Fear and extreme caution grip the hearts of Texas residents regarding Jade Helm 15, which many believe is a coverup for a U.S. military takeover in the state, as its implementation draws near.
Jade Helm 15 is a military training exercise that will run from July 15 to Sept. 15 and will cover seven southwestern states. The exercise will deploy 1,200 soldiers across the seven states, according to The Washington Post.
In Bastrop, one of the Texas cities included in Jade Helm 15, County Judge Paul Pape invited Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman from the U.S. army, to explain the military exercise and address the people's questions about it.
"I'm sensitive to the fact that some of our Bastrop residents are concerned," Pape said. "I'm confident that they are very sincere about their concerns."
Lastoria explained that Jade Helm's purpose is to "simulate U.S. Special Forces helping resistance fighters resotre democracy in an imaginary country," The Washington Post reports.
There are many theories as to what Jade Helm is about. Some people say the federal government will use it to enforce gay marriage in Texas, which continues to defy the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling that gay marriage is legal in all 50 states of the U.S.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has ordered state guards to monitor Jade Helm, issued a statement in the wake of the same-sex marriage ruling: "Despite the Supreme Court's rulings, Texans' fundamental right to religious liberty remains protected. No Texan is required by the Supreme Court's decision to act contrary to his or her religious beliefs regarding marriage."
"The Texas Constitution guarantees that '[n]o human authority ought, in any case whatsoever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion,'" the statement further states.
The governor also enacted the Pastor Protection Act, which "protects houses of worship, religious organizations and their employees and clergy or ministers, from being required to participate in a marriage or celebration or a marriage if it would violate a sincerely held religious belief," News Channel 4 reports.
SCOTUS has become an unelected nine member legislature. I will continue to defend the religious liberties of TX https://t.co/CEJf8xyMKM
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) June 26, 2015
"Freedom of religion is the most sacred of our rights and our freedom to worship is secured by the Constitution. Religious leaders in the state of Texas must be absolutely secure in the knowledge that religious freedom is beyond the reach of government or coercion by the courts," Abbott said, according to Texas Tribune.
Based on an opinion survey conducted by the University of Texas and The Texas Tribune, almost half of Texans believe that the government will enforce martial law to silence political protesters and confiscate the residents' guns in order to impose gay marriage.
One popular theory about Jade Helm is that President Obama will use it to enforce martial law and extend his term. Broadcaster Rick Wiles claims the military exercise is intended to get people used to seeing soldiers roaming around to ease the transition to martial law in 2016.
"A military presence in our streets will be necessary next fall when the people realize the country is over. Obama has another year in power ... He'll wait, he'll save it until next year as his term comes to an end," he said, according to Right Wing Watch.
Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz believes "there is reason for concern and uncertainty" regarding Jade Helm because ""the federal government has not demonstrated itself to be trustworthy in this administration," according to MSNBC.
Other Texans are alarmed about the military exercise simply because the president is black.
"The truth is, this stems a fair amount from the fact that we have a black president," said Terry Orr, former mayor of Bastrop, according to The Washington Post.
The issues surrounding Jade Helm can be traced back to the military releasing a map showing the area of operations for the military exercise. The map shows seven southern states labeled as “hostile” and other states labeled as “permissive.”
Lastoria explained the map represents an imaginary country in which democracy will be restored and that the labels are nothing more than fictional designations, The Washington Post reports
