Post AwZ1nyYTFI97F04bbs by peterbrown@mastodon.scot
(DIR) More posts by peterbrown@mastodon.scot
(DIR) Post #AwUeBr8RJE6Be8uavY by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:36:11Z
1 likes, 3 repeats
We all suspected it, now it’s confirmed.#Musk ordered shutdown of #Starlink satellite service as #Ukraine retook territory from #RussiaA previously unreported order by #ElonMusk to cut satellite #communications over a portion of Ukraine disrupted a counteroffensive by Kyiv in the autumn of 2022. Reuters investigated the billionaire's order & its implications for countries increasingly reliant on his Starlink internet service.#power #corruption #oligarchy https://www.reuters.com/investigations/musk-ordered-shutdown-starlink-satellite-service-ukraine-retook-territory-russia-2025-07-25/
(DIR) Post #AwUeRPnCjfUzTjOlIu by Heliograph@mastodon.au
2025-07-25T13:39:00Z
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@Nonilex Incredible interference in the sovereignty of others
(DIR) Post #AwUecDQh2dauJw1FEe by EriogonumDarwin@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T13:40:58Z
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@Nonilex As their service becomes more available to individuals, so too does the option to avoid and boycott them. Big Nope from me.
(DIR) Post #AwUefvj4nwxeZYOAoy by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:41:39Z
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During a pivotal push by #Ukraine to retake territory from #Russia in late Sept 2022, #ElonMusk gave an order that disrupted the counteroffensive & dented Kyiv’s trust in #Starlink, the satellite internet service Musk provided to help Ukraine’s military maintain battlefield connectivity.Acc/to 3 people familiar with the command, #Musk told a senior engineer at the California offices of #SpaceX to cut coverage in areas including #Kherson, a strategic region north of the #BlackSea.
(DIR) Post #AwUenfTP7FdGTwkR28 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:43:03Z
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“We have to do this,” Michael Nicolls, the #Starlink engineer, told colleagues upon receiving the order from #Musk, one of these people said. Staffers complied, the 3 people told Reuters, deactivating at least a hundred Starlink terminals, their hexagon-shaped cells going dark on an internal map of the company’s coverage. The move also affected other areas seized by #Russia, including some of #Donetsk province further east.#power #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUezIUkNI70gtvBj6 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:45:11Z
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Upon #Musk’s order, #Ukraine troops suddenly faced a #communications #blackout, acc/to a Ukrainian military official, an advisor to the armed forces, & 2 others who experienced #Starlink failure near the front lines. Soldiers panicked, drones surveilling #Russia forces went dark, & long-range artillery units, reliant on Starlink to aim their fire, struggled to hit targets.#power #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUf9Ima9yluTl2BbU by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:46:58Z
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As a result,…troops failed to surround a Russian position in the town of Beryslav, east of Kherson, the administrative center of the region of the same name. “The encirclement stalled entirely,” said the military official in an interview. “It failed.”Ultimately, #Ukraine’s counteroffensive succeeded in reclaiming Beryslav, the city of Kherson & some additional territory #Russia had occupied.#power #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUfBE2ekzKyM4TCgC by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:47:22Z
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But #Musk’s order, which hasn’t previously been reported, is the first known instance of the billionaire actively [& personally] shutting off #Starlink coverage over a battlefield during the conflict. The decision shocked some Starlink employees & effectively reshaped the front line of the fighting, enabling #Musk to take “the outcome of a war into his own hands,” another one of the three people said.#power #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUfht2fr1ZSmX3JLc by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:53:16Z
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…#Musk’s order was an early glimpse of the #power the magnate now wields in #geopolitics & #GlobalSecurity because of #Starlink, a fast-growing #satellite internet service that barely existed early this decade & now provides connectivity even in remote areas of the world. Even before his brief role as donor & advisor to #Trump, Starlink’s success–& the unrivaled connectivity it offers across the planet–had given Musk increasing #influence w/political leaders, governments & militaries worldwide.
(DIR) Post #AwUfxC5JKwYkBWaJiC by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:56:01Z
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#Musk’s sway in #military affairs in Washington & beyond–through #Starlink’s dominance in #satellite #communications & #SpaceX’s clout in #space launches–has reached a dimension previously limited to #sovereign #governments, alarming some regulators & lawmakers. “Elon Musk’s current global dominance exemplifies the dangers of concentrated #power in unregulated domains,” Martha Lane Fox, a member of Britain’s upper house of parliament, said during a debate earlier this year.
(DIR) Post #AwUg1VE471D0hzjZvU by StephanieMoore@mastodon.online
2025-07-25T13:56:47Z
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@Nonilex Democracy clearly depends on Starlink alternatives. That isn’t going to come from the US. Hopefully Europe or another democracy could invest in an alternative.
(DIR) Post #AwUgCTgy9gND8YUGO0 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T13:58:47Z
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The parliamentarian is a businesswoman & fmr board member at #Twitter, the social media site that #Musk acquired in 2022 & rebranded as #X.“Its control,” Lane Fox said of #Starlink, “rests solely with Musk, allowing his whims to dictate access to vital infrastructure.”Musk’s political #influence, & his massive business with the #US federal govt, are now being put to the test. Since leaving his role advising #Trump, Musk has publicly feuded with the president….#power #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUgERufjxpCCNpvgO by faraiwe@mstdn.social
2025-07-25T13:59:06Z
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@Nonilex Naturally, this due to the #kremlin role in diverting funds to musk's businesses, via several nativist-inclined wealthy figures influencing US govt. Without US govt hand outs, musk wouldn't exist. If you give me billions of dollars in "loans" I don't have to pay you back I, too, become a billionaire. When the kremlin squealed for help, #musk responded. Heed this lesson, very well. Relying on ANY corporate interests for critical infrastructure is suicide for National Security.
(DIR) Post #AwUgQREu4SU9aI14s4 by samiamsam@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T14:01:14Z
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@Nonilex elon should be in prison
(DIR) Post #AwUgWEC9Tyb0riURvM by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:02:22Z
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Whatever the reason for #Musk’s decision, the shutoff over Kherson & other regions surprised some involved w/the #Ukraine war–from troops on the ground to #US military & #ForeignPolicy ofcls, who after #Russia’s full-scale invasion that Feb had worked to secure #Starlink for Ukrainian forces. Panicked calls by Ukrainian ofcls during the outage to seek information from #Pentagon counterparts, 5 people familiar with the incident said, were met w/ few explanations for what could have caused it.
(DIR) Post #AwUgfh8DGbELDUA5mS by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:04:03Z
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The #US Department of #Defense declined to comment. Reuters couldn’t determine whether #WhiteHouse or #Pentagon officials after the shutdown had any exchanges with #Musk over the outage.The #Kherson episode is distinct from an earlier report of an incident that purportedly occurred that same September, involving #Crimea just to the south, & raised concerns about Musk’s ability to influence the conflict in #Ukraine.#power #influence #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUgnbGex58VLZskyW by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:05:30Z
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In his 2023 biography of #Musk, author Walter Isaacson reported that the tycoon had ordered #Starlink to disable coverage in #Crimea, which #Russia had annexed from #Ukraine after a 2014 invasion that the international community condemned as #illegal. Musk, Isaacson wrote, believed a planned Ukrainian attack on Russian vessels in the Crimean port of Sevastopol could prompt #nuclear retaliation.#power #influence #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUh9HGnz1plhEHqnQ by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:09:23Z
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After the book was published, #Musk denied a shutdown, saying that there had never been coverage in #Crimea…. He said he had, rather, rejected a Ukrainian request to provide service ahead of Kyiv’s planned attack.Isaacson later conceded his account was flawed…#SpaceX also said in 2023 that it had taken unspecified steps to prevent #Ukraine from using #Starlink for certain activities, including drone attacks. “Our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes,”Gwynne Shotwell…said.
(DIR) Post #AwUhJuXEqrXsN22mP2 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:11:21Z
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“There are things that we can do, & have done” to prevent it, she added, without providing further detail.Reuters couldn’t determine if the shutdown affecting Kherson was among the steps she was referring to…Following the start of the Kherson shutdown, word of an outage emerged in some media reports. At the time, it wasn’t clear to those who lost connectivity whether a technical problem, sabotage or some other factor was responsible.#Musk #Starlink #power #influence #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUhfN381zJit5C1lA by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:15:13Z
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Early in the war, #Russia orchestrated a large #cyberattack that disrupted service of another #satellite operator, Western ofcls said, …leaving a void quickly filled by #Starlink.…As of April 2025, acc/to #Ukraine…, Kyiv has received >50k Starlink terminals. Easily transported & deployed, the pizza-box-sized devices communicate w/thousands of #SpaceX satellites now circling the globe. An initial batch of terminals was provided to Ukraine by SpaceX…. Further terminals have arrived from donors…
(DIR) Post #AwUhtocWJuQ8S1dQgK by glc@mastodon.online
2025-07-25T14:17:47Z
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@Nonilex Flawed.Oh, I see.His account had a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Could happen to anyone ... An elegant choice of words; I confess to a certain admiration.
(DIR) Post #AwUi137smnhXT1knlQ by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:19:08Z
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This account of the outage, & the growing #dependence on #Musk by governments & militaries worldwide, is based on interviews with >3 dozen people with knowledge of #SpaceX operations & the company’s #technology. These people included current & former employees, #US & #Europe military officials, & senior politicians & diplomats.The reporting puts a spotlight on Musk’s #control of services now #critical to countries including the US, which has about $22B in contracts w/SpaceX.#Starlink #power
(DIR) Post #AwUi73SITV4CE4AMEK by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:20:13Z
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Underscoring the point himself during his recent dispute with #Trump, #Musk threatened to decommission a #SpaceX spacecraft the US now relies upon to transport #astronauts & critical cargo.His threat, later retracted, unnerved attorneys at #NASA, who felt forced to explore whether Musk’s warning could be considered a notice of #contract termination, according to two people familiar with the matter.#Starlink #power #influence #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUiR2JcQHJiTwdQDg by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:23:50Z
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“There needs to be some contractual assurances” that #Musk won’t cut off services to the #US govt, said Lori Garver, a fmr deputy administrator of #NASA. “We will need to consider how comfortable the US will be at putting #SpaceX in the critical path on #NationalSecurity.”As countries increasingly rely on #tech companies for everything from #CyberDefense to #DataStorage, the question of #dependence on one or a few dominant service providers will apply to other nations, too.#power #corruption
(DIR) Post #AwUiaqHA2ac82OA2ng by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:25:36Z
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…#SpaceX is the first company to establish an extensive network of communication satellites in low-Earth orbit, a region of #space that is closer to the planet than areas where such satellites historically reside. The proximity of #satellites that now make up the company’s constellation allows #Starlink to offer space-based #wireless connectivity that is faster than any previously available.#Musk #power #influence #corruption #oligarchy
(DIR) Post #AwUiuaDbS3301nuUBk by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T14:29:10Z
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#Starlink on Thurs suffered a rare #global #outage of several hours, the company said, because of an internal software problem. A #Ukraine military commander in a social media post said “Starlink is down across the entire front,” updating the post 2½ hours later to say connectivity had returned.With >7,900 #satellites now in orbit, #SpaceX has become the world’s largest satellite operator. Its devices…account for about ⅔ of all active satellites in #space….#Musk #power #influence #corruption
(DIR) Post #AwUkKoeKWGbYGiU4H2 by Greengordon@spore.social
2025-07-25T14:45:00Z
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@Nonilex Surely:1. No government or especially military will include Starlink in their systems, and2. Is this not treasony? "#Musk ordered shutdown of #Starlink satellite service as #Ukraine retook territory from #Russia"
(DIR) Post #AwUkijoCAYfWClVO2i by nonproductive@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T14:49:24Z
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@Nonilex Had to remove any trace of voting hacks before he outs DJT.
(DIR) Post #AwUlEpyykZiYcTr68G by gimulnautti@mastodon.green
2025-07-25T14:55:13Z
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@Nonilex I’ve suspected Elon Musk has a lot of personal contacts with Russian oligarchs. By extension this means Putin. Always.Whether Putin ordered this or not may never be found, but I have grave suspicions that there was a call. From Russia. To Elon Musk.
(DIR) Post #AwUliFVcvE1mBe9PcG by fathermucker@mastodon.online
2025-07-25T15:00:31Z
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@Nonilex Trump could do the funniest thing ever by seizing Starlink.
(DIR) Post #AwUmav9sHsuGzs2uMS by Sassinake@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T15:10:18Z
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@Nonilex like Zeus, on mount Olympus, throwing lightning bolts as whomever displeases him, or just for shits and giggles. Rich White Male gods.
(DIR) Post #AwUngYPRsblu8Oa3Gq by Kierkegaanks@beige.party
2025-07-25T15:22:37Z
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@Nonilex would be a shame if they put out an arrest order
(DIR) Post #AwUnpEbmrvJNKSUVCC by Killertomato@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T15:24:12Z
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@Nonilex I don't get how they are still relying on starlink in the first place. Musk has been shown to be in Russias pocket for years now. I would assume someone would have mentioned the operational risks of trusting starlink
(DIR) Post #AwUnv2xt4WtYxFbEci by antdude@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T15:25:16Z
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@Nonilex Was that why there was an outage yesterday in USA?
(DIR) Post #AwUoLVqsIHL64hwJ1M by Nonilex@masto.ai
2025-07-25T15:30:04Z
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@antdude It was global
(DIR) Post #AwUqE5aTkIyWUxrGxk by miki_lou@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T15:51:00Z
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@Nonilex It is beyond sad that remote communities in northern #Canada are so tied to this disgusting enterprise. https://cabinradio.ca/250427/news/economy/infrastructure/telecoms/starlink-service-restored-after-hours-long-outage/
(DIR) Post #AwUt8JAGeXP6jTX7Ro by Npars01@mstdn.social
2025-07-25T16:23:38Z
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@Nonilex Musk, the megalomaniac, now decides the fate of nations, but only in his own mind.The people of Ukraine decide their fate, not a fossil fuel funded wingnut.https://cepa.org/article/should-elon-musk-decide-who-wins-wars/https://contrarian.substack.com/p/elon-musk-trumps-private-citizenhttps://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/elon-musks-ai-fuelled-war-on-human-agencyhttps://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/2/21/musk-vows-to-fix-x-after-polls-show-high-support-for-ukraines-zelenskyyhttps://www.newsweek.com/musk-doge-ukraine-children-2045330https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/28/elon-musks-shadow-rule
(DIR) Post #AwUtCzmEAC563BWWsS by impy@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T16:24:32Z
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@Nonilex Deport Muck to Mars now
(DIR) Post #AwUu5JObR8OGXENDeK by Lazarou@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T16:34:19Z
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@Nonilex my first thought about that and related to that other Starlink Ukraine story today "were Ukraine making a headway against Russia again?"
(DIR) Post #AwUuWgskDvpRC8WkjY by ChrisHolladay@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T16:39:16Z
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@Nonilex Musk thinks he is God.Thoughts and prayers for Starlink and its owner?How about billionaires riding their plane all the way down like a rock?Just like their satellite service
(DIR) Post #AwUui4yUzHvN6QeJii by Npars01@mstdn.social
2025-07-25T16:41:21Z
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@Nonilex Musk is begging governments to nationalize hid companies.
(DIR) Post #AwUvtiJbA4FGFod7tA by SchepBernard@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T16:54:36Z
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@Nonilex what happened to Eutelsat stopping in when #naziMusk shut down Starlink?
(DIR) Post #AwV0NEk64kwh2ZMEz2 by Ulrich_the_elder@thecanadian.social
2025-07-25T17:44:48Z
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@Nonilex So can we call musk a war criminal now? It seems like that is what this is....
(DIR) Post #AwV2DKf3Po9uPRP6Ey by lin11c@toad.social
2025-07-25T18:05:25Z
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@Nonilex It's beyond time for all governments to completely replace Starlink. I can't believe how dangerous this is, and that Musk has been allowed to wield this power. Truly evil. ☠️
(DIR) Post #AwV4DFNfFQLvwNMCIq by facebita@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T18:27:50Z
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@Nonilex Dass #elonmusk nicht alle Latten am Zaun hat, ist nicht neu. Dass man das über ihn sagen darf™, weil er eine n reicher Mann ist, während man Gleiches über #gretathunberg nicht sagen darf™, weil sie eine nicht reiche Frau ist, ist auch nicht neu. Ganz neu wäre allerdings, sich nicht darüber zu empören, dass die Welt schlecht ist.
(DIR) Post #AwV7UzHk83KV61jppo by Brokar@mastodon.social
2025-07-25T19:04:39Z
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@Nonilex That's why you shouldn't trust private companies with critical stuff.They do not care about you, they only care about themselves, money and their shareholders and in the end only follow their own agenda.
(DIR) Post #AwV7X5YDntkr6mRpZI by n_dimension@infosec.exchange
2025-07-25T19:05:02Z
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@Nonilex I think that it is excellent that Felon Moscovite is demonstrating that use of #starlink for military purposes is a mistake.The sooner Euros get their own constellation up the better.#ukraine #nato
(DIR) Post #AwV93QqYGKn4NP0YgS by the_turtle@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-07-25T19:22:03Z
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@Nonilex it was actually reported at the time. I remember hearing about this in near-real-time... i suspect they buried it soon after.
(DIR) Post #AwVMllVs5L8ycNnySW by darren@c.im
2025-07-25T19:49:44Z
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@Nonilex Nationalize Starlink. And SpaceSex
(DIR) Post #AwVhG18uXMDMralgkC by GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai
2025-07-26T01:45:20Z
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@Nonilex I mean, in any other circumstance, he would be flagged for what he is. He’s enemy combatant.The other way to tag what he’s doing is he’s engaged in foreign relations as a fucking private citizen. This is against the law and I believe normally something like that would land you in jail.But we don’t live in a world where the same rules apply to people with the the world’s largest net worth
(DIR) Post #AwVvmdTSxIcSN5pY2a by KanaMauna@sauropods.win
2025-07-26T04:28:02Z
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@Nonilex People died by his actions. I’m pretty sure they have relatives. Bereaved relatives sometimes do things unpleasant. He can’t have his kid on his shoulders forever. Enough said.
(DIR) Post #AwW2f64tQIk6RkgmAa by Robbe_Duesseldorf@mastodon.social
2025-07-26T05:45:07Z
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@Nonilex ...that is only one reason to call for the expropriation of Elon Musk.As a start.
(DIR) Post #AwWluKhpoYUQ60XiZU by samiamsam@mastodon.social
2025-07-26T14:12:04Z
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@Nonilex probably not a great idea to let the whims of a drug addled psychopath control, well, anything
(DIR) Post #AwWmO1JiT05SeKPx4a by ShredderFeeder@shredderfood.com
2025-07-26T14:17:23Z
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@Nonilex fuck that. We need to nationalize it and take ownership. Fuck musk and his monopoly.
(DIR) Post #AwWuvidlDCfUChNBI0 by Beachbum@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-07-26T15:53:09Z
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@Nonilex There is only one answer to this ongoing problem. #BoycottStarlink
(DIR) Post #AwZ1nyYTFI97F04bbs by peterbrown@mastodon.scot
2025-07-27T16:19:41Z
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@Nonilex starlink should be nationalised. If the USA will not do it then the United Nations should.