Jade Helm, the far right's conspiracy du jour.

[citizen k]

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A decision from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to deploy the Texas State Guard to monitor a U.S. military training exercise some  conspiracy theorists see as a prelude for federal occupation was met with puzzlement by the White House on Wednesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-texas-odds-over-military-drills-decried-215502570.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/03/31/why-the-new-special-operations-exercise-freaking-out-the-internet-is-no-big-deal/

[Monoriu]

 

A little surprised over the reaction of the Governor of Texas.  I don't know him but I presume that he must be a clear-headed, rational and intelligent individual with good common sense.  Is there more to the story that I am not aware of?

[Eddie Teach]

A little surprised over the reaction of the Governor of Texas.  I don't know him but I presume that he must be a clear-headed, rational and intelligent individual with good common sense.  Is there more to the story that I am not aware of?

You should reconsider your presumptions.

[Monoriu]

A little surprised over the reaction of the Governor of Texas.  I don't know him but I presume that he must be a clear-headed, rational and intelligent individual with good common sense.  Is there more to the story that I am not aware of?

You should reconsider your presumptions.

I think the Texas state guard is there to learn from the exercises or even to participate in them.  That seems to make more sense than "they are there to prevent federal troops from invading", which is dangerously close to anime fiction territory. 

[Syt]

A little surprised over the reaction of the Governor of Texas.  I don't know him but I presume that he must be a clear-headed, rational and intelligent individual with good common sense.  Is there more to the story that I am not aware of?

You should reconsider your presumptions.

I think the Texas state guard is there to learn from the exercises or even to participate in them.  That seems to make more sense than "they are there to prevent federal troops from invading", which is dangerously close to anime fiction territory.

He says: "During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed."

Which translates to the casual reader: our state guard will make sure that our people are state from Los Federales.

[The Brain]

A little surprised over the reaction of the Governor of Texas.  I don't know him but I presume that he must be a clear-headed, rational and intelligent individual with good common sense.  Is there more to the story that I am not aware of?

You should reconsider your presumptions.

I think the Texas state guard is there to learn from the exercises or even to participate in them.  That seems to make more sense than "they are there to prevent federal troops from invading", which is dangerously close to anime fiction territory.

He says: "During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed."

Which translates to the casual reader: our state guard will make sure that our people are state from Los Federales.

I've heard about statism but this is ridiculous.

[Monoriu]

He says: "During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed."

Which translates to the casual reader: our state guard will make sure that our people are state from Los Federales.

Yeah I read that, but it doesn't add up.  It is a bit hard to believe that someone whose mind is so detached from reality can get elected to a governer position.  I have considered the possibility that he is perfectly aware that what he is doing doesn't make sense, but he did it anyway because it pleases his voters.  I also think this possibility is unlikely, because surely the vast majority of voters in Texas, if not all of them, are mentally sound and well informed. 

So I am puzzled.  I think there must be some crucial facts that have not been mentioned.  It is hard for me to believe that the Governor of Texas bought such an obviously untrue conspiracy theory. 

Are you really saying that he is crazy? 

[jimmy olsen]

I thought you guys had hit rock bottom with Perry, this is ridiculous.

[Eddie Teach]

because surely the vast majority of voters in Texas, if not all of them, are mentally sound and well informed. 

Again, no idea where you're getting this. 

[jimmy olsen]

Most positive way to spin this is the governor is doing this to placate the paranoid populace rather then any suspicion on his part. However that's hardly what one would call good when so many Texans feel this way that the governor is compelled to act in this way.

[grumbler]

I can't believe that the US military is operating like this in Texas.  There have to be dozens of sites it can use to train without the risk that some wacko civilian will mistake the US military for invading aliens and start shooting or bombing.  I suppose if there was some way that the governor of Texas could use the Texas ANG to protect US personnel and facilities the risk could be mitigated to a large degree, but who expects the Texas Guard to be any more sane than the average Texan?

If the US military needs a desert to train in, they can find one safer for their personnel than one in Texas.  Like in Iraq, for instance.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Texans hate the troops.

[Valmy]

I thought you guys had hit rock bottom with Perry, this is ridiculous.

Let me just say I expected more from Abbott.

[MadBurgerMaker]

   The Texas State Guard are basically disaster relief volunteers who don't have to get their regular clothes dirty. Abbott is "doing something" by "deploying" them, probably to get people to stop calling his office.  Their monitoring will probably consist of hanging out at the nearest Starbucks.

[Valmy]

Yeah I read that, but it doesn't add up.  It is a bit hard to believe that someone whose mind is so detached from reality can get elected to a governer position.  I have considered the possibility that he is perfectly aware that what he is doing doesn't make sense, but he did it anyway because it pleases his voters.  I also think this possibility is unlikely, because surely the vast majority of voters in Texas, if not all of them, are mentally sound and well informed. 

The voters in Texas do not think this. Abbott does not think this. But the hardcore of Republican nutcases who must be pandered to do. If anybody wants to know why I basically vote straight Democrat now despite loathing them fiercely it is because of this kind of thing. We have completely insane and bizarre pronouncements from some of our officials being applauded by these nutcases. It is the result of decades of echo chamber conservative media around here eventually making the insane mainstream. Siege's schtick is almost a moderate position of these people.

Fortunately Abbot himself is basically a decent dude as far as politicians go, but he has to do these kinds of things for the base. He also has to, awkwardly, use their crazy ideology to justify logical policies as well. I liked how he suggested we stop completely whoring ourselves out to every international corp that comes by claiming 'the government should not be meddling in business'. Lolz. Being 'pro-business' is big gub'mint!