Free Republic

How many of you recall back in the summer of 2015, starting on July 15 and ending on September 15 the Obama Administration authorizing the conduct of operation Jade Helm 15 -- For many of us, this was a time when we really questioned the administration and their intentions for conducting such an exercise -- In light of all the abuses of power that we are discovering about the Obama Administration, our concerns appear to be valid. Just how far would Obama have directed the U.S. Military to go? What if hitlery had won, what was obama and hitlery willing...

That big military exercise called Jade Helm 15 ends today without any obvious sudden uptick in police-state activity or FEMA camp-building. Far from being silenced, I think Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who worked so hard to direct attention to the exercise, is launching his satellite radio channel this week. Still, the world is so strange and authoritarian that I have to run through a quick mental checklist sometimes to remind myself that I don’t—strictly speaking—believe in any conspiracy theories (nor paranormal claims). I mean, I wouldn’t be terribly shocked at anything the CIA did, but I have no solid...

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET. The 7-state, months-long U.S. military exercise that conspiracy theorists believe is a cover for a military takeover began this week. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with correspondent Wade Goodwyn about the exercise.

To hear the conspiracy theorists tell it, a labyrinth of tunnels is being built under Walmart stores for military attacks on civilians, and an orchestrated financial crisis will lead to martial law, U.S. troops patrolling chaotic streets, and a dictatorship under President Barack Obama. […] While such views represent the fringes of American political opinion, they reflect a broader suspicion of the federal government that has run deep in Texas for years. The U.S. Army Special Operations Command exercise, called Jade Helm 15, has brought these fears to a crescendo, particularly in Bastrop. Some of the exercises, scheduled from July...

The U.S. Military will bring over a thousand troops as well as aircraft and heavy vehicles to Texas and six other southwestern states for Operation Jade Helm--an unprecedented special operations training exercise. A civilian group has organized to monitor the training, including companies in Texas that plan to post up at each drill site in the Lone Star State.

A team of volunteer civilians is organizing to monitor next week’s controversial “Operation Jade Helm 15” Pentagon training exercise, a new report says.   The grassroots “Counter Jade Helm” movement is keeping tabs on the major military drill across seven states, according to The Houston Chronicle.   The national initiative is organized by former Marine Pete Lanteri, 44, a New Yorker currently living in Arizona — a state hosting part of Operation Jade Helm when it launches on July 15.   ADVERTISEMENT The Phoenix resident founded the Counter Jade Helm Facebook page, currently boasting 6,000 members.   Lanteri also manages...

I have seen multiple black SUVS in my area with blacked-out windows except for the windshield, which is a lighter sun shield but you can't see the occupants' faces. The license plates are regular Texas plates. I've seen just a few of these through the months, but seeing this many in one day...

Jade Helm 15, the controversial Special Operations exercise that spawned a wave of conspiracy theories about a government takeover, will open next week without any media allowed to observe it, a military spokesman said. Embedded reporters won’t be permitted at any point during the exercise, in which military officials say that secretive Special Operations troops will maneuver through private and publicly owned land in several southern states. Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, said his organization is considering allowing a small number of journalists to view selected portions of the exercise later this summer, but...

The Washington Post ventured down to Bastrop, Texas on Saturday and found an undetermined amount of people who fear that President Obama is plotting to impose martial law in the Lone Star State as part of a military operation called Jade Helm. Other citizens of Bastrop, mainly Democrats, said that this paranoia was racially motivated because the president is African American. It is unknown exactly how many people hold to these views.

What is the purpose of Jade Helm? How does it relate to the political and economic environment facing the United States? And what are some possible scenarios that may take place in coming months and years? If you think this massive military operation is just another exercise to prepare American soldiers to face a foreign threat on foreign soil, then we urge you to watch the following interview from The Daily Coin with Dave Hodges of The Common Sense Show. Make no mistake, this isn’t about ensuring Americans are safe from terrorists. In fact, all the evidence suggests that certain...

With Jade Helm 15 now viral across America and internet trolls and fools attempting to downplay the fact that Barack Obama has a clearly outlined policy of intending to use the US Military against Americans, aka martial law, this Washington Times story from May 28th, 2014 is getting an awful lot of attention from the alternative media as it PROVES beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt that Obama will indeed use our own public servants against us while clearly outlining why this may likely soon take place. We also learn that a US Vet is suggesting that other Vets and those on the...

Jade Helm 15, a large-scale military operation conducted by U.S. Army Special Operations Command and service members from the military’s four branches, scheduled to take place in several states between July 15 and September 15, 2015, has elicited a firestorm of criticism. Many have gone so far as to claim the exercises are a prelude to the imposition of martial law, especially in Texas, one of the states designated as “hostile” territory. However, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) puts the issue in the proper perspective, noting why it’s reasonable that Americans would be concerned about the operation.

Once I observed the map depicting “hostile,” “permissive” and “uncertain” states and locations, I was rather appalled that the hostile areas amazingly have a Republican majority and believe in the sanctity of the United States Constitution. When the federal government begins, even in practice, games or exercises, to consider any U.S. city or state in “hostile” control and trying to retake it, the message becomes extremely calloused and suspicious. Such labeling tends to make people who have grown leery of federal government overreach become suspicious of whether their big brother government anticipates certain states may start another civil war or...

(Video and photos at link) Over the last two months, dozens of videos and articles throughout the alternative media have detailed a widespread military buildup throughout the country coupled with an increasing amount of urban military training drills that have a strong domestic hint. Now, this never-ending saga of new evidence continues with professional video footage taken in Arizona that highlights a U.S. Marines training drill that included armed troops chasing angry citizens who attempted to escape a mock internment camp. Role players playing the part of citizens (American?!) angrily shouted for food and water throughout the video. Multiple role...

... A new survey from Public Policy Polling finds that one-third of Republicans believe the Jade Helm 15 conspiracy theory that “the government is trying to take over Texas,” and another 28 percent of GOP voters haven’t made up their minds yet about the matter ...

So. There's a video out there and a bunch of blogs mentioning that Marines are practicing take-down and control procedures of uncooperatives inside detention camps.

IG SPRING - Military officials have negotiated contracts with local ranchers to conduct Jade Helm training on their property, according to Big Spring Mayor Larry McLellan. However, he said residents will not be "forced out of their homes" to accommodate troops during the large-scale military exercise, scheduled to run July 15 through September 15. McLellan had no details about the contracts supposedly offered to Big Spring homeowners. Military officials were not available to answer questions about how many ranchers were being displaced or inconvenienced due to Jade Helm, and how much they would receive in compensation. Jade Helm operations planners...

U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division participate in assault support tactics 3 during Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 2-15 in Yuma, Ariz., April 18, 2015. WTI is a seven week event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) cadre. MAWTS-1 provides standardized tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine Aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps motion imagery by Sgt. Daniel D. Kujanpaa/Released).

AUSTIN -- Governor Greg Abbott, R-TX, says he's trying to bring calm to some Texans about a military exercise that will take place in Texas and six other states. The eight-week exercise, known as Jade Helm 15, will begin July 15 and involves U.S. Specials Operations Forces such as Navy Seals and Green Berets. They will use public and private lands to train for overseas missions. The prospect of armed federal troops in Texas has ignited a host of concerns and speculation about the military's motives -- ranging from the military's intention to impose martial law to a government conspiracy...

The urban legends about black helicopters, clandestine military camps, tunnels underneath major airports, secret cabals, hidden detention camps, trains loaded with caskets and body bags and the like were around long before the Internet. The Web just made them easier and quicker to reproduce. One of the tea-party organizations even has reported an anonymous claim there were train cars moving around the country with prison-like shackles installed. Most people dismiss such reports as hyperbole. Fiction. The fretting of nutcases. But now there are powerful new forces aligning with those who are suspicious of the federal government, doubt the official...