The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence. ― Charles Bukowski

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:

• Inside Montana Politics
• Trump – The Chosen One
• White House Press Secretaries
• One More Thing

INSIDE MONTANA POLITICS:

I happened to obtain a copy of journalist Mike Dennison’s book, “Inside Montana Politics – A Reporter’s View from the Trenches.” (Amazon)

Dennison is the chief political reporter for MTN News. He has been promoting his book around the state.

I was only interested in reading one chapter, (Chapter 4, pages 78-99) which dealt with my former boss, the late U.S. Senator Conrad Burns.

Here are my comments and opinion:

I was not impressed with chapter four.

It amazes me how some in the journalism world grows balls after someone is dead and they can’t dispute what is being written. After Burns died, one other prick in the increasingly small Montana newspaper world wrote some negative remarks in an opinion piece that should have been left unsaid.

In reading Dennison’s account of Burns in the years 2005-2006, what I remember most during those years was shitty Montana journalists writing stories that looked a lot like press releases from the Montana Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The coverage was yellow journalism at its worst. No wonder newspapers are circling the drain.

Dennison missed several opportunities in this book to find out what really happened during the 2006 campaign, but stayed with the crap that was written by him and his fellow reporters.

In re-reading some of the articles from 2005-2006, it kind of reminds me of the saying, “throw some shit against the wall and some of it is bound to stick.”

It did stick just long enough to get Tester elected.

Dennison writes about fellow reporters Chuck Johnson, Jennifer McKee, and Mary Clare Jalonick in the chapter. Those three and Dennison won’t be on my Mount Rushmore of journalists. I’m guessing they all received an award (or something) from the Democrats for helping to defeat Burns. If you read my past columns, then you know I don’t hold those three in very high regard.

If the three had scrutinized Jon Tester in his first term as much as they did Burns in his last two years, Tester would have been a one-termer.

Dennison talks about being in the trenches in the subtitle. That is pretty much BS. I don’t believe he was in the trenches; it’s more like he and several of his fellow journalists were lobbing grenades at Burns to help elect a Democrat.

He did say a couple of nice things about Burns. With that being the case, I give chapter four a rating of 2 (out of 10).

TRUMP – THE CHOSEN ONE:

It was quite a week for President Trump. Salon reported:

Even for a bottomless pit of narcissism like Donald Trump, Wednesday was an exceptional day for self-aggrandizement. Early in the day, Trump tweeted quotes from one of his more sycophantic — and unhinged — followers, Wayne Allyn Root, calling Trump the “King of Israel” and “the second coming of God.” Later that day, when speaking to reporters, Trump embraced the prophet identity again, calling himself “the Chosen One,” in response to a question about trade dealings with China.

Then there are the comments about the Medal of Honor. CBS News reported:

President Trump jokingly told a group of veterans Wednesday that he wanted to award himself a Medal of Honor, but said his aides convinced him otherwise. Mr. Trump made the remarks at the 75th annual convention for American Veterans (AMVETS), a volunteer-led organization formed by veterans.

I’m not sure Trump was joking. Nevertheless, thank God his aides have brains.

Trump also wanted to buy Greenland. The Hill reported:

President Trump, who sparked controversy with this comments about purchasing Greenland, at one point joked about trading Puerto Rico for the Danish territory, a former White House official told The New York Times.

Then there’s the birthright citizenship issue. CNN reports:

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is “seriously” considering ending US birthright citizenship despite the fact that such a move would face immediate legal challenge and is at odds with Supreme Court precedent.

Trump fails to understand that US birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

Maybe we should all study the 25th Amendment – Trump’s people may need to use it!

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARIES:

Is this a great country or what? Former White House Press Secretaries Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders have new gigs. Spicer will be on Dancing with the Stars, and Sanders will be a contributor to Fox News.(Yahoo)

The new press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, reportedly has been charged with two DUIs in the past with the last one while she was working on Trump’s campaign.(Yahoo)

There’s no truth to the rumor that Grisham is moving to Montana because Montana has weak drunk driving laws, although she could rack up five or six DUIs here without much punishment.

ONE MORE THING:

I went to my mailbox Thursday afternoon and received something that scared the crap out of me.

There was a legal-size envelope addressed to me from a local funeral home!

It’s not every day you get a letter from a funeral home.

In the bottom left corner of the envelope in big bold letters were the words, “Invitation Enclosed.”

I don’t want to go!

Have a great weekend – See you on Monday (I think).

##END##