Elon Musk: Always A Douche

[Valmy]

Maybe not - but point is it's still weird to see anyone in American (or anywhere else's) politics copying the gimmick of any Latin American (or other international) politician while they're on stage clapping. There's an assumption there enough people in the audience will know, but also it's cross-pollinating. It's interesting (and I think innovative).

What do we need to start doing whatever Lula does? Does he have a gimmick?

[garbon]

Maybe not - but point is it's still weird to see anyone in American (or anywhere else's) politics copying the gimmick of any Latin American (or other international) politician while they're on stage clapping. There's an assumption there enough people in the audience will know, but also it's cross-pollinating. It's interesting (and I think innovative).

I was just thinking Elon has often loved a prop (thinking that car demo) and had sold those flamethrowers?

It is though wild how internationally broad all this stupid is. Like Liz and her the UK needs a MAGA movement.

[Sheilbh]

It is though wild how internationally broad all this stupid is. Like Liz and her the UK needs a MAGA movement.

Although also I have sympathetic awkwardness when I see how empty the rooms she's speaking to are at CPAC. I cannot comprehend her level of self-awareness/respect.

I suppose that circuit is the only way she's likely to earn any money out of her premiership. It's not like anyone would be inviting her to join the board as a non-exec

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Maybe not - but point is it's still weird to see anyone in American (or anywhere else's) politics copying the gimmick of any Latin American (or other international) politician while they're on stage clapping. There's an assumption there enough people in the audience will know, but also it's cross-pollinating. It's interesting (and I think innovative).

What do we need to start doing whatever Lula does? Does he have a gimmick?

Lula is not helping Ukraine because sucks Russian sausage...i mean, wants to stay neutral. What a democrat...

[Valmy]

Lula is not helping Ukraine because sucks Russian sausage...i mean, wants to stay neutral. What a democrat...

See we just don't have anybody who aligns with our values like MAGA does with Milei.

[Syt]

People are saying with Musk's indoor sunglasses and slurred speech make them think he was high during the whole thing. "I am become meme!"

[Valmy]

People are saying with Musk's indoor sunglasses and slurred speech make them think he was high during the whole thing. "I am become meme!"

His lifelong dream is to be a meme. That's why he posts 500 times a day on twitter and just ignores his companies, his children, and the government looting agency he isn't officially running.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

People are saying with Musk's indoor sunglasses and slurred speech make them think he was high during the whole thing. "I am become meme!"

So drugging... make him chief of the airforce, if I have my ww2 reference right

[Sheilbh]

Lula is not helping Ukraine because sucks Russian sausage...i mean, wants to stay neutral. What a democrat...

He is a democrat. I don't think being a democrat or not will necessarily have anything to do with how you respond to Ukraine or view the West.

See we just don't have anybody who aligns with our values like MAGA does with Milei.

Even then a lot of that is vibes - I believe Milei is a fanatical free trader, for example.

[Valmy]

He is a democrat. I don't think being a democrat or not will necessarily have anything to do with how you respond to Ukraine or view the West.

Well that and his country is part of the BRICS nonsense. The rotting carcass that is supposed to be the future of the world.

Though considering how it seems like every single country (except maybe India?) seems to be in decline at the same time, maybe they do represent the future.

[grumbler]

See we just don't have anybody who aligns with our values like MAGA does with Milei.

I'm not so sure about that. Orban rails against "woke" and the trans movement even though those are foreign to Hungary.

[Syt]

https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-trump-federal-workers-f44257ce4cf8c04c96c8ce0ce262842f

Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been given little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week, sparking confusion across key agencies as billionaire Elon Musk expands his crusade to slash the size of federal government.

Musk, who serves as President Donald Trump's cost-cutting chief, telegraphed the extraordinary request on his social media network on Saturday.

"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," Musk posted on X, which he owns. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."

Shortly afterward, federal employees — including some judges, court staff and federal prison officials — received a three-line email with this instruction: "Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager."

The deadline to reply was listed as Monday at 11:59 p.m., although the email did not include Musk's social media threat about those who fail to respond.

The latest unusual directive from Musk's team injects a new sense of chaos across beleaguered multiple agencies, including the National Weather Service, the State Department and the federal court system, as senior officials worked to verify the message's authenticity Saturday night and in some cases, instructed their employees not to respond.

Thousands of government employees have already been forced out of the federal workforce — either by being fired or offered a buyout — during the first month of Trump's administration as the White House and Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency fire both new and career workers, tell agency leaders to plan for "large-scale reductions in force" and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds.


There is no official figure available for the total firings or layoffs so far, but The Associated Press has tallied hundreds of thousands of workers who are being affected. Many work outside of Washington. The cuts include thousands at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service and the National Parks Service, among others.

Labor union leaders quickly condemned the ultimatum and threatened legal action.

AFGE President Everett Kelley called the new order an example of Trump and Musk's "utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people."

"It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life," Kelley said. "AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."

Musk on Friday celebrated his new role at a gathering of conservatives by waving a giant chainsaw in the air. He called it "the chainsaw for bureaucracy" and said, "Waste is pretty much everywhere" in the federal government.

McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson at the Office of Personnel Management, confirmed Musk's directive and said that individual agencies would "determine any next steps."

What happens if an employee is on leave or vacation? Again, she said individual agencies would determine how to proceed.

In a message to employees on Saturday night, federal court officials instructed recipients not to respond.

"We understand that some judges and judiciary staff have received an email ... directing the recipient to reply with 5 accomplishments from the prior week. Please be advised that this email did not originate from the Judiciary or the Administrative Office and we suggest that no action be taken," officials wrote.

Judges around the country got emails from Musk's team in late January, apparently by mistake, U.S. District Judge Randolph Daniel Moss said earlier this month. Moss said he'd also gotten a message and ignored it.

The National Weather Service leadership acknowledged some confusion in a message to its employees late Saturday as well.

"Within the last few hours, some of us — potentially all of us -- received an email message titled 'What did you do last week?' Until such time as we can verify that the message that was received at or around 4:46pm ET is authentic, please do not respond."

National Weather Service leadership continued: "Thank you all for your continued support and dedication ensuring public safety and the national security of our country."

[The Minsky Moment]

Shortly afterward, federal employees — including some judges, court staff and federal prison officials — received a three-line email with this instruction: "Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager."

Dear Sir or Madam:

Ammunition cannot be sent by email so unfortunately, I cannot comply. Can I send you the bullets by FedEx?  I'd send by USPS but they don't seem to be responding. Also last week was been very busy as my team has had to scramble around the clock cleaning up all the fuckups by the DOGE morons running around the government these days.  Any way you help out?

[Savonarola]

And Trump posted the following on his Truth Social Account:



With leadership skills like that it is a wonder he went bankrupt so many times.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Looking back on my civil service days, I would have been breaking the official secrets act if I'd told some random South African wanker what I was doing at my workplace. So, it would have to be :

1. Redacted
2. Redacted
3. Redacted
4. Redacted
5. Redacted