Isn't it time for Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, to start warning us about the dangers of a president*'s moving the military into Texas because it's an obvious cover for a Kenyan Muslim coup d'etat? I mean, there are those of us who remember the last time it happened. Governor Greg was out there watering the tree of liberty—metaphorically, of course. From the The Texas Tribune:

Jade Helm 15 was a planned military training exercise that became a fascination of conspiracy theorists before it even began. The exercise, which spanned several states, began in Texas in Bastrop County in 2015 and was described by federal officials as routine. But some conspiracy theorists speculated that the exercise was a covert effort to institute martial law. Hayden was not CIA director at this time.

Weeks before the exercise began, Abbott wrote a letter to the State Guard asking them to keep an eye on the operation so “Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed.” In the letter, Abbott added that he had "the utmost respect for the deep patriotism of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to fight for and defend our freedom." Yet the move prompted significant criticism. Democrats questioned whether Abbott really trusted the military. Even some Republicans — including former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — spoke out in support of the exercise. Former state Rep. Todd Smith accused Abbott of "pandering to idiots."

Yeah, like that hasn't been a solid game plan.

Interestingly, former CIA director Michael Hayden is on record that the Jade Helm hysteria, for which Abbott went like an 18-pound bass, may have been a beta test for Russian bots and hackers that encouraged them in their attack on the 2016 election. Because, if American politicians and citizens are stupid enough to fall for this, why wouldn't they fall for Donald Trump as president? The logic, alas, is inescapable.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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