Welcome to West Texas, where everyone is suspected of being a spy
"Trust no man" could be the new motto of the Lone Star State, whose rural residents remain on guard as Jade Helm 15, an eight-week-long "unconventional warfare" exercise by the U.S. Army, begins today. Forty-four percent of the population reportedly suspects that the drills are actually a cover for an Obama-sanctioned firearm-removal program, with some West Texan citizens going as far as to bury their guns — or prep for a showdown, with one farmer rumored to have stockpiled 20,000 rounds of ammunition.
Another team of volunteers is tracking the Army's vehicles and posting updates on their locations to a website. "We're not paranoid tin-hat wearing freaks," one Jade Helm tracker told Fox News, adding, "I did this because A, I believe in monitoring what the government does, and B, I see this as a training opportunity.”
"If the government has an idea they can come in and take over, and take guns away, the stupidest place they could come is West Texas," Bill Ford, a county commissioner, told The New York Times. "There's more guns and ammo here and more people willing to use them than any combat area they've fought in. Bad things aren't going to happen here."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While doing their reporting, even the Times was suspect:
“Spec Ops grows beards,” one interviewee noted, referring to the Times' photographer. "Y'all got a military ID?"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Georgia's new foreign influence bill
Under the Radar Critics claim the 'Russian law' could stifle dissent and wreck the country's chances of joining the EU
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published