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Comment by accrual | Hacker News Reader

> "My inference was that he was getting nervous that Starlink's involvement was increasingly seen in Russia as enabling the Ukrainian war effort, and was looking for a way to placate Russian concerns," the former US official added.

> Satellite terminals donated by Mr Musk's SpaceX, as well as the US government and private donors, have become vital to Ukrainian military communications.

Talk about having one foot in both pools.

> Aides to Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky have previously attempted to ease Mr Musk's concerns by telling him the system is "about defence, advancement, and survival", a source told The Telegraph.

Sorries me that this even needs explanation.

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> Talk about having one foot in both pools.

I honestly don't get it either. Why does he even care about Russia at this point? They can't directly attack the satellites, as that would be an act of war against the United States and Russia isn't that stupid. They're heavily sanctioned and basically a dead market now that the Ruble has crashed. So there shouldn't be any business considerations.

Not to mention ITAR, which the entire constellation falls under.

I'm just dumbfounded why he gives them the time of day. Does he not know that he can ignore their emails or something?

It's the same stupidity that has Trump boasting that he's 'the apple of Putin's eye'. There is a belief in an ideological affinity. It's absurd, because if Putin could wipe out the US without any consequences he would do it in a heartbeat, he wouldn't even think twice about doing so. He has a truly profound hatred for the United States that is layered with feelings of humiliation over Russia in the 1990s.

The reason for Musk's behavior is that he has decided to Fight the Establishment. As a reminder, the Establishment is that poorly defined group of people and interests, centered on the left and right coasts of the US, that exists to promote the success of the American experiment. For a number of reasons, over the past few years, Musk has grown dissatisfied with it, and actively uses propaganda to weaken it. Musk admires Putin because he's an unapologetic power-leader and Musk wishes he could be, too. In Musk's mind, if we just put a small number of really bright people in charge, we'd be able to solve some hard problems like multi-homing humanity to deal with existential risks.

We should all be thankful that Elon is taking his money and burning it, because in doing so, he reduces the likelihood that he can have a significant negative effect on the stability that the Establishment brings.

If the Establishment exists to promote the success of the American Experiment, why did the American Experiment do better between January 20th 2017 and January 19, 2021 than it has since under the control of the establishment?

I'm not sure what you are saying, can you ask a less loaded question?

You think 2017 to 2021 was a better span than, say, 1990 to 1995 or 1950 to 1955? That's beyond preposterous, bordering on mental illness. I also don't recall the "establishment" ceding control at any point. Most of Congress and the judiciary existed before that short presidency and continued to wield power after it.

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