by Travis Mateer

Scanning local headlines from weekend shenanigans, especially after last week’s heavy-hitter roundtable on public safety, one might wonder whether or not law enforcement can keep up with increasing crime rates amidst population growth and budget starvation from TIF schemes.

On Friday night Missoula PD failed to apprehend one suspect in two separate car chases. The public is being asked for help. In another story, the “help” provided by a member of the public resulted in two arrests, the guy who was driving under the influence, and the vigilante who discharged his own firearm in vigilante zeal to detain the drunk.

Late on Saturday night/Sunday morning I exited the building where my studio is located and there were FIVE police cars parked. I’m not sure what they were responding to, but during my walk-around I overheard some people talking about an incident with a gun.

The next day (yesterday) I mistook the “caution” tape out front of the Badlander as crime scene tape. The helpful gentleman in the bar with the Russian accent (I’m sure it’s just Belarusian, so no need to cancel him like those Russian cats) had no idea about any incident like I described.

I sent Public Information Officer, Lydia Arnold, an email just in case–about the alleged gun incident, not the accent. I don’t think having a Russian-sounding accent is illegal yet, but who knows with this latest programming suddenly replacing the COVID protocols with a daily dose of anti-Russia hate.

Speaking of anti-Russian hate, there was a rally on Sunday at the Missoula County Courthouse organized by the Democratic Socialists of America and because their hatred of Russia wasn’t pure, the propagandist I call GOMER Kidston did some fun framing of these weirdos who, for some reason, don’t want WWIII to go nuclear.

Here’s the opening of the article featuring the clear tone of dismay that these activists aren’t valorizing America while demonizing Russia.

While Russia cuts off humanitarian corridors for Ukrainian refugees fleeing its invasion and indiscriminately shells population centers, a handful of Missoula residents gathered downtown on Sunday to criticize both sides of the conflict, laying blame on Russia, NATO and even the U.S.

The war propaganda from GOMER Kidston–a former Marine and Democratic spokesperson–is unmistakable to those with unoccupied brains. Here’s more bullshit from this craven propagandist:

With the war already underway and Russian forces laying waste to Ukrainian cities and population centers, those at the rally said the U.S. should deny the urge to send arms to Ukraine, along with establishing a no-fly-zone. 

While doing so will likely lead to the eventual fall of a free and Democratic state, experts have suggested, those at the rally contend that NATO never was a success and has only served to provoke Russia.

Gomer Kidston cannot mask his disdain for this very practical perspective that NATO expansion is a major reason for Russia’s incursion into the Ukrainian civil war, which was sparked by a western-backed coup.

Thankfully I’m not Gomer Kidston, blindly regurgitating pro-war propaganda and framing anti-war activists like a punk-ass. Maybe that’s because I’ve been paying attention to this region and the geopolitical consequences of America’s provocations for over a decade.

I’ll be writing more about this, but in a different way than one might expect, so stay tuned. And thanks for reading.