Conspiracy theories deep in the heart of the Texas governor’s office
by digby
…. the patriots are convinced the US MIlitary is about to infilitrate their towns and assassinate them. I wish I weren’t kidding. I wrote about it for Salon:
You have probably heard these lyrics at least a thousand times at televised Republican rallies:
And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to meThose of course are the words to “Proud to be an American” by Lee Greenwood, a song that could almost be described as the conservative national anthem. It perfectly expresses the patriotism of the Real American, the man and woman who love their country without reservation, the ones who boldly invite dissenters to “love it or leave it” and attack anyone who would dare besmirch the red, white and blue. These colors don’t run, hippie…
But something has changed. In fact, it appears that the right wing in this country has become downright hostile to the one government institution they heretofore had defended with every fiber of their being: the military. This week, members of the conservative fringe, having apparently become convinced that the army is holding a large training exercise in the American southwest in order to prepare the ground for a federal government takeover of Texas, are themselves metaphorically spitting right in the faces of U.S. soldiers:
“It’s the same thing that happened in Nazi Germany: You get the people used to the troops on the street, the appearance of uniformed troops and the militarization of the police,” Bastrop resident Bob Wells told the Statesman after the meeting. “They’re gathering intelligence. That’s what they’re doing. And they’re moving logistics in place for martial law. That’s my feeling. Now, I could be wrong. I hope I am wrong. I hope I’m a ‘conspiracy theorist.’”
Yes, we all hope that Bob is a conspiracy theorist. It would be disturbing indeed if the U.S. military were preparing to invade Texas and turn it into Nazi Germany.
Read on to see how Governor Abbot calmed the waters. (Hint: he told the national guard to monitor the military exercise to protect Texans.)
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