Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter is a grave threat to national security. President Biden must treat it as such, before unrestrained hate speech leads to violence.
Biden's best bet is to "allow" a confederate or agency to find him guilt of fraud. Biden should not be see to do this directly. ... in my rarely humble opinion ...
For most of my life, my childhood and young adulthood and mature adulthood, I was a political agnostic and ignoramus. I watched U.S. politicians and federal, state and local officials use “national security” as an excuse for busting heads and committing international crimes extrajudicially all over the world: Korea, Vietnam, the CIA all over Africa, S. America and Asia, Reagan in Libya, Bush 2 and Cheney in Iraq + black sites + the Guantanamo prison, et cetera and ad nauseum.
And now, no longer politically ignorant, I see people making statements in the name of national security that make complete sense.
Greg naming Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter a threat to national security. Trump using the white minority’s hero worship of him to lead them into the January 6 attack and the fallout from that (voter suppression, fake electors, all of it).
It turns out that the people committing egregious crimes in the name of national security are the true security threats. Truman and Eisenhower invading Korea. 5 (FIVE!) presidents in Vietnam. The CIA in practically every non-European country in the world. Reagan in Libya, and on and on.
The political leaders of the United States have waged covert and overt war on people all over the world. NOW they are complaining about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the Republicans complaining the most vehemently are the ones who support sending the U.S. military and the CIA all over the planet for extrajudicial drone strikes (Trump in Iran) and kidnappings (so-called “renditions”) and on and on.
The true threats to national security, never mind international security (ha!), are right here. People like Schmusk and Trump and Kari Lake top the list, they’re the most visible, but every U.S. leader and U.S. official who commits war crimes in another country is complicit. Even Biden, although he is one of the best at minimizing being a hypocrite. The big invaders always seem to be Republicans.
Any and all of your recommendations are warranted but I fail to see how Biden would choose to start that war right now. You can already hear Margie and Klannie Oakley shreaking about it while filing impeachment charges. And you can already hear Gym Jordan bloviating about it during the impeachment hearings. Let the magic of the market deal with Musk, leave the politicians out of it.
Dammit, Greg, this is a terrific piece. I’m so frustrated that nearly everyone I know IRL still doesn’t understand what’s he up to and the natsec risks. POTUS needs to take a page from FDR for sure.
$44B to wreck & destroy your main enemy's (what KGB always called the US) unique social medium institution is well within the cost structure for a major missile system upgrade, a fleet of aircraft carriers or similar instrument of aggression. Russia is the only big power whose main investments are in chaos. This looks like a good-sized one.
I believe that Musk is another one of Putin‘s pussies; his mission is to continue the cleave of the American public, distract with confusion and false flags and turn us against each other.
Another malignant narcissist being manipulated by a madman. Heaven knows what Putin has on Leon.
Twitter served as a meeting place for like kind, where we could stay updated as to the latest turns of events in TF-ingG’s DC, consider the reasons and investigate who benefited.
If he blows up that bridge, we scatter and lose the power, influence, camaraderie and support that a common mission brings.
This feels as threatening to national security as the Russian ship traveling up and down the East Coast soon after TF-IngG was inaugurated and mid-country flyovers by RU planes barely reported by MSM.
I am not as threatened by Twitter's demise under Musk. The all-powerful "market" WILL take care of it. When whatever advertisers are left see what it is becoming, they will flee. When the "...journalists, activists, researchers, doctors, diplomats, and heads of state..." FINALLY get the message that it's a real problem, THEY will flee. Musk will be left with Nazis, seditionists, wanna-be dictators, and Dave Chappelle, and oh yes, a $44 billion boondoggle that no one will want, any more than anyone is clamoring to buy MySpace. It's far easier to leave Twitter than to change your phone number. Everyone should LEAVE TWITTER!
I get what you're saying Greg, and I, in spirit, agree with it, but I can't in good conscience agree that Biden should use any political capital over this, and no matter what, he WILL be using political capital, and it will be much more than he should have to use. The feral monkeys in Congress will go after him for "muh free speech," as will conservative media, and conservative voters, and the ones who are STILL out there waiting for it to all burn. We are too, well, "TOO" name it, for Biden to get involved in this. Something like this will help to usher in an ACTUAL red wave in 2024. It would be a BIG DEAL, and something the non-governing party is made for and is very good at -- "if he comes for Twitter, what's next? Telling you what news channels you can watch? Or what newspapers you can read? Or websites you can go to? They do that in China, you know, and I won't. I'll return America to its FREEDOM-LOVING roots for ALL (just the right) Americans!!" The fear-mongers would love nothing more than something like Biden going after Musk because even THEY know that LAPTOP is going to be laughed out of investigatory existence. Let's see what the market can do before we bring in the big guns.
Several someones with the brains to do so should create a new Twitter that will outdo this dying Twitter. I left the bird as soon as the frat boy bought it. I'm doing what others are now doing, checking into Post as an alternative.
Biden's best bet is to "allow" a confederate or agency to find him guilt of fraud. Biden should not be see to do this directly. ... in my rarely humble opinion ...
For most of my life, my childhood and young adulthood and mature adulthood, I was a political agnostic and ignoramus. I watched U.S. politicians and federal, state and local officials use “national security” as an excuse for busting heads and committing international crimes extrajudicially all over the world: Korea, Vietnam, the CIA all over Africa, S. America and Asia, Reagan in Libya, Bush 2 and Cheney in Iraq + black sites + the Guantanamo prison, et cetera and ad nauseum.
And now, no longer politically ignorant, I see people making statements in the name of national security that make complete sense.
Greg naming Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter a threat to national security. Trump using the white minority’s hero worship of him to lead them into the January 6 attack and the fallout from that (voter suppression, fake electors, all of it).
It turns out that the people committing egregious crimes in the name of national security are the true security threats. Truman and Eisenhower invading Korea. 5 (FIVE!) presidents in Vietnam. The CIA in practically every non-European country in the world. Reagan in Libya, and on and on.
The political leaders of the United States have waged covert and overt war on people all over the world. NOW they are complaining about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the Republicans complaining the most vehemently are the ones who support sending the U.S. military and the CIA all over the planet for extrajudicial drone strikes (Trump in Iran) and kidnappings (so-called “renditions”) and on and on.
The true threats to national security, never mind international security (ha!), are right here. People like Schmusk and Trump and Kari Lake top the list, they’re the most visible, but every U.S. leader and U.S. official who commits war crimes in another country is complicit. Even Biden, although he is one of the best at minimizing being a hypocrite. The big invaders always seem to be Republicans.
Glad I swapped a NYT subscription for the uber cool writings of Greg Olear on substack ❤
Elon definitely is a threat to nat’l security- he’s fast becoming a domestic terrorist, and, at this point, he should have his 🇺🇸citizenship revoked.
Any and all of your recommendations are warranted but I fail to see how Biden would choose to start that war right now. You can already hear Margie and Klannie Oakley shreaking about it while filing impeachment charges. And you can already hear Gym Jordan bloviating about it during the impeachment hearings. Let the magic of the market deal with Musk, leave the politicians out of it.
Dammit, Greg, this is a terrific piece. I’m so frustrated that nearly everyone I know IRL still doesn’t understand what’s he up to and the natsec risks. POTUS needs to take a page from FDR for sure.
Great column.
Glad i never signed up for Twitter of Facebook.
Just having email is addictive enough.
Twitter the social media platform must be considered a Public Utility, and regulated as such
$44B to wreck & destroy your main enemy's (what KGB always called the US) unique social medium institution is well within the cost structure for a major missile system upgrade, a fleet of aircraft carriers or similar instrument of aggression. Russia is the only big power whose main investments are in chaos. This looks like a good-sized one.
"Muskovite" ftw
Surely, your well-placed readers can get this in front of people who have the authority to investigate/prosecute? I mean Greg.
💔
So well said, as always.
I believe that Musk is another one of Putin‘s pussies; his mission is to continue the cleave of the American public, distract with confusion and false flags and turn us against each other.
Another malignant narcissist being manipulated by a madman. Heaven knows what Putin has on Leon.
Twitter served as a meeting place for like kind, where we could stay updated as to the latest turns of events in TF-ingG’s DC, consider the reasons and investigate who benefited.
If he blows up that bridge, we scatter and lose the power, influence, camaraderie and support that a common mission brings.
This feels as threatening to national security as the Russian ship traveling up and down the East Coast soon after TF-IngG was inaugurated and mid-country flyovers by RU planes barely reported by MSM.
I am not as threatened by Twitter's demise under Musk. The all-powerful "market" WILL take care of it. When whatever advertisers are left see what it is becoming, they will flee. When the "...journalists, activists, researchers, doctors, diplomats, and heads of state..." FINALLY get the message that it's a real problem, THEY will flee. Musk will be left with Nazis, seditionists, wanna-be dictators, and Dave Chappelle, and oh yes, a $44 billion boondoggle that no one will want, any more than anyone is clamoring to buy MySpace. It's far easier to leave Twitter than to change your phone number. Everyone should LEAVE TWITTER!
I get what you're saying Greg, and I, in spirit, agree with it, but I can't in good conscience agree that Biden should use any political capital over this, and no matter what, he WILL be using political capital, and it will be much more than he should have to use. The feral monkeys in Congress will go after him for "muh free speech," as will conservative media, and conservative voters, and the ones who are STILL out there waiting for it to all burn. We are too, well, "TOO" name it, for Biden to get involved in this. Something like this will help to usher in an ACTUAL red wave in 2024. It would be a BIG DEAL, and something the non-governing party is made for and is very good at -- "if he comes for Twitter, what's next? Telling you what news channels you can watch? Or what newspapers you can read? Or websites you can go to? They do that in China, you know, and I won't. I'll return America to its FREEDOM-LOVING roots for ALL (just the right) Americans!!" The fear-mongers would love nothing more than something like Biden going after Musk because even THEY know that LAPTOP is going to be laughed out of investigatory existence. Let's see what the market can do before we bring in the big guns.
Several someones with the brains to do so should create a new Twitter that will outdo this dying Twitter. I left the bird as soon as the frat boy bought it. I'm doing what others are now doing, checking into Post as an alternative.
I am reflecting on your title, “A Bridge Too Far Right.” Poisoning the goose that lays the golden egg. Poisoning Midas.