Month: March 2016

by William Skink

Before leaving my job at the homeless shelter last month I gave Ed Kemmick a call to pitch a guest article for publication at Last Best News. Last Friday my “in-the-trenches look at homelessness” went up, which you can read here. I’d like to thank Ed for giving me a more credible platform from which to share my experiences.

I’ve learned a lot these last 7 years as Missoula has struggled to deal with the shelter-resistent population. I have listened to the frustrations from first responders and watched well-meaning politicians pass misguided ordinances. I have watched the crisis at the jail develop and directly experienced the resurgence of meth when I was assaulted last September.

My frustrations stem from lived experiences, not just from things I read online. I have earned my cynicism. Until now, though, I haven’t been able to write as directly as I would have liked to about the local issues I have been directly involved in. That’s going to change.

When I was given the boot last June from 4&20 Blackbirds, I explained my reluctance to take on local issues more directly in the comments when I said that I would like to write more about local stuff, but the actions of people who don’t like my opinions have made that much more difficult. A few days after making that statement, my former boss and current state representative decided to add her two cents on Jay’s move to “re-boot”:

Jay, sorry for the delay in reading this post. I was told last night about the reboot… because like most people, I stopped reading 4&20 long ago.

In the beginning this was a useful forum for progressive voices.

In the last few years, it has been toxic and angry and ugly.

As I wrote in a comment minutes ago to J-girl, in politics if you hate EVERYONE in the room, there is nobody left. At 4&20, the room was empty except a bunch of guys holding rocks.

I welcome the change and reboot. Brave and overdue.

And for what it is worth, I would block Mark Tokarski. I don’t know the guy and he is welcome to cast that venom in a forum that he hosts– or do it in the Missoulian comment section– but I don’t need that kind of rhetoric when I read from thoughtful contributors to 4&20.
Good luck and let me know how I can support your work here. Best, Ellie

I didn’t respond to this comment at the time, but I’m going to now.

I’m not “in politics” so I have to take Rep. Hill’s word that if you hate everyone, there is no one left. For the record, I don’t “hate everyone”, but I do get frustrated and angry from time to time. Up until now I couldn’t really say that part of my frustration was the failed leadership of a non-profit director who jumped into politics while leaving the non-profit in a less than stable place, but there it is.

Instead of being in politics, for the past 7 years I’ve been in the real world where the practical trumps the political. And because I’ve been more focused on practical needs, the relationships I’ve been able to establish will continue in my absence, and those relationships are more important than I can describe.

As I try to recover from my burnout, I’m very worried about those on the front lines. Last Best News followed up the Indy’s feature on meth with a great piece worth reading, echoing the criticism of the Montana Meth Project. But meth is just one of many issues that are emerging simultaneously to the forefront.

There is an aging crisis coming (some would say already here) and a lack of skilled nursing infrastructure to deal with it, there is the jail overcrowding issue that has made my job and the jobs of police and other first responders more dangerous (the guy who assaulted me didn’t even go to jail, just appeared before the judge, pled no contest, and was back on the streets in hours).

Adult Projective Services is overwhelmed, Child Protective Services is overwhelmed, access to treatment for addiction is abysmal and Warm Springs is busting at the seams. Meanwhile, a person who used to be in a position of influence was recently busted on drug charges:

A former state doctor who is facing an indefinite suspension of his medical license for alleged illegal drug use was arrested in Butte Friday night on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possession of dangerous drugs.

Mark Jay Catalanello was a staff physician at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs and served as the medical director at the Montana Chemical Dependency Center in Butte until October, when the Montana Board of Medical Examiners temporarily suspended his medical license amid accusations that he was using illegal drugs.

I hope this provides a little context regarding my cynical disposition. I also hope that people will respect the fact I’m going to continue writing under a pseudonym here. I don’t want to give any of the unstable people I’ve had interactions with in my day job more insight into my personal opinions than necessary.

by William Skink

The Missoula Independent this week takes a look at the return of meth in Montana with a feature piece by Kate Whittle, titled Not Even Close, a play on the infamous Not Even Once marketing campaign from the Montana Meth Project.

Why has meth returned with a vengeance? Answering that questions won’t be easy, so maybe our state leaders should begin with identifying what ISN’T working. Will that happen? Not during an election season, and here’s why.

Nine years ago the Montana Meth Project was winning awards and the accolades of Montana politicians who jumped at the chance to throw state money into the pot, though some had reservations at the time:

Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, said many of her colleagues are supporting additional funding for the program for political gain.

“It’s simple, it’s easy and looks good, and it’s popular,” Caferro said. “But it leaves out a big piece of the picture, which is investing in children’s health care and education, which isn’t as sexy.”

House Republicans have cut millions of dollars from the governor’s original budget, which they have argued was bloated and wastes taxpayers dollars. The cuts included

$4.3 million that was axed from the meth treatment centers advertised as a way to reduce the prison population.

Critics argue there is a much greater need to fund treatment facilities than the ad campaign, and they point out that the Meth Project itself is producing the surveys that show its success.

That was April, 2007. Now, nine years later, Whittle provides some updated info on what happened during those subsequent year:

A 2008 study published in Prevention Science determined the Meth Project’s tactics actually led to “increases in the acceptability of using methamphetamine and decreases in the perceived danger of using drugs.” The study also accused the Meth Project of cherry-picking its data to seem more successful, considering that Montana teen meth use, as reported by the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, had already been decreasing since 1999. In light of the criticism, then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer used his line-item veto to slash public funding to the Meth Project.

Despite the drug’s resurgence within the state in the last few years, the Meth Project continues to claim credit for spreading awareness about its dangers and reducing first-time use. In 2015, the Montana Meth Project celebrated “10 years of unselling meth.” The project’s current activities are a shadow of its heyday, but it’s still running active social media campaigns and contests, like this year’s “Life or Meth” video submissions competition. It reported about $260,000 in income on its 2014 tax return, almost entirely from private contributions. First Lady Lisa Bullock is listed as a member of its board of directors.

Ah, so despite the fact the Montana Meth Project has been a complete failure at stopping people from trying meth, just like the JUST SAY NO campaign was during the 80’s, it’s got the wife of the Governor on its board of directors, so fat chance on killing this worthless project while the Governor tries to get himself reelected. Is that why no one returned Kate’s call?

The Montana Meth Project didn’t return the Indy’s requests for an interview, however Executive Director Amy Rue has acknowledged meth’s return. In a November 2015 story in the Flathead Beacon, she’s quoted as telling the paper, “The mission is still the same, we’re driven and motivated to reduce first time meth use among Montana teens.”

Don’t worry, Amy, even though the effort you are heading is a total failure, if you have the Governor on your side, I’m sure you will be insulated from the reality of that failure. At least until November.

And what are those efforts? Well, if you head on over to the Missoulian, you will find out what the latest waste of time and money from the MMP entails:

The Montana Meth Project is calling all Treasure State filmmakers as the organization gathers submissions for a national 30-second commercial competition featuring a grand prize of $20,000 and nationwide air time for the winner.

Aspiring and established filmmakers from around the United States are encouraged to create an impactful commercial centered on the theme of “Life or Meth.” The submissions will be evaluated by four of the country’s Meth Project executive directors. The 10 best submissions will be invited to participate in an exclusive panel to be held at Series Fest in Denver on June 22-26.

Fantastic, more commercials that don’t work and money that isn’t going to increasing access to treatment. What a fucking joke.

I truly hate politics. It’s all about image over substance, and reality need not apply during an election season.

Democrats are invested in the image that everything is A-OK in Montana because they want to maintain control of the Governor’s office. I get that, and I’ll probably even end up voting for Steve Bullock just to ensure the worst legislative damage from the extreme right can be vetoed.

But everything is not A-OK in Montana, and Whittle’s piece is just the tip of the iceberg.

I guess we’ll have to wait until after November to acknowledge the reality of what service providers and first responders already know: it’s bad out there, and getting worse.

by William Skink

If Trump is elected president of the United States of America and his rhetoric turns into action, don’t worry, says former CIA Director Michael Hayden, there will be a coup:

It’s not entirely clear that Donald Trump understands the movement he’s started. But America’s entrenched political establishment is now scrambling to understand how to deal with the Trump juggernaut and it’s not just politicians who are concerned.

Indeed, former intelligence officials now say the brazen billionaire could face a veritable security rebellion if he’s elected.

“I would be incredibly concerned if a President Trump governed in a way that was consistent with the language that candidate Trump expressed during the campaign,” Former CIA director Michael Hayden said, in an interview with Bill Maher. Hayden also says that the armed forces would simply refuse to follow Trump’s orders were he to be elected and follow through on his campaign promises.

Here’s what Hayden had to say about Trump’s promise to kill family members of ISIS: “God, no! Let me give you a punchline: If he were to order that once in government, the American armed forces would refuse to act. You cannot—you are not committed, you are not required, in fact you’re required to not follow an unlawful order. That would be in violation of all the international laws of armed conflict. There would be a coup in this country.”

Coming from a former head of the agency that enacted a coup against Kennedy in 1963, that’s a strong statement. How would this country react to Trump being removed from office? And what justification would be used?

I’m surprised Hayden is acting so squeamish about killing family members of terrorists. If killing family members of terrorists is a coup-worthy action, why is Obama still in office? Remember, Team Obama had no problem killing the 16 year old son of Anwar al-Awlaki with a drone strike. Here is how Robert Gibbs justified using lethal force against an American teenager:

ADAMSON: …It’s an American citizen that is being targeted without due process, without trial. And, he’s underage. He’s a minor.

GIBBS: I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well being of their children. I don’t think becoming an al Qaeda jihadist terrorist is the best way to go about doing your business.

So the problem doesn’t seem to be with American Presidents killing the children of terrorists. Obama did it and there weren’t any consequences. The problem appears to be more how Trump is choosing to talk about continuing the Obama policy of targeting the children of terrorists for execution.

Trump is definitely not acting very presidential. He doesn’t seem to know that when you talk about killing people, as the president, you need to use bloodless euphemisms so as not to unduly upset the electorate. Also, when you are too honest about your murderous intentions, it makes an agency talking head who lies as easily as he breathes willing to openly discuss doing what up until now has only been enacted covertly.

by William Skink

Yesterday in downtown Missoula a fight broke out among some intoxicated homeless people outside Imagination Station, a local toy store. This is not a remarkable situation in Missoula, MT. There is a low-level of violence that occurs with disturbing frequency, but as long as it’s just homeless people beating each other up, there aren’t headlines or widespread calls to do what those of us familiar with the situation know needs to happen to improve our broken systems.

The employees at Imagination Station probably didn’t hashtag rise above fear like the rest of liberal Missoula did Tuesday at the support Syrian Refugees but remain oblivious to its cause rally yesterday evening. Probably because they were still dealing with that feeling of fight or flight when you feel directly threatened by a situation that’s out of control. People walking downtown a few weeks ago probably felt the same way when a fight nearly broke out outside Sushi Hana. Luckily that situation was deescalated by trained professionals (wink, wink).

Violence breaking out while Missoulians rally for peace and tolerance is not new. Six years ago, while the City Council was packed for a vote on the non-discrimination ordinance, a homeless man was beat to death literally a few hundred feet from where the vote was taking place, behind The Ox–that iconic Missoula bar that contributes mightily to alcohol abuse.

One of the assailants, Joey Gonzalez, was acquitted of the felonies he was facing, only to die of exposure a few years later, in Butte.

I’m glad people can get together and feel good about the beautiful, tolerant community they want to live in. My advice to them is just don’t dig too far underneath that pretty surface because you might not like what you find.

by William Skink

Today is the day, people. Across our beautiful state people are going to hashtag rise above fear to help the victims of US foreign policy flee the terrorist breeding ground called Syria. I’m sure that this rally coinciding with SUPER TUESDAY primary voting across the country is just a coincidence.

Partisans are still getting good mileage from this refugee issue. A former Montana Supreme Court Justice recently joined the fray with a guest post at Cowgirl. Here is Jim Nelson’s two concluding paragraphs:

There is the juxtaposition. On the one hand, the self-proclaimed “blessed child of God” viciously challenging another citizen to “Come and get it”— the America’s flag. And, on the other, our Statute of Liberty proclaiming to the world, “Come and get it”—freedom, solace, affirmance and refuge. The protester hoisting our flag in hate; and our Mother of Exiles uplifting her torch of imprisoned lightning welcoming to our shores all tempest-tossed huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Each will decide who best represents his or her understanding of patriotism and proclaimed religious values. Each will decide what it means to be an American in an America of refugees and immigrants. We will build our walls and draw within ourselves, cowering in a stupor of ignorance, paranoia and schizophrenia. Or, we will rise in strength, committed to our highest and best values as Americans and stand with the mighty woman with the torch.

For me, the Lady has it right: “Come and get it.”

For me, neither side of this false dichotomy is worth supporting, but creating a dichotomy is politically advantageous–a version of the Bush declaration that you are either with us or against us.

The reasons for not supporting the anti-refugee factions are obvious: the threat they perceive is not real. The most cynical argument has been the alleged concern for American women, cynical because those making the argument probably overlap significantly with the religious ideology that would impose its will on wombs.

The reasons for not supporting the most recent hashtag campaign to rise above fear is probably less obvious, but I’ll take another stab at it.

If there was a genuine effort to rise above fear, I would be seeing some actual effort to understand where this fear is coming from. Instead what I see is what I’ve been pointing out: a persistent, politicized campaign to label and ridicule those sorry few who show up to stupid anti-refugee rallies as representative of the political opponents being competed with during this election season.

Nothing good will come from mocking people’s fear, especially since so much of the underlying insecurity is economic, which is an aspect of the fear that, for some reason, is hardly ever examined. I find it particularly disgusting that a former Montana Supreme Court Justice would conflate a serious mental illness like schizophrenia with opponents of relocating Syrian refugees to Montana.

(Jim, if you read this and would like to talk about Montana’s failure of a mental health system and the crisis happening in the jails and hospitals across the state, send me an email. I will educate you)

That’s the part of this forced dichotomy that neither side gets: you all need to be better educated about what is going on, and why.

Since I have the time, I think I’ll make my way to the rally today to check it out. I was going to bring a sign that said NEOLIBERALISM = REFUGEE CRISIS but I think I’ll just quietly observe the spectacle, knowing that after the primary results today our political choice in 2016 most likely will be between a racist billionaire and a neoliberal monster.