*I replaced the inside image with an outside image after reading the fine print of my short-term rental stay.
This week has not been the best, but I woke up in Spokane this morning happy to be ANYWHERE other than Zoom Town (Missoula) because it’s increasingly clear my time living here might have to come to an end.
Since the man terminating my lease attends my parents church, I decided to check the date of a critical post I wrote, titled A Race Baiter, A Sexual Predator, And The Church Where They Worship God. Why was the date of this post suddenly interesting to me? Well, because it was about that very same church, and it was written with the blessing of one of its aggrieved former members, who really has it out for LOTS of people in this town, including me.
The date? October 30th, 2022, so BEFORE I signed a lease that now seems doomed from the start, especially considering I suspect the owner was the one who thinks he heard what he assumed was me being loudly intimate in my “professional” space.
Once again my calls for legal representation have been fruitless, so the lease can just be terminated and I have no recourse, like I had no recourse in other legal matters.
My parents church is not unique when it comes to coddling sexual predators, and I’m sure other churches around Missoula quietly involved in their own damage control, like the church connected to J.D. Pertain, will continue chugging along, leaving a wake of sad, broken souls looking elsewhere for glimpses of salvation.
The song I’m including this week before the links makes a crude references to a certain spreadsheet of sexual conquest, so I want to include a link to the New York Post article where that spreadsheet is discussed–proof I’m not just making this shit up.
See that? That’s the smile of a man who knows that, despite a little bad publicity, he still has Montana search and rescue efforts dominated through his surely benevolent generosity with Two Bear Air.
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My last plea garnered a generous donation, so thank you! And keep ’em rolling in, because what my little heart is dreaming up next won’t be cheap.
Is it possible to unify a town by creating a threat so terrible that everyone forgets their differences and comes together to protect what’s important? What terrible threat could produce such a result? Maybe Plato can help us out with a quote:
“No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth”
The latest evidence that my presence is despised by some people in this town came as a 30 day notice to get the fuck out of my studio. Cool. I better get busy destroying this:
Don’t worry, I’m getting very good at destroying things, so taking out this entire town should be no problem. I’m referring to the LEGO town, people, so chill the fuck out.
I’m sure the pastor at the A River Runs Through It church wishes I would chill the fuck out, since my hope to start my GOOD SAMARITAN GONE BAD tour at his iconic 5th street location was communicated in texts that I’ve heard caused quite a stir.
Why this church? To fully answer that, too much hated TRUTH would have to be utilized, so I’ll try to parse it down to what I’ll some day use in my hilarious comedy routine.
The dude who owns the building where my studio is located for 30 more days attends this church, along with his wife, a marriage counselor. And here’s the funny part: she was MY marriage counselor.
Did I know this before signing the lease? No, I did not, and that’s on me. When you live in INCEST TOWN, it’s important to do one’s due diligence, and I did not. In my defense, I was a little desperate after having my previous lease ended in a similar manner by the ZACC. I’m sure my criticism of Lord Checota had nothing to do with that.
The truth is I’ve been going through a divorce and the floors of my art studios have been my temporary places to crash as I have tried to figure out my new life. You see, after being in a committed relationship for over two decades, this new life is taking just a little time to get used to.
Before I started this new life I would sometimes walk into the church my family attended for a church service, but if I could time travel, I’d go back to December 24th, 2021, and stay FAR AWAY from that supposed house of God and one of its attendees who reached out to me that evening as I left.
Since no lawyers anywhere seem interested in taking my money, I may never know who made that first complaint a month into my time here, a complaint about “unprofessional noises” coming from my studio. You know, the grunts and thumps that might be heard if one is working out with weights, which I do regularly for my mental health.
The only other tenant close to me was sad to hear the news when I told her I was being told to vacate the premises, so I don’t think the other complaints were coming from her, complaints about the odor of Cannabis, and speculation that I was “living” there, when “living” there was not an approved use of the space. Well, when that was pointed out, I countered that NOT HAVING A KEY to my actual studio for months made me worried about leaving my remaining possessions unattended at night.
While I figure out my next steps, I want to assure the worried pastor that his flock has nothing to worry about from ME because I’m finally learning it’s pointless to fight back when ignorance is the preference of the majority. My own mother agrees, I’m a great example of what happens when you step out of line, and that one dead black man euthanized by our Sheriff’s Office just isn’t worth it. No, she didn’t use THAT word–she’s a good Presbyterian, not a Christian Nationalist–and really the disregard would have been the same for ANY corpse that her son latched onto as a righteous cause.
Since it appears I’ll be having some moving costs to consider now, it would be GREAT to see some support for Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF), or that donation button at my about page.
Before I read about Judge Vannatta shaking in his robes over what he thinks is a lack security at our Courthouse, I was in that very Courthouse asking private security permission before shooting this wooden model with my black device.
Of course I wasn’t shooting a gun inside the courthouse, that’s illegal, but for some reason Judge Vannatta thinks clear signage and Phoenix security aren’t enough. From the link:
“Anyone can walk into the courthouse, walk into any courtroom, with a weapon,” said Missoula County District Court Judge Shane Vannatta.
Some employees and staff at the Missoula County Courthouse feel security is lacking.
There are three entrance doors open and one in the courthouse connected to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
At least one contracted security guard is stationed on the first floor when you enter, but there are no metal detectors.
This is just too funny. Where do I start?
Let’s start with what Vannatta is accomplishing by taking his quotable concerns to local media. First, Judge Vannatta is disparaging the private security personnel who are contracted by the County to be the first line of defense if someone enters intending harm. Second, he’s telegraphing specific weaknesses, like multiple points of entry, to any would-be nut who might try something. Good job, Judge!
Here’s more from fearful Judge Vannatta:
Gibson asked Vannatta what his number one concern with safety throughout the courthouse is.
“The fact that no one is screened prior to entering the courthouse. Literally, you can walk into the courthouse with a gun and all you will be confronted by is a sign that says, ‘no weapons in the courthouse’ by order of the court,” says Vannatta.
Could there be a reason our Judge is sounding the alarm that he feels alarmed without security patting down the public as they enter and exit the Courthouse? I think there might be, and my theory is that Judge Vannatta has realized that places like Mineral County have become so dysfunctional, that Montana truly is the Wild West and trending wilder.
Sheriff Toth’s strategy on the stand was to overtly and, by insinuation, blame anyone else for what he’s ultimately responsible for. This strategy was on full display as Toth did damage control regarding the hiring of Deputy David Kunzelman.
For Missoula County voters, the first scapegoat should really be of interest, since Sheriff ELECT (Toth’s words), Jeremiah Petersen, was the one who allegedly referred Kunzelman to Toth as a “great guy” who should be hired as a Mineral County Sheriff Deputy, despite a little incident of stealing a law enforcement exam. As Captain of the Missoula County Detention Facility, Petersen’s referral carried a lot of weight with Toth.
Toth then threw shade at now Judge Marks, who at the time worked at the Missoula County Attorney’s Office, for “OK’ing” Kunzelman’s opportunity for rehire at the Sheriff’s Office in Missoula, implying this gave Toth some kind of additional cover for having to take accountability for his Sheriff Deputies in Mineral County.
This Mandamus dumpster fire has taken up significant time under TWO Sheriffs, and it hasn’t been pretty. For example, in another court hearing I attended, Sheriff Funke took the stand and accused County Attorney, Wally Congdon, of loading 200 pounds of Cannabis from the Sheriff’s Office into his personal vehicle, then feeding the weed to his Highlander Cows.
No, I’m not making this shit up.
I get it, society isn’t doing so good, and our professional class is starting to get VERY nervous, but I don’t think publicly insinuating your current methods of security suck is the smartest move to make. Unfortunately, that didn’t deter some on City Council from doing the same thing last August:
As Missoula City Council mulls revising public comment rules, some councilors want more security at public meetings amid concerns over safety in council chambers.
Feedback from city staff, the public and a handful of elected officials has council leadership considering bolstered security at City Council meetings, according to Council President and Ward 3 Representative Gwen Jones.
“Based on recent trends, council leadership and the administration continue to work on safety plans and security to ensure this,” Jones wrote in an email. “Unfortunately we are going in the direction of adding more security instead of lessening it, based on input from staff and the public as well as elected (officials).”
Interestingly it was the security aspect of the Play Fair Park Festival Scheme that led me to make a cynical public comment yesterday about this feeling like it was a done deal, but it looks like I might be wrong (emphasis mine):
Tensions rose as a Missoula committee discussed the possibility of a controversial music festival Wednesday.
The Climate, Conservation and Parks Committee discussed a proposed agreement that would bring an eight-year summer music festival to Missoula’s Playfair Park.
Members of the public voiced concerns, including loud sound disturbing the neighborhood and the logistics of hosting an estimated 20,000 people for the event.
With four votes in favor and seven opposed, the music festival did not get the committee’s approval.
I guess this Texas native–who got some benevolent branding from the Missoulian when they called him a University of Montana graduate–was a little too over-confident about his chances to pull this off.
Here’s an artist’s impression of how the Missoulian covered Scott Osburn:
Definitely better than MY courtroom sketch of our Judge:
If you appreciate my writing skills (and occasional courtroom sketch), then Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to support my work, and making a donation at my about page is another.
With another monkey wrench thrown into my life, I’ll be having more unforeseen expenses, so now would be a great time to show me some support.
In her first comments to local media as Mayor, Andrea Davis expressed gratitude for the “cross-section” of voters who elected her. Here’s her comment, as reported by KGVO:
Davis told KGVO that she was excited to see a cross-section of Missoulians vote her into office.
“We have Missoulians from young to old from just a whole cross section of this community here celebrating together,” began Davis. “People feel hopeful; people feel excited. We’re having a good time, and I feel wonderful, too. The (city) council has postponed the urban camping ordinance and that will be one of the major decisions as a city and community that we come together and come up with a solution for people that are living unsheltered as well as for residents in the community that have been seeking a solution. I’m going to say right now that we’re going to be working on this issue for some time.”
How many people cast a vote for Davis? The tally thus far is 14,736 votes for Davis compared to Nugent, who grabbed 9,674 votes. What does this mean? For a political cynic like myself, the numbers tell me a MAJORITY of eligible voters in Missoula continue signaling their disgust with the ENTIRE political process by NOT VOTING AT ALL.
Because of this clear public disgust and/or apathy, our new Mayor does NOT have some broad popular mandate to bring her non-profit/female/victim mentality into the realm of public policy development, though I doubt that will stop this political new-comer from assuming that fourteen thousand votes means the rest of this town is excited to continue being told that “urban campers” are all just poor victims of circumstance who deserve subsidized housing while the rest of the town is squeezed by reckless tax policies.
The Engen cabal, who primarily aligned behind Jordan Hess, should be satisfied to have a new vagina-shield to hide behind. If you find that assessment crude, I’m NOT sorry–this is simply how identity politics works, and it’s quite effective. Having a Mayoral vagina-shield means that ANY criticism of Mayor Davis coming from an ideologically divergent man can easily be dismissed as misogyny.
The signaling from Davis regarding the “urban camping ordinance” indicates, at least to me, that the “cross-section” of voters who worship their victim status like a god will be more than enthusiastic to consider every single person without conventional housing as helpless victims, gobbling up meth and fentanyl because our Federal and State governments haven’t given our non-profit organizations enough tax money yet to save addicts from the daily work of staying high.
Personally, I think it would be sexist to treat a female Mayor any differently than one would treat a male Mayor, so in the spirit of equality I’m NOT going to pull ANY metaphorical punches with our newly elected promoter of Zoom Town. I’m sure the response will be a sophisticated debate on the merits of policy and not just claims that I’m a misogynist, right?
If you appreciate the deep perspective I’m risking everything to bring to the surface, then show me that appreciation by supporting Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF), or making a donation at my about page.
I hurriedly took this image as I was driving because it exemplifies perfectly why I don’t think the Mayor’s race matters much when it comes to the Municipal playbook, which I can sum up in six words: scapegoat the state, panhandle the Feds.
Let me explain how I read this image, since it won’t be apparent to the casual observer. What I see is dependency (Mountain Line), energy (Electrical Wholesale), and the only escape that exists from the burden of paying the taxman, which is death (Garden City Funeral Home).
While the last two are fairly self-explanatory, you might be scratching your head about the “dependency” I’m referring to when I see our local public bus system. Maybe that’s because you don’t notice the dependency created by Federal dollars until those dollars are at risk of going away. From the link (emphasis mine):
An amendment added to a transportation bill in the U.S. House of Representatives could cut federal funding to transportation agencies that provide zero fare service, including Mountain Line in Missoula.
Mountain Line officials on Thursday expressed concern that the so-call “Perry amendment,” offered by Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pennsylvania, could end crucial federal funding that’s vital to Missoula’s transit agency and others like it around the country.
If Perry’s amendment is successful, then the progressive agenda of providing free bus rides to people who can’t always keep their dicks in their pants won’t be sustainable. Does anyone else see a problem with this? The funding I mean–hopefully EVERYONE sees the problem with public masturbation on public buses.
Here’s a Mountain Line board member explaining how local progressive transportation policy can’t exist without Federal handouts:
“Mountain Line has universal free fare, and that jeopardizes any federal funding, which is extremely concerning given that a lot of funding comes from the federal government, and that’s what allows us to do a lot of the progressive and innovative things we do here in Missoula,” said Mountain Line board member Josephine Hazelton-Boyle.
Mountain Line switched to zero fare service in 2015 and has seen ridership swell in recent years. The agency also is moving to an electric fleet of busses and is building a new transit center to accommodate growth and changing technology.
How much energy (which of course takes money) will be needed to accommodate all the changing technology we lucky humans can expect from our betters? I don’t know, ask the successful pork man who doesn’t need 10 fingers to haul home the pork, like this Biden support announced last month to help Montana’s TECH HUB dreams come true. I’m sure this has nothing to do with Tester’s dream of winning reelection.
As part of his continued push to bring a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub to Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today that Montana has been selected as a Regional Tech Hub by the Economic Development Administration. The highly competitive designation follows a years-long push by Tester to secure a rural Tech Hub in Montana and opens the door for the state to compete for millions of dollars in new private and federal investment. With Senator Tester’s backing, Montana was selected from nearly 200 applicants to receive one of roughly 30 new Tech Hub designations.
Cool, what does this mean? It means that problems created by piece of shit corporations will get money to create solutions for the problems they helped create in the first place.
What am I talking about? I’m taking about a fucking Fentanyl vaccine. Isn’t that hilarious?
From the link:
Opioid overdoses could become less likely thanks in part to new research being done at the University of Montana. In early 2024, a fentanyl vaccine, designed by University researchers in collaboration with Inimmune, a Missoula-based biotech company, will undergo phase one of human clinical trials.
During this early phase, the drug will be tested for its effectiveness at varying doses. Researchers are looking at what dose of the drug safely prevents fentanyl from crossing the blood-brain barrier — the main purpose of the vaccine. The $33 million needed to push the drug through phase one is being funded by the National Institute of Health.
Will either Mayor Penis or Mayor Vagina ever think to criticize the public/private partnerships that local governments are increasingly pimping themselves out for? Doubtful. Mayors are promoters, not criticizers, so it’s up to the media to cast a critical eye on business and government singing kumbaya together.
Since I know how shitty our local media is, here’s my reporting on how this hilarious biomedical breakthrough is being achieved:
Whoever wins the Mayoral race, they should consider taking this new vaccine technology that makes drugs like Fentanyl and Heroin no fun and apply it to local law enforcement. This isn’t MY idea, it’s what I discovered is one potential use of this new vaccine technology (emphasis mine):
Jay Evans, director of the UM Center for Translational Medicine, said he can see this vaccine being given to addicts who are entering rehabilitative programs and to people who may be at high risk of accidental exposures, such as Drug Enforcement Agency officers or soldiers in areas of the world where the use of fentanyl as a weapon of chemical warfare is a concern.
Are you beginning to see why I’m amused by this? Or do you accept the premise of this article and assume the only problem with law enforcement and drugs is “accidental” exposure?
So, in summation, congrats Mike or Andrea on your victory. The ambivalence bordering on cynicism I have for your respective campaigns is more a result of the office your seeking than it is my estimation of your ability to actually do anything beyond the simple promotion of Missoula as a place to live, visit and/or do business.
If either of you get a wild hair up your ass, I’m totally available to take over the reigns from Ellen at the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. I have some visionary ideas that could truly transform that agency from a slush fund into a tool for Montana homeowners to protect what little remains as the RUSH to snatch up property continues to outpace local ability to buy-in to this crazy market.
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