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Reposted by Chad Crichton

Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 13h

This kind of partisan political message, under the guise of a public service announcement, is illegal on several levels.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 13h

A new Noem video is being played at airports trashing Democrats.

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Reposted by Chad Crichton

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 13h

A new Noem video is being played at airports trashing Democrats.

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Reposted by Chad Crichton

Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 13h

there's really just zero motivation for Ds to negotiate when they're saying things like this. if they're just going to rule by recissision anyway, might as well make them admit they're gutting the fillibuster in order to destroy healthcare.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21h

Q: Rescission are something Dems have said is a reason for a lack of trust. What rescissions are you discussing?

JOHNSON: We have more than $37t in debt. We're doing everything we can to get us back to sound fiscal responsibility. What does that include? A rescission package is part of our process

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Boba Fett Fan Club @bobafettfanclub.com · 12h

#BringBobaBack

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 14h

My only concern here is that I heard someone say the other day that they think the Jays match up much better against the Tigers than they do against the Mariners.

Can't remember who said it though, so that's only worth so much...

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 14h

As partisan messaging this is fine but the notion that Qatar wants to have their own Air Force Base, in Idaho, so... what? They can do some force projection in North America? With F15s?

It's so INCREDIBLY stupid I'm shocked that so many people continue to believe it after a nanosecond's thought.

Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 22h

Qatar gave Trump the luxury 747 that he wanted and now we are LETTING THEM BUILD A MILITARY BASE ON US SOIL

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 15h

And, of course, in discussions between Qatar and the US it's not QATAR that wants an Air Base inside the other country's borders, that's the U.S. and they HAVE IT.

Hell, the HEADQUARTERS of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the USAF is Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/379th_A...

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 15h

The widespread misunderstanding of the Qatari F15 story is frustrating to me because of how INCREDIBLY stupid it is.

If you just pause for a second and think about what the Qataris could hit with F15s from a base in Idaho and then how many USAF assets are based IN QATAR the narrative falls apart.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 15h

They want to do their F15 training at that Air Base in Idaho because 1) it's one of the only bases still operating F15 models that are similar to the F15s the US sold the Qataris and 2) that base has already been training F15 pilots from the Royal Singapore Air Force on similar F15s since 2009.

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 15h

If you've conviced yourself Qatar is building an Air Force Base in Idaho, please consider

1) What could the Qataris attack with F15s from Idaho? and,

2) What would the many, many, MANY USAF & RAF fighter jets and bombers that are currently based IN QATAR do if the Qataris attacked that with F15s?

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 15h

Think about it, what could the Qataris, even hypothetically, possibly attack with F15s from an Air Base in Idaho?

More to the point, what would the many, many, MANY US Air Force and Royal Air Force fighter jets and bombers that are currently based IN QATAR do if the Qataris attacked that with F15s?

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 15h

That's not what's happening.

This is about Hegseth being a bad communicator + a little Islamophobia.

The USA is going to add facilities to a USAF base to accommodate Qatari pilots getting the F15 training that came with the F15s they bought from the US at the same base Singapore's F15 pilots do.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

Congratulations to Pete Hegseth for being such an idiot and such a terrible communicator that he somehow convinced three quarters of BlueSky users that the government of Qatar is interested in building and operating a Qatari Air Force Base in Idaho so they can do force projection into North America.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

This is about the US Air Force building a bunch of hangars and on-base housing so that the Qataris can get the training that came along with the contract they signed to buy F15s from the U.S.

The country in this scenario who wants an overseas airbase is the US. And they've got it.
It's in Qatar.

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

Oh, I see.

If you think that the Qataris actually want to establish their own air base in Idaho and not only do you think that they want that but you think the US is going to let them build it, and operate it under Sharia law, in Idaho, that's an insane thing to have conviced yourself of, frankly.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

I really think they made a big deal about this mostly because the Qataris are nervous about the potential danger their role in the peace negotiations might have put them in and they want everyone to be thinking about how many USAF F22s (and many other US & UK fighters) are currently based in Qatar.

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

I don't really understand why this all wasn't more widely known but if, for example, you look up the Wikipedia page for the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the US Air Force they don't hide the fact that their headquarters is in Qatar and it has been for a long time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/379th_A...

379th Air Expeditionary Wing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

I do find the competing narratives funny.

Some people seem to truly believe the Qataris want an Air Base in Idaho to do force projection into the United States.

Other people seem to truly believe that the Qataris agreed to build the new F15 training facilities needed for their own F15 training.

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 20h

Hegseth sucks. The Qataris suck. But we aren’t giving Qatar an airbase in Idaho. It’s building dorms etc. at an existing base to train them on F-15s we sold them, just like Singapore already has there. Common arrangement we have with lots of countries. This one was already being planned under Biden.

Reposted by Chad Crichton

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 20h

Hegseth sucks. The Qataris suck. But we aren’t giving Qatar an airbase in Idaho. It’s building dorms etc. at an existing base to train them on F-15s we sold them, just like Singapore already has there. Common arrangement we have with lots of countries. This one was already being planned under Biden.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

What question?

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

OK, NOW we're done because if you think the US-Qatar relationship has been or is still on shaky ground "over 9/11" I have to assume that 2001 was the last time you looked at or thought about the relationship between the USA and Qatar.

Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

It might be worth mentioning that that article is from over 3 years ago because they've been working on the plan for where in the US the Qataris would get the training that comes with the F15s the US sold them since 2017.

The Qataris want to train in Idaho because that's where Singapore does it.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

Posts like this are ignoring little details like:

"Who did the Qataris buy their F15s from?"
(the USA)

"Where do Singapore Air Force pilots do THEIR F15 training?" (Idaho)

And, my favourite, where is the headquarters of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the USAF?
(Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar).

Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 21h

Oh, sure, let's have Qatar set up its military bases on American soil--because we're all about America First, amirite?

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

... at the same USAF base that the Royal Singapore Air Force has been doing THEIR F15 training since 2009.
4 When you bring hundreds more people and a bunch more fighter jets onto a USAF base you need to add additional housing for the people and hangars & maintenance facilities for the extra jets.

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Chad Crichton @chadcrichton.bsky.social · 16h

I'm trying to explain what "this" is to people online who are WILDLY misinterpreting it (partly because Hegseth is a bad communicator).

1 They bought F15s from the US.
2 The F15s come with training by the USAF.
3 The Qataris decided EIGHT YEARS AGO they'd like to do that training in Idaho...

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