Day: November 8, 2016

by William Skink

It’s dark outside right now because the sun isn’t shining on this part of our planet. Tomorrow, as the earth spins, the sun will return, and most of you reading this will be doing so in a new, cold, scary reality where Donald Trump has just been elected president of America.

I am not happy about this, or even remotely able to wrap my head around what this will mean. The meltdowns and visceral reactions on Twitter have been something to see. One person I follow stated simply FUCKING WHITE PEOPLE.

I know that leading up to tonight I’ve had borderline panic attacks from the tremendous anticipation building and building that this would be the outcome of our “election” and Donald Trump would win.

That reality appears to be happening, and there are lots of people beginning their journey on the initial stages of grief over these “shocking” results.

If that journey includes scapegoating Trump supporters for the economic crisis that was going to happen regardless of who was elected, then you are playing into the oligarchs hands by going to war against the wrong people.

Don’t go to war against the wrong people, America. Even though that’s what we’ve been doing for decades.

by William Skink

I finished the 3rd installment of my docu-series last night. This one is about burnout, trauma and the art therapy methods I’ve utilized to get through it. One of the highlights is an interview I did with a homeless man and in that short interview he gives his take on the housing problem in Missoula, which I find more compelling than the endless studies being done, like this one just announced by Missoula’s Organization of Realtors. From the link:

We believe a key piece of addressing the affordability issue is to determine why the supply of homes is not keeping up with demand. While Missoula’s location in a mountain valley provides constraints, the scarcity of land is only one of many challenges. We need to identify all of the significant barriers to developing housing affordable for working people, and we need to find solutions that the community can work together to implement.

The Missoula Organization of REALTORS® has proposed a study to do just that. We have identified an experienced professional consultant, and are forming partnerships with both private and public sector organizations as the planning phase begins. We are committed to a framework that gives partners meaningful opportunities for participation throughout the planning and execution of the study. This is critical because the housing affordability issue is a community problem, and addressing it will require the community to work together towards solutions.

Head. Wall. Bang, bang, bang…