“Ravenwood” Reviewed

Posted by Larry Miller on October 12, 2009 under Why | Be the First to Comment

It’s hard to say what’s going on in Hardin, Montana. It may be even the residents of the aren’t sure. Tumultuous times like ours breed speculations from limited information. We have seen actions by our government that has caused many of us to loose trust in our basic institutions… and for some, hope in a brighter future.

There are some with pretty vivid imaginations, taking off on minimal information and building a whole fantastic construct from mostly thin air. The recent activity in this small western town does not fit this. Even those who say there is nothing to rumors of nefarious doings recognize that there is some character riding around town in an SUV (Mercedes yet) with a Hardin Police logo. They have pictures of this guy in a police uniform.

The town has no official police force. They fall under the nearby Billings jurisdiction. So what is up with a pseudo policeman roaming the streets and no one takes exception to it? I think one would be hard pressed to find a jurisdiction where this type impersonation would not warrant some attention… usually resulting in time behind bars. To me, it just doesn’t pass the smell test. I’m sure if I were to put some sort of local police decal on my car and come up with at least a semi-official looking outfit, I would soon run afoul of the Chesterfield constabulary. Why did this not happen in Hardin?

The other part of the story is the empty four hundred plus bed prison in the town. This appears to be the result of misguided investment by some people trying to bring employment to the town. It may be that some knew more than most, or it could be a fortuitous circumstance that our government may have the opportunity to take advantage of somewhere in the future. Hard to say.

Beyond the particulars on strange goings on in a small Montana town, there is, perhaps, a bigger story to be explored and appreciated. This story is just one of many that would have quietly slid by under the radar of even the most concerned and involved citizens if we depended on the traditional news sources that have served us so well until recent years. Even cable news and talk radio only picked up on the story from the buzz on the internet.

While there are all sorts of conspiracy theories flying about in cyber space with varying levels of validity, this wild west of information here are also holds nuggets of truth rising to the surface that just would not be found if we had to depend on the institutionalized press. It requires some discernment and common sense to wade through the mass of information with some beneficial results. Even after deciding what you believe to be true, one is faced with the task of figuring out what is really important. This alternate news source is surely adding to our information overload, but sometimes it is supplying the critical information we need to counter the institutionalized propaganda coming from traditional news sources.

Even if we have to struggle to separate the wheat from the chaff, it is worth the effort. It is understandable why the Obama administration is going to war against talk radio and a news network. They understand that “the truth will set you free”! Those of us taking part in this information revolution using what has been dubbed “new media” have tremendous opportunities and responsibilities to spread the word that, just because a story shows up in black and white in the Washington Post or New York Times… it ain’t necessarily so. So even if they threaten to make us political prisoners in some obscure town in the far reaches of Montana, we need to spread the word for our generation and those to come.