Wow. It is the end of September. Where did it go? To celebrate another month under our belt, I have written a special “end of the month edition” of Caught My Eye! It is guaranteed to make your Friday go by just a little more quickly and get you started on your weekend.
Before we get started, I do want to remind you that you should wait a few weeks before wearing your Halloween mask.
Today we take a look at important stuff that happened on this date, a third party, fingers, Amanda Knox, opposition research, pot and guns, United Nations, debit card fees, my political inbox and much more – so read on…
Today:
To impress your friends and co-workers here is a little bit of “stuff” to talk about that happened on this date (courtesy of the Associated Press):
-On this date in 1788, the Pennsylvania Legislature elected the first two members of the U.S. Senate.
I bet the Montana legislature would like to do away with the 17th Amendment and go back to the legislature electing U.S. Senators.
-In 1962 black student James Meredith succeeded on his fourth try in registering for classes at the University of Mississippi.
-In 1982, Cheers premiered on NBC.
-My all-time favorite baseball player, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals, reached 3,000 career hits on this date in 1992.
-One of my favorite football players, Brett Favre, completed his 421st career touchdown pass, breaking Dan Marino’s NFL record on this date in 2007.
Third Party:
A new poll just out today from Gallup tells us “Americans see the Republican Party as better able than the Democratic Party to protect the country from terrorism and military threats, and to keep the country prosperous over the next few years.”
But…the poll also told us that “…55% of Americans say the two major parties do such an inadequate job of representing the American people that a third party is needed.”
I agree. That is why I am announcing my intentions to run as an independent candidate for the office of…
Tester’s Extra Fingers:
After my column “Montana Senate 2012: Fumble!” about the National Republican Senatorial Committee screwing up a video about Jon Tester and President Obama, I was contacted by a couple people from the right side of the aisle.
One person wrote in a tweet to me that I should retract my column, but before I could respond it appears he deleted the tweet. Since I am a smart-aleck I was probably going to say something to the fellow like, “Watch your toes…” (that’s an inside joke).
The Associated Press in Montana has now picked up on the story and you can read it HERE.
It’s all fun and games now – but wait until this time next year when door to door political warfare is happening across the state and nation.
Amanda Knox:
This is a big weekend for Amanda Knox and her family. Prayers are needed as early next week she finds out about her appeal to a murder conviction in Italian Court.
If you are not familiar with her situation, here’s a website with lots of information. Most of all, prayers are needed!
The Key Line:
Sen. Jon Tester visited Billings West High School this week and answered questions from a government class – and the Billings Gazette covered the visit. Tester’s opponents will enjoy this paragraph:
Another student asked him how well he thought President Barack Obama has run the country.
Considering the state the country was in when Obama took office, Tester said the president has done a pretty good job.
The folks at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) can e-mail me for my address to send the opposition research check…
Medical Marijuana & Guns:
I really don’t know what to say – the three members of the Montana Congressional Delegation agree on something! The last time this happened was probably when three wise men came from the east…
Lee Newspapers reports that “Members of Montana’s congressional delegation have denounced a recent memo from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that says it’s illegal for licensed medical marijuana cardholders to own or possess firearms or ammunition.”
But a non-scientific poll in the Great Falls Tribune found that by a 53-47 percent vote, people feel that medical marijuana card holders should not be allowed to purchase firearms.
I guess Baucus, Rehberg and Tester forgot to check polling on this issue before issuing a statement.
I do believe it’s time for Attorney General Eric Holder to go.
Agenda 21:
I guess the Tea Party Patriots of Great Falls held a meeting about United Nations Agenda 21. I received an e-mail about it after the fact – I sure would have loved to attend the event and tweet about it. Supposedly there were 140-150 “concerned” citizens in attendance. The e-mail had this interesting sentence, “It is no surprise that Agenda 21-like plans were found in the Great Falls Growth Policy!”
Those freaking UN people are everywhere…kind of like The Walking Dead.
I was happy to see the Tea Party displayed our flag properly in the photo that accompanied the e-mail.
Commercial (More “Caught My Eye” follows):
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The Political Inbox:
Today is the end of the third quarter of fundraising in the political world, so all (and I mean all) of the e-mails from the candidates are about money.
Our elected officials in Washington can’t pass a budget or appropriations bills by the October 1 deadline, but they can sure hit our inboxes with requests for our hard-earned cash. Here are some of the requests I received with just the sender and the subject of the e-mail listed:
Sender: Reince Priebus, RNC Chairman. Subject: 48 Hours to Make a Difference
Sender: Denny Rehberg. Subject: Just Two Days To Go
Sender: Scott Aspenlieder for Secretary of State. Subject: Help us end the liberal stranglehold!
Sender: Steve Bullock. Subject: Twice As Much Money
Sender: Montanans for Rehberg. Subject: Out of State Attacks Continue
Sender: Preston Elliott (Tester). Subject: BREAKING: It begins
Sender: Val Chraca (Tester). Subject: Look at the Bar
Sender: Rick Hill for Governor. Subject: You Know the Drill
Sender: Rufus Gifford (Obama). Subject: Why we’ve been sending you emails
Sender: Dick Durbin (DSCC). Subject: Wreckage
Sender: Al Franken (DSCC). Subject: Gary in Accounting
In honor of all these people wanting money, I bring you the AC/DC video “Moneytalks.” It has a bass part that I love to play! Here are some lyrics: “Tailored suits, chauffeured cars, Fine hotels and big cigars, Up for grabs, all for a price…”
Debit Card Fees:
The New York Times reports “Bank of America, the nation’s biggest bank, said on Thursday that it planned to start charging customers a $5 monthly fee when they used their debit cards for purchases. It was just one of several new charges expected to hit consumers as new regulations crimp banks’ profits.”
Look for it to happen at your bank, too.
Since U.S. Senator Jon Tester is on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee, I expect him to lead the charge to stop these fees.
Twitter:
For “short” commentary about politics, sports, the media, current events, and life, follow me on Twitter @TheWesternWord.
Notice:
Don’t forget to stretch…
