With Elon’s purchase of Twitter and Trump’s election, the imposition of limits on free speech have been stopped for the time being. I view that as a huge win.
Those were indeed, good developments, but I'm not sure I would go so far as to say "stopped", even just for the time being. And things in Europe aren't improving much.
Labour in the UK is in trouble, as are the centrist governments in Germany and France. And Canada. They ran wild with full enthusiasm from the UniParty. Now they are standing there with their dicks in their hands. Our continued insistence on free speech will be influential.
Feelin’ ya, but recent developments have brought fresh clarity to a situation familiar from time immemorial: the people who do actually value freedom of thought and speech will always have to play ball with the far greater number whose advocacy of those essentials is only really based on perceived status threats. So take it as a given that free thought and speech is always in a delicate position, vulnerable as much to our own character flaws as it is to outright suppression. What to do? Keep standing up for it. Keep listening to people with different experiences, perceptions and ideas. And keep a sharp attitude toward those who would have you forsake that habit. Here’s a prediction: the people who really do believe in free thought and expression will continue to have plenty of defense to play, no matter who holds the reins of power.
Also, I am encouraged by watching Elon Musk encourage all thought and by the fact that they are being transparent about these cuts and asking for input. Very unusual. Such an improvement from what we've lived through. That is a "win."
Right. He is largely responsible for Substack being here (since they planned to go after it before he bought Twitter), but hey, Bah Humbug, right? I'm sure you can find the worst in anyone.
I’ve got a helluva long list of ‘worsts’ to tar Musk with, not the least of which is his antipathy towards his own workers, much less labor writ large.
I can give Musk credit, like any other billionaire, of having the chops to make billions in a game rigged to make that opportunity possible. But to suggest Musk has any ulterior motive other than preservation of his wealth is laughable on its face.
YOU are laughable. And ridiculous. This whole thing has cost him money. Twitter cost him money, California went after him as did the whole Biden administration, and he supported a man who is against climate change when he makes electric vehicles.
Stupid? Right. If Harris had won that election, he would have been screwed totally. But he hung out there. And by the way, I'm a woman, an adjunct professor and published literary writer. And yes, he has integrity.
Yeah, stupid. Sweetheart (woman) published perfesser, linking a vapid piece by J. Turkey proves it.
Musk would not have been screwed if Harris (whom I despised and didn’t vote for) had won; he’s a billionaire many times over for Chrissakes. Billionaires don’t get screwed. He has the same amount of integrity (close to zero) as Trump; he just happens to be smarter about tech.
Again, you’ll see how much integrity Musk has by his DOGE recommendations. No major cuts to defense? No increase in the taxable income ceiling to fund Social Security and instead recommending an age increase before benefit eligibility? That = no integrity.
Musk has the moral compass of a shark. As such, he has zero ‘business’ influencing government or policy, because the only interest he has in either is selfish, as opposed to altruistic, empathetic, or in the interest of the people writ large.
He can’t help himself. Trump, Musk, Gates, etc. No end to rich twits who think they are smarter than the rest of us and want to prove it by telling us they have a better way of doing things than gubmit does, even though their expertise in public policy is usually no better than the average bought and paid for dumbass .politician
You MUST be kidding, "sweetheart." If you think they can't find a crime to charge him with, look at the last four years! You must be DAFT. And the rest of this is equally nonsense.
Musk is a loose cannon, but that's what people elected Trump for. Musk is also powerless, with no official position. Trump just cheerfully pointed out that Musk can't be President, because he isn't a native citizen. So he's actually thinking about what he's unleashed.
Nobody said he was in charge OR that we wanted him to be president; however, calling him a "loose cannon" is ridiculous. You should be that "loose." Elon Musk almost single handedly rescued free speech in this country. Substack couldn't have done that alone.
Only if you are a total pessimist. That is not critical thinking. I agree it's difficult to tell good circumstances from bad or to know what is coming next that could be worse, but we are better off than we were the last four years. Count your blessings.
Let hope that he ends Ukraine but Pam Bondi has called for the FBI to investigate anyone who is protesting Israel’s ‘wars’. This is a guy who has been president for 4 years and has appointed a cabinet full of the same only neo cons we’ve known for decades. So sure, call me pessimistic.
Elbows, you won't get everything you want but you sound a little bit off when you write that Trump isn't a change of circumstance. It's a big change for many reasons, including the New York Times just published an article (3 years late) stating that illegal immigration under Biden was the highest in the history of our country. That was intentional, as you might know, and Trump will reinstitute his laws and finish building the wall which sends the message that the 1.2 million LEGAL immigrants we take in every year are enough for now, that will be a sea change. That's just one example, however large, and there are many more. Some of which he will have learned to navigate cuz of a first term of learning hard lessons about vile people on both sides of the aisle and within the entrenched bureaucracy, such as the CDC and NHIH, and a term filled with more varied political attacks than any president in my lifetime, and I'm 156 years old. Or so, but that's how old I feel after watching the ghastly past 4 years of "Biden".
I think I said a substantial change. Biden has been about as bad a GWB, ie. among the worst presidents. Despite the projection of everyone’s fantasies (both pro and con) onto Trump the mostly likely outcome will be tinkering at the edges. Deportations will go back to Obama era levels and that will be called success, for example. I could be wrong but all the evidence we have now is in my favor. It’s good Kamala lost but thinking Trump is a solution to anything is fantasy.
One major thing that Trump has learned is that he needs to be proactive in dealing with the bureaucracy. He has made an amazing number of appointments to senior levels in the government. They have been carefully researched and nearly all are excellent.
Your "business-as-usual" take is mystifying, to be honest. The mere fact that the establishment, over nearly a decade, tried EVERYTHING—nonstop lawfare, weaponizing the FBI/DOJ, BS smears, virtually the entire MSM turned into the propaganda arm of the DNC, Russiagate, multiple assassinations attempts, and much more—to stop Trump should tell you everything you need to know about how they view him: as a HUGE threat to the established order.
And the fact that they failed again and again and again, and that Trump beat them like a drum, thanks to building an unprecedented coalition of heretofore Democrat constituencies, has rocked these MFs back on their heels. There's nothing ordinary about this.
It’s not nothing and there is plenty you can take from that but as far as what Trump will do and will be able to do it will be business as usual with a slightly different flavor. There is no reason to think otherwise. He’s not a fascist and he’s no revolutionary.
I couldn't disagree more. His first term, despite being hounded nonstop every single day, and well beyond, was incredibly productive. Sure, history is written by the winners, etc., but, still, his list of accomplishments is mighty impressive:
Here’s the thing, until we consciously decide (or are forced by crisis) to change things it will be, and should be business as usual. We have not come anywhere close to making that decision by electing Trump. I do think Trump is significant he’s just nothing new in the big picture.
Matt has been telling it like it is for over 20 years, calling our attention to stupid politics on both sides, police brutality and the fucked-up courts, Goldman Sachs and their fellow swine, all the way up to the present. He's made equal fun of Trump and Biden and Obama, etc.
Haha! Say like George Soros ruling the left for 50years? Musk joked about that recently. Now the right have their own billionaire. It seems the world has always been run by those with money and power. For now I’ll hitch my wagon to the free speech billionaire.
I hope and expect that is right but even thinking something has been won is a disturbing lack of critical thinking.
With Elon’s purchase of Twitter and Trump’s election, the imposition of limits on free speech have been stopped for the time being. I view that as a huge win.
Those were indeed, good developments, but I'm not sure I would go so far as to say "stopped", even just for the time being. And things in Europe aren't improving much.
Europe doesn’t have the 1st Amendment. We still do. That’s a win.
We are intertwined with Europe. Hopefully our improvement will trickle over there, rather than vice versa.
Labour in the UK is in trouble, as are the centrist governments in Germany and France. And Canada. They ran wild with full enthusiasm from the UniParty. Now they are standing there with their dicks in their hands. Our continued insistence on free speech will be influential.
Their stupid overreach exposed them.
Amen-and you have to defend the rights of racists, assholes, quasi-scammers, and religious fanatics to keep the protections alive for all of us.
Feelin’ ya, but recent developments have brought fresh clarity to a situation familiar from time immemorial: the people who do actually value freedom of thought and speech will always have to play ball with the far greater number whose advocacy of those essentials is only really based on perceived status threats. So take it as a given that free thought and speech is always in a delicate position, vulnerable as much to our own character flaws as it is to outright suppression. What to do? Keep standing up for it. Keep listening to people with different experiences, perceptions and ideas. And keep a sharp attitude toward those who would have you forsake that habit. Here’s a prediction: the people who really do believe in free thought and expression will continue to have plenty of defense to play, no matter who holds the reins of power.
Also, I am encouraged by watching Elon Musk encourage all thought and by the fact that they are being transparent about these cuts and asking for input. Very unusual. Such an improvement from what we've lived through. That is a "win."
When Musk calls for dramatic ‘transparent’ cuts to the military budget, get back to me. Until then, he’s just another dildo with a fat wallet.
Right. He is largely responsible for Substack being here (since they planned to go after it before he bought Twitter), but hey, Bah Humbug, right? I'm sure you can find the worst in anyone.
I’ve got a helluva long list of ‘worsts’ to tar Musk with, not the least of which is his antipathy towards his own workers, much less labor writ large.
I can give Musk credit, like any other billionaire, of having the chops to make billions in a game rigged to make that opportunity possible. But to suggest Musk has any ulterior motive other than preservation of his wealth is laughable on its face.
YOU are laughable. And ridiculous. This whole thing has cost him money. Twitter cost him money, California went after him as did the whole Biden administration, and he supported a man who is against climate change when he makes electric vehicles.
Son, all the all caps in the world can’t cover your stupidity when it comes to accurately assessing the character of an individual.
Cost him money? Yeah, that seals the deal on his integrity?
Stop digging.
Stupid? Right. If Harris had won that election, he would have been screwed totally. But he hung out there. And by the way, I'm a woman, an adjunct professor and published literary writer. And yes, he has integrity.
https://jonathanturley.org/2024/10/14/liberals-are-losing-their-minds-over-elon-musk/
Yeah, stupid. Sweetheart (woman) published perfesser, linking a vapid piece by J. Turkey proves it.
Musk would not have been screwed if Harris (whom I despised and didn’t vote for) had won; he’s a billionaire many times over for Chrissakes. Billionaires don’t get screwed. He has the same amount of integrity (close to zero) as Trump; he just happens to be smarter about tech.
Again, you’ll see how much integrity Musk has by his DOGE recommendations. No major cuts to defense? No increase in the taxable income ceiling to fund Social Security and instead recommending an age increase before benefit eligibility? That = no integrity.
Musk has the moral compass of a shark. As such, he has zero ‘business’ influencing government or policy, because the only interest he has in either is selfish, as opposed to altruistic, empathetic, or in the interest of the people writ large.
ps. Show me the man and I'll show you the crime. Nonsense stuff here. He would have been much better to stay out of politics. It does NOT help him.
He can’t help himself. Trump, Musk, Gates, etc. No end to rich twits who think they are smarter than the rest of us and want to prove it by telling us they have a better way of doing things than gubmit does, even though their expertise in public policy is usually no better than the average bought and paid for dumbass .politician
You MUST be kidding, "sweetheart." If you think they can't find a crime to charge him with, look at the last four years! You must be DAFT. And the rest of this is equally nonsense.
Again with the all caps. Cute.
Musk is a loose cannon, but that's what people elected Trump for. Musk is also powerless, with no official position. Trump just cheerfully pointed out that Musk can't be President, because he isn't a native citizen. So he's actually thinking about what he's unleashed.
Nobody said he was in charge OR that we wanted him to be president; however, calling him a "loose cannon" is ridiculous. You should be that "loose." Elon Musk almost single handedly rescued free speech in this country. Substack couldn't have done that alone.
Only if you are a total pessimist. That is not critical thinking. I agree it's difficult to tell good circumstances from bad or to know what is coming next that could be worse, but we are better off than we were the last four years. Count your blessings.
Thinking that Trump is a substantial change in circumstances is the lack of criticality that I find so disturbing.
Let hope that he ends Ukraine but Pam Bondi has called for the FBI to investigate anyone who is protesting Israel’s ‘wars’. This is a guy who has been president for 4 years and has appointed a cabinet full of the same only neo cons we’ve known for decades. So sure, call me pessimistic.
Elbows, you won't get everything you want but you sound a little bit off when you write that Trump isn't a change of circumstance. It's a big change for many reasons, including the New York Times just published an article (3 years late) stating that illegal immigration under Biden was the highest in the history of our country. That was intentional, as you might know, and Trump will reinstitute his laws and finish building the wall which sends the message that the 1.2 million LEGAL immigrants we take in every year are enough for now, that will be a sea change. That's just one example, however large, and there are many more. Some of which he will have learned to navigate cuz of a first term of learning hard lessons about vile people on both sides of the aisle and within the entrenched bureaucracy, such as the CDC and NHIH, and a term filled with more varied political attacks than any president in my lifetime, and I'm 156 years old. Or so, but that's how old I feel after watching the ghastly past 4 years of "Biden".
I think I said a substantial change. Biden has been about as bad a GWB, ie. among the worst presidents. Despite the projection of everyone’s fantasies (both pro and con) onto Trump the mostly likely outcome will be tinkering at the edges. Deportations will go back to Obama era levels and that will be called success, for example. I could be wrong but all the evidence we have now is in my favor. It’s good Kamala lost but thinking Trump is a solution to anything is fantasy.
One major thing that Trump has learned is that he needs to be proactive in dealing with the bureaucracy. He has made an amazing number of appointments to senior levels in the government. They have been carefully researched and nearly all are excellent.
It’s a huge change, but maybe not in the issues you are interested in.
It’s a change the way Obama was a huge change. Mostly aesthetic.
That’s not entirely true, it is also a realignment of the parties but a the mono party is a mono party in the end.
Your "business-as-usual" take is mystifying, to be honest. The mere fact that the establishment, over nearly a decade, tried EVERYTHING—nonstop lawfare, weaponizing the FBI/DOJ, BS smears, virtually the entire MSM turned into the propaganda arm of the DNC, Russiagate, multiple assassinations attempts, and much more—to stop Trump should tell you everything you need to know about how they view him: as a HUGE threat to the established order.
And the fact that they failed again and again and again, and that Trump beat them like a drum, thanks to building an unprecedented coalition of heretofore Democrat constituencies, has rocked these MFs back on their heels. There's nothing ordinary about this.
It’s not nothing and there is plenty you can take from that but as far as what Trump will do and will be able to do it will be business as usual with a slightly different flavor. There is no reason to think otherwise. He’s not a fascist and he’s no revolutionary.
I couldn't disagree more. His first term, despite being hounded nonstop every single day, and well beyond, was incredibly productive. Sure, history is written by the winners, etc., but, still, his list of accomplishments is mighty impressive:
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/
That mostly just speaks to how constrained our horizons of what’s possible are.
Here’s the thing, until we consciously decide (or are forced by crisis) to change things it will be, and should be business as usual. We have not come anywhere close to making that decision by electing Trump. I do think Trump is significant he’s just nothing new in the big picture.
🙏🏻 you’re off the mark but I’ll continue to hold my breath.
Matt has been telling it like it is for over 20 years, calling our attention to stupid politics on both sides, police brutality and the fucked-up courts, Goldman Sachs and their fellow swine, all the way up to the present. He's made equal fun of Trump and Biden and Obama, etc.
No worries, it will all be ok.
Are you kidding? The State Department's Global Engagement Center will be ending. This is a huge win for free speech, and against censorship.
Are you kidding? A tiny, 8 year old organization with a budget of $75 million is shutting down. Hardly world history being made.
Yes. Elon was for the Twitter Files. But now we have a multi billionaire in bed with the incoming president. What could go wrong, quoth MT and GG?
Haha! Say like George Soros ruling the left for 50years? Musk joked about that recently. Now the right have their own billionaire. It seems the world has always been run by those with money and power. For now I’ll hitch my wagon to the free speech billionaire.