by William Skink

So, 2019. Ok then. I don’t have any big predictions or grand hopes for better things to come. Will the financial house of cards start toppling in earnest this year? Will American troops actually vacate a war zone? And what will go down in Missoula this year? Will the massive convention center finally break ground? Will gaps in services get sustainable solutions or more bandaids and lip-service? And what will the long-awaited housing recommendations produce this spring?

Over this last holiday weekend, as 2018 bled out, the Salvation Army opened up its warming center for the overflow of homeless individuals and families other programs can’t currently serve. I read about this latest development when the Missoula Current reported on it, nearly 4 days ago. Despite claiming to want a community conversation around this issue, the Missoulian has not reported on this development yet. There was, however, a prominent story about a refugee family having a baby.

Let me again explicitly state I am not against helping refugees. America’s atrocious foreign policy of death and destruction to maintain imperial hegemony in an increasingly multi-polar world necessitates helping those displaced by America’s violent obsession to control global resources.

That said, I think Missoula’s efforts to keep economic refugees from freezing to death on the streets is a more important story than a refugee family having a baby.

What stories get told, and what stories don’t, is critically important. This past year has seen the capacity for stories that don’t benefit corporate shareholders take a serious hit with the shuttering of the Indy and the folding of Last Best News. I know there are efforts to do something about that, but my limited capacity means I’m not directly involved.

The best I can say for my hope for 2019 is that something better may emerge from the worsening bad that will continue its trend. For my part, I don’t plan on going anywhere.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned. There are more stories to tell.