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The Right Coast
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Liberals are losing their minds over Elon Musk

By Thomas A. Smith

This week, the California Coastal Commission rejected a request from the Air Force for additional launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It is not because the military agency did not need the launches. It was not because the nation and the community would not benefit from them. Rather, it was reportedly because, according to one commissioner, Musk has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.

By a 6-4 vote, the California Coastal Commission rejected the military s plan to let SpaceX launch up to 50 rockets per year from the base in Santa Barbara County. 

Musk s SpaceX is becoming a critical part of national security programs. It will even be launching a rescue mission for two astronauts stranded in space. The advances of SpaceX under Musk are legendary. The Air Force wanted to waive the requirement for separate permits for SpaceX in carrying out these critical missions.

To the disappointment of many, SpaceX is now valued at over $200 billion and just signed a new $1 billion contract with NASA. Yet neither the national security value nor the demands for SpaceX services appear to hold much interest for officials like Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (no relation to California s governor, Gavin Newsom): Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet.

via thehill.com

Jonathan Turley.

Elon is a remarkable fellow. I’m reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of him. His background is classic. A rags to riches story, contrary to the nonsense you may have heard about his father’s emerald mine, which turned out to be merely another of his father’s ill-advised investments.
Elon escaped his abusive home in South Africa and came to Canada, where he scraped by on the kindness of distant relatives for a while. By nature and nurture, the guy has grit to spare. He has needed and will need all of it.

On twitter/X this morning, Elon said he’ll be filing suit against the Coastal Commission tomorrow. He will get a TRO right away, I should think. Eugene Volokh should be all over this. The Coastal Commission should stick to plaguing billionaires who close off public beach access. Elon’s not doing that, is he?