87 Comments

Our Government should IMMEDIATELY cancel all contracts with Space-X who NASA has been subsidizing for years. And close NASA launch facilities to them. That would "limit" their ability to sponsor russian agression.

Expand full comment

Ooooo...I like that idea!

Expand full comment

Do we have an alternate service?

Expand full comment

Good thinking.

Expand full comment

Yes!

Expand full comment

Also no tax breaks for Tesla buyers.

Expand full comment

As a way of saying thank you for 6 months of free services? Genius.

Expand full comment

The reason I had no interest, at all, in owning a Tesla was that it became clear to me that essentially Tesla would own me. To maintain that vehicle I would become a hostage to it and anything that Tesla-Musk came up with that was ‘needed’ to operate my vehicle. This seems to be central to Musk’s methodology -to hold innocent people hostage to the insanely power addicted like himself, to make it impossible for others to protect themselves and make their own independent decisions. More and more is revealed about these narcissistically damaged people who are insatiable - we can put Musk at the top, right next to the orange pustule, of a long list of inhumane bottom feeders.

Expand full comment

Sarah, my feelings exactly! Plus, I refuse to give that narcissist any of my money.

Expand full comment

that's exactly right. and he's a greedy little fuck, too.

Expand full comment

Although it would be a very very small drop in his overall $$$ bucket - the chances of my doing anything that would financially benefit that narcissistic 💩head just went way below zero.

Expand full comment

Consider sharing this article to Twitter, and FB.

Expand full comment

Done. Shared to Public on my FB feed with this message: "Please read this and if you're on Twitter, let Elon Musk that his limits on Ukrainian use of StarLink ensure thousands more civilian deaths from Russian drone bombs."

Expand full comment

I have a better idea. Cancel your Twitter account!

Expand full comment

I thought about doing that, but changed my mind. Posting your opinions, and the facts on Twitter is probably the easiest way to send the message to Musk. I guess the odds of him reading mine are slim, no one reads my posts, but if this article and others get passed around enough, it may help others become better informed.

Expand full comment

I think we are entering a new era where billionaires support each other and not countries. Morality be damned.

Expand full comment

Alvin Toffler, "Future Shock" predicted this sort of thing, back in the 70s or at least that's when I read it.

Expand full comment

I remember reading that book (in the 70's 🙄) and he got a lot of things right.

Expand full comment

He did. I still have my copy, I may have to dig that out and read it again.

Expand full comment

That is exactly what it going on.

Expand full comment

YUP.

Expand full comment

So what did Putin offer Musk in return for kicking Ukraine off StarLink?

Expand full comment

If someone were to generously pay your phone and internet bill for most of the year and then they stop, what reaction would best exemplify morality?

Expand full comment

I have no idea why anyone would pay those things for me. I would actually question their motives. Just as I question Musk's motives. You might consider asking the Ukrainians your question, between the bombings, trying to feed people , heat homes of those who are without electricity, trying to educate troops that they probably need on the battlefield on the use of tanks, trying to provide medical care to the wounded, keep communication functional. They should not have to ask for help. They are human beings, and we should help them just as we would want help. We should be happy to be ABLE to help.

Expand full comment

So , would they be in a better position now if Elon hadn't been providing critical digital services all this time? They likely would be in a much worse position. And the reason Elon is pulling out is because our government is keeping the war going.... we've repeatedly prevented negotiations between the 2 countries and made it almost impossible through our antagonizing of Russia and supplying Ukraine with more war toys. Elon does not support war, he intended to bridge the gap until discussions led to peace.... and there are people with more power than him that don't want that to happen. Unfortunately our news media cares more about manufacturing a pro-war narrative for it's viewers than saving lives. Can't blame the viewers, they have no choice whether to believe them or not. To question the narrative would compromise ones own identity.

Expand full comment

So now we have the US news media narrative, and the Elon Musk narrative. Elon Musk doesn't strike me as a man who cares about people. His autopilot software is a good example of his carelessness. He's great at branding, but I really hate the art of Marketing being used to market things to people that injure other people without proper consideration of the risks.

Ukraine people, civilians, including children, are being killed by an invader who is using Russian weapons. These people are being killed inside their homes, inside their train stations, inside their factories, on their farm land, at their coal mine by Russian invaders. If you doubt this, ask any friends you may have who are living in Europe, ask them if they hear stories told by people who have left Ukraine, or who are still living there. Elon Musk disarmed Ukraine weapons they were using to defend themselves, without considering the risks. If he did consider the risks, and still chose to disarm Ukraine soldiers, that tells me he did not care if people died defending themselves from an invader. You do not need a narrative to see the stark reality that is the War. Just turn the sound down and watch the landscapes of Ukraine. Just look at the landscapes.

Expand full comment

So So INFURIATING.. he is rapidly putin’s butt boy..

And yes, how embarrassing to now be a Tesla owner..

Alongside the one flying around our planet as space junk..

Time to yet again send my small dollars to Ukraine Red Cross..

Expand full comment

He is such a little prick.

Expand full comment

POWERFUL little prick.

Expand full comment

Nah, I don't think Musk is going to pull his head out of his ass. I think he finds it warm and comforting in some bizarre Musk way. Geez, yet another turd we have to deal with!!

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
February 10, 2023
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

😊 That might make Twitter employees happy.

Expand full comment

SpaceX is, I believe, a defense contractor. If so, and it is working for the enemies of the United States, the DoD an seize the company and install new management. Henry Ford was turfed out of Ford during WWII when his shall we say eccentricities began to get in the way of the war effort. Of course there was the Supreme Court case against Truman during the Korean War, but the administration may decide that’s no longer settled law. There is so little settled law left.

Expand full comment

It appears that you're right about SpaceX as a government contractor (NASA, not DOD).

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/spacex.html

Expand full comment

I wonder how much it would hurt the US if he were not a NASA contractor? I guess I'm really angry about this.

Expand full comment

Besides not having a Tesla and never have had Twitter, is there anything else I can do...legal mind you...to hurt Musk? Egotistical eejit!

Expand full comment

Points to the failure of our tax code, the decades of “dribble down” (as I call it) economics, and the erosion of our anti-trust laws, all of which have allowed a single individual to wield this much influence on the outcome of a major war. Insane. He really has become a Bond villain.

Expand full comment

Putin’s punk 😡

Expand full comment

We’ve all had a wide spectrum of doubts/concerns about what makes Elon tick.

It’s increasingly obvious that the answers don’t include US interests or even apex human values.

So we all need to consider carefully what we are empowering when we, or our governments, do business with this character or his companies.

Expand full comment

The Elon Musks of the world believe they are omnipotent. What he had better figure out real fast is he cannot hire a personal protection force large enough to keep him safe from all the enemies he is making with his hubris and megalomania.

There are consequences to your actions Elon. You will not be able to hide from the enemies you seem to relish making with your show of how much power you have. With great power comes great responsibility. And consequences.

Expand full comment

And how many software engineers are there in Ukraine? Any on sub-contract to Muskovite's company? Asking for a friend.

Expand full comment

It is great to see Lucian getting out front with this important issue. Of note, Musk has consistently acted in bad faith throughout the Starlink discussions. First, he offered his free advice in the form of a “peace plan” under which Ukraine would simply give up all the territory seized by force and claimed by Russia. Ukraine’s government responded with an understandable rudeness. Musk whined that his company was losing money on Ukraine, sent an unsolicited invoice, then professed to be offended that Ukraine’s undiplomatic communique (actually in response to his insane “peace plan”) was a rejection of his demand for payment. Then he demanded that the Pentagon, instead, should pay him what he thought Starlink was owed. Without waiting to see what the Pentagon would do, he issued another whiny tweet saying “The hell with it, even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”

Now Starlink says it will unilaterally restrict use of the network by Ukraine, under the specious reasoning that “offensive” use was not within the terms of service.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/15/elon-musk-tweets-on-starlink-well-just-keep-funding-ukraine-govt-for-free.html

Reasoning with this psychopath is unproductive. Is it not possible for the US to simply require Starlink to provide the service to Ukraine without restriction as a strategic necessity, with the understanding that Starlink will receive recompense if necessary, BUT that negotiating by tweet has come to an end?

Expand full comment

Mr. T.'s short take on Starlink and the world's richest case of arrested development is weighing on me. I've already pulled out of Twitter to protest his ownership, which, in the scheme of things, is like spit in the ocean. The reason, I think, these inhumane actions are so distressing is that one has to confront one's powerlessness. The inability to right the ship is yet another psychic injury. And there have been so many.

Expand full comment

Yes, feeling unable to make a difference, even when I feel there are others who see the same injustice, is the most difficult to cope with.

Expand full comment

Where did all these Russia-friendly people come from, anyway? Things might've worked out better for them -- and us -- if they'd all emigrated there to enjoy all the good stuff firsthand.

Expand full comment

Watching the coverage early on in the invasion, it seemed to me that many of the Russian people did not approve of what Putin was doing. I think over time that has been suppressed. TCinLA posted a piece written by someone living in Russia. They talked about the people in Russia fearful of speaking out against the invasion. It sounded like, life in Russia was difficult for anyone who did speak out. I remember how bad it felt the day after Trump won the election, I cried. Everyone as work, was solemn. I do not think all, or even most, of the Russian people are happy about the invasion of Ukraine.

Expand full comment