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Comment by UnitedWeStand on April 30, 2015 at 3:03am

Operation Jade Helm 15 will not infringe Texans' rights, White House says

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/operation-jade-helm-15-will-not-infr...

By Anna M. Tinsley

Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Tribune News Service)

White House officials on Wednesday brushed off Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s concerns that an upcoming eight-week federal training exercise could infringe on Texans’ rights.

Abbott on Tuesday announced that he has directed the Texas State Guard to monitor Operation Jade Helm 15 — a military exercise which will bring around 1,200 special forces to Texas between July and September to simulate special operations in so called “hostile” territory.

When asked about Abbott’s actions on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that “in no way will the constitutional rights or civil liberties of any American citizen be infringed upon while this exercise is being conducted.”

Abbott said in a letter this week that he is dispatching the state guard because “it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed.”

Having the state guard monitor the exercises will let Texans “be informed of the details of military personnel movements and training exercise schedules and it will give us the ability to quickly and effectively communicate with local communities, law enforcement, public safety personnel and citizens.”

“I have no idea what he’s thinking,” Earnest said. “The civil liberties and constitutional rights of American citizens will be in no way affected by this exercise.”

The operation will bring a variety of top tier soldiers — from the Navy SEALS to the Green Berets — to Texas for simulated training exercises. But some Texans worry about a federal occupation, likely because the fictitious battlefield for the exercise labeled this state as “hostile” territory.

When Earnest was asked Wednesday if Abbott’s move was a result of “paranoia,” he did not answer directly, but did say that the military personnel won’t be incognito. They’ll be wearing arm bands.

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©2015 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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Published: April 29, 2015