Alex Jones cultists have occupied Austin and taken over the governor’s mind. It should be emphasized that these orders have gone to the STATE Guard, not the Texas National Guard. The State Guard is an unpaid and usually unarmed (though officially sanctioned) volunteer militia.

I’ve noticed an interesting and rather bizarre back narrative in the uproar over this Jade Helm exercise. A lot of the alarmed citizens seem to be unaware that the US military has ever conducted exercises like this in the United States, or that its missiles, tanks, and other equipment have always been stationed, and periodically moved around, in this country. I know it is weird, but what other inference can you draw when people carry on about this being “unprecedented” or various kinds of equipment appearing “suddenly” in locales where it has in fact been visible for years? One conspiraloon spelled it out to me. She threw their standard claim at me that I was only “taking the government’s word for it” when I pointed out that Reese Air Force Base had conducted military training near Lubbock for almost 50 years.

The same propaganda technique, pretending that the familiar and routine is new and sinister, is very much on display in the similar conspiracist uproar over recent ammunition purchases by various federal agencies. Published records show that similar orders have been placed in past years for similar amounts, and this goes back as far as you care to go. Should our 50,000 Coast Guard personnel (who work for DHS) have to buy their own ammunition to maintain the required handgun proficiency? The IRS needs ammunition because some of its field agents are armed and guns are useless without practice. The necessity for this should be obvious to anyone who knows what hard core tax evaders are like.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is ordering the Texas State Guard to monitor a two-month long U.S. military exercise scheduled to be held in Bastrop County this summer. The move comes amid suspicions from some residents (and the Internet) about the motivations behind the training.

The exercises, designated Operation Jade Helm 15, will involve more than 1,200 soldiers, Marines and others between July 15 and September 15. The military says the exercise is intended to train personnel on acclimating to unfamiliar terrain and climates.

U.S. Army Special Operations Command spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lastoria, says the summer months will offer an ideal training climate.

“After driving around Texas all of two weeks ago logging in about 900 miles in less than 48 hours, I can see the terrain is very challenging and is going to make our soldiers sweat,” Lastoria said. “And sweating in peacetime is what we want because we want to reduce the bleeding in wartime.”

On Monday, dozens of people filled the Bastrop County Commissioners Court to voice concerns about the military exercises. Lastoria took a number of questions from people who suspect Jade Helm is something nefarious. Bastrop County resident Daniel DuCloux has some reservations about the training program.

“I think historically, it’s much more common for governments to be tyrannical and infringe on other’s rights,” DuCloux said. “So when you see a large military build-up like this, I think it’s our duty as citizens to question what’s going on and to find answers. I mean, if we don’t, then who will?”

More: Abbott Orders Texas Guard to ‘Monitor’ Planned Military Exercises