Howdy! Here are the topics for today’s column:

• Montana National Guard
• Habeas Corpus
• Golden Dome
• One More Thing

MONTANA NATIONAL GUARD:

The Montana Free Press is reporting that Maj. Gen. Peter Hronek will retire as Montana’s adjutant general and director of the Department of Military Affairs in June. Gov. Greg Gianforte has selected Col. Trenton Gibson to replace him.

In the article, it was also reported that the Montana Army National Guard recently made headlines after a helicopter allegedly stole elk antlers from a private ranch. A spokesperson for the governor said that Hronek’s retirement is “in no way related to the current events of the department.”

Color me skeptical…

HABEAS CORPUS:

The New York Times (NYT) is reporting that members of the Trump administration have spoken recently about possibly suspending a foundational principle of the Constitution, habeas corpus, which protects people from unlawful detention.

Then the NYT reported about Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, who incorrectly described it in a Senate hearing on Tuesday as the president’s “constitutional right” to deport people. Ms. Noem also said that she thought the president had the authority to suspend habeas corpus, an action that has been weighed by Trump officials, though legal experts say that can only be done by Congress.

Maybe Secretary Noem should have checked out the definition from the USCourts.gov website that states:

Latin, meaning “you have the body.” A writ of habeas corpus generally is a judicial order forcing law enforcement authorities to produce a prisoner they are holding, and to justify the prisoner’s continued confinement. 

You would also think that her staff would have her better prepared to testify before Congress. 

GOLDEN DOME:

The Washington Post reports that President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the government will move forward on constructing a multibillion-dollar “Golden Dome” missile defense system that will use a constellation of satellites and space-based weapons to intercept ballistic attacks on the United States.

The cost?

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that deploying and operating just the space-based interceptors could cost up to $542 billion over the next two decades.

WaPo also reported: 

“Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built,” Trump said in the Oval Office alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who later described the project as a “game changer.”

I am all for new technology to help with our nation’s defense. I hope we don’t charge it to the credit card.

ONE MORE THING:

My wife just bought us a garden gnome. I want to name it Kristi Gnome because it’s hollow, artificial, and my dog is terrified of it. (Pinterest) 

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