Conspiracy Theorists Think an Army Training Exercise Will Bring Martial Law

[brahmanknight]

An unclassified document that outlines a US Army training exercise scheduled for this summer includes a color-coded map that refers to Texas as "hostile territory" and calls a portion of California an "insurgent pocket," leading a certain fringe on the internet to claim the exercise is really a dress rehearsal for a government plot to declare martial law.


The training exercise, known as Jade Helm 15, is scheduled to take place between July 15 and September 15 across parts of Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and will involve Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and other Special Ops forces. The uproar is over a slideshow presentation that outlines the effects the exercises might have on local populations. The US Army would not confirm the legitimacy of the document.


On the Sleuth Journal, a website that describes itself as an independent alternative media organization and also sells "preparedness and survival items," author Dave Hodges said the drill was actually about "the brutal martial subjugation of the people of Texas, Utah and Southern California who have risen up against some unspecified tyranny."


"A careful analysis reveals how this drill is connected to Army policies associated with the confinement of detainees in what is commonly called FEMA camps!" Hodge wrote, describing a conspiracy theory in which the government imprisons citizens in FEMA disaster camps. "This drill is undoubtedly the most frightening thing to occur on American soil since the Civil War."
Infowars, the conspiracy-minded site founded by Alex Jones, also published a story on Jade Helm 15, calling it a plan for the "brutal martial law takeover of America [that] labels Texas and Utah as 'hostile' states due to their strong cultural identities."

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[HuffyCane]

Idiots. The Army has been scheming that war game since Texas became a state.

 

[UCFKnight85]

SOCOM has always been dying to rule the uninhabited southwest of the US with an iron fist. NOW IS THEIR TIME!

Jesus Christ, man.

PS- Infowars is the website that Marino frequently links to as reference for his political perspectives.

 

[anon_x731qvsnsyb8i]

Duh...they're obviously training for the suburban warfare that would be encountered in populated areas of Eastern Europe, or any other combat zone. The United States obviously has a lot of varied terrains. The States highlighted are the ones where they could get the most protest/cheap shots while training I would assume.

 

[goodknightfl]

They are getting ready for Obama claiming martial law in US. He can't run again, but that doesn't mean he will leave any time soon.

 

[NinjaKnight]

Originally posted by goodknightfl:
They are getting ready for Obama claiming martial law in US. He can't run again, but that doesn't mean he will leave any time soon.

The sad thing is I'm not sure if you are smart enough for me to consider this a joke.

 

[anon_x731qvsnsyb8i]

Originally posted by NinjaKnight:

Originally posted by goodknightfl:
They are getting ready for Obama claiming martial law in US. He can't run again, but that doesn't mean he will leave any time soon.

The sad thing is I'm not sure if you are smart enough for me to consider this a joke.

So, what ARE they training for though? One can still obviously tell it is unusual and it is worthy of question. I don't believe it is for any "coming martial law" because if that were true, it wouldn't be in the open. I go back to my initial argument of it being for tactical training for Eastern European suburbia.

But...why did they ditch the Posse Comitatus act in 2008? That is also unusual considering it stood since 1878. I don't care who you are, if you have studied history, that itself is a bit questionable and is a little alarming to people who actually follow this stuff...I can see where the Martial Law theorists have their questions, it didn't come from thin air as the Posse Comitatus act prevents military policing the homeland. It could be argued by some that martial law technically started upon the repeal...by theorists of course.

So researching it, the repealing of the Posse Comitatus act was followed by the ratification of the Insurrection act, partially written by Bush and then finalized by his follow-up...here's some of that Insurrection Act:

"The President may employ the armed forces... to... restore public order and enforce the laws of the United States when, as a result of a natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition... the President determines that... domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of maintaining public order... or [to] suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy if such... a condition... so hinders the execution of the laws... that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law... or opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.[8]"[/I]

Looks like domestic deployment is now legally protected. These changes actually were in action before Obama came into office as part of Bush's parting gifts. Obama just finished it off. So if there is a leader to blame, it would be Bushama.
This post was edited on 3/25 8:24 AM by Malthus Doctrine

 

[UCFKnight85]

What are they training for? Really??

Here's the answer: virtually any engagement which involves combat over desert terrain. That leaves a ton of possibilities.

 

[anon_x731qvsnsyb8i]

Originally posted by UCFKnight85:
What are they training for? Really??

Here's the answer: virtually any engagement which involves combat over desert terrain. That leaves a ton of possibilities.

You are absolutely correct. It was an open-ended question which of course provided an open-ended answer.

I think the alarmists are more concerned about the sheer size of the operation, it is unprecedented... although it did occur last year but about 1/10th the scale. I guess we won't know the true scope until June. The big elephant in the room is why they had to remove the Posse Comitatus act before when they openly trained in Colorado and Southern Utah when prepping for Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2003...I think those are very valid, non-crazy, questions based on cold-hard facts which have only garnered dismissively opinionated answers.


What do I think? I think it is preparation for potential involvement in the Baltic region...Eastern Caucasus, etc. which the SW terrain can mimic while getting people used to seeing increased military presence on the home-front (which is actually outlined in the pdf)...

 

[ucflee]

Posse comitatus hasn't been repealed or removed and is widely misunderstood. It does not prevent the use of the US military from engaging in law enforcement. It can and has been done. Posse comitatus prevents local/district law enforcement officials from using military without presidential or congressional authorization. As Americans we have a revolutionary distaste for the local use of federal troops which perhaps contibutes to the idea that US troops should NEVER be used within our own borders.

 

[HuffyCane]

Originally posted by ucflee:
Posse comitatus hasn't been repealed or removed and is widely misunderstood. It does not prevent the use of the US military from engaging in law enforcement. It can and has been done. Posse comitatus prevents local/district law enforcement officials from using military without presidential or congressional authorization. As Americans we have a revolutionary distaste for the local use of federal troops which perhaps contibutes to the idea that US troops should NEVER be used within our own borders.

This is close, but not exactly right, which makes me wonder if you don't widely misunderstand it as well. To the extent it is misunderstood, it is misunderstood because the military has used it to avoid expending resources on domestic matters and lawyers and judges have misapplied the law where it had no business being used.

First of all, it applies only to the US Army, and by amendment, the US Air Force. It does not apply to the Navy or Marine Corps, but they have adopted regulations that are similar. It does not apply to the US Coast Guard, which has law enforcement responsibilities by statute. It doesnt apply to the National Guards while under the command of the respective Governors. It doesnt apply to civilians who are employed by the Army and Air Force, even if they have a law enforcement function.

The law's application isn't limited to just "local/district law enforcement officials". The first word of the statute is "Whoever". There are long winded historical and legal justifications for it applying to everyone, except Congress formally acting as a whole.

Basically anyone, including the President, who willfully uses a portion of the Army or Air Force to "execute the laws" unless specifically authorized by the Constitution or the Congress is guilty of a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. There are some case law exceptions and any fact pattern has to be analyzed in conjunction with other applicable laws, including the Enforcement Acts and the Insurrection Act, which authorize the President to use military force to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed when state and local authorities are unable or unwilling to execute the laws. Basically, things Ike sending troops into Little Rock to desegregate the schools and Katrina.

Generally, an "execution of the law" that violates the PCA is when the Army or AF perform tasks assigned to the civil government absent authority from Congress or the Constitution OR when the Army and AF perform tasks assigned to them solely for the purposes of civilian government. The most common violation of the PCA is when a local law enforcement officers co-opt the use of the USA/AF for civilian purposes or the use of those forces "pervades" the civilian activity. (The use of the military along with private cops back in the 30s to break strikes, etc.).

The problem is when the forces are used in such a way that it supplements civilian authority to exert regulatory or compulsory control over the population. While this is technically a violation of a very broad law, other authorizations of Congress or the Constitution frequently apply.

Yes, as part of my law practice, I teach active duty military, police leadership, and academy students on how to avoid breaking the law.

























This post was edited on 3/30 1:08 PM by HuffyCane

 

[ucflee]

Leave it to the lawyer to take my quick course correction and create a long winded post ;-)

But seriously, I am not an expert on the act but I live in a Title X world (which means this is part of my professional education)

Thanks for the more detailed post. I understand it enough to not to go to jail

 

[NinjaKnight]

Damn, sure do miss people like huffycane and brahman. Sadly they left when this board was infested with inbred MAGAts.