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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 6d

It's unsettling that after America's ally (Israel) bombed Qatar, Trump gave Qatar a security guarantee (without Congressional buy-in). If such a guarantee meant anything wouldn't the US have been able to stop Israel from violating Qatar's sovereignty in the first place?

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 7d

"Stupid" rules of engagement?

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 7d

The Geneva Convention and “Rules of Engagement” -They Protect People at Both Ends of the Weapon
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
"We should be focusing on what kind of military we really want... do we[really]want a military of people who ‘shoot first, and ID the corpses?"

The Geneva Convention and “Rules of Engagement” -They Protect People at Both Ends of the Weapon

The Steady State | by Charles A. Ray

open.substack.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 8d

"Hegseth is dangerous to America. He was installed only to be a vicious toady for Trump."

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 10d

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth – A Grave Danger to America “Strategy:"...a rigorously thought-out determination of one’s goals, objectives...goals...means, and mechanisms to stay on track despite...unanticipated consequences."

Hegseth lacks the skills for this critical job requirement.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth – A Grave Danger to America

The Steady State | by Tom Wolfson

substack.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 8d

Indeed!

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 8d

"If you talk about accountability…he needs to start with himself. He should have resigned after the Signalgate disaster…Every single person in that room knows that they would have been fired had they done the same thing."

www.rawstory.com/hegseth-2674...

'I traveled 8K miles to hear this?' Retired general rips into Hegseth's 'canned' speech

Retired Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson had nothing but scathing words on CNN Tuesday morning for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's all-hands speech to generals and admirals who had been called off their ass...

www.rawstory.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 8d

Unacceptable on so many grounds.
* US "cities as training grounds” for military forces.
* Basic training should be "scary.
* Using the *miltiary as a political prop.
* Condoning use of force against spitters.
* Lie after lie.

www.economist.com/united-state...

Donald Trump tries to enlist the top brass for “the war from within”

A gathering of generals turns into a surreal, and worrying, political show

www.economist.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 8d

"Americans’ safety is a top concern for every U.S. ambassador and the whole of their Missions."

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 8d

US Diplomats: While keeping our foreign policy on track, they keep Americans safe around the world.

The Steady State (@steadystate1)

US Diplomats: While keeping our foreign policy on track, they keep Americans safe around the world.

substack.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 8d

This is not what I envisioned successful US-Iran diplomacy would achieve.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/w...

U.S. Deports Planeload of Iranians After Deal With Tehran, Officials Say

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 9d

Good discussion on AlJazeera Saturday about the sad demise of the Iran nuclear deal and what’s next.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=iAL5...

What's the fallout from the latest UN sanctions on Iran? | Inside Story

YouTube video by Al Jazeera English

m.youtube.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 11d

No surprise that Hegseth wanted to honor the soldiers who massacred Sioux women and children at Wounded Knee. This is the guy who advocated for POW murderer Eddie Gallagher.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/u...

Hegseth Says Honors for Soldiers in Wounded Knee Massacre Will Remain

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 11d

Which party supports political violence?

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republican Arizona lawmaker makes post calling for execution of Democratic congresswoman

John Gillette on X called for ‘people like’ Pramila Jayapal to be ‘hanged’ in response to her video on anti-Trump protests

www.theguardian.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 14d

This is brilliantly funny.

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 16d

Blatant discrimination based on ethnicity.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Under Trump, Palestinians seeking U.S. asylum face new hurdle, documents show

Palestinian asylum applicants must pass a secondary review that lawyers say has not been used before as a blanket requirement for an ethnonational group.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 17d

“Why is this administration going to war against the very professionals sworn to keep our country safe?”

substack.com/home/post/p-...

“The Politicization of Intelligence: A Threat to Our National Security” U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner

STATEMENT ON THE SENATE FLOOR, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18,2025

substack.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 17d

Yes, can’t overlook soft-shell crabs.

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 17d

I often wish we were more like the UK.

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 17d

Who says Netanyahu has never helped the Palestinians?

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/w...

Britain, Australia and Canada Recognize a Palestinian State

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 18d

Unprecedented. “Under [Yemen’s] authoritarian president, journalists weren’t targeted like this. Under the Houthis, journalists weren’t targeted like this. The U.S., the Saudis — none of them have done this,”

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Israel killed 31 journalists in Yemen strike, press freedom group says

Last week’s attack was “the deadliest strike on journalists in the Middle East” documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 22d

Trump's team certainly knows how to influence people.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

South Korea to examine Georgia ICE raid for possible human rights abuses

South Korea vowed to investigate whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated human rights after it detained hundreds at a Hyundai-LG plant.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 22d

It's not right that Trump's need for flattery resulted in a second state visit. I trust the British people will act properly.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Trump heads to U.K. for carefully choreographed state visit

President Donald Trump returns to the U.K. at the invitation of King Charles III, for a trip designed to avoid controversy and protests.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 23d

Alarming authoritarian creep, not even disguised.

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 24d

Stephen Miller, senior advisor to the President, just called for designating the Democratic Party a terrorist organization. Coming from authority, this isn’t rhetoric — it mirrors the same “certainty” the U.S. invoked to justify killing 11 people in a boat off Venezuela earlier this month.

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 24d

US attack on Venezuelan boat could set dangerous precedent

The USG has effective, established policies and practices for illegal drug interdiction. The administration has chosen to ignore those established methods, choosing an action that calls into question and undermines the rule of law—

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 25d

I wonder if the EU parliamentarians who banged their desks will run afoul of the State Department's policy of denying visas to those deemed to be “praising, rationalizing, or making light of” Charlie Kirk’s death.

www.livemint.com/news/watch-e...

Watch | EU parliament lawmakers bang desks in protest over moment of silence for slain MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk | Today News

European Parliament members rejected calls for a moment of silence for MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk, despite right-wing lawmakers' push for tribute. Protest ensued as lawmakers banged desks against the...

www.livemint.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 25d

“The White House’s campaign against Brazil did not stop Mr. Bolsonaro’s conviction, but it did hurt America’s image in the country and push its largest ally in the Western Hemisphere closer to China.”

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 25d

“The U.S. needs to know it’s not dealing with a banana republic.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/w...

Brazil Keeps Telling Trump to Get Lost

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 26d

A speaker predicted resumption of Israel’s war against Iran within 3 months, because its 3 objectives in June weren’t achieved:
1) Drawing US into a lasting conflict with Tehran.
2) Regime collapse.
3) Resetting regional balance.

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Mark Fitzpatrick @marktfitz.bsky.social · 26d

At an Iran conference in DC, reference was made to trying to assess the thinking of the supreme leader. It didn’t mean Ayatollah Khamenei.

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