I am sure you are aware of the protests at Tesla dealerships around the world, as well as the attacks on Tesla vehicles, using various methods.
In this interview Elon Musk appeared to be totally bewildered as to why anyone would attack his Tesla's, calling the act “domestic terrorism”. The interviewer in this video tries to sound so reasonable, even as he spouts the nonsense used in the propaganda being peddled by the far right.
Perhaps you should ask the people who live in the country you are helping Donald Trump destroy in the guise of cutting out “waste and fraud”, Elon.
Unfortunately, there are the owners of a Tesla vehicle who bought them pre-Trump election who are now stuck with their purchase. Not all are wealthy enough, or have the desire, to just walk away from a vehicle they bought for other reasons. The irony of this whole thing being that many Tesla buyers are probably Democratic, and democratic, voters.
Some people are going to great lengths to protect their investment.
It is a sad state that we have fallen into, but perhaps attacking a car or truck, is preferable to attacking other things. You do not marginalize so many people in your thirst for power and wealth and suffer no consequences. When no one in government cares to listen to the people of the country they are responsible for caring for then people will start to act out in ways that you may not like.
I think Trump's (so far unofficial) pronouncement that attacks on Teslas the few Tesla "dealerships" that exist out there, count as acts of 'domestic terrorism' is carrying this "L'État, c'est moi" thing a little too far.
Skimming through the morning news and I'm seeing headlines about how Trump has taken to his own internet to pick a fight with the governor of Maine (who apparently said something about his fixation with transgender athletes). He's now demanding a personal apology from the governor--there apparently was a press release from the governor's office, but he finds that insuficient and wants a personal note from the governor on pain of undefined pain to be rained down on the state of Maine. Politico And he's feuding with the state of Colorado about a painting of him that hangs in the state capitol in Denver. He finds it unflattering and wants them to pay for a more flattering painting of him. TheHill
When Trump starts in with this sort of penny-ante crap it usually means he's needing his time in the limelight; like a junkie needing a fix. This little stuff ain't gonna satisfy him for long. He's gonna feel a need to destroy something important. Hawkin' Teslas from the White House lawns ain't gonna cut if for him.
Seems to have been a security breach involving the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and several other Trump administration officials discussing last week's attack on the Houthis in the Arabian Peninsula on an unsecured "Signal" chatroom. (And having inadvertently invited some reporters to the chat.) Likely we'll be hearing more on this as the week goes on.
Maybe this'll keep Trump tied up enough that he'll drop the crap 'bout paintings in Denver for at least a little while.
And then I recall… There was a story out there that got brief publicity but then seemed to die for lack of interest. Something to the effect that Elon Musk had been sitting in on classified Pentagon meetings. Hegseth denied it ever happened, but that may not be good enough any more.
Returning briefly to the pre-security breach subject matter… Trump's comb-over is beginning to look like a bad comb-over even in the most favorable White House photos, no matter how flattering the lighting and angles adopted. Shouldn't be long now before some cartoonist finally masters the new look of the now transparent hair swirls.
The security breach has largely blown over. Everybody blames Waltz, (except those who're blaming Hegseth). Trump says "He's my boy.", meaning either and both. And it's all over. The Democrats can rant if they want, but FoxNews ain't gonna cover Democrats ranting; the dedicated Trumpkins ain't never gonna hear it. It's over. The Democrats can continue to rant 'bout it if they want, probably will; won't make any difference to the Trumpkins; they won't even know; much less will they care.
I s'pose that means the story 'bout Elon Musk sitting in on classified Pentagon briefings won't come back to life either.
A Pennsylvania state senate special election has went to a Democrat. This is the first time in 136 years that a Democrat has won the seat. Of course, it could be merely a fluke.
We have another special state election coming up next month in Minnesota. The Republican that had the seat resigned after being caught soliciting a minor in a prostitution sting.
There's a special election in Florida to replace Mike Waltz who was picked to join Signal apps and send war plans to journalists. Trump won the district by 30 points in 2024. The Republican was expected to walk away with it. Ain't workin' out that way; it's lookin' competitive instead. Early voting's already begun.
________________________________
Re: Hurricanes As best I understand it, the current plan is to not have hurricanes while Trump remains in office. Perhaps there'll be an executive order forbidding them.
Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.--U.S. House) to be the Ambassador to the United Nations, not because of any worries about getting her confirmed when it came time to vote, but rather because it would open up another special election to fill a Republican seat in the House. And he doesn't want another Republican seat to go up for grabs in a special election.
I found that comment in a comments section and just wanted to share it. Because oddly enough when I watched Trump talking up Musk and Tesla on the White House front lawn, the oddest thought crossed my mind. It was "let them eat cake".
When all you care about are the richer citizens of your country the consequences can be very nasty.
"They want 1933 Germany. They’ll get 1789 France."
Interesting comparison, but there's an error in the author's thinking. 1933 Germany and 1789 France were both financially bankrupt. That's about all they had in common other than a collapsing political system (which collapsing political systems had virtually nothing in common).
That said: There may indeed be something to glean from remembering the fall of the Bourbon dynasty and most especially about 'the Terror', which followed.
"Americans' outlook on the current state of the economy has become a bit more pessimistic since last month, according to a new poll released Thursday. "The new CBS News/YouGov survey found that nearly three- in-10 respondents, 29 percent, said they expect the economy to be growing next year, a 5-point decline from February. The number of Americans who think the economy will be in a recession in 2025 went up five points, going from 23 percent in February to 28 percent this month. Approximately 21 percent of respondents, the same number as last month, said the economy would be slowing in 2025. *** "Just a third of Americans, 33 percent, said the economy is good right now, the same number as last month. Around 60 percent of respondents said the economy is in a bad condition, a figure that has stayed the same since February, according to the survey." TheHill
(I might remind the reader that during the Biden presidency the American voters were stubbornly insistent that the economy was seriously bad shape in spite of the overall economic numbers which showed that wages were keeping up with, even exceeding, inflation. Perception matters. Trump's approval ratings have gone up since his inauguration, in spite of the performance of the economy. But, perception still matters. That approval may not last.)
The only reason that the effects of Trump's indiscrimate actions on the economy haven't trickled down to more people yet is because Biden had left a fairly strong economy. They will be felt, though, if he continues on his course.
I see, collapsing politically; well, yes, they do have that in common with today's American political structure.
(We do not share the economic bankruptcy though. America has enough money to pay for its own governance and policies; we have just failed to levy the necessary taxes on those who have the money. So we borrow the necessary money from them instead. But that's a subject for another day.) ________________________________
The dedicated Trumpkins forgive the price of eggs; they'll forgive a price rise on toilet paper. (Shortage of paper might be another matter.) ________________________________
Recent earthquake in Southeast Asia, (Myanmar, Thialand, maybe Laos, and points east and south). USAID has just been dismantled. I'm not expecting the State Department to be an effective substitute. China is already mobilizing aid.
The White House Correspondents' Association has canceled their comic headliner for this year's meeting. (Apparently acknowledging that Trump doesn't exactly have a sense of humor.) Politico
Meanwhile, Trump has been busy suggesting people are clamoring for him to serve a third term.
And the DOJ is going to seek the death penalty for Mangioni if he is convicted.
The White House actually admitted they sent someone to that God awful prison in El Salvador, where they have been dumping people, who should not have been sent. Yet, for some reason they cannot retrieve him.
Let the political blame shifting begin! (Revisions to the tariffs will follow shortly on the heels of the blame shifting, if not earlier.) ________________________________
"So perhaps just Russian poor quality craftsmanship or maintenance rather than something more sinister."
Almost certainly a mechanical defect or poor maintenance. Any wannabe car bomber would know to place the explosives under (or just behind) the passenger compartment, not in the engine compartment. ________________________________
"Yet, for some reason they cannot retrieve him."
Yeah, on account of they don't wanna. That would probably break the subject matter silence on FoxNews, should they actually go fetch back an amnesty applicant on account of they had illegally deported him. Can't be havin' that noise bein' heard told among the faithful. (Speaking of subject matter silence--"Signalgate", Hedseth and Waltz and the folks involved, are still getting virtually zero coverage on FoxNews) ________________________________
That Florida House seat that was up for grabs (in the district Trump had won by 30 percentage points last election) was won by the Trumpkan/Republican candidate who came in with a 14/15 point win this time. ________________________________
Trump's baseline 10% tariffs aren't as much of a hit as some were expecting. (20% was being talked around.) So, there's not been a financial panic after the tariff announcement. Now they got overnight to ruminate on the 10% baseline tariffs.
Talk's going around that Elon Musk is soon heading back to his day job. Supposedly Trump's already telling his White House staff this news. Politico Lotta reasons why this might be happenin'.
It may be too late for Musk to salvage his day job. There are whispers that he needs to be replaced altogether. Those whispers are right. Not only have sales slumped for Tesla worldwide recently but the coming recession that Musk's political ally, Trump, has caused will hurt sales further. It is quite obvious that Musk has not been operating with the company's best interests at heart.
That's 2200 points on top of earlier drops. I think Trump made a mistake in taking on the whole world. He had been singling out smaller foes and beating up on them one at a time. (Or, in the case of Mexico and Canada, two at a time.) This put their much smaller economies at risk without Trump really risking ours. But when he took on the world at once the risk profile switched--we're at risk of recession now, taking on a larger potentially combined offshore market. And suddenly they're willing to fight rather than scrambling to capitulate as quickly as possible. If they continue to hold out en masse Trump may be put in a bad way.
And Trump has some important financial plays coming up in Congress. He's the one who's got to do the 'whipping' of votes for his reconciliation budget bills. Won't help his standing there if he's been recently faced down by the foreigners just before he takes on his own Trumpkan/Republican hold outs. (Yesterday the Senate passed a version rather at odds with the version earlier passed by the House.) _________________________
Post Script: Yesterday Trump accused China of 'panicking' as the result of Trump's tariffs. That caused me pause. He has a habit of 'projecting' his own flaws onto his enemies, so I kinda wondered just how close to his edge he may be. Protests in the streets won't make him any calmer.
I thought the protest I attended today went well. I don't know how attendance stacks up against other protests, but I was pleased with the turnout, as well as the response from many of the cars that drove by.
It was just really nice to see that I am not alone in my reaction to Trump and his policies. I saw a glimpse of My America again.
Cursory scan of the headlines indicates that the organizers were generally satisfied with the turnout of yesterday's public protests. (Although they're not quick to publicize claims of actual numbers.)
44 comments:
I think Trump's (so far unofficial) pronouncement that attacks on Teslas the few Tesla "dealerships" that exist out there, count as acts of 'domestic terrorism' is carrying this "L'État, c'est moi" thing a little too far.
Skimming through the morning news and I'm seeing headlines about how Trump has taken to his own internet to pick a fight with the governor of Maine (who apparently said something about his fixation with transgender athletes). He's now demanding a personal apology from the governor--there apparently was a press release from the governor's office, but he finds that insuficient and wants a personal note from the governor on pain of undefined pain to be rained down on the state of Maine. Politico
And he's feuding with the state of Colorado about a painting of him that hangs in the state capitol in Denver. He finds it unflattering and wants them to pay for a more flattering painting of him. TheHill
When Trump starts in with this sort of penny-ante crap it usually means he's needing his time in the limelight; like a junkie needing a fix. This little stuff ain't gonna satisfy him for long. He's gonna feel a need to destroy something important.
Hawkin' Teslas from the White House lawns ain't gonna cut if for him.
Seems to have been a security breach involving the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and several other Trump administration officials discussing last week's attack on the Houthis in the Arabian Peninsula on an unsecured "Signal" chatroom. (And having inadvertently invited some reporters to the chat.)
Likely we'll be hearing more on this as the week goes on.
Maybe this'll keep Trump tied up enough that he'll drop the crap 'bout paintings in Denver for at least a little while.
Hegseth is lying through his teeth, saying they were not texting any war plans.
Clown town is up and running over a cliff dragging us all with it
No doubt Putin & Co are sitting back with a bowl of popcorn enjoying the show.
No doubt.
This story may keep Trump entertained enough to alleviate his need for the diversion of penny-ante fights over oil paintings hanging in state houses.
And then I recall… There was a story out there that got brief publicity but then seemed to die for lack of interest. Something to the effect that Elon Musk had been sitting in on classified Pentagon meetings.
Hegseth denied it ever happened, but that may not be good enough any more.
Returning briefly to the pre-security breach subject matter…
Trump's comb-over is beginning to look like a bad comb-over even in the most favorable White House photos, no matter how flattering the lighting and angles adopted.
Shouldn't be long now before some cartoonist finally masters the new look of the now transparent hair swirls.
I was just thinking that his spray tan isn't working anymore either. He is looking rather old and gray.
The security breach has largely blown over. Everybody blames Waltz, (except those who're blaming Hegseth). Trump says "He's my boy.", meaning either and both. And it's all over.
The Democrats can rant if they want, but FoxNews ain't gonna cover Democrats ranting; the dedicated Trumpkins ain't never gonna hear it. It's over. The Democrats can continue to rant 'bout it if they want, probably will; won't make any difference to the Trumpkins; they won't even know; much less will they care.
I s'pose that means the story 'bout Elon Musk sitting in on classified Pentagon briefings won't come back to life either.
Next on the chopping block..
FEMA. Well, perhaps his MAGA supporters in states prone to hurricanes will find out what FAFO means.
A Pennsylvania state senate special election has went to a Democrat. This is the first time in 136 years that a Democrat has won the seat. Of course, it could be merely a fluke.
We have another special state election coming up next month in Minnesota. The Republican that had the seat resigned after being caught soliciting a minor in a prostitution sting.
There's a special election in Florida to replace Mike Waltz who was picked to join Signal apps and send war plans to journalists. Trump won the district by 30 points in 2024. The Republican was expected to walk away with it. Ain't workin' out that way; it's lookin' competitive instead. Early voting's already begun.
________________________________
Re: Hurricanes
As best I understand it, the current plan is to not have hurricanes while Trump remains in office.
Perhaps there'll be an executive order forbidding them.
Rofl!
Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.--U.S. House) to be the Ambassador to the United Nations, not because of any worries about getting her confirmed when it came time to vote, but rather because it would open up another special election to fill a Republican seat in the House. And he doesn't want another Republican seat to go up for grabs in a special election.
They want 1933 Germany. They’ll get 1789 France.
I found that comment in a comments section and just wanted to share it. Because oddly enough when I watched Trump talking up Musk and Tesla on the White House front lawn, the oddest thought crossed my mind. It was "let them eat cake".
When all you care about are the richer citizens of your country the consequences can be very nasty.
"They want 1933 Germany. They’ll get 1789 France."
Interesting comparison, but there's an error in the author's thinking. 1933 Germany and 1789 France were both financially bankrupt. That's about all they had in common other than a collapsing political system (which collapsing political systems had virtually nothing in common).
That said: There may indeed be something to glean from remembering the fall of the Bourbon dynasty and most especially about 'the Terror', which followed.
"Americans' outlook on the current state of the economy has
become a bit more pessimistic since last month, according to a
new poll released Thursday.
"The new CBS News/YouGov survey found that nearly three-
in-10 respondents, 29 percent, said they expect the economy
to be growing next year, a 5-point decline from February. The
number of Americans who think the economy will be in a
recession in 2025 went up five points, going from 23 percent
in February to 28 percent this month. Approximately 21
percent of respondents, the same number as last month, said
the economy would be slowing in 2025.
***
"Just a third of Americans, 33 percent, said the economy is
good right now, the same number as last month. Around 60
percent of respondents said the economy is in a bad
condition, a figure that has stayed the same since February,
according to the survey."
TheHill
(I might remind the reader that during the Biden presidency the American voters were stubbornly insistent that the economy was seriously bad shape in spite of the overall economic numbers which showed that wages were keeping up with, even exceeding, inflation. Perception matters. Trump's approval ratings have gone up since his inauguration, in spite of the performance of the economy. But, perception still matters. That approval may not last.)
(which collapsing political systems had virtually nothing in common).
Except that they were collapsing.
But I agree that the author is referring to what came after.
The only reason that the effects of Trump's indiscrimate actions on the economy haven't trickled down to more people yet is because Biden had left a fairly strong economy. They will be felt, though, if he continues on his course.
OMG! Trump is walking where angels fear to tread. Yes, I kid you not, his tariffs will affect the supply of...toilet paper!
The tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, which is a component of toilet paper and paper towels are set go up to 27% and possibly more.
People are going to be really pissed off, so to speak.
"Except that they were collapsing."
I see, collapsing politically; well, yes, they do have that in common with today's American political structure.
(We do not share the economic bankruptcy though. America has enough money to pay for its own governance and policies; we have just failed to levy the necessary taxes on those who have the money. So we borrow the necessary money from them instead. But that's a subject for another day.)
________________________________
The dedicated Trumpkins forgive the price of eggs; they'll forgive a price rise on toilet paper.
(Shortage of paper might be another matter.)
________________________________
Recent earthquake in Southeast Asia, (Myanmar, Thialand, maybe Laos, and points east and south). USAID has just been dismantled. I'm not expecting the State Department to be an effective substitute. China is already mobilizing aid.
Yes, unfortunately, I expect rhe US will be a no show for at least the next 4 years when it comes to foreign disaster aid.
A small change of subject.
It looks like one of Putin's limos blew up in Moscow. No word on why. But assassination has always been a danger to dictators.
Perhaps something that should be remembered when attempting to vie for the position of Dictator in Chief.
The British 'Express' suggests it started as an engine fire, and that the explosion then followed.
The White House Correspondents' Association has canceled their comic headliner for this year's meeting. (Apparently acknowledging that Trump doesn't exactly have a sense of humor.) Politico
So perhaps just Russian poor quality craftsmanship or maintenance rather than something more sinister.
Meanwhile, Trump has been busy suggesting people are clamoring for him to serve a third term.
And the DOJ is going to seek the death penalty for Mangioni if he is convicted.
The White House actually admitted they sent someone to that God awful prison in El Salvador, where they have been dumping people, who should not have been sent. Yet, for some reason they cannot retrieve him.
Just another day in Trumplandia.
Today is Trump Tariff Day.
Let the political blame shifting begin!
(Revisions to the tariffs will follow shortly on the heels of the blame shifting, if not earlier.)
________________________________
"So perhaps just Russian poor quality craftsmanship or
maintenance rather than something more sinister."
Almost certainly a mechanical defect or poor maintenance. Any wannabe car bomber would know to place the explosives under (or just behind) the passenger compartment, not in the engine compartment.
________________________________
"Yet, for some reason they cannot retrieve him."
Yeah, on account of they don't wanna. That would probably break the subject matter silence on FoxNews, should they actually go fetch back an amnesty applicant on account of they had illegally deported him. Can't be havin' that noise bein' heard told among the faithful.
(Speaking of subject matter silence--"Signalgate", Hedseth and Waltz and the folks involved, are still getting virtually zero coverage on FoxNews)
________________________________
That Florida House seat that was up for grabs (in the district Trump had won by 30 percentage points last election) was won by the Trumpkan/Republican candidate who came in with a 14/15 point win this time.
________________________________
Today is Trump Tariff Day.
Big enough of a deal to bear repeating.
Trump's baseline 10% tariffs aren't as much of a hit as some were expecting. (20% was being talked around.) So, there's not been a financial panic after the tariff announcement. Now they got overnight to ruminate on the 10% baseline tariffs.
34% on China and over 20% on some of our allies are something to think about as well.
Talk's going around that Elon Musk is soon heading back to his day job. Supposedly Trump's already telling his White House staff this news. Politico
Lotta reasons why this might be happenin'.
It may be too late for Musk to salvage his day job. There are whispers that he needs to be replaced altogether. Those whispers are right. Not only have sales slumped for Tesla worldwide recently but the coming recession that Musk's political ally, Trump, has caused will hurt sales further. It is quite obvious that Musk has not been operating with the company's best interests at heart.
Bruno, on the other hand, who was always talking up gold is probably sitting pretty right about now.
Musk owns around 9% of Tesla's stock. Probably has voting rights on considerably more than that. Gonna be hard to move him out of his day job.
China has struck back, a 34% tariff on all imports from the United States.
The game is afoot.
And the stock market tanked 2200 points. Ain't Trumplandia grand...
Nationwide protests organized for tomorrow afternoon.
"And the stock market tanked 2200 points."
That's 2200 points on top of earlier drops.
I think Trump made a mistake in taking on the whole world. He had been singling out smaller foes and beating up on them one at a time. (Or, in the case of Mexico and Canada, two at a time.) This put their much smaller economies at risk without Trump really risking ours. But when he took on the world at once the risk profile switched--we're at risk of recession now, taking on a larger potentially combined offshore market.
And suddenly they're willing to fight rather than scrambling to capitulate as quickly as possible. If they continue to hold out en masse Trump may be put in a bad way.
And Trump has some important financial plays coming up in Congress. He's the one who's got to do the 'whipping' of votes for his reconciliation budget bills. Won't help his standing there if he's been recently faced down by the foreigners just before he takes on his own Trumpkan/Republican hold outs. (Yesterday the Senate passed a version rather at odds with the version earlier passed by the House.)
_________________________
Post Script: Yesterday Trump accused China of 'panicking' as the result of Trump's tariffs. That caused me pause. He has a habit of 'projecting' his own flaws onto his enemies, so I kinda wondered just how close to his edge he may be.
Protests in the streets won't make him any calmer.
I am not pleased with the visual of the United States hosting an indicted war criminal (Benjamin Netanyahu) at the White House.
I thought the protest I attended today went well. I don't know how attendance stacks up against other protests, but I was pleased with the turnout, as well as the response from many of the cars that drove by.
It was just really nice to see that I am not alone in my reaction to Trump and his policies. I saw a glimpse of My America again.
Netanyahu
I think the Taliban would like to establish some kind of mission here too. Birds of a feather flock together! Trump is like an autocratic magnet.
Cursory scan of the headlines indicates that the organizers were generally satisfied with the turnout of yesterday's public protests.
(Although they're not quick to publicize claims of actual numbers.)
Post a Comment