As you may know from reading one of my recent posts, I sent email letters to both US senators from Texas and to Congressman Mike Conaway, my congressional representative. Quite to my surprise, Mr. Conaway was the first of these three men to actually respond to me. Senator Cruz "sent" an auto-response telling me that he would get in touch later, but that does not really count as a response. I have heard nothing from Senator Cornyn as yet.
Congressman Conaway surprised me too, in that the response to my email was an actual response, not just a reprinted "press release." Whether I agree with Mr. Conaway's politics, I appreciate that he did take time from his schedule to dictate a response to me. I was pleased to get this response, but, yet the response was not a response in some ways.
Mr. Conaway first expressed his pleasure that I had confided my fears to him concerning JADE HELM and said he was glad to take this opportunity to allay my apprehensions. It turns out that Mr. Conaway is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and as such, is in a position to "closely monitor" this operation. Mr. Conaway went on to assure me that JADE HELM is indeed a military exercise, contrary to the fears and rumors being spread on the Internet. JADE HELM is a necessary exercise so that our soldiers will be prepared to fight overseas (emphasis mine). The reason that our armed forces are conducting exercises across varied terrain in at least seven states, including much of Texas, is that these various terrains will simulate the land in which our soldiers will fight while engaging enemies "overseas" (again!). Mr. Conaway also assured me that the operations taking place "in rural, sparsely populated areas" will "interfere very little" with our day to day lives. Again, I appreciate Mr. Conaway's response, as far as it went, which was, in my opinion, not far enough.
First, I am little comforted that Mr. Conaway will "closely monitor" JADE HELM exercises in West Texas. For one thing, he cannot possibly monitor even the action in Howard County alone, much less in the entire area. Second, even if he MONITORS this exercise, will he step in to stop illegal actions of soldiers, or even just step in to stop exercises that place civilians in immediate danger? He did not answer that question in his letter. Third, he did not address how our soldiers blending in with AMERICAN CITIZENS in AMERICAN CITIES would prepare our soldiers to blend in with targets "overseas," which after all, is the proclaimed object of JADE HELM. Fourth, Mr. Conaway did not touch on what must be a rather sticky issue for the "overseas" aspect of this exercise, and that is WHY are 'federal partners" involved in JADE HELM when, in fact, the FBI, the BMI, the DIA, Homeland Security, US Customs, and other agencies would have no authority to participate in a military operation that took place "OVERSEAS"!!
In addition, Mr. Conaway trod very lightly over the issues I brought to his attention, the information in the military's own press release that stated outright that soldiers participating in JADE HELM as "unconventional warfare" operators would "attempt to operate within the civilian population undetected." The military release goes on to say that these unconventional units, as part of their Realistic Military Training (RMT - they LOVE acronyms!) would do whatever was necessary to remain undetected, to complete their missions, and to escape after completing their missions. Examples the military chose to cite as "petty crimes" included burglary, car theft, kidnapping, and sabotage...none of which are really petty crimes; in fact, these crimes are all felonies!
By treading lightly, I mean Mr. Conaway did not cover this most important issue at all. I pointed out that if the unconventional units were operating in Big Spring, Texas (not in rural, sparsely populated land, as the Army claimed), how would civilians know that these unconventional units were not, say, criminals? How would the police know in a split second whether the weapons carried by what appeared to be armed thieves were loaded with blank ammunition? I pointed out the VERY STRONG possibility that soldiers could be shot by home owners or by police who did not know the particular burglary or car theft was part of Operation JADE HELM. I do not want to see our soldiers needlessly hurt in such a tragic accident. AND what of the possibility that the unconventional units might use combat training and tactics against civilians who, thinking that a bunch of thugs were stealing property or kidnapping someone, intervened. Special forces operatives could easily severely injure OR KILL a civilian. Policemen might be injured in a similar fashion.
I closed my letter to Mr. Conaway by urging and pleading with him to halt the Texas portion of JADE HELM. He did not directly respond to that request, but instead reassured me that JADE HELM was a military operation that had been planned for years and would not endanger the public in any way. He reiterated that JADE HELM was necessary to train the troops for threats they will encounter overseas. I have little reason to believe that my letter, or any number of letters from others for that matter, will halt JADE HELM. That being case, I am can only say that I will continue, as will Mr. Conaway, to monitor JADE HELM as it unfolds in nearby Big Spring and in the hills of Howard County and the surrounding area.
One thing that Mr. Conaway pointed out, and the military information states as well, is that the ENTIRE military force assigned to JADE HELM, "including support personnel" numbers only 1200 soldiers. Think about that for a minute. Including fighting forces, command personnel, truck drivers, plane pilots, helicopter crew, and even medics...ONLY 1200 soldiers are participating in an operation that is designed to train THREE DIFFERENT military commands, plus elements of unconventional warfare such as the Army Special Forces. And JADE HELM is set to take place in SEVEN STATES, plus possibly two more states that are lately requesting to get in on the action. If only 1200 men and women are involved, that would mean that less than two hundred soldiers would be operating in each of the seven already enlisted states. That number would stretch even thinner if two more states actually join the operation.
I don't know about you, but this number rings a little hollow with me. But, be that as it may, if nearly two hundred soldiers are operating in Big Spring and Howard County, that number is still large enough to wreak havoc on an area that can hardly muster fifty police officers. And remember, beside the military units, "federal partners" are also participating in the exercise. Only 1200 total participants? Really?
I believe JADE HELM will take place as planned, and that it will have some degree of impact on an unwitting civilian population and law enforcement officers. I hope that my fears that people will be hurt or killed in confrontations with JADE HELM participants prove to be unfounded. I hope, as the military and Mr. Conaway tell us, this exercise has little to no impact on the local population.
One more thing...I hope that all of the wild fears seen on the Internet are just that...wild fears and conspiracy theories. Because Operation JADE HELM will happen, and I believe the numbers of soldiers and the scope of this operation have not been truthfully explained to the American people. How could training only 1200 soldiers POSSIBLY impact a large, overseas operation to any significant degree? With all of the millions of acres available to the military, with all the various terrains represented, WHY ON EARTH does Operation JADE HELM need to happen in civilian areas? So many questions, so few answers, none satisfactory to the known information. July 15th is supposed to be the big day, although things are already happening around Big Spring. We will see, come September 15th, whether JADE HELM is in fact just another operation. On that day, the exercise is scheduled to come to a halt, and life will return to normal again.
We shall see...
God Bless America
Congressman Conaway surprised me too, in that the response to my email was an actual response, not just a reprinted "press release." Whether I agree with Mr. Conaway's politics, I appreciate that he did take time from his schedule to dictate a response to me. I was pleased to get this response, but, yet the response was not a response in some ways.
Mr. Conaway first expressed his pleasure that I had confided my fears to him concerning JADE HELM and said he was glad to take this opportunity to allay my apprehensions. It turns out that Mr. Conaway is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and as such, is in a position to "closely monitor" this operation. Mr. Conaway went on to assure me that JADE HELM is indeed a military exercise, contrary to the fears and rumors being spread on the Internet. JADE HELM is a necessary exercise so that our soldiers will be prepared to fight overseas (emphasis mine). The reason that our armed forces are conducting exercises across varied terrain in at least seven states, including much of Texas, is that these various terrains will simulate the land in which our soldiers will fight while engaging enemies "overseas" (again!). Mr. Conaway also assured me that the operations taking place "in rural, sparsely populated areas" will "interfere very little" with our day to day lives. Again, I appreciate Mr. Conaway's response, as far as it went, which was, in my opinion, not far enough.
First, I am little comforted that Mr. Conaway will "closely monitor" JADE HELM exercises in West Texas. For one thing, he cannot possibly monitor even the action in Howard County alone, much less in the entire area. Second, even if he MONITORS this exercise, will he step in to stop illegal actions of soldiers, or even just step in to stop exercises that place civilians in immediate danger? He did not answer that question in his letter. Third, he did not address how our soldiers blending in with AMERICAN CITIZENS in AMERICAN CITIES would prepare our soldiers to blend in with targets "overseas," which after all, is the proclaimed object of JADE HELM. Fourth, Mr. Conaway did not touch on what must be a rather sticky issue for the "overseas" aspect of this exercise, and that is WHY are 'federal partners" involved in JADE HELM when, in fact, the FBI, the BMI, the DIA, Homeland Security, US Customs, and other agencies would have no authority to participate in a military operation that took place "OVERSEAS"!!
In addition, Mr. Conaway trod very lightly over the issues I brought to his attention, the information in the military's own press release that stated outright that soldiers participating in JADE HELM as "unconventional warfare" operators would "attempt to operate within the civilian population undetected." The military release goes on to say that these unconventional units, as part of their Realistic Military Training (RMT - they LOVE acronyms!) would do whatever was necessary to remain undetected, to complete their missions, and to escape after completing their missions. Examples the military chose to cite as "petty crimes" included burglary, car theft, kidnapping, and sabotage...none of which are really petty crimes; in fact, these crimes are all felonies!
By treading lightly, I mean Mr. Conaway did not cover this most important issue at all. I pointed out that if the unconventional units were operating in Big Spring, Texas (not in rural, sparsely populated land, as the Army claimed), how would civilians know that these unconventional units were not, say, criminals? How would the police know in a split second whether the weapons carried by what appeared to be armed thieves were loaded with blank ammunition? I pointed out the VERY STRONG possibility that soldiers could be shot by home owners or by police who did not know the particular burglary or car theft was part of Operation JADE HELM. I do not want to see our soldiers needlessly hurt in such a tragic accident. AND what of the possibility that the unconventional units might use combat training and tactics against civilians who, thinking that a bunch of thugs were stealing property or kidnapping someone, intervened. Special forces operatives could easily severely injure OR KILL a civilian. Policemen might be injured in a similar fashion.
I closed my letter to Mr. Conaway by urging and pleading with him to halt the Texas portion of JADE HELM. He did not directly respond to that request, but instead reassured me that JADE HELM was a military operation that had been planned for years and would not endanger the public in any way. He reiterated that JADE HELM was necessary to train the troops for threats they will encounter overseas. I have little reason to believe that my letter, or any number of letters from others for that matter, will halt JADE HELM. That being case, I am can only say that I will continue, as will Mr. Conaway, to monitor JADE HELM as it unfolds in nearby Big Spring and in the hills of Howard County and the surrounding area.
One thing that Mr. Conaway pointed out, and the military information states as well, is that the ENTIRE military force assigned to JADE HELM, "including support personnel" numbers only 1200 soldiers. Think about that for a minute. Including fighting forces, command personnel, truck drivers, plane pilots, helicopter crew, and even medics...ONLY 1200 soldiers are participating in an operation that is designed to train THREE DIFFERENT military commands, plus elements of unconventional warfare such as the Army Special Forces. And JADE HELM is set to take place in SEVEN STATES, plus possibly two more states that are lately requesting to get in on the action. If only 1200 men and women are involved, that would mean that less than two hundred soldiers would be operating in each of the seven already enlisted states. That number would stretch even thinner if two more states actually join the operation.
I don't know about you, but this number rings a little hollow with me. But, be that as it may, if nearly two hundred soldiers are operating in Big Spring and Howard County, that number is still large enough to wreak havoc on an area that can hardly muster fifty police officers. And remember, beside the military units, "federal partners" are also participating in the exercise. Only 1200 total participants? Really?
I believe JADE HELM will take place as planned, and that it will have some degree of impact on an unwitting civilian population and law enforcement officers. I hope that my fears that people will be hurt or killed in confrontations with JADE HELM participants prove to be unfounded. I hope, as the military and Mr. Conaway tell us, this exercise has little to no impact on the local population.
One more thing...I hope that all of the wild fears seen on the Internet are just that...wild fears and conspiracy theories. Because Operation JADE HELM will happen, and I believe the numbers of soldiers and the scope of this operation have not been truthfully explained to the American people. How could training only 1200 soldiers POSSIBLY impact a large, overseas operation to any significant degree? With all of the millions of acres available to the military, with all the various terrains represented, WHY ON EARTH does Operation JADE HELM need to happen in civilian areas? So many questions, so few answers, none satisfactory to the known information. July 15th is supposed to be the big day, although things are already happening around Big Spring. We will see, come September 15th, whether JADE HELM is in fact just another operation. On that day, the exercise is scheduled to come to a halt, and life will return to normal again.
We shall see...
God Bless America
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