Parks are community investments, and the neighborhood adjacent to Play Fair Park successfully stood down a perceived threat to that investment recently, so in honor of that I wrote up a little tune.
Before we get to that, here’s our new Mayor talking about parks and how things like bonds have been passed by voters to make parks, like the Fort Missoula Regional Park.
She also said some of Missoula’s tax issues are locally induced, particularly around the slurry of voter-approved bonds passed in the first two decades of 2000.
“It’s something we need to come to grips with. But what’s really hard with that, we made a decision on something like Fort Missoula Regional Park a decade ago when our property valuations and appraisals – and correlating property tax situation – was a completely different reality,” she said. “It has put us in a very tough situation today.”
It stinks that the Parks and Trails bond passed, not because money for parks and trails is bad, and not because money for softball and soccer fields is bad. It stinks because of how it was done and what it will do.
The rider (see dirty, underhanded congressional trick) titled Parks and Trails should have been a separate bond called the Fort Missoula Complex Bond. The audacity to call it something that many people would vote for without researching is backdoor political maneuvering that has no place in Missoula. Those responsible and the organizations involved should be embarrassed.
…
Parks and Trails was a deceiving $34 million bond to build a high maintenance complex for a portion of the community that will lure more tourists to a city with growing crime, traffic and housing epidemics.
Yep, the author of this letter made some good points back then, but what’s good about making good points if the actions that follow are just more of the same?
The war in Iraq was the big issue for me when I cast my vote for Jon Tester in 2006, but as with Obama, the Democrats were huge disappointments for young, idealistic progressive like myself. For some Montana progressive context, here’s Jay Stevens in 2007 describing Tester’s weak position on war (emphasis mine):
As for the other criticism – for example, that Tester is not against the war enough, well, I’m happy he supported the recent vote for specific timetables. I don’t ever recall that Jon called for an immediate and complete withdrawal from Iraq during his candidacy. In fact, Jon was always vague on Iraq, calling for a “new strategy” that would bring our troops home. That’s exactly what he voted for. We’ll see where he stands on the Feingold/Reid bill, eh? So far it seems Jon’s been a team player in the Democratic strategy on Iraq. Considering he’s the lowest ranked Senator and that the Senate is pretty much evenly split on Iraq, I don’t see any other stance he could take.
Of course Jay Stevens couldn’t see any other stance, that’s one of the main goals of our two party political system–limited vision–and it’s quite effective.
In 2015, writing as lizard, I explained why I thought Jon Tester must not be reelected. To back up my concerns I quoted from a Dave Lindorff article. Here’s some of what I quoted:
Meanwhile, the real people to watch in Congress are those Democrats who are going to vote with the ruling Republicans in House and Senate to allow pro-rich and pro-capitalist measures to get to a vote, and to provide the votes to over-ride any vetoes by President Obama. Behind all the anti-inequality talk, these are the people who really represent the leadership and the political bedrock of the Democratic Party.
We got an early look at what is coming last week, when a group of 13 Democratic senators (the scabs clearly visible on their exposed flesh), voted with an almost unanimous Republican bloc, to defeat an amendment offered by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) that would have stripped a measure weakening the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law out of an already pro-financial corporate bail-out bill extending federal backing for terrorism coverage in insurance policies. The vote killing the Warren amendment passed 66-31 meaning there were only three abstentions. Without the 13 Democratic votes against fellow Democrat Warren, her amendment would have passed because of a 60-vote requirement for amendments.
Keep an eye on those 13 Democrats. Given that the Republicans now have 54 seats in the Senate, they only need an extra six votes from Democrats to move bills and amendments to a vote, and only 13 votes to override a presidential veto.
Here, for reference, are the 13 members of the Senate Democratic caucus who killed the Warren amendment:
Michael Bennet (D-CO) Tom Carper (D-DE) Bob Casey (D-PA) Joe Donnelly (D-IN) Martin Heinrich (D-NM) Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) Angus King (I-ME) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Joe Manchin (D-WV) Claire McCaskill (D-MO) Gary Peters (D-MI) Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Jon Tester (D-MT)
Jon Tester’s influence has only increased in the 8 years since Lindorff called him out, so it’s with this context in mind that I read The Pulp describing some political opportunism forming around the Israel/Hamas conflict. From the link (emphasis mine):
Montanans in Solidarity with Palestine responded to Zinke and his bill on Instagram, saying: “We will work tirelessly against you to ensure this legislation goes straight into the garbage, where it belongs.”
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, meanwhile, was among the 35 Democrats in the Senate who issued a joint statement in mid-October asking for the “swift implementation of sustained access for humanitarian aid, including water and medical supplies, to save civilian lives in Gaza.” But Tester has stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, which is what Missoula’s pro-Palestinian demonstrators are demanding when they protest outside his office every week.
It’s hilarious to think about anti-war protestors doing their protest thing outside Tester’s office. Do they have any clue what Tester’s history with progressives has been like? Why would he change now?
No, Jon Tester is going to strategically ignore the anti-war protestors while secretly cheering on Sid Daoud, a politician from Kalispell who just announced his Libertarian candidacy earlier this week. From the link:
Kalispell Libertarian Sid Daoud launched his run for the U.S. Senate on Monday, entering an already competitive 2024 race on a third-party ticket.
“I don’t think there’s every been a more critical time for someone to be in the Senate who will be pushing for some fiscal responsibility and to temper our economy. We are in dire straits right now,” Daoud said.
Daoud is a Kalispell City Councilor for Ward 4 and is the chair of the Montana Libertarian Party. Born and raised in Montana, Daoud grew up in Great Falls before moving to the Flathead Valley in 2006. He has lived in Kalispell since 2009, where he and his wife raised their three children. He currently works as a consultant for cybersecurity company Summit 7 Systems. Daoud is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
If Tester hasn’t sent Daoud some flowers and a thank you card yet, he should (or whatever staffer handles that kind of shit). Also, what’s Summit 7 Systems? Here’s a little more context on this growing cyber-security firm after an acquisition with CSW Systems was announced earlier this month:
Summit 7, founded in 2008, is based in Huntsville, Alabama. The company has 149 employees listed on LinkedIn. Summit 7’s areas of expertise include cybersecurity and compliance solutions for the Aerospace and Defense industry, as well as corporate enterprises, with specializations in Microsoft Cloud solutions and compliance requirements such as CMMC, DFARS, NIST 800-171, ITAR, and CUI data.
CSW Systems, founded in 2011, is based in Gainesville, Virginia with with operations in Denver, Colorado. The company has seven employees listed on LinkedIn. CSW Systems’s areas of expertise include managed services and continuous compliance support for classified data processing facilities, catering to clients within the intelligence community.
Well, this should be a fun Senate race to watch for political junkies who still imagine this two party scam is worth paying attention to. Personally, there are other aspects of Jon Tester’s candidacy I’m more interesting in taking a look at, but that will be a for a later post.
If you appreciate my long memory of Tester’s political rise, Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to support me, and making a donation at my about page is another.
Missoula’s new Mayor, Andrea Davis, must understand that there is power in things NOT happening because the request for City Council to NOT do anything about the urban camping ordinance is apparently coming from the Mayor’s office. Here’s how Gwen Jones is framing the decision:
City Council president Gwen Jones said the decision to delay the issue – this time until early January – will give incoming mayor Andrea Davis time to weigh in on the matter. City Council is also working on a parallel ordinance regarding camping in parks, and the two issues will now be considered side-by-side in January.
“Council has been working on an urban camping ordinance for quite a few months, based on what has unfolded in Missoula for the last year or so related to urban camping,” Jones said. “Although we had cued it up to start hearing it, we decided after some good discussions with the new incoming mayor, Andrea Davis, to hit pause and hear that in early 2024.”
Why is Missoula’s new Mayor making this “request” to do nothing? If the Missoula Current article is to be believed, it’s because of social media claims coming from Councilman Carlino. Here are the claims, along with the names of four City Council members Carlino called out on Twitter X:
The issue was coming to a head as early as Sunday when council member Daniel Carlino on Twitter called out four members of City Council for wanting “to use police force and fines to punish people who are experiencing homeless.”
Carlino named council members Mike Nugent, Heidi West, Gwen Jones and Stacie Anderson. None of the four are on the public record suggesting “police force” as a solution to homelessness.
Davis, who will be sworn in as mayor next week, asked the same four council members in an email to remove the urban camping ordinance from Wednesday’s agenda.
“I would appreciate the opportunity to review the implications of this ordinance with city departments, assess resources and budget demands associated with this ordinance, and seek input from community stakeholders,” Davis told the four council members in a letter she shared with the Missoula Current.
While this stupid debate continues making headlines, our outgoing Mayor, Jordan Hess, is annoyed the public got to comment on the Johnson Street Shelter AFTER the decision was already made. I think it’s quite fitting to have a FUCK THE PUBLIC sentiment expressed by Hess on his way out. From the link (emphasis mine):
In his last meeting as Missoula mayor, Jordan Hess derided the “stupid,” “confusing” and “clunky” process that requested public comment on the Johnson Street Community Center more than a month after the shelter reopened.
The Missoula City Council held a public forum to gather feedback about the shelter Monday, even though the city and the Poverello Center entered into a contract for the facility in September. The public comment opportunity this week had no bearing on decision-making about opening or running the shelter, even though future decisions about the center will come before council.
The forum, according to Hess, “is a relic of antiquated state law as far as how land-use decisions are made.”
See that? Our placeholder Mayor got one final shot in scapegoating the state before moving on to whatever bureaucratic cog or non-profit position he’ll more than likely land in. Good job, Jordan!
Another headline that I find hilarious about municipal government is this one from the Missoula Current:
Why are several Council members choosing to sit down? Is it because our Sheriff’s Office euthanized then executed two black men? No, silly, those dead black men are NOT the reason for this latest round of virtue signaling. From the link (emphasis mine):
“I stand for peace,” Daniel Carlino told the Missoula Current. “I stand for climate justice. I stand for humanity.”
Carlino, who declined to elaborate, has remained seated during the pledge each of the past two Mondays. Council member Kristen Jordan also remained seated on Monday night. She said she supports the nation’s veterans but takes offense to the Pledge’s statement of “liberty and justice for all,” calling it “not true.”
“Local, state, and federal governments are currently passing legislation that means my daughters and I do not have bodily autonomy, legislation that erases America’s history of oppression toward our BIPoC neighbors, legislation outlawing the word ‘gay,’ legislation that bans essential medical care for trans children and adults, legislation where it is better to be rich and guilty than poor and innocent, ‘License to Discriminate’ healthcare bills, legislation further taking away rights of sovereign Native Nations, legislation criminalizing houselessness, and the list goes on,” Jordan said.
Yes, the lovely BIPOC political pawns are definitely mentioned by the virtue-signalers, but only their history of oppression, not anything more current, like figuring out how two black men can be killed in the manner they were killed in this caring, liberal town.
While this little stand of NOT standing is something I find incredibly annoying, I do appreciate how Kristen Jordan slammed the Missoula Current’s TERRIBLE reporting of local issues in the article.
Jordan said it was little more than “clickbait” for the media to note those Missoula council members who sit for the pledge. She was also critical of the Missoula Current’s hybred coverage of City Council meetings – an option the city enacted in 2021.
To defend his “news” journal–a piece of shit propaganda rag that I totally would sue if I wasn’t so famous–Martin “Gomer” Kidston references how actual reporters have reported on political pledge protests in the past (emphasis mine):
Elected officials who have occasionally protested the pledge have been widely reported on, including members of the New York Senate and several members of the New York City Council. When several members of that body sat for the pledge, CBS reported it as an “unusual protest of an elected body of government officials.”
However, members of the veteran community have noted the Missoula council members’ protest of the Pledge. Jerry Webb, a Marine and Desert Storm veteran, described it as a shameful display and a slap in the face to those who served.
“People have fought and died for this country, sacrificed time with their families and answered the call to service, and they (council members) can’t stand for 20 seconds to pledge their allegiance to America?” Webb said. “America isn’t perfect, but what they’re doing is disgraceful and embarrassing to Missoula.”
Missoula embarrassed? No, if this town can ignore its Sheriff’s Office euthanizing and executing black men, I don’t think anyone who matters is going to give a shit about Council members sitting their ass in a seat.
I know it’s only the opinions of important people that matter in Missoula because I am clearly not one of those people, and therefore things I’m concerned about don’t matter, even though I can warn about the proliferation of guns and a few days later, what do ya know, an article that includes a gun in the headline.
Should I keep putting myself at risk for this piece of shit town when more and more people are successfully depicting ME as the threat? I have to give that one some serous thought, especially as I think about two Montana politicians who better be worried about what I know, and what I have yet to write about them.
If you appreciate what I’ve been able to accomplish with very few resources and an entire town turning hostile toward me like some game of Smashy Road, then please consider supporting Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF), or making a donation at my about page.
I wasn’t sure if my second attempt to make a public comment at Spokane’s City Council would be successful because despite showing up 45 minutes early, the 15 slots for “open forum” had already been filled up by the activists supporting Palestinians. I also learned that last week these activists shut down City Council. From the link:
Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down a Spokane City Council meeting Monday over an October resolution in support of Israel and council rules they argue infringe on their First Amendment rights to petition their government.
Even after council members cleared the chambers, with around a half-dozen uniformed officers standing between them and the public, dozens of protesters led by local activist Justice Forral continued to walk up to the dais to speak one by one as if the meeting had continued unabated, interspersed with chants of “free, free Palestine” and “City Council, listen to us.”
Council President Lori Kinnear in recent weeks has begun enforcing an interpretation of meeting rules that bans any members of the public from naming other council members during their testimony. Members of the public in recent weeks seeking to speak out against the Oct. 9 Israel resolution sponsored by Councilman Jonathan Bingle have attempted to criticize comments by Bingle and Councilman Michael Cathcart, but have been shut down frequently by Kinnear.
The open forum part of the meeting was put at the end of the agenda, so I waited and waited and finally heard my name called to approach the podium, which I did. Now Spokane’s City Council has heard my claims of cartel activity spreading amongst homeless populations.
Will my comment change anything? Probably not, but I do what I do regardless of the outcome. Also, it’s a fun way to meet new people in a city I’m serious considering moving to.
After looking at a rental later today, I’m going to check out a store that sells used Legos, called Brick By Brick. Can I find somewhere to rebuild my Lego world? I hope so, since I have so many funny ideas that my Lego world was going to help me bring to life, but I’m not holding my breath.
If you appreciate the work I’m doing, Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to support it, and making a donation at my about page is another.
It’s fascinating to juxtapose my own personal situation of managing incredible amounts of anger with the excuses people make for those without conventional homes when THEY act out. Let me give an example.
Last week I publicized my lease termination and the messy entanglement of social connections that’s driving me OUT of Incest Town (Missoula). Today I’ll add that the First Baptist Church has officially trespassed me by calling the police after I texted the Pastor about my GOOD SAMARITAN GONE BAD tour. I guess just the thought of me showing up with a bullhorn was enough for this church to involve law enforcement.
Getting the police called on you as a homeless patron of the library is much more difficult, especially in a stupidly liberal town like Missoula. Here’s an article that describes one outburst involving a chair, a description that arrives near the bottom of the article for a reason (emphasis mine):
At other times, the library’s serene, friendly atmosphere is disrupted by outbursts from people struggling with mental illness, drawing attention from patrons.
Llewlyn and Zarate-Romero shared one incident they obseved when an unhoused man became frustrated and threw a chair. A safety specialist quickly calmed him down and asked him to leave. According to Llewlyn and Zarate-Romero, shortly after, a library patron, apparently upset that the police weren’t called, yelled at the safety specialist, “If I was your boss I’d fire [you] on the spot.”
Police typically don’t get called, Bloom said, because the library’s safety specialists de-escalate uncomfortable situations before law enforcement becomes necessary.
Is throwing a chair in a public space an “uncomfortable situation” or a crime? Clearly that depends on WHO is throwing the chair. I seriously doubt an outburst like this would be tolerated in City Council chambers, for example. So why do we put up with this shit from those without conventional homes?
Missoula has no fucking clue what coddling homeless drug addicts is doing to our community because our local media is too busy “reporting” shit like this instead of investigating dead bodies and growing violence on the streets.
In the past week I’ve heard several anecdotal stories about guns increasingly showing up in conflicts around town, like two incidents of guns being flashed at the Bodega downtown, and another story about a guy who tried helping out some “urban campers”, only to have a gun put in his face and belongings stolen.
The two shooting incidents during the last week that have left three people dead in Billings are apparently unrelated, but they do share several alarming elements in common.
Both crimes were committed by known gang members, and both involved guns that were almost certainly stolen.
In fact, there’s nearly a free flow of guns in the Billings community that is contributing to a rise in violent crimes, city officials said during a press conference held Thursday to address the recent string of homicides.
Do I know about illegal guns in Missoula? Yes I do. Have I tried to report what I know? Yes I have, but no one in local law enforcement seems to give a shit about what I know. I wonder why?
Today I’ll be making public comment at Spokane’s City Council and I’ll be warning them about cartel infiltration of homeless communities across the west and the corresponding danger of irresponsible, excuse-making reporting coming from our local media. Then I’m going to look for a new place to live, because Missoula has become intolerable for me.
On Facebook, someone claiming to have lived at the Authorized Camping Site here in Missoula recently claimed that drug dealing and human trafficking were NOT happening there. I asked this person why they were lying, since it’s easy to confirm a guy selling meth was indeed arrested INSIDE the Authorized Camping Site, but I haven’t received a response yet.
No one benefits from the excuse-making campaign I see evident in too much local reporting, including those living marginally, and dangerously, amongst sexual predators and gang members who send their drug dollars back home to head-chopping psychopaths, who then buy politicians and local law enforcement to keep the death machine grinding away. Ignoring this reality is insanely reckless.
If you appreciate my persistence in bringing REAL context to what’s happening on ACTUAL streets in this country, then please consider supporting Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF), or making a donation at my about page.
