Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One thing that is strange to me is that the total number of Special Operation Forces taking part in this military exercise is only 1,200. A far cry from the half-million men who took part in that huge military exercise in Louisiana prior to WWII.
I will note that two years ago (or so) I predicted that as President Obama's term draws to a close, we will have people claiming that he is about to annoint himself dictator, etc.
I well recall back on President Clinton's last day in office (or, the day President Bush was sworn in) I was listening to Rush, and a caller called in and claimed that Clinton had 'called out the tanks' and that said tanks were taking over Washington D.C. right before his very eyes.
Rush had the good grace to chuckle, and noted that it was a bit early in the day to be enjoying Adult Beverages.
I live in Texas, in the large area of the Jade Helm 15 map that's circled.
I am active in local politics and the local community and haven't heard anyone talking about this upcoming event at all. Not one word. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 the alarm level around here is about a 1. Meaning that there are a very small minority of people who are concerned about this enough to talk about it. Please note - I didn't say 1 in 10 people are talking about it.
That being said, as a Texan, here is my concern:
I really do hope that the organizers (US military) do coordinate closely with local law enforcement and land owners, because what I do NOT want to see is anyone getting shot or attacked because they're sneaking around on private property or committing petty crimes in the course of the event. What concerns me is that something like this might happen, with potentially disastrous results.
As long as the organizers really do coordinate closely with private property owners and don't commit any crimes themselves, I believe everything will be fine.
Like many Texans, I support our military. As a member of a "military family," I understand the need for large scale training scenarios. All that being said, the question in my mind from the start has been along the lines of "Wow, with El Paso and Fort Hood having over a million acres of federally owned land, why are so few troops practicing whatever over such a large area that includes so much private property?" But then - the military has no obligation to give me or anyone else an answer on that, and I'm not sure I even want them to - contrary to some popular opinions, the military has the right to and SHOULD keep many of it's plans under wraps in the name of national security. All the military is obligated to do is follow the law.
One other observation. Considering that 40 percent of our active duty military personnel hail from the South, with a huge chunk of those coming from Texas, I seriously doubt that military leadership could persuade them to "take over and occupy" any state, but especially a southern state, and ESPECIALLY Texas. I believe that if this was the plan (crazy as it sounds) there would be enough calls home to Mama for the word to have leaked out by now. Sadly, we've found in the past during supposedly covert operations, that people, even professional soldiers, will leak information.
What I am not looking forward to is the potential traffic issues. I've lived in a region with big military exercises and deployments before and sometimes this can really be a serious issue.
I live in Texas, in the large area of the Jade Helm 15 map that's circled.
I am active in local politics and the local community and haven't heard anyone talking about this upcoming event at all. Not one word. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 the alarm level around here is about a 1. Meaning that there are a very small minority of people who are concerned about this enough to talk about it. Please note - I didn't say 1 in 10 people are talking about it.
That being said, as a Texan, here is my concern:
I really do hope that the organizers (US military) do coordinate closely with local law enforcement and land owners, because what I do NOT want to see is anyone getting shot or attacked because they're sneaking around on private property or committing petty crimes in the course of the event. What concerns me is that something like this might happen, with potentially disastrous results.
As long as the organizers really do coordinate closely with private property owners and don't commit any crimes themselves, I believe everything will be fine.
Like many Texans, I support our military. As a member of a "military family," I understand the need for large scale training scenarios. All that being said, the question in my mind from the start has been along the lines of "Wow, with El Paso and Fort Hood having over a million acres of federally owned land, why are so few troops practicing whatever over such a large area that includes so much private property?" But then - the military has no obligation to give me or anyone else an answer on that, and I'm not sure I even want them to - contrary to some popular opinions, the military has the right to and SHOULD keep many of it's plans under wraps in the name of national security. All the military is obligated to do is follow the law.
One other observation. Considering that 40 percent of our active duty military personnel hail from the South, with a huge chunk of those coming from Texas, I seriously doubt that military leadership could persuade them to "take over and occupy" any state, but especially a southern state, and ESPECIALLY Texas. I believe that if this was the plan (crazy as it sounds) there would be enough calls home to Mama for the word to have leaked out by now. Sadly, we've found in the past during supposedly covert operations, that people, even professional soldiers, will leak information.
What I am not looking forward to is the potential traffic issues. I've lived in a region with big military exercises and deployments before and sometimes this can really be a serious issue.
Again, I would not expect any traffic issues concerning a military exercise involving 1,200 Special Forces operatives.
It does surprise me that 1200 operatives need to practice whatever it is they're practicing over such a large area, but like I already said, my concern is traffic flow and if that's not an issue, then we're good to go as long as they stay out of my flower beds and don't peek into my windows at night.
It does surprise me that 1200 operatives need to practice whatever it is they're practicing over such a large area, but like I already said, my concern is traffic flow and if that's not an issue, then we're good to go as long as they stay out of my flower beds and don't peek into my windows at night.
From what I have read, these special operatives (described as mainly Green Berets) will be simulating conditions, including distances, that would be faced in the Middle East. Hence a group may be in Utah, and receive word that they are needed to quickly get to 'enemy' territory in Texas. I assume that they would make the journey via helicopter or such, and not simply driving down the Interstate highways and stopping off at Stuckeys.
I's guessing that since the Middle East tends to be more desert in feature, that is why they are focusing on such land here in the USA. If the Iraq and Syria were made up of lush green mountains with waterfalls, perhaps the exercise would be held in the Smoky Mountains or the upper part of New York.
This is rather a cool website showing how various countries compare to Texas (for instance). Syria and Iraq are surprisingly big (just for fun, compare the Amazon rainforest to Texas):
From what I have read, these special operatives (described as mainly Green Berets) will be simulating conditions, including distances, that would be faced in the Middle East. Hence a group may be in Utah, and receive word that they are needed to quickly get to 'enemy' territory in Texas. I assume that they would make the journey via helicopter or such, and not simply driving down the Interstate highways and stopping off at Stuckeys.
I's guessing that since the Middle East tends to be more desert in feature, that is why they are focusing on such land here in the USA. If the Iraq and Syria were made up of lush green mountains with waterfalls, perhaps the exercise would be held in the Smoky Mountains or the upper part of New York.
This is rather a cool website showing how various countries compare to Texas (for instance). Syria and Iraq are surprisingly big (just for fun, compare the Amazon rainforest to Texas):
Thanks, but overall, I get it. Like I said in an earlier post, the US military doesn't really owe us any sort of explanation regarding training as long as they stay within the limits of the law. It does, however, seem like a LOT of mileage and distance for 1200 operatives to be training in, but I'm no military expert.
So we'll see what happens. I don't expect there to be any drama.
Jade Helm's defenders point out that this is hardly the first time the military has trained soldiers on civilian soil. The flip side is that this is hardly the first time Americans have objected. One example is Operation Urban Warrior, a 1999 Marine Corps exercise in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some locals were so angry about it that they staged a sit-in at the office of Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.
The opposition in 1999 tended to come from the left, not the right. But the complaints were similar in character.
There were concerns about noise and disruption and pollution. There was fear of an increasingly militarized America. And then as now, that fear produced conspiracy theories. The San Francisco Bay Guardian, one of the area's two leading alt-weeklies at the time, ran an article arguing that the Urban Warrior trainees were “preparing themselves to contain popular uprisings — including uprisings in U.S. cities.”
We'll see what people think should a 10 mile long line of cars in a vehicle by vehicle search 'exercise' holds you up getting to work on time.
Or should a 'random' house to house / room by room weapons search comes to your neighborhood.
Tinfoil paranoia. Call it what you wish. I hope it doesn't happen.
The government has disguised the words 'because we can tell you what to do' into 'building trust' in the cities they plan exercises in.
Sheeple - to quote a famous radio host. Those wild eyed guys Savage, Beck, Limbaugh, etc. wild assertions have come to fruition.
Frogs we are, yes. We'll see if we survive the frying pan.
You should cut and paste this post to notepad or something. It will cut down on the need to keep re-typing it over the next 20 years.
I have heard this for decades, FEMA camps, coming for our guns etc etc., Black Helicopters, martial law.
People just keep reposting the same claims over and over.
Also, please note that the martial law meme ALWAYS is recycled near the end of a presidents 2nd term.
"Clinton to declare martial law to stay in office....FEMA camps...military exercises.."
"Bush to declare martial law to stay in office...FEMA camps...military exercises.."
"Obama to declare martial law to stay in office...FEMA camps...military exercises.."
I noted probably 6 months or so ago that we were going to start hearing all this stuff again.
You should cut and paste this post to notepad or something. It will cut down on the need to keep re-typing it over the next 20 years.
I have heard this for decades, FEMA camps, coming for our guns etc etc., Black Helicopters, martial law.
People just keep reposting the same claims over and over.
Also, please note that the martial law meme ALWAYS is recycled near the end of a presidents 2nd term.
"Clinton to declare martial law to stay in office....FEMA camps...military exercises.."
"Bush to declare martial law to stay in office...FEMA camps...military exercises.."
"Obama to declare martial law to stay in office...FEMA camps...military exercises.."
I noted probably 6 months or so ago that we were going to start hearing all this stuff again.
Uh, 'Math'guy, authoritarians have been coming for people's guns throughout at least the past 50 years--often never coinciding with ends of terms (and if they happened to, laws were signed, e.g., 1968). Immediately after Katrina, guns were confiscated in high and dry areas of the region:
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
