THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

What to normal people is a simple multi state military training exercise and to the mentally ill of Texas is an attempt by the federal gubmint to takeover the state Jade Helm 15 begins today. While there are not enough beds to accommodate all the screw loose lunatics in Texas, this should be an excellent chance to identify those most in need of help.

Jade Helm 15, an eight-week military exercise that has generated paranoia for months fueled by conservative bloggers and Internet postings, begins Wednesday in Texas and six other states: Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Utah...

On the orders of Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas State Guard will monitor Jade Helm 15 from Camp Mabry in Austin, the state capital. So will at least one national group of unofficial monitors and protesters that calls itself Counter Jade Helm. It plans to have teams of volunteers follow Army vehicles and post their locations to its website. Army planners and local elected officials have been busy answering questions from apprehensive residents and holding briefings for the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas, the San Angelo Tea Party and county commissioners...

Much of the paranoia over Jade Helm 15 is the outgrowth of an anti-Obama sentiment that is widespread in Texas and parts of the Southwest.

“It stems from an absolute distrust with the Obama administration,” said Judge Stephen C. Floyd of Tom Green County, its top elected official. “I share a lot of their distrust of the Obama administration and their rule-making, but I have a great deal of confidence in the U.S. military.”

According to some right-wing bloggers and activists, the exercise is part of a secret plot by the Obama administration to impose martial law, confiscate firearms, invade red-state Texas or prepare for instituting “total population control.” A report on Infowars, a website operated by Alex Jones, a libertarian-leaning talk radio host from Texas, suggested Helm was an acronym for Homeland Eradication of Local Militants.

We hope it doesn't rain in Texas because there sure are a lot of roofs missing a whole lot of shingles.