U.S. billionaire Elon Musk has agreed to sell a portion of Starlink assets to the U.S. Department of Defense, removing himself from decision-making regarding geofencing Ukraine’s access to the satellite internet service
Fuck him, seize the company and nationalize it
In my opinion, all companies essential to national security should be nationalised. I mean the likes of Lockheed Martin as well. There should be no profit from war and we can’t afford companies to chase profits against the interests of national security if we end up needing it.
How does it work in China?
Worked well enough for them to build 30-ish ghost cities the size of New York City, meanwhile we can’t even get a single high speed rail built, anywhere in the country.
Regardless of the implications that might have on their economy all I can think is of the old proverb;
A kingdom that doesn’t build doesn’t remain a kingdom for long.
That’s their secret on how a rice farmer nation got to be a superpower. Keep the power close to heart and you won’t get budged. Meanwhile USA privatised the whole army
They aren’t a super power.
They have also released a ton of sectors back to being private over the years which has enabled them to compete on the global field, fix their economy and raise their QOL.
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they should seize twitter while they’re at it too
It’s so hard to get media to take off, I don’t see how someone takes a brand, a brand so well known its own language has become common (tweet, retweet) and decides the best thing to do is destroy all that effort.
Especially with social media, where the people generate yr content for you, disadvantaging your volunteer labor force isn’t a sound strategy (looking at your dumb ass Spez).
At least it’s right out in the open for everyone to see, that the idea we’re in any kind of a meritocracy is a colossal myth.
LOL
Hahahaha forced is more like it. We just nationalized a portion of Starlink. Nice going Elon, you fucking troglodyte.
Don’t laugh too hard. We are the ones paying the bill for it.
ie, Our taxes are now indirectly ended up directly in Elon’s pocket. And, I can promise he didn’t cut us a deal.
It’s a small price to pay if it results in saving Ukrainian lives by having it in more capable, less idiotic hands.
by having it in more capable, less idiotic hands.
Whoa hey let’s not get too carried away. We are talking about the US government after all.
You never know. The threat of an extraordinary rendition to Ukraine might have kept the price down.
After hearing of the story I wondered if Elon could be charged under Ukrainian law as some sort of accomplice / aid to enemy operations and potentially detained and extradited by a country more actively supportive of anti-Russian operations should Elon go on vacation to such a country. (do I have to say Poland? Because I’m thinking Poland.)
Musk sure has a big fucking mouth. There most have been some sobering back door conversations for this to happen so quickly.
i’d love to hear what they threatened him with as this doesnt read like he had any choice
Probably all of his SpaceX and Tesla contracts.
“Wanna take a ride in a self driving Tesla off a cliff?”
Same
Noel Reports:
A British Journalist asked Elon Musk:
“Has your ignorance and ego cost Ukrainian lives? Putin calls you outstanding, how would you call Putin?”
Musk refused to comment.
On a secure, private line twice a week?
Now tax him and get the money back.
Somebody had some REAL uncomfortable conversations over the past 7 days, richest man in the world got threatened so hard knocked his dick in the dirt, ahahahahahahaha
This is the way. Musk should never have had such responsibility. Then again, perhaps due to not being a government official, he got those things into Ukraine pretty fast (just 8 days after Russia started the invasion!), and they were successfully used in many places.
On the one hand, yay for nationalising utilities!
On the other, not under the already most bloated military in the world who can’t even account for billions of their yearly funding ffs!!
I don’t think they lost billions as much as they pumped it into black projects.
I didn’t say they lost them, I said they couldn’t account for them: they were audited a bunch of times and failed by billions every time, probably for the reason you mentioned AND because they get so much money that they don’t feel a need to make an effort to track it all
I tend to agree with you, but I’m left wondering if the bureaucratic system would allow this hand-waving approach to budget tracking.
Not usually, but due to decades of successful gaslighting and other propaganda, the military is a holy cow that gets ridiculous amounts of leeway compared to everyone else, especially the people who need government assistance the most.
There’s no way muskrat can keep his mouth shut about this, surely?
Probably going to spin this as a win and something he initiated. He is unable to be weak or at fault for something.
Agreed = forced. I bet the price was cheap to avoid court martial level problems 😅
A civilian can’t be court-martialed.
We made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
I bet he tried though.
Why doesn’t he trade them X for some of Starlink? The value of
TwitterX is in the negatives now, right?Then maybe as a government run social media it can be stable and boring again.
Because they want Starlink satellites for Ukraine probably (and other uses but now this at minimum). X doesn’t provide them with shit.
The value of Twitter X is in the negatives now, right?
It’s a private company and you can’t buy their stocks.
It will be the opposite. The government will not be able to sensor or moderate anything but illegal stuff because of the first amendment.
Spill some more dirt on Twitter and let them take Twitter while they’re at it. Make it a 2 for 1 go away special.
Why are they paying him?
Just take “his” stuff and kick him in the dick.
Fuck him.Maybe because it’s easier. There are probably quite a few steps before the US government can just take your shit. Don’t think the Americans are very huge fans of nationalisation and the government just taking from the rich.
and fucking around with national security, or showing you can and would, is a good way to cut through a lot of it.
And yet, empirically, they bought, not seized it, which was the distinct point of the question. Even with all he did, pressuring him to sell was the thing they did.
Takes a long time though. This was quicker.
I know something even quicker. About 3165 feet per second.
I don’t think it should be seized and he kicked in the dick because he fucked with national security.
I want those things to happen because I hate him.
Fuck that guy.
Don’t think the Americans are very huge fans of nationalisation
They prefer nationalization
Because, mad as it may seem, the rule of law still pertains
Then explain Casey.
What makes you think I have any respect for a rag drawn up by slavers?
Most of the drafters owned no slaves. Regardless of the source of the document, generally discussion of government focus around the law. I guess if we’re ignoring the law, sure a populist totalitarian government can do whatever you want. There’s not much to discuss then.
Personally, I’m a fan of the rule of law. I guess even if there wasn’t a specific law, I would still want to respect unalienable human rights anyway though.
Personally, I’m a fan of the rule of law. I guess even if there wasn’t a specific law, I would still want to respect unalienable human rights anyway though.
We’re probably closer in opinion than you think, but I don’t think billionaires have an “inalienable right” to the stolen efforts of workers.
Simply seizing his shit would trigger a hostile response from the world’s most powerful people, realising that the government could easily do the same to them.
Maybe they should.
Don’t underestimate what they can do. We’ve already seen one particularly moronic specimen try to seize power in the Capitol Riots and almost succeed. Imagine if it was led by someone competent who could put armed mercenaries in the crowd
Sounds like it’s time to “set condition 1SQ” on some civilians who think they can get away with that. Literally and unironically, I welcome the order to fucking launch. Or do it smaller scale and send a few flying razors through windows like with the Iranian general, except through penthouse windows and estates. Then keep going with all their relations and relatives and acquaintences. Hooyah. That’s one battle stations missile I wouldn’t mind rigging ship for.
So we should …appease them?
You do realise there are a million different approaches in between ‘total appeasement’ and ‘total seizure’, yes?
We do with them what they do with the rest of the population; give them just about enough that it doesn’t look like a raw deal to people outside this deal, in exchange for taking away their power to destabilise countries. Meanwhile, set up an execution plan for if they step out of line.
Individually, they can still be a danger (see Donald Trump) but you do not want to see these people coordinate.
But I like ‘total seizure’. I don’t like these people and I want their stuff taken. Why should I compromise by giving them anything?
I wonder how this is portioned out? To be completely hands free, Musk would need to sell a portion of his fleet and the control systems that operate it. This would also include relaunching replacement satellites. Since this is an orbiting system (not geostationary) he’d have to sell enough in a band around the earth to keep Ukraine covered.
Geostationary satellites are orbiting. They are orbiting at a speed and direction to match the earth’s rotation.
