"Last week in Riyadh, Russian officials reportedly told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that U.S. companies had lost more than $300 billion after they left Russia, and that the Kremlin would be happy to arrange lucrative concessions on rare earth minerals and Arctic access for the United States if Moscow gets what it wants in Ukraine. Of course, it’s not average Americans who will see a boon from any of these agreements; the windfall will go to Trump, Musk (whose Tesla EV motors require rare earth minerals for magnets in their motors), and the broader broligarchy."
So good but wow must have been a bitch to write. It’s early morning still dark out and as upsetting as all this is I feel better knowing you all are in it too and talking to us every day. Onward
While we have no idea when Musk began to conceive the plan to fervently embed himself on not just our government’s operations but to position himself into a vast array of global alliances and functions it should be obvious by now that that has been the plan for quite some time. Musk has used Space X and its subsidiary, Starlink as springboards for gaining g leverage not only over the United States but obviously a variety of global players. Moreover and perhaps more dangerous is his acquisition of Twitter which has given him significant control over social media through a platform that has hundreds of millions of users who rely upon Twitter (I know it’s called “X” but it is still Twitter to me) for their news or an interpretation of the news. Few if any recognized at the time he began to publicly show interest in acquiring the platform that he was not seeking it as an investment. Indeed much of the commentary revolved around the question why he would sink so much money into something that was operating at a loss at the time and, in fact, continues to operate at a loss. The answer of course is that the loss then and now pales in comparison to the power that the investment would afford him. While much has been said about Musk’s intellect and the fact that he claims credit for conceiving inventions and companies that he played no role in either inventing or conceiving, he is (grudgingly) due credit for the plan which he has been carrying out these past several years. The relationship with Space X, which began during the last year of the Bush administration ostensibly gave Musk control over much of NASA’s commitment to the ISS and, because the Station is a cooperative venture with the Russian space agency, the relationship probably opened the door for a Musk relationship with Moscow (assuming one didn’t already exist). It may very well be that Space X, link Twitter, was also viewed by Musk as a means for gaining access to even more significant conversations, a point of leverage that he now exercises, as Brock mentions, smack in the middle of a war zone allowing Musk a significant say in how a war of aggression waged by Moscow is to play out and on whose terms it is to resolve. While the lessons of these relationships with the United States should serve as abject lessons about why it is never a good idea to afford one company to become so essential to aspects of governmental operations it is certain that those are lessons that the current administration is loath to learn.
As for Twitter, as mentioned, it was certain that it was Musk’s plan from the outset to use Twitter as a vast disinformation network with global reach that would allow him to leverage its power to control much of what is happening around the world and, most importantly, to not simply use the platform to elect a president but to use that purchase and the platform upon which the purchase was made to control many of the policies of that president.
Like shit on a sneaker it’s going g to be very hard to get rid of the shit and its stench now that we have made Musk the focal point of so much that affects our lives.
Mike, Thanks for this. Living abroad it is hard to read what the internal response is on the ground. I do know that the international NGO community is pretty stunned ..deers and rabbits in headlights. (Just like the Autocrats Inc of the illiberal world want them.) I am grateful to Macron attempts to correct the public record…we will see what Starmer does or does not do. Merz will not be daunted by the buffoonery of the Trump foreign policy team.
The US has blocked many UN resolutions, mainly to run cover for Israel's crimes against humanity. And America's word IS worth less than the paper it's printed on, if you have the slightest grasp of its history. And if you really think the US was always a "bulwark for democracy" then I question your entire article.
Thank you for this insightful essay. We've entered a very dark period with the Trump/Musk administration. I'm in the Netherlands where a right wing government is in place, and this is happening all across Europe. It seems that world war is brewing and we're all sleep walking into it.
Thanks for the insightful essay, Mike, and the call to action (however scary). I think it's time, though, to stop calling Trump the "leader of the free world"; there is no leader of the free world (yet), just some reasonably decent folks trying to figure out what to do with a gang of big bullies.
Honestly if you decided not to get the vaccine 4 years ago, you would not be in the least surprised that people stand by and do nothing but perform for the clowns. It was a good heads up to create social currency, grow food and shift our focus.
Nina Jankowicz at the Bulwark:
"Last week in Riyadh, Russian officials reportedly told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that U.S. companies had lost more than $300 billion after they left Russia, and that the Kremlin would be happy to arrange lucrative concessions on rare earth minerals and Arctic access for the United States if Moscow gets what it wants in Ukraine. Of course, it’s not average Americans who will see a boon from any of these agreements; the windfall will go to Trump, Musk (whose Tesla EV motors require rare earth minerals for magnets in their motors), and the broader broligarchy."
So good but wow must have been a bitch to write. It’s early morning still dark out and as upsetting as all this is I feel better knowing you all are in it too and talking to us every day. Onward
While we have no idea when Musk began to conceive the plan to fervently embed himself on not just our government’s operations but to position himself into a vast array of global alliances and functions it should be obvious by now that that has been the plan for quite some time. Musk has used Space X and its subsidiary, Starlink as springboards for gaining g leverage not only over the United States but obviously a variety of global players. Moreover and perhaps more dangerous is his acquisition of Twitter which has given him significant control over social media through a platform that has hundreds of millions of users who rely upon Twitter (I know it’s called “X” but it is still Twitter to me) for their news or an interpretation of the news. Few if any recognized at the time he began to publicly show interest in acquiring the platform that he was not seeking it as an investment. Indeed much of the commentary revolved around the question why he would sink so much money into something that was operating at a loss at the time and, in fact, continues to operate at a loss. The answer of course is that the loss then and now pales in comparison to the power that the investment would afford him. While much has been said about Musk’s intellect and the fact that he claims credit for conceiving inventions and companies that he played no role in either inventing or conceiving, he is (grudgingly) due credit for the plan which he has been carrying out these past several years. The relationship with Space X, which began during the last year of the Bush administration ostensibly gave Musk control over much of NASA’s commitment to the ISS and, because the Station is a cooperative venture with the Russian space agency, the relationship probably opened the door for a Musk relationship with Moscow (assuming one didn’t already exist). It may very well be that Space X, link Twitter, was also viewed by Musk as a means for gaining access to even more significant conversations, a point of leverage that he now exercises, as Brock mentions, smack in the middle of a war zone allowing Musk a significant say in how a war of aggression waged by Moscow is to play out and on whose terms it is to resolve. While the lessons of these relationships with the United States should serve as abject lessons about why it is never a good idea to afford one company to become so essential to aspects of governmental operations it is certain that those are lessons that the current administration is loath to learn.
As for Twitter, as mentioned, it was certain that it was Musk’s plan from the outset to use Twitter as a vast disinformation network with global reach that would allow him to leverage its power to control much of what is happening around the world and, most importantly, to not simply use the platform to elect a president but to use that purchase and the platform upon which the purchase was made to control many of the policies of that president.
Like shit on a sneaker it’s going g to be very hard to get rid of the shit and its stench now that we have made Musk the focal point of so much that affects our lives.
Mike, Thanks for this. Living abroad it is hard to read what the internal response is on the ground. I do know that the international NGO community is pretty stunned ..deers and rabbits in headlights. (Just like the Autocrats Inc of the illiberal world want them.) I am grateful to Macron attempts to correct the public record…we will see what Starmer does or does not do. Merz will not be daunted by the buffoonery of the Trump foreign policy team.
The US has blocked many UN resolutions, mainly to run cover for Israel's crimes against humanity. And America's word IS worth less than the paper it's printed on, if you have the slightest grasp of its history. And if you really think the US was always a "bulwark for democracy" then I question your entire article.
Thank you for this insightful essay. We've entered a very dark period with the Trump/Musk administration. I'm in the Netherlands where a right wing government is in place, and this is happening all across Europe. It seems that world war is brewing and we're all sleep walking into it.
Also though, I’m very scared for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
Thanks for the insightful essay, Mike, and the call to action (however scary). I think it's time, though, to stop calling Trump the "leader of the free world"; there is no leader of the free world (yet), just some reasonably decent folks trying to figure out what to do with a gang of big bullies.
Honestly if you decided not to get the vaccine 4 years ago, you would not be in the least surprised that people stand by and do nothing but perform for the clowns. It was a good heads up to create social currency, grow food and shift our focus.
Well, the Democratic leadership is MIA. They will wake up in an oligarchy. Congratulations. Disgusting.
I hear and appreciate the clarion call, Mike! Keep up the good work. We are with you! ❤️
Instead of extracurricular math classes, we need civics, history, resistance training.