Welcome! Thanks for starting your week with The Monday Memo! Here are the topics for today’s column: 

• Daines Should Show Up
• Minneapolis Minnesota
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
• Super Bowl LX
• One More Thing

DAINES SHOULD SHOW UP:

The Daily Montanan posted a commentary from Doug James that was titled “Montana deserves better than attack ads and political junk food.” 

James writes about U.S. Senator Steve Daines:

Rather than showing up in Montana for public town halls, rather than standing in front of voters and answering unscripted questions, Daines has perfected a different approach – absence. He won’t hold a public town hall. He won’t face constituents. Instead, Montanans get something else entirely—well-financed, vicious attack ads, launched long before an election and even before a candidate has formally declared.

That’s offensive.

Now let’s be honest about what just happened—because it tells us everything we need to know.

University of Montana President Seth Bodnar resigns his position, and before he even announces a campaign, before he files for office, before he says a word about running, Republicans launch a vicious attack ad.

As for the commentary from James, I think until “We the People” get tired of campaigns being run this way, this crap will happen. Both sides do it. 

I posted a link to the commentary on X and The Western Word Facebook page. A few MAGAs were upset because they think the “Daily Montanan is a fake news site set up to fool people into thinking they’re real news when it’s dark money Democrats lying & only showing one side.” (Source)

That’s an interesting take. 

When others and I posted a story in the Daily Montanan about U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT01) being ahead in some polling, the MAGAs went crazy, liking and reposting the story. (Source)

I figured out a long time ago that the MAGAs are a hypocritical bunch, many of whom are uneducated.

You can read the complete commentary from Doug James HERE. 

MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA:

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, age 37, was killed in Minneapolis over the weekend by a U.S. Border Patrol officer. He was an ICU nurse at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Rest in Peace. 

He was protesting the actions by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Pretti was carrying a handgun, but it appeared to be holstered. Authorities say he had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. By the way, he was also a U.S. citizen. 

I have seen the videos of the shooting (like you probably have) a hundred times. Some reports say that ICE agents disarmed him before he was shot. 

I do know that there are two versions of what happened. The Trump Administration seems to quickly come to the aid of its agents in these shootings, before all the facts are known. Then there’s the version from the state and people on the ground that is almost the opposite of what the administration is saying. 

I don’t know what was done or said before he was tackled by the agents. His camera on his phone may have that answer. I don’t know what went on before the shooting, and I am talking 10-15 minutes before. 

The Department of Homeland Security needs to change how it is conducting its business of apprehending people who are illegally in our country. 

From all that I have seen, Pretti did not deserve to die. 

As I have said before, I am in favor of arresting people who are here illegally and deporting them. I am all for peaceful protests, and I have participated in several in my lifetime. 

I am really at a loss for words on how to overcome all the hatred in our country that is destroying us from within. I have decided that one thing I can do is pray for our country daily. I hope you will join me. 

Steve Kerr is the coach of the Golden State Warriors. His team was playing in Minneapolis and had its game delayed one day because of the shooting. He was asked what the path moving forward is for the country, and I think what he said was thoughtful:

“There should be an appeal to our better angels to look after one another and to recognize what’s happening. We’re being divided by media for profit, by misinformation. There’s so much out there that is really difficult for all of us to reconcile.

In times like these, you have to lean on values and who you are and who you want to be — either as an individual or as a country. And I think that’s the biggest thing.” (Source)

TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT:

From the “In Case You Missed It” file…

According to Buzzfeed and other sources, last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is also a multimillionaire, casually implied that retirees owning 5, 10, or even 12 homes is a normal, relatable experience.

Bessent made the comment during a discussion about housing policy with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in Davos, Switzerland, when talking about the administration protecting “mom and pop” homebuyers from big investor groups, saying, “Someone, maybe your parents, for their retirement have bought 5, 10, 12 homes.”

The Daily Beast pointed out that according to the US Census Bureau, only 65% of Americans own a home, and only 4% own a second home. 

Stupid stuff like that is what we get when multimillionaires are running things. 

SUPER BOWL LX:

At the beginning of the season, if you picked the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots to be in Super Bowl LX, you might want to buy a lottery ticket. 

The Patriots beat the Broncos in Denver 10-7. The Seahawks beat the LA Rams in Seattle 31-27. 

Note: No matter how many times the announcers say it, Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, is not the loudest NFL Stadium. That honor goes to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Source)

The Seahawks and the Patriots will face off in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 8, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game starts at 4:30 Mountain time. NBC has the game. 

Ironically, neither the Seahawks nor the Patriots made the playoffs last year. 

ONE MORE THING:

It’s hard to be kind in a world full of people who need a good ass-whooping. 

## HAVE A GREAT WEEK ##