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Jim's avatar

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/faa-trump-elon-plane-crash/681975/

Here is the real reason for Musk’s wrecking ball treatment of the US government. He wants to be the sole communications contractor/provider, which would render him in total control of all US government communications around the StarLink network. A single point of control, single point of failure. Imagine the joy in Moscow or Beijing to have direct access.

The one government prerogative that hasn’t been mentioned in a very long time is the legal means to nationalize an essential service. For a national level communications network to be in the hands of a single corporation, and controlled by a single person, this is a direct risk, from national security to market economy, that should be managed by the national government.

Just a thought for the Resistance to consider after the Trumpist and oligarchic ideology is defeated.

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Karen Harman's avatar

Starlink has to go. No one needs it THAT much.

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Dina's avatar

Exactly. There are entire countries that manage just fine without it.

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Marieke's avatar

Including Latin America.

After Musk retweeted a slander about businessman Carlos Slim, the wealthiest Mexican billionaire who owns a telecom company contracted with Musk and Starlink, that implied he had ties to cartels and drug trafficking, Slim killed off a contract worth something like $28 billion for building across multiple nations.

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Maria Jette's avatar

I don’t think those are employees brought in by Musk. He went into the United States Digital Service (USDS) and basically made it into DOGE. He brought along his hench-teens, but started directing all those pre-existing employees to do DOGE stuff— and those are the people who are speaking up, and leaving. There’s a lot to read about it at the ISDS Wiki:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Digital_Service

I have a bit of a headache, and just scrolling through it all is making it worse, so I’ll have to come back to it later. I’ll be interested to see what you folks have to say when you’ve digested a bit more of this info!

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Karen Harman's avatar

I stand corrected, thank you. That is an important distinction. I cannot believe Congress is just sitting on their hands letting this happen. It has to be completely clear by now that Trump is deliberately weakening our entire government. Do we have that many spineless traitors there too?

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Grips@ADHD's avatar

😂👌The man’s ego is writing checks reality can’t cash.

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Karen Harman's avatar

Just answered my own question about DOGE employees quitting. “recent reports indicate that employees within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been resigning. Notably, on February 25, 2025, twenty-one engineers, data scientists, and other civilian workers resigned from DOGE, expressing concerns about compromising core government systems and jeopardizing sensitive data. Additionally, on March 7, 2025, it was reported that around 200 technologists have either resigned or been terminated since DOGE took over key government technology teams, raising concerns about the impact on public services.  ”

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Andrew M. Shaw's avatar

Is it really true DOGE employees are leaving? That would be a wonderful thing.

(Alas a good neighbor & liberal friend bought 2 Teslas, one a cybertruck, before Musk revealed his true nature, thinking he was helping the climate etc of the future. Alas now he needs some way of decorating his vehicles w "I'm sorry hateful Musk conned me & I'm stuck w Tesla". Any ideas?)

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James S. McEvoy's avatar

Muck’s personal employees are FLEEING DOGE.

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Maria Jette's avatar

I don’t think those are employees brought in by Musk. He went into the United States Digital Service (USDS) and basically made it into DOGE. He brought along his hench-teens, but started directing all those pre-existing employees to do DOGE stuff— and those are the people who are speaking up, and leaving. There’s a lot to read about it at the ISDS Wiki:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Digital_Service

I have a bit of a headache, and just scrolling through it all is making it worse, so I’ll have to come back to it later. I’ll be interested to see what you folks have to say when you’ve digested a bit more of this info!

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Karen Harman's avatar

I was wondering the same thing. What incentive would any of them have to leave? Where does this information come from?

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Michael Smith's avatar

Prison... suddenly realizing they will be prosecuted and sued for acting completely without authority...following orders is not a stay out of jail card....while Elon walks.

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John Stiles's avatar

Maybe prison...or is it possible that some still have integrity?

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Dina's avatar

There's the sticker that says "I bought this before we knew Musk was insane" or something to that effect but, in my opinion, it isn't big enough. Maybe a simple, big "Musk sucks" written across the side, lol!

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Marieke's avatar

I’ve seen some of the not-Cybertruck models decorated with Mazda badging on social media.

Unfortunately there’s no disguising the eye-sore that is a Cybertruck.

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Glennz2013's avatar

I'm completely in LOVE with this brilliant writer! I'd kiss him or her right on the lips!

Thank you for making this Tesla-fire shyte show laugh-out-loud funny!

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Maureen's avatar

Stellar writing!

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DJ in AR's avatar

Well said!

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Kathy Roots's avatar

Brilliant!

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Sharon's avatar

Why is Musk trying to populate the world with his DNA? Fourteen kids most of them conceived by IVF?

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Steve O’Cally's avatar

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” We do not know who spoke these words first, but they haven’t stopped being said.

Дуга морального всесвіту довга, але вона схиляється до справедливості.

It makes sense in all languages. I’m not the first to write this in Ukrainian. See https://ukrayinska.libretexts.org about Cultural_Sociology_and_Social_Problems

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BARBARA BADGER's avatar

his credibility is burning faster than a Tesla Supercharger station in Boston.

Terrific !! A great read !

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Amy Roberts's avatar

The bigger they are the harder they fall

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lunafaer (she/they)'s avatar

i wish it were feasible to just strip all these cars down to the wheels rather than creating pollutions and wasting materials by burning them.

but i guess needs must when the devil drives.

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Chris Ann's avatar

If he is abusing drugs, it would explain a lot.

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Reading Off Into The Sunset's avatar

Musk has proven to not be Tom Swift, but instead is Andy Foger. You’d probably have to be pretty old to get the reference.

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Steve O’Cally's avatar

It is a time to pause and think about Martin Luther King Jr. If violence added power to righteousness, Rev. King would still not support it. People called out King for being a weakling. He was not. For those who endorsed violence, can you even remember the name of ONE of them? Peace and dignity, maturity-these are powerful forces not open to the rash and violent.

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