TX Gov Orders State Guard to Monitor Possible Military Takeover of Texas

From Talking Points Memo:

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked the State Guard to monitor a U.S. military training exercise dubbed "Jade Helm 15" amid Internet-fueled suspicions that the war simulation is really a hostile military takeover. 

The request comes a day after more than 200 people packed a meeting in rural Bastrop County and questioned a U.S. Army commander about whether the government was planning to confiscate guns or implement martial law. Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said "conspiracy theorists" and "fear mongers" had been in a frenzy.

More here.

I hope everybody knows how we get the phrase "tinfoil hat." Basically, it goes like this. A conspiracy theorist believes that the government, or aliens, whatever, is attempting to use a mind-control ray on him. Fortunately, for the conspiracy theorist, putting metal foil over his head blocks the mind-control rays, allowing him to retain his own individuality while he continues to track down the "evidence" that will make everybody see how screwed up things are. Or something to that effect.

Typically, we use "tinfoil hat" to describe only the weirdest and craziest of conspiracy theorists or theories. I mean, there's a difference between people who doubt some of the conclusions of the Warren report, and people who believe that reptilian aliens are clandestinely running the government. This crazed belief that army war games are a ruse for a federal takeover definitely goes into tinfoil hat territory.

I mean, think about it this way. Because Texas is part of the United States, the feds already have a great deal of jurisdiction. Why would they need to take over? For that matter, how does activating the national guard, which is ultimately a branch of the US military, and can be "federalized" at any moment, "protect" us from a federal takeover? It's totally insane. And pretty stupid, too.

But whatever. There are a lot of crazed Texans out there. But only one Texan is governor. And it appears that Abbott is taking this conspiracy theory seriously. So does that make him crazy? Maybe, and that's pretty frightening. It's also pretty frightening, however, to think that he might not believe this nutty conspiracy theory at all, but is totally willing to use the National Guard, spending millions of state and federal tax dollars in the process, simply to pander to the right-wing nuts he thinks are his base.

Crazy or evil. Which one is it? I mean, okay, it could be both, but I'm inclined to think he's simply being evil with this. Using the military and wasting tax dollars just for a political stunt.

Either way, though, this is pretty stunning.

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