seems highly qualified and well-rounded. We need more veterans running for office.

Mues is the second Democrat to announce a U.S. Senate bid. Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins was the first.

The seat is currently held by U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). This is Daines’ first term in the U.S. Senate.

TRUMP & CITIZENSHIP:

President Donald Trump abandoned his controversial bid to inject a citizenship question into next year’s census Thursday, instead directing federal agencies to try to compile the information using existing databases. (AP)

This is a big win for those of us who actually understand that the decennial census needs a complete count of the population. Anything that would hinder people from completing their form should not be allowed to happen.

The problem is that Trump and his followers, like U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), have probably harmed the census process. People who may have non-citizens living with them may be reluctant to accurately complete the form. The plan all along from Trump was to gain congressional seats for Republicans.

IMHO – Trump lost and the good guys and gals won.

ONE MORE THING:

I guess this guy was ticked off because he is only five feet tall. Enjoy (contains some salty language):

Have a great weekend!

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