Monday, July 13, 2015

Texans still so paranoid about the Jade Helm 15 military operations that they have created a "Counter Jade Helm" to monitor them. No I am NOT kidding.

Courtesy of Houston Chronicle:

When the troops land in Texas for Operation Jade Helm next week, someone will be waiting for them. 

Hundreds of people have organized a "Counter Jade Helm" surveillance operation across the Southwestern states and in an effort to keep an eye on the contentious military drill that's sparked many suspicious of Uncle Sam's intentions. 



Eric Johnston, a 51-year-old retired firefighter and sheriff's deputy who lives in Kerrville, is a surveillance team leader in Texas. He'll coordinate three groups of volunteers, about 20 folks in total, who hope to monitor the SEALs, Green Berets and Air Force Special Ops in Bastrop, Big Spring and Junction when Jade Helm kicks off on July 15. With media prohibited at the drills, the volunteers could be a main source of information for the highly-anticipated seven-state exercise. 

But locations more precise than the towns around which troops will drill remain unknown. For the citizens' surveillance operation, therein lies the first challenge. 

"If a team member sees two Humvees full of soldiers driving through town, they're going to follow them," Johnston said. "And they're going to radio back their ultimate location."

Why do I have visions of these yahoos radioing back to command central with updates like "Army unit stopping to gas up and buy girlie magazines," and "Suspicious convoy currently located in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot?"

Here is more from the Guardian:

Johnston, a retired firefighter and police officer in Arizona who now lives in the Texas hill country, spoke in measured, calm tones and said he and his colleagues were focused on basic transparency, not outrageous conspiracy. 

“We are not far-wing, ‘Oh God, arm ourselves, get in camouflage, block the streets,’” he said. “We’re doing more of a neighbourhood watch kind of thing. 

“We are going to find a central location and set up an area and just cruise the streets, drive up and down the highway through Bastrop … most of us are legal concealed-carry folks, but we’re not going to be running up and down the street with automatic rifles.” 

Now while this guy sounds fairly reasonable, he follows all of this up with the following statement:  

If something mysterious is afoot, Johnston, said, he wants to get to the bottom of it. 

“Two and two doesn’t add up,” he said.

Yeah it does. It's four.  Isn't it four in Texas?

So here's my question. Do you have to prove you're a paranoid schizophrenic to move to Texas, or is that just ultimately what you become after living there for awhile?

44 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:43 PM

    When nothing happens, these nitwits will claim they kept Texas safe and scared Pres. Obama into backing down from the planned martial law.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:46 PM

    They're too late. I already have 20 reasons never to step foot in Texas again.

    Texas is nasty.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jim In Texas3:21 PM

    Not to worry Texans and TruePatriots(tm). If Obama takes over, we'll let you know on our website exactly where to report for your mandatory gay marriage ceremony.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:40 PM

      GLAD (pun intended) you are on it!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous3:25 PM

    It's in their water and LMAO @ 20 volunteers. Ya what great "army" they got there

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:25 PM

      "...51-year-old retired firefighter and sheriff's deputy..."

      it's tough keeping busy when you retire at age 51.

      Delete
  5. Texas texASS how do you spell it3:28 PM

    UN trolls Texas wingnuts with Alamo designation. Texans may need to destroy the Alamo to save it!

    http://www.chron.com/news/local/article/More-than-100-slated-to-protest-World-Heritage-6377470.php

    "More than 100 people are expected to attend a rally at Alamo Plaza on Saturday protesting the U.N. cultural body's decision to designate the Alamo a world heritage site.

    The move by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has stoked fears of some who claim the designation will result in a U.N. takeover of the monument: as of Friday morning, about 124 people have said on Facebook that they will attend a protest decrying what they see as U.N. involvement in the shrine."

    Maybe someone should tell them about the blue bike concession for tourists?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:43 PM

      As much as I'm not the biggest fan of the UN, the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation can be helpful in securing assistance with preservation of the site.

      Delete
  6. Worst case of NIMBY ever!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous3:34 PM

    Let's all imagine a group of very liberal, heavily armed men trying to follow, close-in on, and surround domestic military training operations – and then broadcast that information to the world – in a Bush/Cheney administration while Karl Rove is in charge of barking out the anti-American propaganda of the traitors' efforts. See how that works?

    Do these folks not understand that spying on military training exercises and then tweeting that information out to the whole world is Exhibit A of what it means to 'give aid and comfort to the enemy during a time of war' – the very core definition of treason?? These Texas idiots are nothing more than tools of ISIS, China, Russia, and other enemies of the United States. Last time I checked, paranoia was not a legal defense for treason. What's next for the new brand of Texas 'patriotism'? Exposing to the world what kind of weapons our military uses, how they are used, where they are stored, and what their success rate is?

    Our soldiers bleed and die for us while stationed overseas. This kind of behavior, by these chicken hawks, is the moral equivalent to vomiting on the sacrifice and valor of our military. It is inexcusable, and I really hope there will be criminal penalties to pay for it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous3:40 PM

    It's not just the Jade Helm ops, it's supposed to be a global operation and Canada is working on drills too, called "Operation Maple Leaf". European countries and others mentioned are participating, suppose(a). Whatever it is, there are the extremist views that this is an Obama tactic to get martial law into place at some future point, or that a huge asteroid will impact earth, and governments are keeping this from the masses to avoid panic. Whatever the theories are, they certainly have their panties in a wad with worry.

    Isn't it a good thing that Governments are prepared in advance, in the event of a natural disaster? If the U.S. was caught unprepared, the right-wing would be wailing and gnashing their teeth at President Obama.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous3:42 PM

    Bravo! Well said!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:49 PM

    My husband is retired military. These conspiracy idiots forget, our military needs to train in terrain that resembles the closest to where the current hot spots are in the world. Where the hell do they expect our troops to get the needed training time???? The states where the exercise takes place have more open space and more closely resemble the terrain of places like the Middle East where most of the trouble is currently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:37 PM

      My dad (WWII) did say that the bridge he "captured" for a day in a little NY North Country town for his military training never compared to what he had to deal with in Sicily and Italy. People in that little town brought over coffee, suggested restaurants and generally made the troops feel welcome.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:20 AM

      Anon at 4:37 pm. That's a wonderful story!
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  11. Anonymous3:49 PM

    Chicken hawks, indeed! They remind me of the Zimmermans of the world-chickshits with guns, cop/soldier wannabees. They are always itching for an excuse to use those guns, but can't or won't cut it as police or military personnel. They are a danger to society. Morons leading idiots!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous3:49 PM

    Here is a Jade Helm Conspiracy Group FaceBook Page,,,
    https://www.facebook.com/operationjadehelm/timeline?ref=page_internal

    Some really funny shit there...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06 PM

      A lot of crazy-stupid on fire there.
      M from MD

      Delete
  13. Anonymous3:51 PM

    Wonder how this new development will go down in Texas?

    The Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee unanimously approved allowing gay adults to serve as leaders, officials said on Monday, in a major step toward dismantling a policy that has caused deep rifts in the 105-year-old organization.

    The group’s National Executive Board will meet to ratify the resolution on July 27, the Boy Scouts said in a statement.

    “This resolution will allow chartered organizations to select adult leaders without regard to sexual orientation, continuing Scouting’s longstanding policy of chartered organizations selecting their leaders,” it said.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/boy-scouts-officials-vote-unanimously-to-let-gay-adults-serve-in-leadership-roles/

    and good riddance...

    Texas county clerk opposed to same-sex marriage resigns

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/texas-county-clerk-opposed-to-same-sex-marriage-resigns/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous3:57 PM

    In my imagination these guys are going to be SNAFU from the beginning. They are going to be in the way, under foot, a damned nuisance if they even find the US troops. The states that are part of the exercises have miles, and miles of open sage brush. You could have a whole battalion out there and never see them.

    Elizabeth 44

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:57 PM

      I suspect that the military will just incorporate these wingnuts into their training, using them to practice how to deal with locals who interfere with official military operations.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous4:16 PM

    The pot has been stirred and Trump is running scared:

    Trump calls FBI over threats from Mexican drug cartel

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/trump-calls-fbi-over-threats-from-mexican-drug-cartel-im-gonna-make-you-swallow-your-btch-words/

    Only posting this link for the series of tweets, I can't stand AJones.

    http://www.infowars.com/trump-obama-will-grant-escaped-druglord-citizenship/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:28 PM

      Trump Makes New Enemy In Escaped Mexican Drug Kingpin

      http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/07/13/3680072/trump-makes-new-enemy-escaped-mexican-drug-kingpin/

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:54 PM

      “So he’s a belligerent, loudmouth racist with not an ounce of compassion for less fortunate people,” Krugman said, not pulling any punches. “In other words, he’s exactly the kind of person the Republican base consists of and identifies with. It’s clear that the very things that Upper West Side New Yorkers find detestable about him are exactly what endear him to the Republican base, which is basically people who see in him everything — even the big red face and the yelling — that makes him their kind of guy.”

      http://www.mediaite.com/tv/paul-krugman-of-course-gop-voters-love-belligerent-loudmouth-racist-trump/

      Delete
    3. Anonymous5:35 PM

      Cagaleche is not a word a Sinaloan uses. That's not El Chapo's twit. God, but Trump and his like minded followers are so stupid!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous6:04 PM

      Dumpster isn't so tough now. Careful how you run that mouth,dude! These people don't fool around. You're stepping on some seriously dangerous toes.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous4:26 PM

    So I want to know what role Texas law enforcement will take. If they see these morons following the military around, they should pull them over. We know these "patriots" will have live rounds. More than likely the military will not. So who is a threat to whom?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous4:31 PM

    "...most of us are legal concealed-carry folks, but we’re not going to be running up and down the street with automatic rifles..."

    Ya, right! As if that little pop-gun under your jacket is going to impress a military tactical squad on a training mission. Gun humping isn't much fun when the other guys' weapons are an order of magnitude bigger, badder and shinier.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm going to play devil's advocate here just a little bit and note that the military often gathers intelligence on innocuous civilian activities. It's rare for this to receive public attention, because the military is good at keeping secrets.

    A few years ago, concerned citizens met at a Quaker church to brainstorm ways to stop military recruiting in public high schools. It later came to light that this activity was one of many peaceful civilian activities which was infiltrated and monitored by the military, and was classified in a report as a "threat."

    Lest anyone think I am anti-military, I will disclose that I am the wife of a retired infantry officer. Like many Vietnam veterans, he eventually suffered severe disability as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange, in the form of labile diabetes and vascular dementia. The DOD was warned of heavy contamination of AO with extremely toxic dioxin, if Dow and Monsanto were to produce it quickly in the quantities the DOD wanted. The scientists were assured that the poisonous defoliant would be used only against "the enemy." To this day, military and civilian men and women of several countries are still paying the price for the careless use of this deadly herbicide. Da Nang Harbor (where barrels of AO were left to leach into the soil) will probably never be free of Agent Orange, and Vietnamese civilians are still suffering from it, in the form of horrendous birth defects. My own second child died from multiple birth defects linked to Agent Orange.

    So my feelings toward the military are mixed. My husband loved it--when he didn't have to kill people or leave us for a hardship tour--and we had an interesting life traveling the world with our children.

    But the military, by its nature, is not a benign organization. I can see the humor in a bunch of Texas good ole boys trying to keep tabs on a gargantuan field training exercise.

    As an aside, and to counter the binary thinking often seen on this blog, Texas has intelligent, liberal people as well as wingnuts--just like every other state. Spend some time in Austin if you doubt that statement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:37 PM

      When I left the Army in San Antonio, I moved to Austin and LOVED it! I can't stand the crazy right wingers in Dallas (my parents moved there), Victoria, Houston are the most biggeted racist cities I've ever encountered.
      You forgot to mention the toxic bases, Ft McClellan (I was stationed there. Monsanto paid the town of Anniston HUGE bucks as the Monsanto's factory was located there and it was up against the base fence line.) Ft McClellan's drinking water, the area were basic training was held etc was contaminated by monsanto and the military/VA admit it, yet the VA won't give a disability % to anyone that has symptoms.
      Ft Legune has been authorized VA disability %.
      Grafenwohr /Vilsec area (I was stationed there as well..

      Delete
    2. I remember Ft. McClellan. It's closed now, and the quaint old quarters are civilian homes. Coincidentally, Anniston is my husband's home town. Agent Orange is a scourge everywhere it was manufactured, stored, and used.

      I forgot to mention that vascular dementia is not on the VA's list of diseases with service connection to Agent Orange exposure, but my husband was awarded 100% disability for vascular dementia in 2005, plus 40% disability for diabetes, and 20% for neuropathy--all with service connection. The claim was granted within a month, with generous disability pay and Priority One health care, of the VA's eight priority levels. Clearly the VA knows Agent Orange causes dementia, although they don't list it on their website. Parkinson's Disease may also be linked to AO. Anyone whose claim is denied should appeal and refuse to give up until their claim is granted. American Legion Service Officers can help, as will DAV and other organizations.

      Also, there's a correlation, although no definite causation proven yet, between PTSD and all forms of dementia. All combat vets should file VA claims if they're diagnosed with Alz, vascular dementia, Lewy Body Disease, or any of the other horrible diseases grouped under the umbrella term dementia.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous1:39 AM

      What about Orange TX? Politically?

      dowl

      Delete
  19. Anonymous4:44 PM

    RETIRED at 51? what a moocher - he obviously bilked his city out of cash and retirement in order to be able to reitre when he should STILL BE WORKING HIS BUTT OFF utilizing the training that taxpayers paid good money for. And I bet he gets the ACA subsidy too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably retired from the fire dept. has a pension, then works for the Sheriff's office for a salary, and in 20 years will get a second pension. Double dipper at a minimum.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:14 AM

      Maybe his employer wanted him to leave so he's calling it "retirement" so it all sounds better?
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  20. Anonymous5:00 PM

    Makes me want to watch the movie "The 'Burbs" w/ Tom Hanks and Bruce Dern.....

    ReplyDelete
  21. Chenagrrl5:17 PM

    So the paranoid are taking up the Gadsden flag and moving to New Hampshire because of military summer maneuvers?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous5:22 PM

    GOP Texas Judge Will Only Marry Same-Sex Couples If They Sign A Form Saying He'd Rather Not

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/james-depiazza-texas-judge-marriage

    Missouri County Will Lower Flags To Mourn Gay Marriage Ruling

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/darrell-skiles-dent-county-gay-marriage-protest

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous5:45 PM

    Wow.there must be something in the water down there. Too much inbreeding? These malicia idiots have too much time on their hands. It all comes down to who's our president. We voted a good and decent man into our whitehouse and these creeps cant do enough to obstruct and discredit him. I think it depends on who is running the country. This is all about obama's race,at the end of the day. I was at a NATO manuever in New Mexico during Bush yrs and not a peep from these marooooons. Bless our president for looking out for us and not backing down to the pressures of the ignorant and desparate.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous6:14 PM

    Personally I'm waiting for the tanks to roll into DFW and liberate us from the Republican Taliban. Something tells me I shouldn't hold my breathe....

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anita Winecooler9:30 PM

    The dude can't count to four, for gripes sake, and he's playing the role of moses? I'm just grateful no one asked him to count to twenty one.

    ReplyDelete
  26. And yet another oxymoronic dichotomy.

    These patriotic Americans that support our troops don't trust the military to hold exercises in their state.

    WTF?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous3:45 PM

    What are the Las Vegas Oddsmakers giving on the 1st one of these Tin Foil Hat Wearing Morans taking the 1st shot?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous7:42 PM

    NOT ALL OF US ARE OFF OUR ROCKERS!!

    "Texans Welcoming Jade Helm 15"

    https://www.facebook.com/welcomejadehelm15

    ReplyDelete

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