From the statement of Louie Gohmert: “Having served in the U.S. Army, I can understand why military officials have a goal to see if groups of Special Forces can move around a civilian population without being noticed and can handle various threat scenarios. In military science classes or in my years on active duty, I have participated in or observed military exercises; however, we never named an existing city or state as a “hostile.” We would use fictitious names before we would do such a thing.
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, ‘cling to their guns and religion,’ 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. “
The answer is no....they arent claiming that.....they are saying it looks bad.
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Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement on the ‘Jade Helm 15’ exercises scheduled to take place in Texas and various other states:
“Over the past few weeks, my office has been inundated with calls referring to the Jade Helm 15 military exercise scheduled to take place between July 15 and September 15, 2015. This military practice has some concerned that the U.S. Army is preparing for modern-day martial law.
Certainly, I can understand these concerns. When leaders within the current administration believe that major threats to the country include those who support the Constitution, are military veterans, or even ‘cling to guns or religion,’ patriotic Americans have reason to be concerned. We have seen people working in this administration use their government positions to persecute people with conservative beliefs in God, country, and notions such as honor and self-reliance. Because of the contempt and antipathy for the true patriots or even Christian saints persecuted for their Christian beliefs, it is no surprise that those who have experienced or noticed such persecution are legitimately suspicious.
Having served in the U.S. Army, I can understand why military officials have a goal to see if groups of Special Forces can move around a civilian population without being noticed and can handle various threat scenarios. In military science classes or in my years on active duty, I have participated in or observed military exercises; however, we never named an existing city or state as a “hostile.” We would use fictitious names before we would do such a thing.
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, ‘cling to their guns and religion,’ 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 be overtaken by foreign radical Islamist elements which have been reported to be just across our border. Such labeling by a government that is normally not allowed to use military force against its own citizens is an affront to the residents of that particular state considered as 'hostile,' as if the government is trying to provoke a fight with them. The map of the exercise needs to change, the names on the map need to change, and the tone of the exercise needs to be completely revamped so the federal government is not intentionally practicing war against its own states.”
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"My office has reached out to the Pentagon to inquire about this exercise," Cruz, a Texas senator, told Bloomberg at the South Carolina Republican Party's annual convention. "We are assured it is a military training exercise. I have no reason to doubt those assurances, but I understand the reason for concern and uncertainty, because when the federal government has not demonstrated itself to be trustworthy in this administration, the natural consequence is that many citizens don't trust what it is saying."
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that all the to-do, in Texas and across the country, about his directive last week to the Texas State Guard to monitor Jade Helm 15, a U.S. Special Operations exercise that will be held in Texas and other Southwestern states for eight weeks this summer, was overwrought and misdirected.
All he was doing, Abbott said, was working to gather and disseminate information to allay the unfounded concerns of more than a few Texans.
Abbott made the comments following Monday morning’s Texas State Prayer Breakfast in Austin.
His order stirred criticism because, critics maintained, it lent credence to rumors and fears that Jade Helm might actually be the prelude to martial law, concerns that spilled over at a public meeting of the Bastrop County Commissioners Court the day before Abbott issued his directive.
Former Republican state Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, sent Abbott a letter bemoaning his “pandering to idiots.”
But Abbott said those critics got the purpose of his directive backward.
“Listen, what’s going on here is really very simple,” Abbott told reporters. “What we’re doing is serving as a communication facilitator between the Special Operations Forces and the people of the state of Texas and nothing more than that.
“We are playing a pivotal role of government, and that is to provide information for people who have questions,” Abbott said. “It is clear that people in Bastrop had questions, it’s clear from the questions I have received in my office that people have questions about it, and as governor and as government, I think we have an obligation to answer questions of citizens. And, by us working with the Special Operations Forces, we are able to provide information to citizens who were concerned about it.
“I’ve seen nothing to worry about what’s going on,” Abbott continued. “We have been provided assurance by the Special Operations Forces that there is nothing for the public to worry about. This is consistent with past operations. Texas has a long tradition of supporting our troops, and I don’t think this will be any different.”
“We’ve talked to the leaders of the Special Operations as well as the county judge in Bastrop County; they’re both thankful and grateful and appreciative of what we did and they applaud what we did,” Abbott said.
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So there you have it.....None of the three have said it's an evil Obama plot to disarm Americans or install martial law.
Is Abbot lying?...is Cruz Lying?