- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Mayor of City in Texas Claims Mysterious Jade Helm 'Nothing to Worry About'

© AP Photo / Eric GayMilitary vehicles are seen at Texas Army National Guard Camp Swift, Wednesday, July 15, 2015, in Bastrop, Texas
Military vehicles are seen at Texas Army National Guard Camp Swift, Wednesday, July 15, 2015, in Bastrop, Texas - Sputnik International
Subscribe
A multi-state US special operations exercise that conspiracy theorists claim is a prelude to martial law or a military mind control program is nothing to worry about, Kenneth Kesselus, the mayor of Bastrop Texas, told Sputnik on Thursday.

Jade Helm 15 - Sputnik International
Hiding Something? US Press Gag on Jade Helm Triggers Social Media Frenzy
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Jade Helm 15 operation is an eight-week special operations exercise across seven US states including Texas.

When the operation was first revealed two months ago, many conservatives, bloggers and media pundits began speculating that the US federal government is practicing to quell potential unrest, confiscate guns and make Americans get used to military presence.

“There is nothing negative about this operation,” Kesselus said. “I don’t know any citizens of Bastrop that are alarmed, I do not know anybody who knows anybody that is alarmed.”

The commotion over Jade Helm even prompted Texas’ Governor Greg Abbott to call on the State Guard to monitor the operations.

The drills will take place on US military installations, public land and private property in an effort to simulate “realistic military training” and unconventional warfare, according to a PowerPoint slide of the operation.

The Pentagon has refused the media access to military exercises during Jade Helm 15. - Sputnik International
Multistate US Drill Jade Helm to Kick Off Amid Military Takeover Claims
In some cases, plain clothed special operations soldiers will be on small town streets, but the US Special Operations Command says hardly anybody will notice and the operations will not have an impact on citizens.

Kesselus pointed out that Bastrop has a long history of military bases and a National Guard installation in the town. He added the Bastrop community has a deep trust in the military.

“We are used to seeing soldiers around and instead of being suspicious of them we thank them for their service,” Kesselus said. “The story is that there really is no story.”

Americans are freaking out after a series of conspiracy theories spread in US media that the government is planning to declare martial law this summer under the pretext of conducting military training exercise, known as Jade Helm 15. - Sputnik International
Are Jade Helm 15 Drills Disguise to Enact Martial Law in US?
The controversy over Jade Helm 15 has been fed by libertarians like Alex Jones, the Austin, Texas radio host of InfoWars, whose media outlet on Thursday said mainstream media is trying to portray those worried about Jade Helm 15 as a bunch of crazy conspiracy theorists.

Jade Helm 15 is not going to result in martial law, Info Wars argued, but rather be used as an intelligence operation using geospatial mapping to build a simulation that will help the US government with predictive programing and mind control, bringing the United States “one step closer to domination by the surveillance state and the military industrial complex.”

But in Bastrop, Kesselus said locals are poking fun at the media hype over the military operation.

“We are having fun talking about why in the world anybody would be upset about this,” Kesselus said. “We are just having fun inventing our own conspiracy theories like it must be the Tourism Bureau that is doing it because they are trying to get reporters to come to town and spend money on our hotels and restaurants.”

The Jade Helm 15 exercises run from July 15 to September 15, 2015.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала