my little town .... something wicked this way comes? .... no. 2 .... harlowton, montana ....

at the intersection of u.s. 12 and montana 191 lies harlowton, montana.   in case this does not immediately ring a bell, it is about 35 miles more or less due north of big timber, montana.

just got a phone call from a friend in the area.   you don't need to know his name.

on u.s. 12, about 1 or 2 miles either side of harlowton, my friend saw two of those big armored personnel carriers, such as the army has "surplused" out to the department of homeland security, parked along the road.  one of the a.p.'s had a 40mm "mike mike" mounted on the top, the other had what my friend thinks was a "ma deuce," or perhaps the new 7.62x51mm machine gun that has replaced the model 60 in service.

my phone reception was a little clipped, so i am not sure i got this straight, but just down montana 191 from harlowton was a white pickup and a humvee, with the words "security service" written on the white pickup in big black letters.

there were personnel around the vehicles, dressed in digital camo.

well, now, all of that makes me feel very secure in my homeland.   doesn't it make you feel very secure in your homeland?

in case you don't know what a "forty mike mike" is, it is an automatic grenade launcher, capable of putting all kinds of 40mm anti-personnel grenades in the air at the same time, to take out infantry hard points, and the like.   and, of course, the "ma deuce" is the good old reliable .50 caliber browning machine gun, which has been the heavy machine gun of the u.s. military since the advent of early tanks and other armored vehicles.

now, you can take it from me, or verify it yourself by googling harlowton, montana, ... , but, the last i heard there isn't too much out there.  (unless of course, there is something out there that someone does not want us to know about, very damned bad.)   but, whatever is out there, my friend somehow got the notion in his head that these two vehicles were blocking access road to it.   rather effectively, he thought.

when i googled harlowton the google map had 4 pictures up of the surrounding area, ... , a "ghost town" wooden framed store, a wind farm, a road side cafe in town, and a fence post south of town.

that's it.  

but, that's apparently not all of it, it would appear.

anybody in the area want to take a spin down to harlowton, and see what is going on?  anybody in harlowton able to tell me what is going on?

john jay @ 10.14.2013

Comments

[Uncle Russ]

Keep 'em on their toes John. And continue to keep us posted. Been in Harlowton, chas'n rats, fun place on Saturday nights!

[john jay]

russ:

well, if you and the navy have been there on saturday nights, pursuing those vicious little critters w/ cannons, then i well understand the need of the local "security service" to have two armored personnel carriers on hand, ... , though i am thinking one marine mp could probably handle it.

just like the rangers. one man, one riot.

john

p.s. which saying just shows the depreciation of current "manhood."

one armored personnel carrier, one church social.

well, i'll work on it.

the way you guys shoot, you probably cudda used a "forty mike mike," eh?

yes, we'll keep the bastards on they little toes.

[Ross]

John,

I’ve been mulling this over for the past 24 hours and I keep coming back to at a recurring thought, and when that happens I have learned to take notice. I have not so much an issue with this report, but a thought about what we are, or are not doing as citizens. Here are my issues: 1) Where are the pictures? Virtually no one is without a cell phone these days so they have a camera. Posting photos of this on your web site, or a link to same is a very effective way of showing the world proof. Also, taking photos of questionable activities will often produce a reaction by the photographed. Get more regular people to converge on the scene, with cameras. These vehicles were not identified as having a U.S. military connection. Pictures make nefarious folks really nervous. Also, if a person has cell coverage then immediately send those photos to someone else so that if the picture taker’s phone is confiscated in the encounter the photos are preserved elsewhere. 2) Vehicle licenses, pictures of those can speak volumes. 3)Where is the contact with local law enforcement? Any action such as this is going to produce some additional information. If local law enforcement refuses to investigate then that speaks volumes. 4) The witness that you spoke with clearly has an understanding of weapons…40 mm “mike mike”, “ma deuce”…..these are NFA restricted weapons that should catch the immediate attention of local, and state law enforcement. If a call to law enforcement references “NFA restricted weapons”, or if the dispatcher isn’t too bright just call them “machine guns”….. it tends to stir the passions of local law enforcement folks.

You have a very wide readership, John. Time to begin to instruct folks on the techniques of passive resistance. In our social media world, getting pictures out to the world is VERY important. Very easy to do….a picture speaks a thousand words.

Ross

[john jay]

ross:

i take no general exception to your remarks, and in a situation that contains no inherent risk of confrontation w/ people who go around w/ "forty mike mikes" on the roof, ... , but, out in the middle of nowhere, with people who may not be worthy of trust, some times the risk is not worth taking.

my friend has very good judgment, having been around the push a time or two. he's a good judge of character, or serious deficiencies in same. my guess is, he simply did not trust these people, did not like at all the cuts of their jibs.

people who have "forty mike mikes" might be inclined to use them, or lesser weapons, and simply dispose of the evidence of any confrontation.

if i saw friend russ in harlowton, montana he would be armed w/ a squirrel rifle, not a "forty mike mike," or a "ma deuce," and he would not be blocking the road.

he would offer coffee. these guys, i am thinking, did not look particularly "social."

under the circumstances my friend decided simply to report what he saw, and not attempt to memorialize it any further.

i would offer this following observation.--

these guys were not military. no military insignia. nothing of military value in that area of montana. no military bases.

not being military, that leaves private contractors, or tsa, or homeland security, or obama's people.

you know any tea party people own armored personnel carriers w/ forty mike mikes?

in my friend's estimation, these people were up to nothing involving promoting your social good, my social good, or his.

thanks, ross, for the read, and thanks for the comment. yes, we need to witness, and yes we need to record and preserve our record.

but, first, we must preserve ourselves from the assholes who like to drive around in a.p.'s displaying this kind of weaponry.

they are not spreading cheer.

they are intimidating, on purpose.

and, they are extremely dangerous.

not to be trifled w/ without strategic and tactical awareness, and superiority.

john