At the Group of 20 (G20) meeting today in New Delhi, leaders announced plans for a new rail and shipping corridor that will connect India and Europe through the Middle East.
Thanks for this clear presentation of where things stand economically (and more) in the world and the US. So clear that Democrats need to win the trifecta in 2024. Musk is a total threat to peace and stability---in his domination of satellites and in his own instability. Thank you again, HCR.
Musk is a narcissistic, misogynistic tech bro with a Messiah complex. He is also himself a dictator, which explains his growing admiration for Putin. He basically handed off Twitter on a silver platter to Putin and his cyberwarfare army of trolls to spew as much disinformation as they please about democracy in general and the American elections in particular. “X” has become a short-hand for “Xtreme right-wing”… Musk will, in this way, very willingly, skew the election of 2024 in Trump’s favour. And everybody knows that Trump will end American democracy once and for all. All the better for Musk: he hates rules - at least, rules _he_ didn’t establish. The sooner democracy is gone, the easier he can make the rules: he is more than rich enough for that.
I am definitely no fan of Musk for sure. However, neither would I arrest anyone for going against American "foreign policy" given America's past foreign policy folly.
If more people with real power had gone against, say, Vietnam, we might not still be blowing up kids in Cambodia with remaining unexploded bombs that were dropped illegally and in secret.
But perhaps, we should parse what interfering in government comes down to. Peaceful protests are different than interfering with the government directly. What Musk was doing was aiding Russia and undermining an ally we are spending billions to support.
I thought Vietnam was a mistake of historic proportions. Someone of Musk's stature back then could have refused to manufacture napalm. Refused to sell mines to the army. Refused to provide M-16s to the Marines. Would that have been the equivalent? I don't think so. Musk now has the power to literally control the communications for billions of people. And actually determine the course of a genocidal war. That can't stand.
So maybe not arrest him. I stand corrected. But take his power to be a shadow form of government now before he does much more damage. He is a megalomaniac. A frenetic unpredictable danger to the world.
Most of our “public” utilities have become for-profit enterprises over the years---not the best strategy if your objective is robust, resilient infrastructure.
Just another example of the private sector eating our national treasure. IMO, every aspect of public service utilities should be under the control of the people for the common good. Why should there be profits in electricity, water, internet, education, health care or prisons?! Why? Millions more could be better served by that skim of the Oligarchs.
Like many of his ilk, Musk is intelligent, but not wise, not even close. I don't understand why a private individual has the right to pepper nearby space with satellites, however good or bad they might be. It's our space, not his ("our" meaning humanity's). So nationalize or internationalize Starlink, yes. To have Meta and X under the DOD, NSA, CIA, FBI, no thanks. Meta and X need to be strictly supervised, preferably (in my view) shut down. But not by NSA, CIA, etc. There's already a whole literature on the "surveillance society" (by Zuboff, Schneier, Landau, ...). We don't want to go further in that direction. These technology barons always talk about "changing the world", and they have, but nobody consulted us hoi polloi. It's everybody's world, not theirs.
Along with many other of our Billionaires, e.g., Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, who worked knowingly, or not, with Yevgeny Prigozhin and his IRA troll farm via Cambridge Analytica for tRUmp's escalator ride in 2016. I have heard that they switched gangs in 2024.
“And everybody knows that Trump will end democracy once and for all.”
Actually, democracy as we knew it and wish it to be is declining rapidly, Trump or no Trump. Behind the scenes there is a legion of brilliant individuals with no scruples working overtime for the benefit of the super wealthy such as Elon Musk, Rupert Murdock and the vast multinational corporations. This decline began in the 80s with the Presidency of Reagan, and “trickle-down economics” is effectively shifting wealth and power to the elite few. Those elite few are finding every weakness they can in political democracy to further disempower and manipulate voters. The Citizens United Decision and the far-right Supreme Court Is the long-term threat. We need to start discussing long-term solutions. Sooner or later, we will have to reboot our current form of Democracy and now is the time to start planning for the long-term solution to a democracy crippled by the capitalistic system gone haywire. “Economic Democracy” I believe is the next evolutionary step beyond our current political democracy. Wikipedia has a tremendous amount of information about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Economic_democracy&oldid=1170220382
Thank you, Marc. Good synopsis of democracy crippled by the capitalist system gone haywire. The immorality of those who have found and exploited every weakness for their own enrichment is appalling. I picture these billionaires like evil spiders sitting in their throne rooms weaving webs to ensnare every freaking dollar on the planet. Wrapping us all in their silk and feeding upon us so they can grow fatter and fatter. (And I hate spiders more than anything!)
I think of the ultra wealthy in this nation, as PARASITES, sucking the lifeblood from their hosts but rendering no benefit in return for their siphoning of ever more wealth from the labor of the ordinary tax-paying citizen and the infrastructure of the country.
Thank you for this link. I found this reference under the Reform Agendas section: "In his book, Capitalism 3.0, Peter Barnes likens a "National Dividend" to the game of Monopoly, where all players start with a fair distribution of financial opportunity to succeed, and try to privatize as much as they can as they move around "the commons". Distinguishing the board game from real-world business, Barnes claims that "the top 5 percent of the population owns more property than the remaining 95 percent", providing the smaller minority with an unfair advantage of approximately "$5-trillion" annually, at the beginning of the game." Great explanation for us "common folk" known as "We the People".
Hi Marc, you're absolutely right. Trump isn't doing this job alone. What I meant was that Trump will give an already crippled democracy its final blow...
That’s why I believe that the best and brightest of us should begin to collectively work on a new and improved form of democracy, such as the one that is already proposed called economic democracy. A group of foresighted people should be willing to visualize an ideal democracy, a utopian government and refine it. Then we will have a goal to work towards rather than to throw up or hands in despair While the current democracy gets further weekend, and the government becomes totally authoritarian.
It is not an impossible task, but it is a challenging one and I am convinced we can do it.
Oh, P.S.: I would like to add "Zelda-style taxes": in the game "Legend of Zelda", you cannot hold more money than 999 rupees. When you find more, you cannot pick them up, and they are left lying there - for someone else to pick them up. In the same sense, you could establish a treshold of, say, 100 million dollars. You cannot have any more money than that as a single person: above that threshhold, the wealth tax simply becomes 100%. No more "sky is the limit" there, because nobody really "earns" that much money, nobody should be insanely rich.
I don't know that they are "dupes." The study by Profs. David Norman Smith and Eric Hanley at the Univ. of Kansas published in Critical Sociology in Feb. 2018 entitled "The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" [google it] identified their reasons primarily because they share some traits: racist, misogynistic and xenophobic (hating immigrants.) MAGA is simply the KKK without the white sheets and conical hats - white Protestant supremacy now, white Protestant supremacy forever.
Wow. I love the way all of you talk. Seriously. (Although I grew up in the US, I don't get to speak much English. Not like you folks.... Thanks, all of you....
This is not a complement to the GOP, but it is so many things- a kakistocracy, kleptocracy, Fasicst party, corporatocracy, autocracy and terrorist party. We've all heard other labels as well.
Is the GOP a monolith that can be described with one set of labels like RICO or Terrorist Organization?
Heather spoke of the implications of of "the parties different visions of government." I think, if we want to save our democracy from authoritarianism/Trumpism, it's important to distinguish between the cynical power grabbers at the top, and the rest of everyday people they have learned how to manipulate to their ends:
1) The cynical power grabbers have the power and/or position to shape and implement the GOP agenda as donors or politicians. They can do this because they are so wealthy that they don't need the government programs funded by the taxes they are avoiding.
2) The people they manipulate are already "fed up" about their government and are ripe for skillful manipulation of their anger, disillusionment and, in many cases, despair. Anger feels better than depression.
Here's more food for thought about this from one of my heroes, Robert Reich.
Why Have So Many Americans Succumbed to Trumpism?
Chapter 6 of The Common Good
SEP 8
"But what if their willingness to believe and support Trump is understandable, given what has happened to them? I’m not suggesting it’s justifiable, only that it may be explicable.
As we have seen, many of the key political and economic institutions of our society have abandoned their commitments to the common good — and along the way, abandoned the bottom half of the adult population, especially those without college degrees."
The MAGA problem is our problem too. One person, One vote, or at least it should be so; and Big Lies and divide and conquer works. We've seen it all before. We've been snoozing and loosing while the plutocrats took over the narrative.
Definitely an "enterprise" that's starving the IRS of significant revenue. Meanwhile an 8/30/23 WAPO Editorial states Musk intends to expand Starlink "10 fold" in the years ahead, that's 45,000 'Musklinks' or is that Must Links?
Monay 9/11 Update: See RONAN FARROW's piece in the 8/21/23 The New Yorker, "Elon Musk Shadow Rule". Bottom Line: we have a private American Citizen supporting Putin's War Against Ukraine by disrupting Ukrain's Starlike connections.
Also,MONDAY, 9/11, Walter Isaccson's Musk biography is out with a Musk admission that he spoke to the Russian Ambassador before his disruptions of Ukraine's Starlink access.
Certainly Jen & an expanding monopoly. But, I need to take a close look at Elon Musk's contact with Putin/Russian communications to see if ELON is functionally acting as an "Foreign Agent" under Section 612a of FARA, the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
Thx, Bryan. With so much power, money, and tech advantage, he’s another narcissistic megalomaniac who terrifies the bejeezus out of me with all of the chaos he can create. Sheesh…can he be held accountable?
And why the hell not? The idea that you can do whatever the hell you want, even if it robs others of their money and choices, so long as it delivers profit, sound like the creed of the Mafia; but plutocrats and their toady politicians have made it the law of the land. Money is a form of power and power tends to corrupt, at least historically, no?
Are we entering an era where traditional defined land mass, boundaries and nations of citizens are obsolete and that a single man’s inconceivable wealth can carve out a position as global super-power? Musk appears to have staked out our upper stratospheres. We and democracy are in dangerous times.
That is so true, Rob... Ian Fleming created a rich, criminal techno-warlord like Dr. No before there was anyone like Elon Musk. Now, 70 years later, we see it was not just fantasy, it was a prediction. This puts Fleming in the ranks of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.
Artists are prophets. No surprise here. Questions is how did we let an apartheidist get so much control? My answer would be that we haven’t gotten over our worship of money and the thieves who amass it at the expense of the starving, threatened, or dying.
Grover Zinn -- It sounds like Elon Musk has turned himself into a war criminal. Is he naïve? Quite a scary guy to be meddling in war games about which he knows nothing. Turning off world communications? Beyond terrifying.
I admit that my fears about the emerging AI technology exceed my knowledge of that field, but AI coupled with Starlink, in the hands of someone with Musk's money, power and ability/wish to control events for ill purposes, is bone-chilling. I'm not saying Musk is necessarily Dr. No, but imagine it nonetheless: using satellite technology to transmit false scenarios to effect real-world responses in real-time, with military, economic, political, social or other consequences.
Perhaps my worries are unfounded, but I learned long ago that if something can be imagined, it may one day come to pass (who thought I could type this on a handheld computer that can send and receive sound, words and images around the world instantly, and in many cases, use Starlink to do so?)
Doug, I totally agree with you. This is the inevitable consequence of capitalism without rails. We saw it start during the Reagan era. Infrastructure was delegated to the private sector, with many disastrous results.
Atlanta contracted with a private company for the water supply - and the taps spewed filthy water or no water. It turned out that the low bid was just a “foot-in-the-door” proposal; once they won the contract they claimed that they had no idea how bad the water system was and would need many millions more to bring clean, reliable water to the citizens (I’ve worked with local government contracts and I know the tricks).
The truth is that public services are not profitable - unless you degrade the quality or raise the price.
The idea that the greedy billionaires should control public utilities (as Musk is doing) or security infrastructure (as Musk is doing) is a recipe for disaster.
Doug Gagne -- I've just finished listening to Walter Isaacson on (recorded earlier) "CBS News Sunday Morning," who is just publishing a biography of Elon Musk. Fascinating interview, including a correction/ adjustment to the "Starlink" and Crimea story. It's far more complex than I'd thought, and Isaacson (who spent two solid years with Musk) explains briefly what it was about. He says, "Starlink wasn't running in that region (along the Crimean coast. But when Ukraine asked Starlink for service there, Musk did decline to activate it." Musk felt that the Russians activities were leading leading to WW III. I couldn't find a link, but there's lots about Isaacson and Musk on YouTube. He is a very complex guy, not to be taken superficially.
Doug, yes AI coupled with Starlink is exponentially more terrifying. And yes that if something can be imagined it is possible, relatively quickly. How short the "modern age" has been (when did it start?) -- and what has happened in what? ... The past 100-120 years? Personally, it will be only 11.25 years until I turn 100, and what is possible in that short length of time is mind boggling.
Criticism, it seems, offends Musk’s ego and that is dangerous. When he usesd his power to affect the war in Ukraine, he is acting independently of our government. He cannot have his own foreign policy, just because the government has 'farmed out' part of our space program to him. There may be a loose analogy there to Russia having 'farmed out' part of its military operations to the Wagner Group, which eventually got 'too big for its britches,' resulting in its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, coincidentally dying in an 'accidental' plane crash.
Pressure needs to be put on SpaceX's Board of Directors (don't know if Spacelink, as a division of SpaceX, has a separate Board). It is absolutely ridiculous that one unelected man has so much power.
What an interesting contrast. A vision pursued for societal and economic benefits for emerging nations (and peaceful partners) by Biden and the self-agrandizing of a technology empirealist, Musk, interfering with international defense policy of democratic nations based strictly on his Ann Rand grasp of the brilliant entrepreneur role in directing events that affect nations.
Absolutely spot on Grover! Musk is now in control of critical communications and can act as the US military. It is the exact reason why the Chinese and others put in place a second GPS network out of this fear.
I would rather have the US military making decisions then Elon. We are heading back to a Monarchy with folks like Elon, Donald, Vladimir, Xi, and Kim Jong that not only want to be the richest but also the most powerful.
We need a check and balance, world wide. Maybe Artificial Intelligence controlling everything might not be bad. Algorithms that determined there are way too many innocent people dying at the hands of that Russian Navy. And that is why Elon fears it. AI would have released and guided those Ukrainian drones.
As HCR points out, the degradation of America's infrastructure was by design. Schools that need replacing, bridges that are close to collapse, fresh water systems and waste water treatment long past replacement, overcrowded airports, railroads out of date, refineries spewing pollution, and more. Private ownership only maximizes profit. "Free markets" are not free, they are controlled by the major economic powers.
Thank you for showcasing the G21 and their plans for infrastructure projects to assist our global partners.
We need to get US satellites positioned near Ukraine so that Ukraine no longer has to depend on the whims of Elon Musk. Musk believes Russia’s threats rather than contacting the US government to ascertain the truth.
The top 1% no longer just depend on influencing IRS regulations to attain tax breaks—now they lobby to reduce the workforce to prevent/delay audits to make them follow the rules.—and the Republicans have introduced legislation to do just that. There are basically two ways to balance a budget—bring in more revenue or cut outgo.
As you’ve repeatedly said, the contrast can’t be any clearer—take care of the common man or help the oligarchy get richer. The choice at the ballot box is ours.
I’ve asked this question many times; “How much is enough?” It really boggles the mind especially in light of the extremely well off as compared with those that struggle financially on a daily basis for something so simple as putting food on the table. So…. How much is enough?
It’s not just in the US but worldwide. However in some places outside the US the poverty makes the poorest of those in the US look rich/ well off.
I’ve travelled and seen extreme poverty outside the US. It’s hard to grasp if haven’t actually been there and seen it first hand. Something as simple as a pen has high value! You may ask why? It’s because they are not available much less affordable. And many other small simple basic common things (like that pen) we all have and take for granted simply aren’t available/ can’t be found. We ‘middle class’ Americans have so much “stuff”…. we have no clue how much “stuff” we have and how well off we are.
When it comes to the millionaires and the billionaires….. I really don’t understand their wealth. I don’t understand how they view and/ or would answer the question; ‘how much is enough’. It baffles me even more so how they want more and more wealth.
Good question George....they don't care. But I think a time will come when these rich oligarchs will need people to work for them. No-one can work if they are starving?
"Kenya welcomes the addition of the African Union — the fastest growing continent in the world — to the G20. This will increase the voice of Africa, visibility, and influence on the global stage and provide a platform to advance the common interest of our people.
This fits perfectly with the resolutions of the just-concluded Africa Climate Summit, including the reform of international financial institutions and multilateral development banks."
This was the statement made by President William Samoei Ruto yesterday after African Union was included into G20. This adds another voice to the continent and make African indispensable in matters revolving them. Previously, William Ruto had been critical of the manner in which Africa is being treated by the Global North and was not happy with it.
"We cannot sit in front of one person as African and the best we could get are photographs," he said in South Africa this year. He had complained that
African presidents are given only a few minutes to speak which according to him, it is disrespect and does not amount to anything to African people.
Africa has suggested the desire to relook at the existing global financial infrastructure and loan rescheduling to free them from the rat race.
Africa also complained of stakeholders in the private sectors who make it difficult for the continent to reorganise loans because they aren't ready to discuss with them and agree with a common bargain. Bearaucratic infrastructure has been tainting the whole global financial infrastructure and disadvantaging the continent.
I agree, Edwin. Hopefully with the global changes and assistance in financing infrastructure for the African nations, all African nations will feel welcome in the world. And this could help you avoid the military coups that are so damaging to the liberty of free people everywhere.
Yes, the African Union will voice their concerns in unison without individual countries seeking help from rogue and authoritative regimes like Russia which comes with a package of coup in exchange for resources.
I am thankful for every opportunity for the people of the African continent. Too often we overlook the loving family working hard to survive, We forget or are not aware of the self made and self serving military that can invade a village one day and kill family members, destroying this family....stealing the boys for soldiers, raping the young girls. This is not all of Africa but it still exists.
There are countries that mine the riches of Africa, using the strength of men, women and children as they take from their resources.....leaving behind pain and destruction.
There are places where a son walks miles to a small mission school, taking firewood or fish caught from a nearby stream to pay the teacher who is also living on small resources.
I am thankful for the great and beautiful cities that have been able to grow and thrive.
I am thankful when we are able to communicate and to help one another. It is the right action to take.
We do not need to change the beauty of a loving Africian family but IF HELP IS APPROVED AND SENSITIVE CARING IS MADE AVAILABLE, WE SHOULD BE THERE.
Edwin, I long for needs to be met and opportunities to be made available for everyone....WITH CARE AND RESPECT!
I long for wars to cease....to see a world working together.......we must , because of the condition of us, as humans....have a long view but never give up.
Wooow! What a comprehensive perspective. And true to your word, the African continent needed a space to express and grow themselves and I think it is paying day by day. After that, military coups, poverty, insecurity, unemployment, debts and many more problems will be dealt with until we stabilise ourselves. Thank you Emily Pfaff
I ask myself... would we have today's Russia and its cortege of threatened, damaged neighbors with great bites taken out of their territory if it had not been for the activity of American privateer scavengers attacking the prostrate body of what had been the Soviet empire, determined to ensure that Russia should never recover?
Many scavengers then, vulture capitalists, keen to ensure there should be no new Marshall Plan. Today's investment in Second and Third World infrastructures comes late -- but that's better than never.
Now mankind desperately needs to hang together... but look what the forces of the great Market God have done to us all.
I think there were certainly American "privateers" who swooped in to take advantage of the Soviet collapse. And opportunists from all over the globe. But have you read Bill Browder's "Red Notice"?
My sense of it is that the really big harvesters of the Russian national treasure were the Russian oligarchs. Men who were given control of entire industries by guess who. Putin set up an elaborate web of "private" enterprise where a few buddies got uber rich and hid his own theft of billions.
The Russian nation is essentially a feudal mess run by the ultimate version of a national mafia. And don't mess with the God Father who has convinced the people that he is the strong man who will protect them from the rest of the world. When we look at the history of Russia and all the times it has been invaded and savaged, we can understand their paranoia. And the appeal of a Putin. Who seems to be a role model for Trump.
I am in alignment with you on the role of the "great market God". And I would now put Musk and Zuckerberg and Bezos and Koch and Mercer and Sackler in the same boat as Putin. But Russia is being pillaged by Russians with mega yachts and mansions.
Russia has the land and the natural resources to be a global bread basket and an energy resource for the world. It has the capacity to improve it's citizens well being that could rival most western nations. But the funnel of its natural gifts to a handful of con men is one of history's greatest grand thefts.
Where was it that I read that wealth only drips upward and that even if the poor receive some form of aid in the morning it will already have been siphoned up by nightfall?
Just nice that they should have seen it, however briefly.
That is precisely what happened to shares distributed to employees in newly capitalist Russia... and, of course, Ukraine.
And Putin of course commandeered and sold food aid to Saint Petersburg.
A profitable start to a stratospherically profitable career, making him the ruler with most direct ownership of the Russias since Ivan the Terrible.
Stalin micro-controlled. He didn't own or need to own what he controlled.
Peter, agreed....we are by nature selfish. The truth of who we are is revealed everywhere.
This is one reason we need President Biden. He knows the condition of man....even himself, but he also knows that with work and cooperation great and good things can be accomplished. With like-minded men and women, here and throughout the world, we can see these good plans he\they are steadily working toward.
Peter, I acknowledge that the narrative we’ve been fed in the West is but a version of the truth. Still, I would be remiss were I not to ask whether the perspective you’ve formulated, too, is but a partial truth.
Whether it’s the past or speculative futures . The ‘market’ of truth is a coin toss at best. Hidden agendas manipulate change with the whims of mankind’s worst players.
Mind Boggling reasonings with no principle adherence.
Patricia, Because I won’t settle for a “coin toss,” I choose instead to subject the full range of possibilities to as critical a scrutiny as I can muster.
Patricia, Thank you for writing. I, too, learn and grow from my exchanges with this community and can sense, as a result, that my actions increasingly are likely of having a shot at being impactful.
Obviously, Barbara... My statement was far too vague and unsubstantiated; it was grounded in memories of how I felt in the '90s
Other perspectives might be far more complete, far better founded, but no one's omniscient.
I've just suggested elsewhere that a little more inductive reasoning might help, starting out from real-life observations instead of deductions founded on ideological delusions...
Peter, While I fully agree, admittedly, I find the task of getting as close as possible to the verifiable truth through subjecting a full range of narratives to critical scrutiny somewhat overwhelming, albeit worthwhile.
I have always spent time and energy on questioning all the assumptions that we take for granted, even those that seem axiomatic, probing motivation, my own and that of others and trying to take some account of the complex dynamic factors that make for uncertainty.
Today, I have just been finding justifications for my inductive approach that I had never given thought to.
In a sense, this seems to echo the researcher's work, testing, testing, once an intuitive solution has arisen.
No, I do have Russian sources, but not Kremlin ones. My hang-ups are European ones...
A pity Vladimir Pastukhov's writings are rarely available in English.
And I am going by my memory of what was happening at the time... the chaos of the Yeltsin years... Clinton to Yeltsin on "more shit for your face", etc.
I'm in a rush now, unfortunately, but I do recall obstacles being raised early on to European efforts to assist Russia and the former Soviet states.
Maybe go back to reports on the activities of the Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the early 90s.
Were you referring to ExxonMobil's and BP's forays into trying to develop Russian Oil and Gas resources? That's the only case I know, but what actually happened was transfers of large concession fees to Russia and extensive technology transfers. That doesn't match the description of "scavenger". In not familiar with other industries, but I'm willing to learn.
Instead of relying on memories of how I felt in the 90s, I ought to speak again to my old friend who worked in Saint Petersburg in the 90's for the German Christian Democratic Party's Konrad Adenauer Foundation, trying to promote democratic values and institutions but seeing the murder of one of the country's most promising politicians, Galina Starovoytova, and the beginnings of today's mafia State... under the thumb of a gone-to-seed dictator who began life among backyard thugs, learned the art of systematic lying as a KGB operative, and set out from his role as sidekick to Petersburg mayor Sobchak with one singleminded ambition: to become as rich as Croesus.
I myself didn't travel to an Eastern Bloc country -- Bulgaria -- till 1994, or to Russia and Ukraine until the early years of this century.
But I may be unusual in having expected the collapse of the Soviet empire since the mid-'80s when a Saxon friend gave me a detailed report of his visit to relatives in East Germany. I'd thought until then that Germans could make any system work, even Soviet central planning, but when it became clear that the GDR was literally moribund, it followed that, if Germans couldn't make it function, Russia certainly could not.
The empire was a dead man walking.
I've always been surprised that vested interests in the status quo should have so blinded western politicians and their intelligence services that they couldn't see what was staring them in the face. Everything possible was done to stymie the efforts of friends to send truckloads of food to Solidarnosc strikers in Gdansk... High profile members of the French intelligentsia talked as though the Soviet Union was eternal.
When it did collapse, I started to worry about the supposed victors of the Cold War... and was surprised that the subprime crash was so long coming.
I tend towards inductive thinking -- and am well aware of the weaknesses of that approach and of the need to put intuition to the test.
But it does seem to me, with hindsight, that deductive reasoning grounded in spurious assumptions can be even more pernicious. Habitual prejudices, ingrown ideological delusions, failure to take adequate account of breakneck and accelerating change, these failings endanger us all.
SpaceX StarLink seems to be a relatively unique capability. That said I think other options for satellite internet exist, but maybe not over Ukraine. I do think that the Biden Administration could sit down and have a hard talk with Elon to provide Ukraine internet services, however!
Iridium is a satellite communications company used for emergency communication and geolocation. Garmin uses it for some of their products. Whether they can transmit commands from controllers to drones is another story. I don't have that tech knowledge. However, any gps device can be attached to a drone for automated positioning and navigation.
Biden is in Hanoi right now. Per Hanoi, to form a "strategic security relationship" which I take to mean maritime security in Pacific seas south of China. Biden will speak in the hours ahead.
Bryan, thank you for sharing this info regarding maritime security involving activity around the many small islands near our Asian 'friends'. As a nation we need to be constantly aware and engaged with the security of our neighbors and friends in all parts of the world.
For the safe guarding of the "free world", we cannot "sleep" or assume that everything is going to be OK. Our President is "on guard!"
I concur on all your points Emily. Understand some off these tiny, tiny, shallow "islands" have been dredged by China., militarized & are essentially mini Naval Bases several within the territorial waters of the Phillipines. I expect some postings this week at "Just Security".
The South China Sea is full of the wrecks of Chinese junks.
An original basis for laying claim to a maritime area prima facie in international waters. The ships that went down didn't plant flags on the reefs that sank them or on the sea bed...
Meanwhile, the president is kicking butt and making the world a more promising place where as the former guy was calling some of these places shxt hole countries.
What a night and day difference between democracy and despotism.
If the Republicans win in 2025 they will not honor any of Biden's foreign policy accomplishments. They are going to fall back on only honoring treaties which are approved by Congress. This is clearly stated in their Project 2025 manifesto, a reprise of Trump's "America First" foreign policy.
The Republican foreign policy plan in Project 2025 for the revamping of the State Department and US foreign policy begins with the following:
"Since the U.S. Founding, the Department of State has been the American government’s designated tool of engagement with foreign governments and peoples
throughout the world. Country names, borders, leaders, technology, and people
have changed in the more than two centuries since the Founding, but the basics of
diplomacy remain the same. Although the Department has also evolved throughout
the years, at least in the modern era, there is one significant problem that the next
President must address to be successful.
There are scores of fine diplomats who serve the President’s agenda, often
helping to shape and interpret that agenda. At the same time, however, in all
Administrations, there is a tug-of-war between Presidents and bureaucracies—
and that resistance is much starker under conservative Presidents, due
largely to the fact that large swaths of the State Department’s workforce are
left-wing and predisposed to disagree with a conservative President’s policy
agenda and vision.
It should not and cannot be this way: The American people need and deserve
a diplomatic machine fully focused on the national interest as defined through
the election of a President who sets the domestic and international agenda for
the nation. The next Administration must take swift and decisive steps to reforge
the department into a lean and functional diplomatic machine that serves the
President and, thereby, the American people. Below is the basic but essential roadmap for achieving these repairs."
Their plan to undo everything Biden has accomplished on the diplomatic front is encapsulated in the following section. There is much much more detail, including how they will add in layers of political appointees at the top and to drive out career civil service and foreign service officers who hold institutional memory on Day 1.
"RIGHTING THE SHIP
Ensuring the State Department is accountable for serving American citizens first will require—at a minimum—that the following steps be implemented
immediately:
Review Retroactively. Before inauguration, the President-elect’s department
transition team should assess every aspect of State Department negotiations and
funding commitments. Upon inauguration, the Secretary of State should order an
immediate freeze on all e!orts to implement unratified treaties and international
agreements, allocation of resources, foreign assistance disbursements, domestic
and international contracts and payments, hiring and recruiting decisions, etc.,
pending a political appointee-driven review to ensure that such e!orts comport
with the new Administration’s policies. The quality of this review is more important than speed. The posture of the department during this review should be an
unwavering desire to prioritize the American people—including a recognition that
the federal government must be a diligent steward of taxpayer dollars.
Implement Repair. The State Department must change its handling of
international agreements to restore constitutional governance. Under prior
Administrations, unnecessary institutional factors in the department caused
numerous logistical challenges in negotiating, approving, and implementing treaties and agreements. This is particularly true under the Biden Administration. For
example, under the Biden Administration, the State Department was considered
su"ciently unreliable in terms of alignment and e!ectiveness such that its political
leadership invoked its Circular 175 (C-175) authority to delegate its diplomatic
capacity to other agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.
At time of publication, the State Department is negotiating (or seeking to negotiate) large-scale, sovereignty-eroding agreements that could come at considerable
economic and other costs to the American people. Although such agreements
should be evaluated and approved as are treaties, the Biden Administration is
likely to simply call them “agreements.” The Biden State Department not only
approves but also enforces treaties that have not been ratified by the U.S. Senate.
This practice must be thoroughly reviewed—and most likely jettisoned.
The next President should recalibrate how the State Department handles treaties and agreements, primarily by restoring constitutionality to these processes.
He or she should direct the Secretary of State to freeze any ongoing treaty or international agreement negotiations and assess whether those e!orts align with the
new President’s foreign policy direction. The next Administration should also
direct the secretary to order an immediate stand-down on enforcement of any
treaties that have not been ratified by the Senate, and order a thorough review of
the degree to which such enforcement has impacted the department’s functions,
policies, and use of resources.
The Secretary of State, in cooperation with the O"ce of the Attorney General
and the White House Counsel’s O"ce, should also conduct a review to identify
“agreements” that are really treaty commitments within the ordinary public meaning of the Constitution,6
and suspend compliance pending presidential transmittal
of those agreements to the Senate for advice and consent. The next Administration
should also move to withdraw from treaties that have been under Senate consideration for 20 years or more, with the understanding that those treaties are unlikely
to be ratified. Under circumstances in which ratification of a stale treaty before
the Senate still serves national interests, the treaty letter of transmittal and submission should be updated for current circumstances. The Secretary of State must
revoke most outstanding C-175 authorities that have been granted to other agencies during previous Administrations, although such revocations should be closely
coordinated with the White House for logistical reasons."
The airless quality of the writing as they would suffocate us, as they work together destroying life on earth. They are here; this is our living nightmare and, yes, Marlene, we must defeat them.
What the GQP and the MAGAs don't get is that the professionals who labor within the government agencies are the glue that holds the US together with a consistency that can build international respect. Institutional knowledge is essential in ANY organization. The hubris behind the idea that all of a sudden one man should pull the levers of every department with his installed puppets is beyond dysfunctional thinking. It is idiocy. It is a recipe for chaos. Guess who loves chaos.
We are indeed in a fight for the "soul of America". We are also in a battle to retain basic competence within our government. That's not left wing thinking. It never was. The thinking behind this new "policy" is not even right wing. It is mafia style dictatorship.
FredRock , It REALLY HURTS My Heart, That MANKIND, in Our Own PARTY,
pour Negative Water, on Joseph ! ( their EXCUSE!) because ! ,,,they * think !, * He is TO OLD ! MY OPINION !-----IF !, HE Was The AGE, of METHUSULAH !, JOE Would STILL ! , Get MY Vote ! HE is RIGHT ON !, ,,,,,,for THIS USA !! (NOT !, like the ORANGE . MANGOWANKER !, & his Drag, of INTERNAL TERRORISTS !!
The U.S. is foolish to rely on a guy like Musk for anything, particularly anything national security related..The U.S. is an ally of Ukraine, Musk has unilaterally interfered in our Foreign Policy..that must be dealt with..I did not vote for Musk, I did not sign up to have him participate in affairs of state..He must be made an offer he can't refuse and back away from melding..
When a business takes over $15 billion in government funding then works directly against that government's foreign policy... Call the lawyers. This HAS to be a violation of some agreement that was made in exchange for funding. I'm not suggesting a US takeover but these interfering political actions by a private, unelected individual shouldn't go unanswered. It feels like a war crime to me.
Starlink did its first launch of a batch of satellites in May 2019 during the Trump administration.
In December 2022 SpaceX did in fact announce StarShield, an encrypted version for national security applications.
The issue is that with the the US and Ukraine using the commercial systems, Musk arguably has the right to deny service. The problem with even an encrypted military system is that the control of the system also has to be in the hands of the military. Space is getting crowded with satellites. If the military wants a secure system for itself and its allies they would need to have a satellite network that was distributed above the altitude of the starlink commercial network so it could be independently and securely controlled. SpaceX would still provide the lauch capability.
Musk's tantrum with cutting off Ukraine access at a critical tactical moment sounds to me like a well-timed marketing ploy ahead of StarShield's introduction. And yes, I do think he is that amoral.
Sam Urbank, so you say the US should nationalize a successful private company that stepped in and filled a need the government wouldn't? That's a very slippery slope, my friend. We are following this Substack because of our concern for the preservation of democracy, not desire for its demise.
Jerry, there is a difference between living in a free country and observing it's laws and being a Demi-God who wants to do what he wants to do and is fully capable of doing it without having to follow rules (esp. those not made concerning the use of satellites by a single citizen).
So, respectfully, Jerry, I say Musk should have conferred with US government officials and they with him before this incident took place.
You're right, such conferring should have occurred. Musk is profiting by finding gaps in services provided in various industries and filling them at scale. New laws would have to be passed before the US government can tell this particular private company what to do and how to do it. If not, Would you rather have a Trumpian autocracy that does this to satisfy readers of HCR? Would you really want the government to control the means of production for a specific industry by fiat vs by contract? That would make us more like Venezuela or Russia or China.
Like you, I dislike the idea of one person controlling so much, but Musk's myriad operations simply fill the gaps left by budget-minded and risk-averse governments and industries. Musk is protecting his own snakeskin, just like we'd protect our own (human) skins when we perceive risks.
I haven’t said anything of the kind, I don’t think it’s up to a guy like Elon Musk to interfere with our foreign policy. To be sure, He is not trying to preserve our democracy, He doesn’t care one way or another about that, he doesn’t need to..He’s trying to put Trump back in the White House..He sees an advantage in that for himself, he is like Trump in that respect. To those men individually, they are the only thing that matters.. Ukraine was trying to hit a military target, and when they were prevented by Musk, Russia turned around and hit non military targets killing civilians..
Electric cars, social media, batteries, and SPACE.
It was shocking that Donald J. Trump became President of the United States; we’ve been through lots of shocks in the last eight years and have learned that a great deal of them are part of our country’s identity; in its roots.
Now, what about Elon Musk?
It would greatly underestimate the true sense of Musk’s power to say, he’s gotten too big for his britches. Look up folks, look up into space.
The next to last article from The New York Times provides a sense of Musk’s reach. It is far too great and far too dangerous, even if Musk was a sane and responsible human being
‘Ukraine rips Elon Musk for disrupting sneak attack on Russian fleet with Starlink cutoff’
KEY POINTS
• A Ukrainian official slammed SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for ordering engineers to shut off Starlink’s satellite network over Crimea in order to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.
• According to a new biography of Musk, the South African-born billionaire asked, “How am I in this war?” during an interview with author Walter Isaacson.
• Musk feared that he would be supporting a “mini Pearl Harbor” that could have led to a nuclear war, according to the book.
• WASHINGTON — A Ukrainian official slammed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for ordering engineers to shut off Starlink’s satellite network over Crimea last year in order to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.
• According to a new biography of Musk, the South African-born billionaire asked, “How am I in this war?” during an interview with author Walter Isaacson.
• In the early days of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, as Western governments worked to supply Kyiv with artillery and air defense systems, the first of Musk’s Starlink terminals arrived in the country. The billionaire eventually soured on the arrangement.
• “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes,” Musk said, according to the book. He told Isaacson that he was worried the Ukrainian attack on Russian vessels would provoke the Kremlin into launching a nuclear war. The book, titled “Elon Musk,” will be released Tuesday.
• A top aide to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at Musk over the revelation.
• “By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military fleet via Starlink interference, Elon Musk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities,” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote Thursday on social media after CNN reported on some of the details from Isaacson’s book. (CNBCnews) See link below.
‘How am I in this war?’: The untold story of Elon Musk’s support for Ukraine
By Walter Isaacson
'Walter Isaacson is a professor of history at Tulane University, former editor of Time magazine and author of several biographies. This op-ed is excerpted from his latest book,' “Elon Musk.”
‘An hour before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, it used a massive malware attack to disable the routers of the American satellite company Viasat that provided communications to the country. The command system of the Ukrainian military was crippled, making it almost impossible to mount a defense. Top Ukrainian officials frantically appealed to SpaceX founder Elon Musk for help, and the deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, used Twitter to urge him to send Ukraine terminals so it could use the satellite system that the company had built. “We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations,” he wrote.’
‘Musk agreed. Two days later, 500 Starlink terminals arrived in Ukraine. “We have the U.S. military looking to help us with transport, State has offered humanitarian flights and some compensation,” Gwynne Shotwell, Musk’s president at SpaceX, emailed him.’ “Folks are rallying for sure!”
“Cool,” Musk responded. “Sounds good.” ‘He got on a Zoom call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussed the logistics of a larger rollout and promised to visit Ukraine when the war was over.’
‘Ever since he was a scrawny and socially awkward kid getting beaten up on his school playground in South Africa, Elon Musk has liked to imagine himself as a hero rushing to the rescue, engaged in epic quests. He was deeply into comics, and the single-minded passion of the superheroes impressed him. “They’re always trying to save the world, with their underpants on the outside or these skintight iron suits, which is really pretty strange when you think about it,” he says. “But they are trying to save the world.” The war in Ukraine, when no other company or even country could manage to keep communications satellites working, gave him a center-stage opportunity to show his humanitarian instincts while playing superhero. It also showed the complexities of critical military infrastructure being controlled by an often well-intentioned but mercurial private citizen.’ (WAPO, OPINION of Walter Isaksson) Gifted link below.
The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. The ways he is wielding that influence are raising global alarms.
By Adam Satariano, Scott Reinhard, Cade Metz, Sheera Frenkel and Malika Khurana
July 28, 2023
On March 17, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the leader of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, dialed into a call to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Over the secure line, the two military leaders conferred on air defense systems, real-time battlefield assessments and shared intelligence on Russia’s military losses.
They also talked about Elon Musk. (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
Elon Musk Says Tesla Will Build Shanghai Battery Factory (excerpts)
The facility will produce large batteries that will help electric utilities stabilize grids and use more renewable energy.
By Keith Bradsher
Reporting from Beijing
'Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, announced on Twitter on Sunday that his company would build a factory in Shanghai with the aim to assemble 10,000 giant batteries annually for electric producers and distributors.'
'The batteries, which Tesla calls Megapacks, are designed to store large amounts of electricity — a single Megapack can power 3,600 homes for one hour, according to Tesla. The batteries, which are roughly the length and height of an international shipping container, can discharge the electricity to run factories or homes when demand from the local power grid is high, or during a blackout.'
'The capacity to store electricity when it isn’t in demand is critical as electric utilities move toward wind and solar energy to replace power generated by fossil fuels. In China, demand for grid-storage batteries is especially strong. Many provinces now require new solar and wind farms to have enough batteries to hold 10 to 20 percent of the electricity they generate.'
'Variable electricity pricing aims to encourage electricity users to turn off power-hungry devices when demand is high, reducing the risk of blackouts. The combination of China’s shift in pricing and the regulations for new renewable energy installations to store electricity has created a fast-growing demand for batteries.'
'Tesla is also active in renewable energy: It is a large manufacturer of solar panels in the United States.
Large batteries allow power generators, power users and even speculators to buy electricity when it is cheap and sell it when the price rises.'
“It’s that gap that determines whether storage is in the money or not,” said David Fishman, a senior manager at the Lantau Group, an energy consulting firm in Hong Kong.'
'For Tesla, Shanghai is the site of its single largest factory for making electric cars. The plant not only supplies China’s domestic vehicle market but also exports large numbers of cars to Europe, where Tesla has found it is harder to build factories as quickly as in Shanghai.'
'China produces most of the world’s rechargeable batteries, and dominates the chemical processing needed to produce their ingredients. Tesla’s Shanghai facility that will make the Megapacks will be close to the factories that manufacture almost all of the world’s lithium-iron-phosphate compounds for batteries.'
'These compounds are less expensive to make than the materials previously used in rechargeable batteries, which include cobalt. Human rights advocates have raised alarms about the working conditions at cobalt mines in Africa, the world’s leading source of the mineral.' (NYTimes) Link below, sorry it could not be gifted.
Where were The Commander and Chief, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Department, the Department of State, the CIA, the Pentagon... while Elon Musk became the dominant power in satellite internet technology? Who is at fault here, J L?
Fern, to quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
We, that is the 'leaders' elected and appointed, became so bedazzled by Milton Friedman and Frederick Hyak and the whole "market knows all" BS, and there was just so much $$$$$$ to be made (and sloshed around Washington), while Joe Sixpack was licking his wounds and trying to survive the tectonic shifts, and took his eye off the political ball, or rather, fell into a political cesspool at a time when right wing talk radio and cable 'news' was ascendant. The perfect storm to end all perfect storms.
Musk claiming to not realize what the Ukrainians were using Star-Link for seems a bit like a fashion model on a photo shoot claiming not to have noticed the cameras, lights, and crew. If he was so unaware, how did he learn of the Ukrainian (presumably secret) plans to attack Russian ships? Musk grew up in the shadow of Apartheid. I think we're seeing this in him now. He is an autocrat.
Tesla is not the only company making cars and batteries. Space-X is not the only satellite communications and rocket launcing company. There are viable competitors in Europe, Asia, and Israel. Musk seems to be living rent-free in our psyches, just like Trump. Ukraine should start using Iridium, which is used for air traffic control worldwide. That's the only moral way to confront Musk: give one's business to existing mature & competent competitors.
Jerry, if you read my comment, you may realize that I am aware of what you have written in reply, although our understanding of the subject may differ.
Have you done the math, in terms of knowing which companies in satellite communications have the biggest piece of the pie? 'Chinese military researchers are calling for the rapid deployment of a national satellite network project to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink, over concerns that Elon Musk’s internet-beaming satellites pose a major national security threat to Beijing following their successful use in the Ukraine war.' (WAPO) If you subscribe to The Washington Post their coverage of China's military plans to launch 13,000 satellites to rival Musk's Starlinks is worthwhile reading.
'SpaceX’s current dominance of the commercial space market is starkly illustrated by the fact that OneWeb, the nearest competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink, was forced to select SpaceX as its launch provider. SpaceX, a private company, can already control its competitors’ access to space and force its policies on national governments. There is simply no other company that can compete with SpaceX’s cost and responsiveness. (SpaceNews)
As far as I know Space X doesn't have 'viable competitors in Europe, Asia...' as you stated, while there are companies in the business from the countries you mentioned.
It's nice to know of your interest in this subject, Jerry, including advice to Ukraine and knowing 'the only moral way to confront Musk...'
What I said is true. Before retiring, I was a customer of these satellite services. After retirement, I consulted for a satellite startup until the pandemic. While yes, Space-X is the biggest publicly facing datellite communications company, it's not the only one. As well Iridium has a currently-operational satellite data and communications constellation that might be better suited for Ukraine's needs.
I had already read the articles you linked, and yes, Tesla is seemingly everywhere. But it's nowhere near the only game in town in any of its industries.
Ukrainians reached out to Musk because, I'm guessing on this point, they were familiar with Starlink. But why hasn't the US government or the European Union stepped on with support for alternatives? Could it be that they don't want Russia to later target those entities? If I were Musk, I'd resist, too, and try to sell the US and EU on targeted bespoke subnets that they can control themselves after placement in orbit.
Good of you, Jerry, for sharing your past work experience with us, Are you aware of the European Union's intention to launch its own satellite communications constellation? It sounds as though you would have mentioned it as not being one to hold back your wealth of knowledge.
'The European Parliament adopted the proposal for the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection and Security by Satellites (IRISS) constellation on Feb. 14' of this year.
The nearly unanimous decision was backed by 603 votes with just six against. Approval of the project follows the high-profile role of SpaceX's Starlink communications satellites in aiding the defense of Ukraine, with the Russian invasion highlighting the need for secure, sovereign European capabilities. (Space.com) See link to article below.
I assume Star-link is managed from somewhere in the US. If Musk becomes too rogue, we could nationalize it. We've done it before. We've also assassinated world leaders with impunity. Remember what Bolton said a few months ago about planning coups.
Thank you so much, Fern. I always learn nuance and the far bigger picture when I read your comments and the links you post. Yes, Musk is a mercurial man who loves controversy, but the fact that he reached out to Milley and Sullivan with his rationale for cutting off Starlink was not well publicized, and gives him greater credence than do calls of "traitor."
Yes, our military may have regrets about throwing their lot in with Musk, but like he said, he's spent his own millions in defense of the US and nada in defense of Russia.
Having said all of that, I wonder how the US military will frame Musk's unpredictability and their reliance on him moving forward. Thanks again, Fern. You are a research powerhouse!
Musk is like some villainous character in a comic book, ruling the fate of the world from his lair. He has monopolized wifi satellite and has handed Russia the advantage against us ( i.e. Ukraine) and made it possible for the food warehouses that are relied upon to feed millions to be blown up. This guy should be tried for treason and crimes against humanity with Putin.
His control of satellite transmission and its uses makes him a world wide menace.
He really is, Joan! Elon reminds me of a cartoon character, Snidely Whiplash from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Always conniving, always thinking what evil dastardly acts he can do.
I totally agree, Joan. in my opinion, MUSK is just as big of a menace that Donald TUMP is. I despise the SOB. And yes, he should be tried and convicted of treason.
Musk? Why? He may be guilty of a lot of things but so far I don't think Musk has committed treason. I don't like him either, but that is no excuse to charge him with crimes he hasn't committed. At least not in a democratic country as long as it still exists.
Musk stopped support for a military action by an ally of the US, causing the failure of the mission and there-by giving aid and succor to the enemy of our ally. This ally is fighting for their freedom and independence from an autocratic aggressor who expected them to roll over and surrender within three days, as I recall. But when the leader of our ally refused to flee, stating, “The fight is here. I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition,” he shamed the US and many other countries, didn’t he? We give them money and weapons, the Ukrainians are giving their blood in this fight against autocracy. What part of interfering with a military action in favor of our enemy is not a treasonous act against the United States? Mr. Musk became a citizen of the U.S. in 2002. (
There was one in one of the Bond films too, one of the old Bond films, The actor's name was Richard Keil. He was 7' 4'' tall, He died a few years back. He also played a part in the old version of ''The Longest Yard'' and played a ghost in one of the episodes of ''Gilligan's Island''
I left the dead bird site yesterday. I joined Twitter back in 2008, about the same time we moved to Portland. It was my primary tool for making new contacts in #PDX and the broader edu community. In a round about way, I got my adjunct position at University of Portland via Twitter. But Twitter’s lost it's utility - Elon’s dumpster fire is a mean place - so I'm out.
Sure. The Global South will have a strong voice going forward. Africa, through William Samoei Ruto, has been complaining that it is being neglected yet they have problems that need urgent attention. The G21 will now be a global force and beneficial to the continent.
It's my understanding that much of the technological advances utilized by mega corporations has originated largely from academic research supported through government grants. Then these mega corporations find ways to avoid paying taxes to replenish money for these grants that they have benefited from. Right back to good ol' Reagonomic greed.
Musk is in a class of individuals that defies explanation. His far right turn has enabled him to rationalize his psychopathic destructive ways as ideology...when actually it is egomaniacal behavior that feeds his childish need to be 'king of the hill'. He does what he does because that's what he felt like doing at the moment. Not because it serves a purpose, or a goal...just because he can do it. Like trump he is an impulsive man-child with more power than good intention or good sense. The world and its inhabitants are his plaything. He is a menace to humanity and the proof is there for the world to see.
Biden's intentions are noble and long term and far reaching. Our society is obsessed with immediate gratification and superficial results.... he will be appreciated by far more by history than the here and now.
I know that the Professor documents current events for historians in the future to aid them in understanding this time; advance source material, as it were. I just hope there is a history going forward.
Wow, what a state we are in. Great insights to the global economic dynamics and to Biden's effective play in it all. Conversely how our system has allowed a spoiled megalomaniac to have such power on a whim in the world is beyond comprehension...and yet here we are. Thanks as always for your hard work and excellent insights.
In thinking of the players on stage today, as exemplified in these postings by so many of us - Biden, Musk, Blinken, Harris, Trump, Zelensky, Putin - I think of how things could play out IF all of the participants had sane and balanced mental and emotional health. Imagine ..
The extent of privatization of vital public functions is just plain crazy. I believe that one of the legitimate freedoms of a free society is private enterprise, but a free and democratic society gets to define the ground rules under which commerce is conducted. Many functions of society are far too vital and/or dangerous to be trusted without keen supervision and accountability even in public hands, and far less less so when private, ulterior motives are stirred into the mix, as Musk's Starlink creepily demonstrates. If any more distrust of overly powerful private companies is needed, look up the history of the British East India Company and it's ilk. Want a Wagner? Blackwater was bad enough. Can government contract private services? Sure. But not to do the jobs that would leave us up a creek if the interests of the Oligarch supplying them should happen to differ from the public's priorities and needs.
Yes!!! Thank you for reminding us of Blackwater! It got us DeBos and the complete wreck of our public school system, already on the rocks. Like brother, like sister.
President Biden's vision of global economic corridors sounds a lot like President Eisenhower putting in the Interstate Highway system which greatly enhanced interstate commerce in the US in the 1950s just on a global scale. Wow! This is impressive! I like his “One Earth, One Family, One Future” mantra. Thank you, Heather, for showing us all what is happening on a global scale. If we can keep it together it will mean a better world for all. I have been looking and hoping for a leader with vision. Looks like President Biden is fulfilling that role which will be the salvation of all of us. Salvation for all vs. retribution for a few. A strong vision of the future. Now we, the People, must unite and make it happen. All of us, this time, across the globe - for earth, for family, for a future of well-being for all. Strength of character and a sense of community is what we need in our leaders and President Biden certainly has both. Let's value our differences and do the right thing by the planet and each other. Everybody ready for constructive action!?
I don't think we can invest salvation of our society in any one person, but competent leaders can help us focus long enough to work together. And yes it's one earth. It's always been Eden, yet it comes with hazards and need of care; as do we. E Pluribus Unum
Especially when most of the wealthiest American's are doing their best to put a MAGAt back in the WH. We live in a corporatocracy where the corporate leaders are required to donate whatever it takes to put and keep GOPers in power.
Biden’s vision is the polar opposite of every republican position since, well, God was a baby. Well, they finally came around to dissing Hitler after Pearl Harbor.
Thanks for this clear presentation of where things stand economically (and more) in the world and the US. So clear that Democrats need to win the trifecta in 2024. Musk is a total threat to peace and stability---in his domination of satellites and in his own instability. Thank you again, HCR.
Musk is a narcissistic, misogynistic tech bro with a Messiah complex. He is also himself a dictator, which explains his growing admiration for Putin. He basically handed off Twitter on a silver platter to Putin and his cyberwarfare army of trolls to spew as much disinformation as they please about democracy in general and the American elections in particular. “X” has become a short-hand for “Xtreme right-wing”… Musk will, in this way, very willingly, skew the election of 2024 in Trump’s favour. And everybody knows that Trump will end American democracy once and for all. All the better for Musk: he hates rules - at least, rules _he_ didn’t establish. The sooner democracy is gone, the easier he can make the rules: he is more than rich enough for that.
Arrest Musk for undermining American foreign policy.
Nationalize Starlink. Put it under the direct supervision of a board consisting of the FCC and DOD.
Put "X" and Meta under the direct supervision of an independent government board consisting of representatives of the FCC, DOD, NSA, CIA and FBI.
Starlink, Meta and X have exceeded their status as "private enterprises". They are now public utilities and should be protected and guided as such.
Bill,
I am definitely no fan of Musk for sure. However, neither would I arrest anyone for going against American "foreign policy" given America's past foreign policy folly.
If more people with real power had gone against, say, Vietnam, we might not still be blowing up kids in Cambodia with remaining unexploded bombs that were dropped illegally and in secret.
I get your point. Thanks.
But perhaps, we should parse what interfering in government comes down to. Peaceful protests are different than interfering with the government directly. What Musk was doing was aiding Russia and undermining an ally we are spending billions to support.
I thought Vietnam was a mistake of historic proportions. Someone of Musk's stature back then could have refused to manufacture napalm. Refused to sell mines to the army. Refused to provide M-16s to the Marines. Would that have been the equivalent? I don't think so. Musk now has the power to literally control the communications for billions of people. And actually determine the course of a genocidal war. That can't stand.
So maybe not arrest him. I stand corrected. But take his power to be a shadow form of government now before he does much more damage. He is a megalomaniac. A frenetic unpredictable danger to the world.
I agree, Bill. This horrible individual has way too much power that should belong to the government.
There is Constitutional langue around “aiding and abetting”. DOJ should apply it.
I think Musk's acts are traitorous.
A single emotionally stunted billionaire with an excessive affection for Nazis should not have enough power to dictate national policy.
Hear, hear!
Tax the rich!
Most of our “public” utilities have become for-profit enterprises over the years---not the best strategy if your objective is robust, resilient infrastructure.
Just another example of the private sector eating our national treasure. IMO, every aspect of public service utilities should be under the control of the people for the common good. Why should there be profits in electricity, water, internet, education, health care or prisons?! Why? Millions more could be better served by that skim of the Oligarchs.
It’s ‘end stage’ Capitalism…pure greed.
Like many of his ilk, Musk is intelligent, but not wise, not even close. I don't understand why a private individual has the right to pepper nearby space with satellites, however good or bad they might be. It's our space, not his ("our" meaning humanity's). So nationalize or internationalize Starlink, yes. To have Meta and X under the DOD, NSA, CIA, FBI, no thanks. Meta and X need to be strictly supervised, preferably (in my view) shut down. But not by NSA, CIA, etc. There's already a whole literature on the "surveillance society" (by Zuboff, Schneier, Landau, ...). We don't want to go further in that direction. These technology barons always talk about "changing the world", and they have, but nobody consulted us hoi polloi. It's everybody's world, not theirs.
Isn't what you're describing "Brave New World"?
I don't totally agree, but I do feel that there's something like War Crimes or SOMETHING!
Interesting idea, except you've got a Fifth Amendment problem: "...[Nor] shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
You wanna try buying out Elon Musk? My mind reels at imagining what the condemnation proceeding would look like.
My understanding is Starlink was developed with government funding, so in effect, the public should own a piece of it.
He is a clear and present danger to the United States.
Along with many other of our Billionaires, e.g., Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, who worked knowingly, or not, with Yevgeny Prigozhin and his IRA troll farm via Cambridge Analytica for tRUmp's escalator ride in 2016. I have heard that they switched gangs in 2024.
“And everybody knows that Trump will end democracy once and for all.”
Actually, democracy as we knew it and wish it to be is declining rapidly, Trump or no Trump. Behind the scenes there is a legion of brilliant individuals with no scruples working overtime for the benefit of the super wealthy such as Elon Musk, Rupert Murdock and the vast multinational corporations. This decline began in the 80s with the Presidency of Reagan, and “trickle-down economics” is effectively shifting wealth and power to the elite few. Those elite few are finding every weakness they can in political democracy to further disempower and manipulate voters. The Citizens United Decision and the far-right Supreme Court Is the long-term threat. We need to start discussing long-term solutions. Sooner or later, we will have to reboot our current form of Democracy and now is the time to start planning for the long-term solution to a democracy crippled by the capitalistic system gone haywire. “Economic Democracy” I believe is the next evolutionary step beyond our current political democracy. Wikipedia has a tremendous amount of information about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Economic_democracy&oldid=1170220382
For a short explanation here is a concise article on Economic Democracy https://www.proutinstitute.org/policy-solutions/economic-democracy-the-alternative-to-corporate-rule
Thank you, Marc. Good synopsis of democracy crippled by the capitalist system gone haywire. The immorality of those who have found and exploited every weakness for their own enrichment is appalling. I picture these billionaires like evil spiders sitting in their throne rooms weaving webs to ensnare every freaking dollar on the planet. Wrapping us all in their silk and feeding upon us so they can grow fatter and fatter. (And I hate spiders more than anything!)
I think of the ultra wealthy in this nation, as PARASITES, sucking the lifeblood from their hosts but rendering no benefit in return for their siphoning of ever more wealth from the labor of the ordinary tax-paying citizen and the infrastructure of the country.
Thank you for this link. I found this reference under the Reform Agendas section: "In his book, Capitalism 3.0, Peter Barnes likens a "National Dividend" to the game of Monopoly, where all players start with a fair distribution of financial opportunity to succeed, and try to privatize as much as they can as they move around "the commons". Distinguishing the board game from real-world business, Barnes claims that "the top 5 percent of the population owns more property than the remaining 95 percent", providing the smaller minority with an unfair advantage of approximately "$5-trillion" annually, at the beginning of the game." Great explanation for us "common folk" known as "We the People".
Hi Marc, you're absolutely right. Trump isn't doing this job alone. What I meant was that Trump will give an already crippled democracy its final blow...
That’s why I believe that the best and brightest of us should begin to collectively work on a new and improved form of democracy, such as the one that is already proposed called economic democracy. A group of foresighted people should be willing to visualize an ideal democracy, a utopian government and refine it. Then we will have a goal to work towards rather than to throw up or hands in despair While the current democracy gets further weekend, and the government becomes totally authoritarian.
It is not an impossible task, but it is a challenging one and I am convinced we can do it.
That is definitely a challenging task! I really hope you can pull this through :)
Check out “Economic Democracy” on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_democracy
and the book “After Capitalism, Economic Democracy”https://www.amazon.com/After-Capitalism-Economic-Democracy-Action/dp/1881717143/ref=sr_1_4?crid=QFESJ7OQE9SF&keywords=after+capitalism&qid=1694529890&s=books&sprefix=after+capitalism+%2Cstripbooks%2C178&sr=1-4 (Sorry I have to refer you to another capitalistic monopoly to get the book:)
Oh, P.S.: I would like to add "Zelda-style taxes": in the game "Legend of Zelda", you cannot hold more money than 999 rupees. When you find more, you cannot pick them up, and they are left lying there - for someone else to pick them up. In the same sense, you could establish a treshold of, say, 100 million dollars. You cannot have any more money than that as a single person: above that threshhold, the wealth tax simply becomes 100%. No more "sky is the limit" there, because nobody really "earns" that much money, nobody should be insanely rich.
Thank you for the links as well.
GOP is now RICO.
The gop and their allies; the US Chamber of Commerce, Christian taliban, proud boys, KKK, etc.
Yes, I feel immediate unease when the shards of what once was the GOP are referred to as a political party.
Old joke, adapted from long-forgotten US prosecutions
of the 1980s:
"What do they call a Republican voter
in the United States"?
"Unindicted Co-Conspirator."
(ba-da-bum.)
Sorry, but that’s not fair. Most of them are dupes.
I don't know that they are "dupes." The study by Profs. David Norman Smith and Eric Hanley at the Univ. of Kansas published in Critical Sociology in Feb. 2018 entitled "The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" [google it] identified their reasons primarily because they share some traits: racist, misogynistic and xenophobic (hating immigrants.) MAGA is simply the KKK without the white sheets and conical hats - white Protestant supremacy now, white Protestant supremacy forever.
But isn’t being a dupe a matter of personal responsibility in most cases?
Wow. I love the way all of you talk. Seriously. (Although I grew up in the US, I don't get to speak much English. Not like you folks.... Thanks, all of you....
The Repugnant Party is a Terrorist Organization.
This is not a complement to the GOP, but it is so many things- a kakistocracy, kleptocracy, Fasicst party, corporatocracy, autocracy and terrorist party. We've all heard other labels as well.
Is the GOP a monolith that can be described with one set of labels like RICO or Terrorist Organization?
Heather spoke of the implications of of "the parties different visions of government." I think, if we want to save our democracy from authoritarianism/Trumpism, it's important to distinguish between the cynical power grabbers at the top, and the rest of everyday people they have learned how to manipulate to their ends:
1) The cynical power grabbers have the power and/or position to shape and implement the GOP agenda as donors or politicians. They can do this because they are so wealthy that they don't need the government programs funded by the taxes they are avoiding.
2) The people they manipulate are already "fed up" about their government and are ripe for skillful manipulation of their anger, disillusionment and, in many cases, despair. Anger feels better than depression.
Here's more food for thought about this from one of my heroes, Robert Reich.
Why Have So Many Americans Succumbed to Trumpism?
Chapter 6 of The Common Good
SEP 8
"But what if their willingness to believe and support Trump is understandable, given what has happened to them? I’m not suggesting it’s justifiable, only that it may be explicable.
As we have seen, many of the key political and economic institutions of our society have abandoned their commitments to the common good — and along the way, abandoned the bottom half of the adult population, especially those without college degrees."
Here's the link to his complete substack edition. https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/the-common-good-chapter-6-the-decline?r=eznl2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
I read chapter 6 before I read LFAA today and it is informative. RR is my hero also.
The MAGA problem is our problem too. One person, One vote, or at least it should be so; and Big Lies and divide and conquer works. We've seen it all before. We've been snoozing and loosing while the plutocrats took over the narrative.
Definitely an "enterprise" that's starving the IRS of significant revenue. Meanwhile an 8/30/23 WAPO Editorial states Musk intends to expand Starlink "10 fold" in the years ahead, that's 45,000 'Musklinks' or is that Must Links?
Monay 9/11 Update: See RONAN FARROW's piece in the 8/21/23 The New Yorker, "Elon Musk Shadow Rule". Bottom Line: we have a private American Citizen supporting Putin's War Against Ukraine by disrupting Ukrain's Starlike connections.
Also,MONDAY, 9/11, Walter Isaccson's Musk biography is out with a Musk admission that he spoke to the Russian Ambassador before his disruptions of Ukraine's Starlink access.
Monopoly?
Certainly Jen & an expanding monopoly. But, I need to take a close look at Elon Musk's contact with Putin/Russian communications to see if ELON is functionally acting as an "Foreign Agent" under Section 612a of FARA, the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
Thx, Bryan. With so much power, money, and tech advantage, he’s another narcissistic megalomaniac who terrifies the bejeezus out of me with all of the chaos he can create. Sheesh…can he be held accountable?
More than 1 institution is working on it.
And why the hell not? The idea that you can do whatever the hell you want, even if it robs others of their money and choices, so long as it delivers profit, sound like the creed of the Mafia; but plutocrats and their toady politicians have made it the law of the land. Money is a form of power and power tends to corrupt, at least historically, no?
And I think we will find that he is. Not that he will have any loyalty to them either.
Perfect description! Thank you and thank Fani Willis and GA!
Are we entering an era where traditional defined land mass, boundaries and nations of citizens are obsolete and that a single man’s inconceivable wealth can carve out a position as global super-power? Musk appears to have staked out our upper stratospheres. We and democracy are in dangerous times.
We're living in a 1960s James Bond World.
That is so true, Rob... Ian Fleming created a rich, criminal techno-warlord like Dr. No before there was anyone like Elon Musk. Now, 70 years later, we see it was not just fantasy, it was a prediction. This puts Fleming in the ranks of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.
And Margaret Atwood.
Artists are prophets. No surprise here. Questions is how did we let an apartheidist get so much control? My answer would be that we haven’t gotten over our worship of money and the thieves who amass it at the expense of the starving, threatened, or dying.
Rob Boyte, that's a bullseye.
The Mad Scientist of pulp fiction is alive... and out to control us all... yet seems utterly unable to control himself or his own urges.
Why oh why are we not investing in straitjackets?
“Unable?” No. Unwilling? Absolutely.
Both, I suspect, unable AND, above all, unwilling to rein in his impulses.
Descartes' "I think therefore I am" becomes "I have tantrums, therefore I am".
It’s the game of Risk, but for real.
Certainly looks that way to me.
Grover Zinn -- It sounds like Elon Musk has turned himself into a war criminal. Is he naïve? Quite a scary guy to be meddling in war games about which he knows nothing. Turning off world communications? Beyond terrifying.
I admit that my fears about the emerging AI technology exceed my knowledge of that field, but AI coupled with Starlink, in the hands of someone with Musk's money, power and ability/wish to control events for ill purposes, is bone-chilling. I'm not saying Musk is necessarily Dr. No, but imagine it nonetheless: using satellite technology to transmit false scenarios to effect real-world responses in real-time, with military, economic, political, social or other consequences.
Perhaps my worries are unfounded, but I learned long ago that if something can be imagined, it may one day come to pass (who thought I could type this on a handheld computer that can send and receive sound, words and images around the world instantly, and in many cases, use Starlink to do so?)
Doug, I totally agree with you. This is the inevitable consequence of capitalism without rails. We saw it start during the Reagan era. Infrastructure was delegated to the private sector, with many disastrous results.
Atlanta contracted with a private company for the water supply - and the taps spewed filthy water or no water. It turned out that the low bid was just a “foot-in-the-door” proposal; once they won the contract they claimed that they had no idea how bad the water system was and would need many millions more to bring clean, reliable water to the citizens (I’ve worked with local government contracts and I know the tricks).
The truth is that public services are not profitable - unless you degrade the quality or raise the price.
The idea that the greedy billionaires should control public utilities (as Musk is doing) or security infrastructure (as Musk is doing) is a recipe for disaster.
Well said. This needs more attention. Too many water systems of cities are in venture capital hands (like real estate in say Nashville TN)
Doug Gagne -- I've just finished listening to Walter Isaacson on (recorded earlier) "CBS News Sunday Morning," who is just publishing a biography of Elon Musk. Fascinating interview, including a correction/ adjustment to the "Starlink" and Crimea story. It's far more complex than I'd thought, and Isaacson (who spent two solid years with Musk) explains briefly what it was about. He says, "Starlink wasn't running in that region (along the Crimean coast. But when Ukraine asked Starlink for service there, Musk did decline to activate it." Musk felt that the Russians activities were leading leading to WW III. I couldn't find a link, but there's lots about Isaacson and Musk on YouTube. He is a very complex guy, not to be taken superficially.
Doug, yes AI coupled with Starlink is exponentially more terrifying. And yes that if something can be imagined it is possible, relatively quickly. How short the "modern age" has been (when did it start?) -- and what has happened in what? ... The past 100-120 years? Personally, it will be only 11.25 years until I turn 100, and what is possible in that short length of time is mind boggling.
Criticism, it seems, offends Musk’s ego and that is dangerous. When he usesd his power to affect the war in Ukraine, he is acting independently of our government. He cannot have his own foreign policy, just because the government has 'farmed out' part of our space program to him. There may be a loose analogy there to Russia having 'farmed out' part of its military operations to the Wagner Group, which eventually got 'too big for its britches,' resulting in its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, coincidentally dying in an 'accidental' plane crash.
Pressure needs to be put on SpaceX's Board of Directors (don't know if Spacelink, as a division of SpaceX, has a separate Board). It is absolutely ridiculous that one unelected man has so much power.
What an interesting contrast. A vision pursued for societal and economic benefits for emerging nations (and peaceful partners) by Biden and the self-agrandizing of a technology empirealist, Musk, interfering with international defense policy of democratic nations based strictly on his Ann Rand grasp of the brilliant entrepreneur role in directing events that affect nations.
Ayn not Ann
Yup. C9gnitive decline with age has a real party with spellchecker. Thanks.
I couldn’t agree more. Musk is “public enemy #1” and, I’m afraid, not very stable mentally.
Absolutely spot on Grover! Musk is now in control of critical communications and can act as the US military. It is the exact reason why the Chinese and others put in place a second GPS network out of this fear.
I would rather have the US military making decisions then Elon. We are heading back to a Monarchy with folks like Elon, Donald, Vladimir, Xi, and Kim Jong that not only want to be the richest but also the most powerful.
We need a check and balance, world wide. Maybe Artificial Intelligence controlling everything might not be bad. Algorithms that determined there are way too many innocent people dying at the hands of that Russian Navy. And that is why Elon fears it. AI would have released and guided those Ukrainian drones.
JB
As HCR points out, the degradation of America's infrastructure was by design. Schools that need replacing, bridges that are close to collapse, fresh water systems and waste water treatment long past replacement, overcrowded airports, railroads out of date, refineries spewing pollution, and more. Private ownership only maximizes profit. "Free markets" are not free, they are controlled by the major economic powers.
Has Musk registered as a foreign agent? Seems DOJ should be in top of that.
Thank you for showcasing the G21 and their plans for infrastructure projects to assist our global partners.
We need to get US satellites positioned near Ukraine so that Ukraine no longer has to depend on the whims of Elon Musk. Musk believes Russia’s threats rather than contacting the US government to ascertain the truth.
The top 1% no longer just depend on influencing IRS regulations to attain tax breaks—now they lobby to reduce the workforce to prevent/delay audits to make them follow the rules.—and the Republicans have introduced legislation to do just that. There are basically two ways to balance a budget—bring in more revenue or cut outgo.
As you’ve repeatedly said, the contrast can’t be any clearer—take care of the common man or help the oligarchy get richer. The choice at the ballot box is ours.
Anyone who can pay $44 Billion in hissy fit revenge for an imagined slight is well past rich enough.
but again, do this kind of people even know the word 'enough'?
No. Never “enough”.
See: "Too Much and Never Enough" by Mary Trump.
I’ve asked this question many times; “How much is enough?” It really boggles the mind especially in light of the extremely well off as compared with those that struggle financially on a daily basis for something so simple as putting food on the table. So…. How much is enough?
It’s not just in the US but worldwide. However in some places outside the US the poverty makes the poorest of those in the US look rich/ well off.
I’ve travelled and seen extreme poverty outside the US. It’s hard to grasp if haven’t actually been there and seen it first hand. Something as simple as a pen has high value! You may ask why? It’s because they are not available much less affordable. And many other small simple basic common things (like that pen) we all have and take for granted simply aren’t available/ can’t be found. We ‘middle class’ Americans have so much “stuff”…. we have no clue how much “stuff” we have and how well off we are.
When it comes to the millionaires and the billionaires….. I really don’t understand their wealth. I don’t understand how they view and/ or would answer the question; ‘how much is enough’. It baffles me even more so how they want more and more wealth.
It baffles me too.
I too have seen extreme poverty having been born in Sri Lanka in 1949.
IF Americans had thought about the rest of the world some time ago maybe they would understand how extreme poverty happens.
Years of corrupt Politicians is the answer. It is no wonder to me that the Chinese have taken over.
Good question George....they don't care. But I think a time will come when these rich oligarchs will need people to work for them. No-one can work if they are starving?
"Kenya welcomes the addition of the African Union — the fastest growing continent in the world — to the G20. This will increase the voice of Africa, visibility, and influence on the global stage and provide a platform to advance the common interest of our people.
This fits perfectly with the resolutions of the just-concluded Africa Climate Summit, including the reform of international financial institutions and multilateral development banks."
This was the statement made by President William Samoei Ruto yesterday after African Union was included into G20. This adds another voice to the continent and make African indispensable in matters revolving them. Previously, William Ruto had been critical of the manner in which Africa is being treated by the Global North and was not happy with it.
"We cannot sit in front of one person as African and the best we could get are photographs," he said in South Africa this year. He had complained that
African presidents are given only a few minutes to speak which according to him, it is disrespect and does not amount to anything to African people.
Africa has suggested the desire to relook at the existing global financial infrastructure and loan rescheduling to free them from the rat race.
Africa also complained of stakeholders in the private sectors who make it difficult for the continent to reorganise loans because they aren't ready to discuss with them and agree with a common bargain. Bearaucratic infrastructure has been tainting the whole global financial infrastructure and disadvantaging the continent.
I agree, Edwin. Hopefully with the global changes and assistance in financing infrastructure for the African nations, all African nations will feel welcome in the world. And this could help you avoid the military coups that are so damaging to the liberty of free people everywhere.
Yes, the African Union will voice their concerns in unison without individual countries seeking help from rogue and authoritative regimes like Russia which comes with a package of coup in exchange for resources.
I am thankful for every opportunity for the people of the African continent. Too often we overlook the loving family working hard to survive, We forget or are not aware of the self made and self serving military that can invade a village one day and kill family members, destroying this family....stealing the boys for soldiers, raping the young girls. This is not all of Africa but it still exists.
There are countries that mine the riches of Africa, using the strength of men, women and children as they take from their resources.....leaving behind pain and destruction.
There are places where a son walks miles to a small mission school, taking firewood or fish caught from a nearby stream to pay the teacher who is also living on small resources.
I am thankful for the great and beautiful cities that have been able to grow and thrive.
I am thankful when we are able to communicate and to help one another. It is the right action to take.
We do not need to change the beauty of a loving Africian family but IF HELP IS APPROVED AND SENSITIVE CARING IS MADE AVAILABLE, WE SHOULD BE THERE.
Edwin, I long for needs to be met and opportunities to be made available for everyone....WITH CARE AND RESPECT!
I long for wars to cease....to see a world working together.......we must , because of the condition of us, as humans....have a long view but never give up.
Wooow! What a comprehensive perspective. And true to your word, the African continent needed a space to express and grow themselves and I think it is paying day by day. After that, military coups, poverty, insecurity, unemployment, debts and many more problems will be dealt with until we stabilise ourselves. Thank you Emily Pfaff
I ask myself... would we have today's Russia and its cortege of threatened, damaged neighbors with great bites taken out of their territory if it had not been for the activity of American privateer scavengers attacking the prostrate body of what had been the Soviet empire, determined to ensure that Russia should never recover?
Many scavengers then, vulture capitalists, keen to ensure there should be no new Marshall Plan. Today's investment in Second and Third World infrastructures comes late -- but that's better than never.
Now mankind desperately needs to hang together... but look what the forces of the great Market God have done to us all.
Peter,
I think there were certainly American "privateers" who swooped in to take advantage of the Soviet collapse. And opportunists from all over the globe. But have you read Bill Browder's "Red Notice"?
My sense of it is that the really big harvesters of the Russian national treasure were the Russian oligarchs. Men who were given control of entire industries by guess who. Putin set up an elaborate web of "private" enterprise where a few buddies got uber rich and hid his own theft of billions.
The Russian nation is essentially a feudal mess run by the ultimate version of a national mafia. And don't mess with the God Father who has convinced the people that he is the strong man who will protect them from the rest of the world. When we look at the history of Russia and all the times it has been invaded and savaged, we can understand their paranoia. And the appeal of a Putin. Who seems to be a role model for Trump.
I am in alignment with you on the role of the "great market God". And I would now put Musk and Zuckerberg and Bezos and Koch and Mercer and Sackler in the same boat as Putin. But Russia is being pillaged by Russians with mega yachts and mansions.
Russia has the land and the natural resources to be a global bread basket and an energy resource for the world. It has the capacity to improve it's citizens well being that could rival most western nations. But the funnel of its natural gifts to a handful of con men is one of history's greatest grand thefts.
Seems to be happening in America?
Where was it that I read that wealth only drips upward and that even if the poor receive some form of aid in the morning it will already have been siphoned up by nightfall?
Just nice that they should have seen it, however briefly.
That is precisely what happened to shares distributed to employees in newly capitalist Russia... and, of course, Ukraine.
And Putin of course commandeered and sold food aid to Saint Petersburg.
A profitable start to a stratospherically profitable career, making him the ruler with most direct ownership of the Russias since Ivan the Terrible.
Stalin micro-controlled. He didn't own or need to own what he controlled.
Peter, agreed....we are by nature selfish. The truth of who we are is revealed everywhere.
This is one reason we need President Biden. He knows the condition of man....even himself, but he also knows that with work and cooperation great and good things can be accomplished. With like-minded men and women, here and throughout the world, we can see these good plans he\they are steadily working toward.
Our deluded superficial nature is selfish and easily confused, our true nature is generous and compassionate.
We need to trust our own better nature and to lend a hand to leaders and fellow-citizens who are striving to do likewise.
IF Biden is that man why is he 'cuddling' up to Modi. This man is a terrorist and won't be happy until all India is Hindu?
Peter, I acknowledge that the narrative we’ve been fed in the West is but a version of the truth. Still, I would be remiss were I not to ask whether the perspective you’ve formulated, too, is but a partial truth.
Whether it’s the past or speculative futures . The ‘market’ of truth is a coin toss at best. Hidden agendas manipulate change with the whims of mankind’s worst players.
Mind Boggling reasonings with no principle adherence.
🤦♀️
Patricia, Because I won’t settle for a “coin toss,” I choose instead to subject the full range of possibilities to as critical a scrutiny as I can muster.
That’s a fair answer too. We do our best Barbara, I enjoy your comments and input. I learn so much here.it’s better than TV and no commercials.
Thanks 🫶
Patricia, Thank you for writing. I, too, learn and grow from my exchanges with this community and can sense, as a result, that my actions increasingly are likely of having a shot at being impactful.
Obviously, Barbara... My statement was far too vague and unsubstantiated; it was grounded in memories of how I felt in the '90s
Other perspectives might be far more complete, far better founded, but no one's omniscient.
I've just suggested elsewhere that a little more inductive reasoning might help, starting out from real-life observations instead of deductions founded on ideological delusions...
Peter, While I fully agree, admittedly, I find the task of getting as close as possible to the verifiable truth through subjecting a full range of narratives to critical scrutiny somewhat overwhelming, albeit worthwhile.
Your approach sounds thorough and painstaking.
I have always spent time and energy on questioning all the assumptions that we take for granted, even those that seem axiomatic, probing motivation, my own and that of others and trying to take some account of the complex dynamic factors that make for uncertainty.
Today, I have just been finding justifications for my inductive approach that I had never given thought to.
In a sense, this seems to echo the researcher's work, testing, testing, once an intuitive solution has arisen.
Who are these privateer scavengers? Without backup info, I will suspect this is Russian-sourced disinformation.
No, I do have Russian sources, but not Kremlin ones. My hang-ups are European ones...
A pity Vladimir Pastukhov's writings are rarely available in English.
And I am going by my memory of what was happening at the time... the chaos of the Yeltsin years... Clinton to Yeltsin on "more shit for your face", etc.
I'm in a rush now, unfortunately, but I do recall obstacles being raised early on to European efforts to assist Russia and the former Soviet states.
Maybe go back to reports on the activities of the Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the early 90s.
Were you referring to ExxonMobil's and BP's forays into trying to develop Russian Oil and Gas resources? That's the only case I know, but what actually happened was transfers of large concession fees to Russia and extensive technology transfers. That doesn't match the description of "scavenger". In not familiar with other industries, but I'm willing to learn.
I think that came later, Jerry.
Instead of relying on memories of how I felt in the 90s, I ought to speak again to my old friend who worked in Saint Petersburg in the 90's for the German Christian Democratic Party's Konrad Adenauer Foundation, trying to promote democratic values and institutions but seeing the murder of one of the country's most promising politicians, Galina Starovoytova, and the beginnings of today's mafia State... under the thumb of a gone-to-seed dictator who began life among backyard thugs, learned the art of systematic lying as a KGB operative, and set out from his role as sidekick to Petersburg mayor Sobchak with one singleminded ambition: to become as rich as Croesus.
I myself didn't travel to an Eastern Bloc country -- Bulgaria -- till 1994, or to Russia and Ukraine until the early years of this century.
But I may be unusual in having expected the collapse of the Soviet empire since the mid-'80s when a Saxon friend gave me a detailed report of his visit to relatives in East Germany. I'd thought until then that Germans could make any system work, even Soviet central planning, but when it became clear that the GDR was literally moribund, it followed that, if Germans couldn't make it function, Russia certainly could not.
The empire was a dead man walking.
I've always been surprised that vested interests in the status quo should have so blinded western politicians and their intelligence services that they couldn't see what was staring them in the face. Everything possible was done to stymie the efforts of friends to send truckloads of food to Solidarnosc strikers in Gdansk... High profile members of the French intelligentsia talked as though the Soviet Union was eternal.
When it did collapse, I started to worry about the supposed victors of the Cold War... and was surprised that the subprime crash was so long coming.
I tend towards inductive thinking -- and am well aware of the weaknesses of that approach and of the need to put intuition to the test.
But it does seem to me, with hindsight, that deductive reasoning grounded in spurious assumptions can be even more pernicious. Habitual prejudices, ingrown ideological delusions, failure to take adequate account of breakneck and accelerating change, these failings endanger us all.
I think your last paragraph is brilliant. I found it because I always look for your comments.
Leaving aside hindsight, my closing paragraph is polite understatement.
Consider.
*
It's a pity the content of this post is so buried in the undergrowth that it's hidden from most readers' sight.
I guess I'll have to resurrect it.
SpaceX StarLink seems to be a relatively unique capability. That said I think other options for satellite internet exist, but maybe not over Ukraine. I do think that the Biden Administration could sit down and have a hard talk with Elon to provide Ukraine internet services, however!
Iridium is a satellite communications company used for emergency communication and geolocation. Garmin uses it for some of their products. Whether they can transmit commands from controllers to drones is another story. I don't have that tech knowledge. However, any gps device can be attached to a drone for automated positioning and navigation.
According to a source quoted by Farrow, Musk wants the world saved, as long as it's saved by him. Yep, that's a Messiah complex, for sure.
Biden is in Hanoi right now. Per Hanoi, to form a "strategic security relationship" which I take to mean maritime security in Pacific seas south of China. Biden will speak in the hours ahead.
Bryan, thank you for sharing this info regarding maritime security involving activity around the many small islands near our Asian 'friends'. As a nation we need to be constantly aware and engaged with the security of our neighbors and friends in all parts of the world.
For the safe guarding of the "free world", we cannot "sleep" or assume that everything is going to be OK. Our President is "on guard!"
I concur on all your points Emily. Understand some off these tiny, tiny, shallow "islands" have been dredged by China., militarized & are essentially mini Naval Bases several within the territorial waters of the Phillipines. I expect some postings this week at "Just Security".
The South China Sea is full of the wrecks of Chinese junks.
An original basis for laying claim to a maritime area prima facie in international waters. The ships that went down didn't plant flags on the reefs that sank them or on the sea bed...
Meanwhile, the president is kicking butt and making the world a more promising place where as the former guy was calling some of these places shxt hole countries.
What a night and day difference between democracy and despotism.
If the Republicans win in 2025 they will not honor any of Biden's foreign policy accomplishments. They are going to fall back on only honoring treaties which are approved by Congress. This is clearly stated in their Project 2025 manifesto, a reprise of Trump's "America First" foreign policy.
The Republican foreign policy plan in Project 2025 for the revamping of the State Department and US foreign policy begins with the following:
"Since the U.S. Founding, the Department of State has been the American government’s designated tool of engagement with foreign governments and peoples
throughout the world. Country names, borders, leaders, technology, and people
have changed in the more than two centuries since the Founding, but the basics of
diplomacy remain the same. Although the Department has also evolved throughout
the years, at least in the modern era, there is one significant problem that the next
President must address to be successful.
There are scores of fine diplomats who serve the President’s agenda, often
helping to shape and interpret that agenda. At the same time, however, in all
Administrations, there is a tug-of-war between Presidents and bureaucracies—
and that resistance is much starker under conservative Presidents, due
largely to the fact that large swaths of the State Department’s workforce are
left-wing and predisposed to disagree with a conservative President’s policy
agenda and vision.
It should not and cannot be this way: The American people need and deserve
a diplomatic machine fully focused on the national interest as defined through
the election of a President who sets the domestic and international agenda for
the nation. The next Administration must take swift and decisive steps to reforge
the department into a lean and functional diplomatic machine that serves the
President and, thereby, the American people. Below is the basic but essential roadmap for achieving these repairs."
Their plan to undo everything Biden has accomplished on the diplomatic front is encapsulated in the following section. There is much much more detail, including how they will add in layers of political appointees at the top and to drive out career civil service and foreign service officers who hold institutional memory on Day 1.
"RIGHTING THE SHIP
Ensuring the State Department is accountable for serving American citizens first will require—at a minimum—that the following steps be implemented
immediately:
Review Retroactively. Before inauguration, the President-elect’s department
transition team should assess every aspect of State Department negotiations and
funding commitments. Upon inauguration, the Secretary of State should order an
immediate freeze on all e!orts to implement unratified treaties and international
agreements, allocation of resources, foreign assistance disbursements, domestic
and international contracts and payments, hiring and recruiting decisions, etc.,
pending a political appointee-driven review to ensure that such e!orts comport
with the new Administration’s policies. The quality of this review is more important than speed. The posture of the department during this review should be an
unwavering desire to prioritize the American people—including a recognition that
the federal government must be a diligent steward of taxpayer dollars.
Implement Repair. The State Department must change its handling of
international agreements to restore constitutional governance. Under prior
Administrations, unnecessary institutional factors in the department caused
numerous logistical challenges in negotiating, approving, and implementing treaties and agreements. This is particularly true under the Biden Administration. For
example, under the Biden Administration, the State Department was considered
su"ciently unreliable in terms of alignment and e!ectiveness such that its political
leadership invoked its Circular 175 (C-175) authority to delegate its diplomatic
capacity to other agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.
At time of publication, the State Department is negotiating (or seeking to negotiate) large-scale, sovereignty-eroding agreements that could come at considerable
economic and other costs to the American people. Although such agreements
should be evaluated and approved as are treaties, the Biden Administration is
likely to simply call them “agreements.” The Biden State Department not only
approves but also enforces treaties that have not been ratified by the U.S. Senate.
This practice must be thoroughly reviewed—and most likely jettisoned.
The next President should recalibrate how the State Department handles treaties and agreements, primarily by restoring constitutionality to these processes.
He or she should direct the Secretary of State to freeze any ongoing treaty or international agreement negotiations and assess whether those e!orts align with the
new President’s foreign policy direction. The next Administration should also
direct the secretary to order an immediate stand-down on enforcement of any
treaties that have not been ratified by the Senate, and order a thorough review of
the degree to which such enforcement has impacted the department’s functions,
policies, and use of resources.
The Secretary of State, in cooperation with the O"ce of the Attorney General
and the White House Counsel’s O"ce, should also conduct a review to identify
“agreements” that are really treaty commitments within the ordinary public meaning of the Constitution,6
and suspend compliance pending presidential transmittal
of those agreements to the Senate for advice and consent. The next Administration
should also move to withdraw from treaties that have been under Senate consideration for 20 years or more, with the understanding that those treaties are unlikely
to be ratified. Under circumstances in which ratification of a stale treaty before
the Senate still serves national interests, the treaty letter of transmittal and submission should be updated for current circumstances. The Secretary of State must
revoke most outstanding C-175 authorities that have been granted to other agencies during previous Administrations, although such revocations should be closely
coordinated with the White House for logistical reasons."
https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-06.pdf
Depressing! This is why we cannot let R’s win anything.
The airless quality of the writing as they would suffocate us, as they work together destroying life on earth. They are here; this is our living nightmare and, yes, Marlene, we must defeat them.
Suffocate and dominate, Fern. Perish the thought!
That's exactly what they will do, with an abundance
of disorder. Less and less will work, So, sorry for these
cutting words, Marlene; it is my description of what they
are doing by nullifying our culture.
Makes me shiver.
Georgia,
Thank you for posting this horror.
What the GQP and the MAGAs don't get is that the professionals who labor within the government agencies are the glue that holds the US together with a consistency that can build international respect. Institutional knowledge is essential in ANY organization. The hubris behind the idea that all of a sudden one man should pull the levers of every department with his installed puppets is beyond dysfunctional thinking. It is idiocy. It is a recipe for chaos. Guess who loves chaos.
We are indeed in a fight for the "soul of America". We are also in a battle to retain basic competence within our government. That's not left wing thinking. It never was. The thinking behind this new "policy" is not even right wing. It is mafia style dictatorship.
Well stated.
Now the task is to make sure that sort of nullification doesn't happen.
Sounds like planned waste for the Republicans. Parasites they are.
Vote Blue.
Honolulu Blue?
Wow!
FredRock , It REALLY HURTS My Heart, That MANKIND, in Our Own PARTY,
pour Negative Water, on Joseph ! ( their EXCUSE!) because ! ,,,they * think !, * He is TO OLD ! MY OPINION !-----IF !, HE Was The AGE, of METHUSULAH !, JOE Would STILL ! , Get MY Vote ! HE is RIGHT ON !, ,,,,,,for THIS USA !! (NOT !, like the ORANGE . MANGOWANKER !, & his Drag, of INTERNAL TERRORISTS !!
There is a meme circulating, which mentions Mick Jagger releasing a new music at 80. The meme suggests the Biden might wish to release an album also.
The U.S. is foolish to rely on a guy like Musk for anything, particularly anything national security related..The U.S. is an ally of Ukraine, Musk has unilaterally interfered in our Foreign Policy..that must be dealt with..I did not vote for Musk, I did not sign up to have him participate in affairs of state..He must be made an offer he can't refuse and back away from melding..
When a business takes over $15 billion in government funding then works directly against that government's foreign policy... Call the lawyers. This HAS to be a violation of some agreement that was made in exchange for funding. I'm not suggesting a US takeover but these interfering political actions by a private, unelected individual shouldn't go unanswered. It feels like a war crime to me.
Starlink did its first launch of a batch of satellites in May 2019 during the Trump administration.
In December 2022 SpaceX did in fact announce StarShield, an encrypted version for national security applications.
The issue is that with the the US and Ukraine using the commercial systems, Musk arguably has the right to deny service. The problem with even an encrypted military system is that the control of the system also has to be in the hands of the military. Space is getting crowded with satellites. If the military wants a secure system for itself and its allies they would need to have a satellite network that was distributed above the altitude of the starlink commercial network so it could be independently and securely controlled. SpaceX would still provide the lauch capability.
Musk's tantrum with cutting off Ukraine access at a critical tactical moment sounds to me like a well-timed marketing ploy ahead of StarShield's introduction. And yes, I do think he is that amoral.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/7/23497999/spacex-starshield-starlink-government-satellite-internet
https://www.popsci.com/technology/starshield-starlink-satellite-defense-industry/.
No doubt that he is that immoral!
Thanks--I did indeed mean to say immoral!
Sam Urbank, so you say the US should nationalize a successful private company that stepped in and filled a need the government wouldn't? That's a very slippery slope, my friend. We are following this Substack because of our concern for the preservation of democracy, not desire for its demise.
Jerry, there is a difference between living in a free country and observing it's laws and being a Demi-God who wants to do what he wants to do and is fully capable of doing it without having to follow rules (esp. those not made concerning the use of satellites by a single citizen).
So, respectfully, Jerry, I say Musk should have conferred with US government officials and they with him before this incident took place.
You're right, such conferring should have occurred. Musk is profiting by finding gaps in services provided in various industries and filling them at scale. New laws would have to be passed before the US government can tell this particular private company what to do and how to do it. If not, Would you rather have a Trumpian autocracy that does this to satisfy readers of HCR? Would you really want the government to control the means of production for a specific industry by fiat vs by contract? That would make us more like Venezuela or Russia or China.
Like you, I dislike the idea of one person controlling so much, but Musk's myriad operations simply fill the gaps left by budget-minded and risk-averse governments and industries. Musk is protecting his own snakeskin, just like we'd protect our own (human) skins when we perceive risks.
I haven’t said anything of the kind, I don’t think it’s up to a guy like Elon Musk to interfere with our foreign policy. To be sure, He is not trying to preserve our democracy, He doesn’t care one way or another about that, he doesn’t need to..He’s trying to put Trump back in the White House..He sees an advantage in that for himself, he is like Trump in that respect. To those men individually, they are the only thing that matters.. Ukraine was trying to hit a military target, and when they were prevented by Musk, Russia turned around and hit non military targets killing civilians..
Maybe Musk should be tried for treason? Then Starlink should be “regulated” like private electric utilities.
Electric cars, social media, batteries, and SPACE.
It was shocking that Donald J. Trump became President of the United States; we’ve been through lots of shocks in the last eight years and have learned that a great deal of them are part of our country’s identity; in its roots.
Now, what about Elon Musk?
It would greatly underestimate the true sense of Musk’s power to say, he’s gotten too big for his britches. Look up folks, look up into space.
The next to last article from The New York Times provides a sense of Musk’s reach. It is far too great and far too dangerous, even if Musk was a sane and responsible human being
‘Ukraine rips Elon Musk for disrupting sneak attack on Russian fleet with Starlink cutoff’
KEY POINTS
• A Ukrainian official slammed SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for ordering engineers to shut off Starlink’s satellite network over Crimea in order to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.
• According to a new biography of Musk, the South African-born billionaire asked, “How am I in this war?” during an interview with author Walter Isaacson.
• Musk feared that he would be supporting a “mini Pearl Harbor” that could have led to a nuclear war, according to the book.
• WASHINGTON — A Ukrainian official slammed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for ordering engineers to shut off Starlink’s satellite network over Crimea last year in order to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.
• According to a new biography of Musk, the South African-born billionaire asked, “How am I in this war?” during an interview with author Walter Isaacson.
• In the early days of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, as Western governments worked to supply Kyiv with artillery and air defense systems, the first of Musk’s Starlink terminals arrived in the country. The billionaire eventually soured on the arrangement.
• “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes,” Musk said, according to the book. He told Isaacson that he was worried the Ukrainian attack on Russian vessels would provoke the Kremlin into launching a nuclear war. The book, titled “Elon Musk,” will be released Tuesday.
• A top aide to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at Musk over the revelation.
• “By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military fleet via Starlink interference, Elon Musk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities,” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote Thursday on social media after CNN reported on some of the details from Isaacson’s book. (CNBCnews) See link below.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/07/ukraine-rips-musk-disrupting-sneak-attack-russian-navy.html
Opinion
‘How am I in this war?’: The untold story of Elon Musk’s support for Ukraine
By Walter Isaacson
'Walter Isaacson is a professor of history at Tulane University, former editor of Time magazine and author of several biographies. This op-ed is excerpted from his latest book,' “Elon Musk.”
‘An hour before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, it used a massive malware attack to disable the routers of the American satellite company Viasat that provided communications to the country. The command system of the Ukrainian military was crippled, making it almost impossible to mount a defense. Top Ukrainian officials frantically appealed to SpaceX founder Elon Musk for help, and the deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, used Twitter to urge him to send Ukraine terminals so it could use the satellite system that the company had built. “We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations,” he wrote.’
‘Musk agreed. Two days later, 500 Starlink terminals arrived in Ukraine. “We have the U.S. military looking to help us with transport, State has offered humanitarian flights and some compensation,” Gwynne Shotwell, Musk’s president at SpaceX, emailed him.’ “Folks are rallying for sure!”
“Cool,” Musk responded. “Sounds good.” ‘He got on a Zoom call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussed the logistics of a larger rollout and promised to visit Ukraine when the war was over.’
‘Ever since he was a scrawny and socially awkward kid getting beaten up on his school playground in South Africa, Elon Musk has liked to imagine himself as a hero rushing to the rescue, engaged in epic quests. He was deeply into comics, and the single-minded passion of the superheroes impressed him. “They’re always trying to save the world, with their underpants on the outside or these skintight iron suits, which is really pretty strange when you think about it,” he says. “But they are trying to save the world.” The war in Ukraine, when no other company or even country could manage to keep communications satellites working, gave him a center-stage opportunity to show his humanitarian instincts while playing superhero. It also showed the complexities of critical military infrastructure being controlled by an often well-intentioned but mercurial private citizen.’ (WAPO, OPINION of Walter Isaksson) Gifted link below.
https://wapo.st/3P7FAUw
Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars
The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. The ways he is wielding that influence are raising global alarms.
By Adam Satariano, Scott Reinhard, Cade Metz, Sheera Frenkel and Malika Khurana
July 28, 2023
On March 17, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the leader of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, dialed into a call to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Over the secure line, the two military leaders conferred on air defense systems, real-time battlefield assessments and shared intelligence on Russia’s military losses.
They also talked about Elon Musk. (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/28/business/starlink.html?unlocked_article_code=FBfEayHYT3-DNWWAu_U1H64qAYqB00Tu8N6F6TZqbu306Myki0ccdPd1TRct7d5xg0k2srgZPKpIFY0wYpP3Ed9cABQsqUzwPG4XLEKMmt2aOEQSsQJMRvhXISqHdvEu7-FakrlWBkSi4R3Rm9oOCZrH9gw4vxsL_Lhmy8xp5xpkVo9axD6wukgyBYw1AvEIHQHbmyJk9m1f-G-1NNyvnSdmi8AbqELF7dh3buoF4hoOWupoSFsYoLWKe4IiQn3fa4Wz1Oaesb_O3uP8TYxiZrEC49iiTKgSsKapecYtHQ3VKiIQ3lkoQ_O2vo8jJcyxm3nT-SS-epxwt78IX0JfTNeEFw&smid=url-share
Elon Musk Says Tesla Will Build Shanghai Battery Factory (excerpts)
The facility will produce large batteries that will help electric utilities stabilize grids and use more renewable energy.
By Keith Bradsher
Reporting from Beijing
'Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, announced on Twitter on Sunday that his company would build a factory in Shanghai with the aim to assemble 10,000 giant batteries annually for electric producers and distributors.'
'The batteries, which Tesla calls Megapacks, are designed to store large amounts of electricity — a single Megapack can power 3,600 homes for one hour, according to Tesla. The batteries, which are roughly the length and height of an international shipping container, can discharge the electricity to run factories or homes when demand from the local power grid is high, or during a blackout.'
'The capacity to store electricity when it isn’t in demand is critical as electric utilities move toward wind and solar energy to replace power generated by fossil fuels. In China, demand for grid-storage batteries is especially strong. Many provinces now require new solar and wind farms to have enough batteries to hold 10 to 20 percent of the electricity they generate.'
'Variable electricity pricing aims to encourage electricity users to turn off power-hungry devices when demand is high, reducing the risk of blackouts. The combination of China’s shift in pricing and the regulations for new renewable energy installations to store electricity has created a fast-growing demand for batteries.'
'Tesla is also active in renewable energy: It is a large manufacturer of solar panels in the United States.
Large batteries allow power generators, power users and even speculators to buy electricity when it is cheap and sell it when the price rises.'
“It’s that gap that determines whether storage is in the money or not,” said David Fishman, a senior manager at the Lantau Group, an energy consulting firm in Hong Kong.'
'For Tesla, Shanghai is the site of its single largest factory for making electric cars. The plant not only supplies China’s domestic vehicle market but also exports large numbers of cars to Europe, where Tesla has found it is harder to build factories as quickly as in Shanghai.'
'China produces most of the world’s rechargeable batteries, and dominates the chemical processing needed to produce their ingredients. Tesla’s Shanghai facility that will make the Megapacks will be close to the factories that manufacture almost all of the world’s lithium-iron-phosphate compounds for batteries.'
'These compounds are less expensive to make than the materials previously used in rechargeable batteries, which include cobalt. Human rights advocates have raised alarms about the working conditions at cobalt mines in Africa, the world’s leading source of the mineral.' (NYTimes) Link below, sorry it could not be gifted.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/elon-musk-tesla-shanghai-battery-factory.html
And that's not the whole story of Elon Musk or why America ignored his immense power. Elon Musk: the power broker at a time of war and what more?
4500 Satellites overhead with a nutcase in control of them? What could possibly go wrong?
Where were The Commander and Chief, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Department, the Department of State, the CIA, the Pentagon... while Elon Musk became the dominant power in satellite internet technology? Who is at fault here, J L?
Fern, to quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
We, that is the 'leaders' elected and appointed, became so bedazzled by Milton Friedman and Frederick Hyak and the whole "market knows all" BS, and there was just so much $$$$$$ to be made (and sloshed around Washington), while Joe Sixpack was licking his wounds and trying to survive the tectonic shifts, and took his eye off the political ball, or rather, fell into a political cesspool at a time when right wing talk radio and cable 'news' was ascendant. The perfect storm to end all perfect storms.
Musk claiming to not realize what the Ukrainians were using Star-Link for seems a bit like a fashion model on a photo shoot claiming not to have noticed the cameras, lights, and crew. If he was so unaware, how did he learn of the Ukrainian (presumably secret) plans to attack Russian ships? Musk grew up in the shadow of Apartheid. I think we're seeing this in him now. He is an autocrat.
Tesla is not the only company making cars and batteries. Space-X is not the only satellite communications and rocket launcing company. There are viable competitors in Europe, Asia, and Israel. Musk seems to be living rent-free in our psyches, just like Trump. Ukraine should start using Iridium, which is used for air traffic control worldwide. That's the only moral way to confront Musk: give one's business to existing mature & competent competitors.
Jerry, if you read my comment, you may realize that I am aware of what you have written in reply, although our understanding of the subject may differ.
Have you done the math, in terms of knowing which companies in satellite communications have the biggest piece of the pie? 'Chinese military researchers are calling for the rapid deployment of a national satellite network project to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink, over concerns that Elon Musk’s internet-beaming satellites pose a major national security threat to Beijing following their successful use in the Ukraine war.' (WAPO) If you subscribe to The Washington Post their coverage of China's military plans to launch 13,000 satellites to rival Musk's Starlinks is worthwhile reading.
'SpaceX’s current dominance of the commercial space market is starkly illustrated by the fact that OneWeb, the nearest competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink, was forced to select SpaceX as its launch provider. SpaceX, a private company, can already control its competitors’ access to space and force its policies on national governments. There is simply no other company that can compete with SpaceX’s cost and responsiveness. (SpaceNews)
As far as I know Space X doesn't have 'viable competitors in Europe, Asia...' as you stated, while there are companies in the business from the countries you mentioned.
It's nice to know of your interest in this subject, Jerry, including advice to Ukraine and knowing 'the only moral way to confront Musk...'
What I said is true. Before retiring, I was a customer of these satellite services. After retirement, I consulted for a satellite startup until the pandemic. While yes, Space-X is the biggest publicly facing datellite communications company, it's not the only one. As well Iridium has a currently-operational satellite data and communications constellation that might be better suited for Ukraine's needs.
I had already read the articles you linked, and yes, Tesla is seemingly everywhere. But it's nowhere near the only game in town in any of its industries.
Ukrainians reached out to Musk because, I'm guessing on this point, they were familiar with Starlink. But why hasn't the US government or the European Union stepped on with support for alternatives? Could it be that they don't want Russia to later target those entities? If I were Musk, I'd resist, too, and try to sell the US and EU on targeted bespoke subnets that they can control themselves after placement in orbit.
Good of you, Jerry, for sharing your past work experience with us, Are you aware of the European Union's intention to launch its own satellite communications constellation? It sounds as though you would have mentioned it as not being one to hold back your wealth of knowledge.
'The European Parliament adopted the proposal for the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection and Security by Satellites (IRISS) constellation on Feb. 14' of this year.
The nearly unanimous decision was backed by 603 votes with just six against. Approval of the project follows the high-profile role of SpaceX's Starlink communications satellites in aiding the defense of Ukraine, with the Russian invasion highlighting the need for secure, sovereign European capabilities. (Space.com) See link to article below.
(https://www.space.com/europe-satellite-megaconstellation-spacex-starlink-competitor0
Thank you Fern, for your diligence and scope. You always add breadth and depth to our conversations. You are greatly appreciated 💛
Laurie, your words were so unexpected. I shall hold them dear and as message of care. Thank you.
I assume Star-link is managed from somewhere in the US. If Musk becomes too rogue, we could nationalize it. We've done it before. We've also assassinated world leaders with impunity. Remember what Bolton said a few months ago about planning coups.
Your reply, Gary, is out of my space. Salud!
Thank you so much, Fern. I always learn nuance and the far bigger picture when I read your comments and the links you post. Yes, Musk is a mercurial man who loves controversy, but the fact that he reached out to Milley and Sullivan with his rationale for cutting off Starlink was not well publicized, and gives him greater credence than do calls of "traitor."
Yes, our military may have regrets about throwing their lot in with Musk, but like he said, he's spent his own millions in defense of the US and nada in defense of Russia.
Having said all of that, I wonder how the US military will frame Musk's unpredictability and their reliance on him moving forward. Thanks again, Fern. You are a research powerhouse!
Musk is like some villainous character in a comic book, ruling the fate of the world from his lair. He has monopolized wifi satellite and has handed Russia the advantage against us ( i.e. Ukraine) and made it possible for the food warehouses that are relied upon to feed millions to be blown up. This guy should be tried for treason and crimes against humanity with Putin.
His control of satellite transmission and its uses makes him a world wide menace.
He really is, Joan! Elon reminds me of a cartoon character, Snidely Whiplash from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Always conniving, always thinking what evil dastardly acts he can do.
With his apparent ties to Mother Russia, he could be Boris Badinov!
Musk might be in competition with tfg to be in the press, no matter the reason. Both are a danger to our security, domestic and international
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snidely_Whiplash
I totally agree, Joan. in my opinion, MUSK is just as big of a menace that Donald TUMP is. I despise the SOB. And yes, he should be tried and convicted of treason.
Musk? Why? He may be guilty of a lot of things but so far I don't think Musk has committed treason. I don't like him either, but that is no excuse to charge him with crimes he hasn't committed. At least not in a democratic country as long as it still exists.
Musk is enabling treason which in my mind is far worse.
Musk stopped support for a military action by an ally of the US, causing the failure of the mission and there-by giving aid and succor to the enemy of our ally. This ally is fighting for their freedom and independence from an autocratic aggressor who expected them to roll over and surrender within three days, as I recall. But when the leader of our ally refused to flee, stating, “The fight is here. I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition,” he shamed the US and many other countries, didn’t he? We give them money and weapons, the Ukrainians are giving their blood in this fight against autocracy. What part of interfering with a military action in favor of our enemy is not a treasonous act against the United States? Mr. Musk became a citizen of the U.S. in 2002. (
Constitution Annotated:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.
Sounds like we have to call in Bond to stop him. . .James Bond.
MUSK may morph into a character like that big ugly silver toothed guy in one of the James Bond films.
No, you mean the guy in the Austin Powers films... Dr. Evil! :-)
There was one in one of the Bond films too, one of the old Bond films, The actor's name was Richard Keil. He was 7' 4'' tall, He died a few years back. He also played a part in the old version of ''The Longest Yard'' and played a ghost in one of the episodes of ''Gilligan's Island''
F*** Reagan.
I left the dead bird site yesterday. I joined Twitter back in 2008, about the same time we moved to Portland. It was my primary tool for making new contacts in #PDX and the broader edu community. In a round about way, I got my adjunct position at University of Portland via Twitter. But Twitter’s lost it's utility - Elon’s dumpster fire is a mean place - so I'm out.
You are not alone. The minute he took charge, it could only contract under the weight of concentrated power.
G-21. The global south MUST have a voice and the power of equal influence.
Sustainability? Investment in global infrastructure? Some of us have been singing from that book for decades.
80s style predatory capitalism has been a disaster for all but the ruling class. Time to try a different approach.
Sure. The Global South will have a strong voice going forward. Africa, through William Samoei Ruto, has been complaining that it is being neglected yet they have problems that need urgent attention. The G21 will now be a global force and beneficial to the continent.
Yup. Who gained? Who lost? Whose life became harder and/or less secure? Whose future looks bleaker? Past time for a performance review.
It's my understanding that much of the technological advances utilized by mega corporations has originated largely from academic research supported through government grants. Then these mega corporations find ways to avoid paying taxes to replenish money for these grants that they have benefited from. Right back to good ol' Reagonomic greed.
Musk is in a class of individuals that defies explanation. His far right turn has enabled him to rationalize his psychopathic destructive ways as ideology...when actually it is egomaniacal behavior that feeds his childish need to be 'king of the hill'. He does what he does because that's what he felt like doing at the moment. Not because it serves a purpose, or a goal...just because he can do it. Like trump he is an impulsive man-child with more power than good intention or good sense. The world and its inhabitants are his plaything. He is a menace to humanity and the proof is there for the world to see.
Biden's intentions are noble and long term and far reaching. Our society is obsessed with immediate gratification and superficial results.... he will be appreciated by far more by history than the here and now.
Assuming that there is a history...
I know that the Professor documents current events for historians in the future to aid them in understanding this time; advance source material, as it were. I just hope there is a history going forward.
And remember that the winners get to write the "history."
The differences of party visions couldn’t be clearer.
How eloquently this is said.
How much gratitude can we have for Joe Biden
A most excellent and discreet president
The future of our lovely Earth is partially, for a time, in good hands...
And a cheer for Anthony Blinken and all the other names in the president’s crew that I don’t know or would misspell!
Wow, what a state we are in. Great insights to the global economic dynamics and to Biden's effective play in it all. Conversely how our system has allowed a spoiled megalomaniac to have such power on a whim in the world is beyond comprehension...and yet here we are. Thanks as always for your hard work and excellent insights.
In thinking of the players on stage today, as exemplified in these postings by so many of us - Biden, Musk, Blinken, Harris, Trump, Zelensky, Putin - I think of how things could play out IF all of the participants had sane and balanced mental and emotional health. Imagine ..
Thank you, Heather. There are dark clouds on the horizon that forebode bad events. Please stay strong and we will too!
The extent of privatization of vital public functions is just plain crazy. I believe that one of the legitimate freedoms of a free society is private enterprise, but a free and democratic society gets to define the ground rules under which commerce is conducted. Many functions of society are far too vital and/or dangerous to be trusted without keen supervision and accountability even in public hands, and far less less so when private, ulterior motives are stirred into the mix, as Musk's Starlink creepily demonstrates. If any more distrust of overly powerful private companies is needed, look up the history of the British East India Company and it's ilk. Want a Wagner? Blackwater was bad enough. Can government contract private services? Sure. But not to do the jobs that would leave us up a creek if the interests of the Oligarch supplying them should happen to differ from the public's priorities and needs.
Yes, private citizens should not have the ability to exercise their own foreign policy.
Yes!!! Thank you for reminding us of Blackwater! It got us DeBos and the complete wreck of our public school system, already on the rocks. Like brother, like sister.
President Biden's vision of global economic corridors sounds a lot like President Eisenhower putting in the Interstate Highway system which greatly enhanced interstate commerce in the US in the 1950s just on a global scale. Wow! This is impressive! I like his “One Earth, One Family, One Future” mantra. Thank you, Heather, for showing us all what is happening on a global scale. If we can keep it together it will mean a better world for all. I have been looking and hoping for a leader with vision. Looks like President Biden is fulfilling that role which will be the salvation of all of us. Salvation for all vs. retribution for a few. A strong vision of the future. Now we, the People, must unite and make it happen. All of us, this time, across the globe - for earth, for family, for a future of well-being for all. Strength of character and a sense of community is what we need in our leaders and President Biden certainly has both. Let's value our differences and do the right thing by the planet and each other. Everybody ready for constructive action!?
I don't think we can invest salvation of our society in any one person, but competent leaders can help us focus long enough to work together. And yes it's one earth. It's always been Eden, yet it comes with hazards and need of care; as do we. E Pluribus Unum
Especially when most of the wealthiest American's are doing their best to put a MAGAt back in the WH. We live in a corporatocracy where the corporate leaders are required to donate whatever it takes to put and keep GOPers in power.
And we need to get rid of the snakes like Trump and Musk and send them all to Planet X.
Biden’s vision is the polar opposite of every republican position since, well, God was a baby. Well, they finally came around to dissing Hitler after Pearl Harbor.
Thank you.