Month: January 2023

by Travis Mateer

When I finally answered the phone call that kept coming, day after day, it was an actual person on a recorded customer service line from the Montana Standard. I guess my lack of payment over the months graduated me from automated calls to a paid human coming for some money. 

I was already a bit agitated from the mounting costs of my forced relocation. While my new space is much better suited to meet my mixed-media needs, more square feet means more money, not to mention the internet access, which meant dealing with a constant up-selling salesman the day before, just to realize the $49.95 offer was an illusion from some bundled option that would have cost me over $120 bucks a month. For just internet access, the cost I “locked in” at (not a contract, I was reminded) is around $72 bucks, which goes up to a hundred after a year.

Since my baseline was a dim thrum of pissed-off, it didn’t take much to get my blood boiling, like realizing getting access to a stupid article many months ago meant I had entered into some agreement in which the fine print was going to charge me $25 bucks for “breaking” my subscription. 

After establishing that my colorful range of articulated rage wasn’t directed at the fellow human in the machine doing his job, I dare say I had something approximating “fun” going off on the recorded line about the state of legacy media in Montana, and Lee Enterprises role in exerting narrative control where the fucking truth should be.

You might think the person on the other end of the phone line would be rendered angry and defensive at the nature of this conversation, but you would be wrong. After waiving 3 months of penalty fees, bringing my grand total to just a little over $10 bucks, he asked me an “off topic” question: is it hard being a journalist?

After stating it sometimes feels damn near impossible to get the truth out, I explained that, in my opinion, God isn’t happy with how we’re behaving down here, and a divine reckoning is coming for those who think they can euthanize, drown and psychologically torture God’s children.

I’m reading a book right now by Alex Tsakiris, titled Why Evil Matters: How Science and Religion Fumbled a Big One. It’s absolutely fascinating and perfectly timed for where I’m at with this notion I’m developing that the common ground is the hunting ground BOTH political parties allow to fester from within their respective bases.

From this notion I’m not just looking forward to what may transpire in 2023, but further, to what I, myself, plan on doing in 2024 to challenge conventional politics when I become the first self-declared “conspiracy candidate” seeking local office. Which office? You’ll have to wait and find out, we got a lot of time left in 2023 to get through first, and to do that I need some OPERATIONAL funds to keep this media ship sailing forward into the future, so please consider making a donation at my about page.

Here are a few of the things you can expect from me in 2023: continued local coverage with at least 5 articles a week, a return to podcasting with a weekly drop on Friday reviewing the week’s action, and an expansion of creativity into some video production with some original music mixed in from time to time.

Is this worth your support? Or do you prefer conventional media, like the stories the Missoulian (Lee Enterprises) claims were their most popular of 2022. If you look at that sad list of “news”, you will see TWO stories about Grizzly bears and ZERO stories about our Mayor, or the abuses of Tax Increment Financing. Pathetic.

Next week the murder trial of Lee Nelson begins, and I’m going to be there to bring insights you won’t read anywhere else. There’s also legislative sausage making to cover in Helena, not to mention all the other topics I’ll continue writing about.

Thank you for all the support, I can’t keep doing what I’m doing without it! And stay tuned, because there is SO MUCH MORE to come!

by Travis Mateer

I started getting more interested in the organization that built Missoula’s new TSOS pallet village by the jail after reading about the odyssey United Way’s Eric Legvold went on in order to find this amazing company. From the link:

KGVO News was part of a special presentation for local media on Wednesday for a tour of the new facility that contains 30 new hard-sided shelters.

Eric Legvold, Director of Impact at the Missoula County United Way said he went looking for a shelter that would replace the tents at the original TSOS just off Highway 93 South.

“I actually went on a road trip and did research across seven different sites in the west and I came across the Pallet Shelter organization, and came to realize that this would be most likely our best bet for providing something that is hard-sided, that is safe, secure, and can operate in a facility like we want. These are 100 square foot structures that have heaters, that have AC (air conditioning) units during the summer; that have a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, and that have fire extinguishers, a capacity for two beds if need be, and a locking door.”

This tale of a road trippin’ adventure to find just the right shelter by a United Way staff member felt a little contrived to me, so I decided to go online to see what this Pallet Shelter organization is actually all about, and I’m sure glad I did, because WOW! This company looks to be positioned to ALSO make pallet shelters for WORKFORCE housing, a new type of housing our legislators could work to define this session.

This company and its VILLAGE of secure boxes WORKFORCE HOUSING should pair nicely with zoning code reforms. Maybe even the corporate structure of this company itself is something to emulate.

This company frames itself as a “public benefit corporation“. What the hell does that mean? Glad you asked, from the link:

Pallet began in 2016 as a Social Purpose Company (SPC), the Washington state equivalent of a B corporation. As of 2022, we’re proud to announce that we’ve transitioned to a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). It means we use profitability to expand our impact. As our business grows, the more jobs and shelter villages we can create to end unsheltered homelessness. The change is a reflection of our growth as a company. PBCs are widely recognized across the country. More than 30 state legislators passed PBC statutes to make it easier for private businesses to establish themselves as a PBC or transition to one.

Think of a PBC as a hybrid of a nonprofit and for-profit organization. Our investment partners have allowed us to scale up quickly to meet the needs of the homelessness crisis. Those resources also allowed us to buy materials, secure a factory, and hire a skilled and consistent workforce. Because of our partnerships, Pallet isn’t dependent on community donations and grants like a nonprofit. At Pallet, the mission is the driving force, not a substantial return on profits.

Are you starting to see how Pallet is going to bring the “tiny home” movement to a code-reformed empty lot near you? It’s going to be GREAT for all kinds of people, like homeless individuals, “returning citizens”, immigrants, and even victims of natural disasters.

This company is a little confusing to track, since it has different aspects of what it does under different names, like SquarePeg Construction, which seems to be a high-end developer, but the non-profit part is called Weld. It gets very confusing. Is this all the same company?

After delving into these different entities, let me step back and ask a question: what’s the actual problem here? Homelessness is a crisis, fueled by addiction and the barriers that incarceration creates, and these interconnected companies seem to be offering solutions, so maybe I should just shut up and be happy that Missoula’s United Way found such an amazing hybrid company to partner with.

Well, after seeing how our own purveyors of the Homeless Industrial Complex operate public/private schemes with companies like Blue Line Development, I think I have good reason to be suspicious.

If you appreciate the context I bring to topics like this, please consider making a donation at my about page. Any little bit helps.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

On January 3rd, 2020, two black men supposedly got into a physical altercation inside a homeless shelter in Missoula, Montana. The altercation that led to one man being hospitalized, then removed from life support (without his family being notified), was the result of the alleged assailant choking-out the larger man he had been verbally arguing with before the physical violence ensued.

The story above is bullshit, in my opinion, but it’s the scenario the Stevenson family was given by local authorities after the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office–which is ALSO the coroner’s office–euthanized their family member inside a room at St. Pats hospital. Images from Sean Stevenson’s autopsy COULD show WHY that story appears to be bullshit, but after fighting to get those images, the family was told they are Confidential Criminal Justice Information (CCJI), and sharing it could open them to prosecution.

I’m no lawyer, so would never dream of dispersing anything that might be construed as legal advice, but I don’t think the Missoula County Attorney’s Office would prosecute a violation of CCJI. Why do I say that? Well, I say that because the Chaplain employed by the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office–you know, the guy I wrote a bombshell about on New Year’s Day–is so reckless with information he gleans from his job, that he didn’t think twice about violating CCJI for the Jermain Charlo podcast.

I’m not just flippantly making this claim about Lowell Hochhalter, I’ve seen an email that details the limitation Hochhalter flagrantly disregards when it comes to his role as Chaplain. I also know more than I can publicly share about how Hochhalter got to where he is, and who he has the tendency to protect.

The image above is Missoula County’s previous Sheriff, T.J. McDermott, swearing in the NEW Sheriff, Jeremiah Petersen.

Will McDermott be seeking another elected office for himself? I think the answer is a BIG YES, especially considering McDermott was spotted at a political fundraiser, at a house that just happens to ALSO be the house used to film Yellowstone scenes, like this one:

The power to control narratives is a tremendous power, something those on the disappearing-end of that power understand all too well. Is it all political all the time now? Is there any room left for truth and justice?

I don’t know, ask the Hess-man who wants your yes, man, because CLIMATE CHANGE is the biggest threat and all the County Commissioners seem to agree, Hess is their guy. Right, Juan?

Yes, man, the HESS-MAN is giving local ice cream establishment, Big Dipper, some nice press by choosing them for his Mayoral announcement after they put down a local insurrection, and at their Midtown location, of course, since that’s the part of town the gentrifiers are sharpening their knives over. From the first link (emphasis mine):

As mayor, Hess plans to lead the city’s current efforts toward code and regulatory reform.

“It’s probably the most impactful thing we can do in our community for the next generation,” Hess said. “Our land-use and code reform process is going to have a big impact on the development industry, and also on small businesses. It’s where local government can make investments in infrastructure, and things like that can make it easier for businesses to make a go of it here.”

Hess, who was born into a small business family in South Dakota, announced his campaign at the Big Dipper in the Midtown district. The location was chosen for two reasons, Hess said – to signal his support for small businesses and to showcase the promise of the Midtown area, which is on the verge of change.

Hess isn’t lying, code reform is absolutely going to determine how this valley grows, and code reform has some fascinating entanglement with the homeless problem, something the Deep Diving Monica Perez is keeping her eye on.

Narrative control, and how to break it for the narratives that demand attention, will be something I’ll continue keeping MY eye on, and you can help by making a one-time or reoccurring donation at my about page.

Thanks for reading, and please enjoy this tune as one example of my methods of undermining their control.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/786123612?h=b290a62910&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479

by Travis Mateer

I’m a little embarrassed to say yesterday was the first time I actually stepped inside Montana’s Capitol building, but it was, and my very gracious tour-guide endured a black mood no amount of golden sun streaming through glorious stained-glass windows could break.

The mood was all mine and no one else is responsible for it. I could bitch and moan about dark political forces ripping this nation apart, giving as an example my own kid temporarily losing a friend over an argument about Trump (they are 12), but what would that accomplish? 

I was thinking a lot about kids during yesterday’s official beginning of Montana’s 68^th legislative session. Mostly I was trying not to be sad about my own personal situation, but that line of thinking quickly bleeds into one of the subjects that is sure to take up A LOT of oxygen during this 4 month charade, and that’s the stupid culture-war topic of drag shows.

I have enough cultural disdain built up against ALL sides at this point, because no one is doing a good job keeping youngsters from getting culturally chewed up, myself included, so any time that’s spent discussing the merits of drag shows for children is a waste of time, in my opinion. But it sure will make for some attention getting headlines!

The start of the legislative session seemed like a mostly happy affair. The gallery was packed and plenty of kids ran around, their exuberance echoing in the large spaces where our laws are made. Where are the figurative vampires, I wondered. Where are the dangerous adults who don’t (or can’t) consider the damage they do to others as they seek power?

Young people face more challenges to their mental health than I can fathom, and though I’d like to think it wasn’t all that long ago that I was a young person (I’m 44), I’ll be the first to acknowledge the world I grew up in is long gone.

Maybe it’s this line of thinking, along with seeing a certain state Senator doing her thing, that got me thinking about a young life that ended too early in 2019.

While I spoke with two people at Forward Montana a few years ago about this tragic situation with their colleague, I decided to drop the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Instead of thinking of a young person who is no longer alive, I spent some time thinking about how I was going to write about a youngster who allowed his connection to the filming of the popular show, Yellowstone, identify who his daddy is.

I’ll keep it brief, with hopefully no identifiers, and simply say that Montana may be a BIG state, geographically speaking, but the degrees that seem to separate the people in this state remain small.

Nothing seems small inside Montana’s Capitol, including the ambitions of Montana’s first transgender representative. NPR was already enjoying the headline-splashing before the session began, with this article about the scary GOP majority Zooey Zephyr will face. From the link (emphasis mine):

Zooey Zephyr is familiar with the ornate halls of the Montana state Capitol. She was here during the 2021 legislative session, testifying in opposition to bills targeted at trans-Montanans, like a ban on trans women and girls from participating in women’s sports. 

“The image of ‘quote’ trans women ruining the integrity of women’s sports paints a false picture of life as a trans woman,” she said in the House Judiciary Committee. “It incorrectly claims that we have a competitive advantage. And it misses why trans people transition in the first place – which is to lead a happier life,” Zephyr added.

Ok, but here’s a question I would want to ask, especially as a parent: what happens if transitioning DOES NOT lead to a happier life? If we’re using happiness as a metric, what is it about our culture that’s leading so many young people to be clinically unhappy, to the point of suicidal crisis?

There is something much deeper going on with young people growing up in today’s screen-mediated world, and I say that as a parent who often feels powerless to mitigate the cultural toxicity they are absorbing daily.

What kind of toxicity will the 68th legislative session add to the discourse? Since Democrats have virtually no power, I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot of empty noise from their side, and from the other side, I suspect we’ll be getting all kinds of pet-project bullshit. If, by some chance, real work gets done to actually improve the average person’s life, I’ll make sure to let readers know.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to toss me a donation at my about page if you’re feeling generous.

by Travis Mateer

I learned about Missoula County’s BLOGGING aspirations from an NBC Montana article. Isn’t that nice, I thought. So I clicked the link to see what this “blog” looked like and, more importantly, what kind of information could be gleaned from its virtual pages. Here’s what caught my eye:

I wanted to know more about this House Bill, so I went online and found the text of what’s been introduced by Jodee Etchart. Here are a few screenshots I found noteworthy, like this:

And this:

Another bill I’m interested in is HB 79, or the short title, which is “Create sexual assault response network program and committee”. Here’s a screenshot of some of the language of the bill:

The first day of the legislative session will be short and mostly ceremonial. Hopefully I’ll remember my place, since journalists with online blogs don’t get fancy press badges.

Stay tuned for the insights I’m sure to receive regarding Helena’s legislative sausage making. And, if you have any discretionary funds laying around after the holidays, please consider making a donation at my about page.

Thanks for reading!