Before the shots rang out on July 13th in Butler, Pennsylvania, a different method of attack was being used against the former president, Donald J. Trump.  This method of attack, known as LAWFARE, is a very effective one, which is why it’s being used more and more in the political arena.  Here’s the Wikipedia definition for a general idea of what this method entails:

Lawfare is the use of legal systems and institutions to damage or delegitimize an opponent, or to deter an individual’s usage of their legal rights. The term may refer to the use of legal systems and principles against an enemy, such as by damaging or delegitimizing them, wasting their time and money (e.g., strategic lawsuits against public participation), or winning a public relations victory.

Without getting into the details, I’ve been mired in a legal situation for the last year that I believe fits the above definition, and it’s about to get a lot worse for me.  What I need, but haven’t been able to find, is a lawyer in Montana with the guts to represent me the way I need to be represented.  

When I had the financial resources to fight this, every lawyer I contacted had reasons for not taking the case.  At the time it was just a civil matter, but now it’s evolved into several violations of a deeply flawed civil process that placed over me a protective order that has essentially barred me from attending City Council meetings and other events I’ve tried to cover.

Does exposing local corruption and breaking local narrative control really require becoming destitute, slandered, misreported on and legally martyred in order to get answers for the multiple cases I have direct knowledge of and therefore serious questions about?  If so, then so be it.  I don’t want to go back to jail, but I will if that’s what it takes to show my community the incredibly high stakes of truth telling.

Am I telling the truth when I talk about Donald Trump riding the baby of the apocalypse with the eagle of America behind him?  No, I’m using my own method of toy-based performance art to produce SMILES because I simply refuse to get sucked into the National drama, which will be nearly impossible to do now that such gargantuan stakes have been raised.  

Despite the new challenges of all-encompassing national narratives and local legal trouble, I’m sticking to my toy brick schtick of breaking narrative control one conversation at a time.  The most recent development on that front is my LEGO METH LAB, a mobile addition to my larger work, the previously mentioned WEAPON OF MASS INSTRUCTION.  

With this powerful new story-telling device perched upon my shoulder, my subversive narrative abilities have GREATLY increased.  To better understand what I’m talking about you’ll have to come over to Zoom Chron to see how I’ve operationalized my Lego Meth Lab.  It’s hilarious.

I like to boast that my Lego Meth Lab walkabouts have an interaction smile rate of about 98%.  If you include all the people at Margarita Fest I spoke to during my LOUD Public Service Announcement about the dangers of drinking Margaritas while trying to build condo towers (see my reporting on the White Lion, Aaron Wagner), then I’d say at least 100 people have heard me do my thing.  

Who represents the two percent?  So far a woman in a real estate office, and Erika Fredrickson, the co-creator of The Pulp.  I showed off my Lego Meth Lab to Erika during The Pulp’s ice cream social at Big Dipper where a membership drive was taking place.  After showing off my creation to a real poker face, I inquired if Erika was reading my stuff at Zoom Chron.  No, she said, she’s been busy.  Ouch.

I get it.  Dribbling out a handful of boring articles once a week must take a lot of effort.  There’s also that new strategy our local start-up is trying out, and that’s getting their audience to submit FREE content in the form of “rants and raves”.  Great idea!  If the editors curate some quality public rage, maybe I’ll check out their blog more frequently.

The problem, though, is much of the public rage is directed AT THE MEDIA ITSELF, and with some of the national news outlets unable to even report on an obvious assassination attempt accurately, how can the public be expected to believe ANYTHING our media tells us about what’s happening?

If I’m taking a risk by writing about my legal entanglement it’s because I know our local media isn’t capable of giving me a genuine platform, so I must continue finding ways to make direct appeals to those who might be able to help.  Just reading this plea for assistance is a good start, but if you want to take further steps, contact me at willskink at yahoo dot com for more ways to help.

Thanks for reading!