From the archive

One right decision doesn't buy absolution

My take: Trump got Venezuela right. He fucked up with Iran. And when it comes to fucking Russia, he's a complete asshole. Those opinions can coexist. Getting one thing right doesn't buy you a lifetime exemption from being called a piece of shit. And Elon Musk? His company has just given me another reason to call him a cowardly bastard. This is about the night of October 13–14, 2026. Ukrainian officials reported that SpaceX imposed restrictions on moving Starshield terminals without warning, disrupting combat drone missions. The initially reported cutoff was around 160 km/h; Sternenko later relayed reports of connection losses at 60–70 km/h. This isn't a claim that all Ukrainian Starlink service went dark. It's about restrictions hitting military operations, including strikes against Russian logistics on occupied Ukrainian territory. I suspect political pressure. But there is no independent evidence that the White House ordered the change, and I haven't seen proof that Musk personally ordered it or that these restrictions caused specific deaths. If he made that call and Ukrainian troops died because of it, then, in my view, he has their blood on his hands. Calling it a service restriction doesn't make the consequences harmless. Someone else gets to face them in a trench.