Thoughts on Elon Musk and DOGE

As you all know, my fantastic readers, Elon Musk 

is helping President Donald Trump to rein in the costs

of government at the federal level. Although not 

officially a cabinet member, Musk knows how to 

utilize money, including how to carefully allocate 

it on a large scale; look at his business ventures 

which include, but aren't limited to the Tesla 

automobile, spacecraft, and AI (artificial intelligence).

He shall be heading up the Department of Government 

Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE, with the mission

of identifying and eliminating things from unnecessary 

government departments and functions to wasteful 

expenditures of tax money. It's about high time that 

someone undertakes this sorely needed task, and 

President Trump has taken on the role with Musk 

riding shotgun, so to speak.

National Review said in its latest issue, that Musk 

"should combine an old and new passion, and launch

some federal agencies into the sun."  Stated in its

section "The Week", NR's witty take on the political

news of the day, may your mirthful Peasant suggest 

that Musk aim the rocket carrying the agencies at

a black hole? Nothing that goes into one never comes 

out.

Gee, the next four years are going to be a lot of fun!

MEM

Greenpeace Faces the Consequences of Its Actions

The international environmental activist organization

Greenpeace is known for its confrontational tactics in

fighting to preserve certain species of wildlife and

land owned by or adjacent to indigenous peoples. 

Sometimes they break laws in order to make their 

point, including engaging in destruction of private

property. Well, this time they had taken it on their 

collective chin to the tune of a $667 million verdict

against them in court.

A North Dakota jury very recently ordered Greenpeace

to pay $667 million in damages for its destructive 

campaign in the '10s to block the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Energy Transfer LP, the plaintiff, gave strong evidence 

during the trial that Greenpeace defamed the company 

and abetted vandals. Protesters threw feces and burning 

logs at security officers, and had even chained themselves

to construction equipment. All to get the pipeline's

financial backers to step aside from the DAPL project

by claiming --- quite erroneously --- that the company's

"personnel deliberately desecrated documented burial 

grounds and other culturally important sites," T

Energy Transfer stated that Greenpeace's actions delayed

the pipeline's construction and increased construction 

costs by hundreds of millions  of dollars. Greenpeace 

said, in its defense, as it never expressly order the vandalism

even if it did train protesters. The jury wasn't buying it,

therefore it awarded the colossal amount in damages that

it did. 

Greenpeace tried to cloak their actions in the First Amendment,

stating that they were merely exercising their free speech and

protest rights. However, there are no 1A rights to defame and

destroy. This is a commonly fallacious way of thinking among

far-left groups that take violent actions against people and 

property in their protests. Maybe this ruling will persuade such

groups to reconsider their methods of protestation.

But your leery Peasant wouldn't bet on it.

MEM

Unexpected Sick Leave

Your much-loved Peasant wants to offer my apologies for my having

disappeared rather suddenly and without notice; I was sick with some

sort of influenza for about 1 1/2 weeks, spending much of the time in

bed. I of course didn't engage in my blogging activities. As a matter of 

fact, this was the sickest that I have been since my near-fatal heart 

attack four years earlier. 

As of this writing I am still not quite at 100% but am gradually getting 

there. Hopefully by next week I shall have a new offering for all of you,

my grand and wonderful readers, and we'll be back on track. For now,

please accept my apologies for my unannounced absence and thanks

for your understanding, your concern, and your wishes for my 

regaining my physical health. Thank you all for keeping me in your 

thoughts and prayers! We'll gather together here again soon!

MEM