Jade Helm is capturing the imagination of many cynical and government-wary Americans. Usually, a topic like Jade Helm would stay relegated to the corner of the internet where conservative concerns about government excess reigns supreme, but for some very worrying reasons, Jade Helm is moving out into the daylight of mainstream media. In recent days, liberals on MSNBC and CNN have been mocking the conservative concerns over Jade Helm, and now Fox News is hosting a semi-serious discussion on the issue.
Could the reason that Jade Helm is getting mainstream media traction be that there is something to the worries? Does the old saying “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” fit for the Jade Helm saga?
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Texas is up in arms (literally) over suspicions about federal intentions vis-a-vis Jade Helm 15, one of the largest military drills in U.S. history taking place this summer. Jonah Goldberg, Bret Baier, Mara Liasson and Charles Krauthammer discuss whether Gov. Abbott “put fuel on the fire” by calling on the Texas Nat’l Guard to “monitor” the situation.
Recently Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY) have both discussed their concern with Jade Helm.
“I have a great deal of faith and confidence in Governor Abbott,” Cruz told Bloomberg at the South Carolina Republican Party’s annual convention. “He is a long-time friend and mentor of mine. You know, I understand a lot of the concerns raised by a lot of citizens about Jade Helm. It’s a question I’m getting a lot. And I think part of the reason is we have seen, for six years, a federal government disrespecting the liberty of the citizens. That produces fear.”
“When you see a government that is attacking our free speech rights, or religious liberty rights, or Second Amendment rights,” Cruz continued, “that produces distrust.”
“My office has reached out to the Pentagon to inquire about this exercise,” Cruz added. “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.”
