by William Skink

There have been posts I’ve wanted to write for days now but I couldn’t even access this site to write them. A nefarious plot to silence me? Nope, just my fantastic internet provider, Exede, putting my account into “data restriction” because I hit my allotted share of 25 gigs.

My internet service options greatly diminished when I moved out to the county over a year ago. I will admit I haven’t delved too deeply yet, but so far I’ve been very frustrated with the service we’ve received. While admittedly a first world problem, this kind of infrastructure deficiency stymies the cultivation of small business. For example, I would love to launch a website that consolidates and monetizes my creative content, but I am hesitant to put up money to do it if I can’t work from home the way I am hoping to.

While I’m lucky to be in a position to even consider investing in web-development for my artistic pursuits, I can’t help be slightly envious of the sweet gig Montana’s education Commish, Christian Clayton, enjoys. I had wanted to bring attention to this post from Logicosity when it was posted over a week ago, but the data overlords had already frustrated my efforts. From the link:

Under the Montana Constitution, the Montana University System (MUS) is essentially a fourth branch of government, largely shielded from meddling from the executive and the legislature.

The Board of Regents (BOR) serves as the governing body.

It might be a good idea for the BOR to begin more fully ensuring Clayton “Clay” Christian, the Commissioner of Higher Education, is on the job at least as many days of the week as members of Congress and the Senate are at work in Washington, DC. For a guy whose salary is approximately $300,000 annually, shouldn’t we be able to expect him work in his Helena office at least three days week?

These days, if you want an audience with his Majesty, plan on Tuesday or Wednesday; if you are lucky, you may find him there occasionally on a Thursday. (Go ahead call: 406-444-0374.) The rest of week, you won’t find him in Helena. Instead, he’ll be hunkered down, hiding in his “office” at Stewart Title in Missoula, his real-world business.

Note: With a base salary $300,000 per annum, assuming he works a 48-week work year, the Commish earns $1,250 a day. A day!

I smell a great story for a hungry Kaiman reporter to get after.

While our Commish is pulling in over a grand a day, there are people at our local shelter working their asses off to enter the unaffordable rental market in Missoula.

I’d like to thank the Indy for including overnight shelter workers at the Poverello Center in their recent feature article. From the link:

“I have some clients who come in at 11 and go back out at 3,” Luongo says. “They barely get enough sleep, and I have to wake them up. I hate having to do it because they’re so exhausted.”

Hilliard gets frustrated when she sees how many people are willing to work hard but still can’t find affordable housing in Missoula. She also knows there are other barriers, such as a felony conviction or sex-offender status, that can also keep people from finding an apartment.

“It definitely makes you a little hopeless,” she says. “We just need more housing for these guys. That’s the big thing.”

The people carrying on the incredibly challenging work at the Poverello Center are amazing. They deal with systemic failure on a visceral level most people can’t understand.

Switching gears, it’s apparently celebrate Islam week, and the good folks at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center are going to go through the motions of tolerance and acceptance with events that I doubt any of the people who need to be outreached will attend:

Starting today, “Celebrate Islam Week” will share the traditions and culture of the Muslim faith in Missoula.

The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center and a group called “Standing Alongside America’s Muslims” are hosting events all this week to educate Missoula about Islam.

Betsy Mulligan-Dague is the Executive Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. She says the recent discussion about bringing refugees to the city has scared some Missoulians. Mulligan-Dague says this week will allow those people to get a personal look at the Muslim culture.

“One of the biggest things is to be able to put a face to a Muslim in this community, because I think sometimes it’s so easy for people to generalize a group of people and make generalizations about them. It’s very difficult to be enemies with someone you can see and know, and get to know as a fellow human being.”

Among the events this week, there will be a panel discussion on Thursday with local Muslims.

Who, save the already converted, will attend any of this? So, then, what’s the point?

It would be great if the Peace Center spent more time educating people on what fuels religious extremism. Liberals easily decry Christian fundamentalists, but have a harder time calling out Zionists and the true origins of Islamic extremism.

While the Peace Center preaches to the choir, accomplishing nothing, Obama is busy sending troops to Syria. Unfortunately, when it comes to Democrat warmongering, the organizations that should be sounding the alarm are too busy getting touchy/feely with local Muslims.

A better use of time would be trumpeting the recent admission that Saudi Arabia birthed ISIS (I’m linking MoA because original source is behind paywall):

Saud al-Feisal, the respected Saudi foreign minister, remonstrated with John Kerry, U.S. secretary of state, that “Daesh [ISIS] is our [Sunni] response to your support for the Da’wa” – the Tehran aligned Shia Islamist ruling party of Iraq.

With friends like the Saudis, who needs enemies?