Caught My Eye…

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Quote for the Day…

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. ― Charles Dickens

Welcome to Caught My Eye (CME)!

CME is the once-a-week column that is posted every Friday morning. This is when I look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week.

Here are some of the things that “Caught My Eye” this week:

  • Montana Fires
  • Jury Duty
  • Banning Books
  • SCOTUS

MONTANA FIRES:

My home burned to the ground when I was young. We were visiting family about 25 miles away when my parents received the call. As we drove home we could see the glow of the fire. I remember my mom crying. We lost everything.

It was tough on my parents starting over with nothing, but with the help of friends, family, and strangers they overcame the tragedy.

This week Montana was hit with several wildfires that destroyed 11 homes south of Great Falls and 24 homes in Denton, according to the Associated Press.

These people are hurting, so we need to help them.

KRTV has some links to places where you can help people in Denton. Click HERE.

KRTV also has some information on how to help the folks in the Gibson Flats fire that was south of Great Falls. Click HERE.

JURY DUTY:

Here I am, once again, writing about the continuing saga of being notified of jury duty and dealing with idiots. I’ve written about it HERE and HERE in the past.

Some readers are probably thinking I am making this stuff up, but over the past 10-15 years, I have received jury notices almost every year, sometimes two. I have a file full of the letters and copies of the forms I have filled out.

I think someone said I should not get picked that often, but I do.

This year I am on the Great Falls Municipal Court list, and I am on the United States District Court (Federal) list.

Why?

I think it is because they have me listed under two different names, but with the correct address. They are not smart enough to catch it.

I tried to change it by re-registering to vote, but that did not change it.

So, I guess I need to write a strongly worded letter to the court and ask that since I have played their game for over a decade, that I am given lifetime immunity from ever appearing in their kangaroo courts.

By the way, I was notified this week that I need to be ready for a jury trial in municipal court later this month. Merry Christmas to me…

BANNING BOOKS:

Here is an update to my November 18, 2021, column about the ImagineIF Libraries in Flathead County. The library received several formal requests to remove two books from its collection because of subject matter that deals with gender identity and sexual content.

NBC Montana is reporting the interim library director resigned Thursday due to the controversy and the job was offered to the senior librarian, Sean Anderson, who had this to say:

In a statement, Anderson told the board he “would not feel comfortable taking the position.”
“In the last six months, I’ve seen the actions of this board drive out two directors from this position,” said Anderson. “They’ve been driven out not because of the job being difficult or difficult positions faced from the public but by self-inflicted chaos that comes from this board.”

As I said in my other column, I guess those complaining want to prevent others from learning. I like the idea of letting “me” decide what to read and, if I have young children, I can decide for them, too. It’s kind of like television…

Read the complete article from NBC Montana HERE.

SCOTUS:

I have read just about everything I can get my hands on about the arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this week dealing with Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortions.

The fun part is how some people believe they know how the justices will vote because of the questions they asked.

Some people believe that the justices will go along with the 15-week ban. NPR is reporting that twenty-one states are poised to immediately ban or acutely curtail access to abortions if the Supreme Court chooses to overturn or weaken Roe v. Wade.

Some people think that it will be left up to the states.

There are a few who believe the court will do nothing and leave Roe v. Wade in place.

On Monday, I will post a poll about it, so check back.

For more information, check out the column from SCOTUSblog HERE.

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##

18 thoughts on “Caught My Eye…”

  2. Spirited discussion, Illuminating. Thank you, everyone. Kangaroo courts? Unnecessary name-calling. My broken-record advice. D.V.F.T.P. (don’t vote for these people) 🙂

  3. Good Morning Jackie,
    Two things.
    I am somewhat disappointed by your comments on being called for jury duty. In my opinion it is the greatest responsibility of a citizen to participate in our legal system and keep it functioning correctly. I agree that multiple summons should be corrected but what is the harm?

    Secondly, your comment on the library directors in the Flathead should be a red flag for everyone. The RWNJ’s are taking over much of our civic infrastructure and will do untold harm by driving out the competent folks and degrading civil society further. Once they get the “camel’s nose” under the tent of book banning with the focus on sex, pretty soon it will be what ever they are told on the internet to be “socialist” or “communist” regardless of the fact that they certainy don’t understand those concepts.

    Have a great weekend and Go Griz!!

    • OLD – Thanks for your comments. As for jury duty, I don’t mind serving every few years, but this is ridiculous. I have been the foreperson on a couple juries and just a juror on one or two others. The harm is not big to some, but having to set aside time for possible jury duties more than others is not fair.
      As for the banned books, this is not the first time but it seems we are seeing more of it. It seems since Trump was president, it turned a lot of folks into a-holes like him.
      I hope the Griz win. EWU is tough. Looks like I’ll need to subscribe to watch it. Thanks, JmB

      • Hi Jackie,
        I couldn’t tell from your initial post that you had actually served as a juror. I agree you should be given a respite for a while. In the past, anyone who served on a murder trial jury was permanently exempted. Might have only been in my area but it made good sense to me. Any jury duty is tough and indeed is time consuming and disruptive. I do thank you for going above and beyond.
        Agree, Trump seemed to give permission to let their veneer of civility down. At least we can recognize them now.
        I’m biting the bullet on getting a subscription too. Maybe catch some of the other games too. Gotta love playoff football.
        Thanks.

    • In the most recent GF City Commission session dealing with the crime task force, someone associated with the City courts noted that accused criminals go free because the court can’t get a jury for a trial. People just ignore their jury summons and don’t respond or show up, and there’s little the City courts can do about it. It was kind of shocking – I think this person said something like recently of 35 summons sent out to fill a particular jury, 2 people responded. (This is a City problem – apparently the District courts have more tools to persuade reluctant jurors.)

      So, when people wonder why we get so many jury duty notices here in our little county and city just look to your deadbeat neighbors, who are probably much the same people allegedly constantly complaining to Commissioner Tryon about their garages being burglarized. If they won’t bother to help try the crooks, the crooks walk free … to come back and get the stuff they missed the first time.

      • Terry – I’ve never not returned a juror questionnaire and never not shown up when requested. They may not like what I say on the form.
        I am a red white and blue patriot – and a veteran! Several years ago due to me being gone for a death in the family, a smart-ass deputy knocked on my door and told me to return the form to district court. I showed him a pile of mail and said I would get to it.
        Since it appears the court and sheriffs office is at odds these days, I doubt they do this.
        Cascade county is ground zero for kangaroo courts, in my humble opinion. Thanks, JmB

      • Not accusing you of shirking your jury duties, just pointing out that we live in a small county and small city with a limited pool of potential jurors. If others are ignoring the summonses our court officials have little alternative but to go back to the same well again and again.

        Perhaps we should all lean on Commissioner Tryon to put some teeth in penalties for not responding to City court summons, and make things fairer for those who do regularly respond. All the rest of his tough-on-crime agenda fails without jurors to try the cases.

      • Terry – I did not take it that way. Although I am being selected more than most, I do my duty (and bitch and complain) about the horror the horror! Lol. Thanks, JmB

  4. So you can decide for your young children what to read. Do you mean before they start preschool. I’m not a book banner. Have a nice lively discussion at the dinner table with your child.
    And thanks for another year of doing the Westernword.

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