sherpa

If you, or anybody else visits the Monticello Appellation area, (Charlottesville), I'd be glad to host. Our region was named this year as the best wine region in the word by Wine Enthusiast. Monticello Appellation Petit Verdot is one of the five Bordeaux red grapes. It is usually blended into a weaker cabernet or other red to bolster, but recently has been successful as a stand alone varietal. This is the winery that buys my grapes. They are less than a half mile away and won a silver medal with my petit verdot at the Virginia Gov's cup in 21. https://www.chestnutoakvineyard.com/ Redhawk is on the other side of the Blue Ridge, quite a while distant.

Again, I can prove anything I have said, no matter your stupidity. By the way, did you actually read this post with it's gross grammatical and other errors? I'll challenge again. I never claimed to be a "wine maker." There is a name for that that escapes you. What I stated is that I grow commercial red Bordeaux grapes and sell the product, as well as the Navy pilot stuff. I'll challenge you again. If I can't prove what I said, $10,000 to your favorite charity. If I can, $1000 from you to mine. Put up or shut up.

The US has no need for Venezuelan oil. There is no leverage there.

I certainly wouldn't call it a war. If the US waged "war" against Venezuela, it would be far more dramatic.

What evidence supports a claim that we are "starting a war with Venezuela?"

Have her move to reds.

The last time he accused me of lying about this, I offered a bet and would donate thousands of dollars to the charity of his choice if I couldn't prove it. He never accepted that. He also accused me of lying about running a vineyard. The county that grants me a property tax break for agricultural use of my property, as well as the winery I sell to, as well as the 2021 Virginia Governors Cup silver medal for my 2017 Petit Verdot would argue for me as well. But that's "his take."

The financial component of this, though small, is interesting. They are building their own facilities. Of the scores of other countries we host, they always use ours. We provide hangars, maintenance and operational areas. This is all on Qatar. It is idiotic to think they will aver have offensive capabilities in the US with this training agreement. Denying this common sense project because a lunatic from Saudi Arabia killed a few people in Pensacola is a bad option.

That's your "take away huh? You are an idiot. My last squadron on active duty: https://seaforces.org/usnair/VFA/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-127.htm

You know nothing. You post nothing.

Am I the only one who sees something mentally deficient in this guy? There is nothing in his post that suggests why this is "a bad idea." There is absolutely nothing in this that asserts "funding terrorism." There is nothing "Maga" about any of it. What there is, beyond doubt, is something wrong with this individual who knows nothing about this issue. "Funding terrorism"? Ya. Sure. Where.

The US has just deployed an AC-130 gunship to the region. A monster firepower machine. It has plenty of loiter time, plenty of guns, plenty of sensors, and usually operates at night. Not a survivable situation for a boat driver.

There is nothing in that that suggests anything regarding "why this is a bad idea."

The team that included National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who stated: "Th e Middle East is quieter today than it has been in two decades." He provided that prescient brilliance exactly one week before the Oct massacre and ensuing two year conflict, during which time the Iranians rearmed themselves, Hamas and the Houthis. What an amazing and inspiring demonstration of effective capability.

First, I don't think you are a "dumb ass." What you are claiming is disapproval of a "base" being constructed. That is a false premise. There is no base. They are constructing a facility to allow their people to train and use the billion dollar F-15 purchase. We do it all the time, as there is no other option that makes sense, other than sending our people there, which is never going to happen. This isn't renting a car. They will never present a threat to us in any way, by this action which has been in place for years.

If you think this is "stupid things," we've been doing it for decades, including many countries, and has been part of our military equipment foreign sales for a very long time. This is a dumb thread, but it has exposed people who get excited, but know nothing about this stuff.

"All lies and jests, Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."

No problem. From the AP link above: "But the facility being built at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho isn’t a separate base at all — it is a group of buildings that will be built to handle training and maintenance for Qatari troops — and the agreement with Qatar has been in the works for years."

You rating the value of "contributions" is a very funny way to start my day. You have done nothing. Want a link, not that you are worth the effort, but others are. You have absolutely no knowledge to form any conclusion on what a "bad idea" is regarding this. When was the Qatar agreement conceived? "Qatar decided to buy the F-15QA aircraft from a U.S. government program called Foreign Military Sales in 2017, and discussions to train Qatari troops in the use of the jets began shortly thereafter, Stefanek said. Work got started on an environmental assessment to determine the possible impact on the area surrounding the Mountain Home Air Force Base began around 2020, and the assessment was completed in 2022. https://apnews.com/article/idaho-qatar-us-air-force-base-fc1506584e7833dbde3e16fe8613b6b4 Want to see a physical copy of the environmental study approval? Go to the two minute mark.

I don't generally consider anything that this clown says, nor respond to it, as he seems to know nothing. But, this is a pure display of raw ignorance.

Well. Well. Well. Despite the histrionics on this from ill informed individuals, it seems this story has been developing since the Biden Admin. A 2022 release from Mountain Home Air Force Base indicated that an environmental impact study had been completed related to a "bed down facility" for a squadron level number, 12, of Qatari F-15's. The facility is exactly what I postulated above. Again, the process began during the Biden Admin. No sweat.

My two cents. First it isn't a "base." It is a facility. Probably a building with a hangar for storing, maintenance and support, and a top floor with rooms to brief and perform other functions. That would be exactly what US hangars are. Singapore has a group there now. Second, we often assist in training other nation pilots who purchase our airplanes, and Qatar operates US built F-15's. We trained Iranians when they purchased our airplanes from their first flight on, though they were so bad they were split off from US Navy student pilots. Part of the F-14 agreement. When I was an adversary fighter instructor we had one of these training deals with the Saudis when they bought F-15's. I fought them at Hill AFB in Utah, though it was not publicized so as not to offend the Israelis. They sucked, were a-h's and was a total waste of time, but about five of us did it for a week, two a day. We have many nations, mostly NATO, but the Israelis now as well, that participate in RED FLAG, which is a huge couple of time/year exercise in the Nellis AFB, (Las Vegas) Area. This looks to be more of a long lasting agreement and they need their own facility for items mentioned above. Of a general nature, the Israeli strike on Qatari real estate was specifically designed to get Hamas leaders, not against Qatar, the nation. Hamas leaders were too cowardly to hang around in Gaza, so they hung around in Qatar. As far as the comments about Israel not knowing about a strike, I don't know what is being referenced by those comments. But, if it is the Oct 7 invasion, that had nothing to do with Mossad. That was an admitted Shin Bet failure. Nor did it have anything to do with Iron Dome.

Two things. One, when they "awarded" Yasser Arafat the Nobel, all credibility was lost. Two, and on a lighter note, I will really miss ex Press Secretary Karine Jeane-Pierre's annual, gross mispronunciation of the award. You would think that one of her staff members would have told her how to pronounce it.

I'm guessing the "RuAF" is Air Force? Total casualties have been estimated at near one million total, and a few hundred thousand of those are dead, as of late June. Kind of ugly for what Putin called a "partial mobilization."

He hasn't been the same since he served as Hillary's valet. He always looks like he slept "in a van down by the river."