The primary goal of this site is to provide mature, meaningful discussion about the Vancouver Canucks. However, we all need a break some time so this forum is basically for anything off-topic, off the wall, or to just get something off your chest! This forum is named after poster Creeper, who passed away in July of 2011 and was a long time member of the Canucks message board community.
Cornuck wrote: ↑Wed Feb 05, 2025 8:29 pm
The faa.gov website is down.
Wonder when musk's contracts will be reviewed?
Musk reminds me of Gary Oldman’s character in The Fifth Element.
or Mugatu from Zoolander
”This was how twentieth-century Fascism began: with a magnetic leader exploiting widespread dissatisfaction by promising all things.” - Madeleine K. Albright - Fascism: A Warning
How odd that USAID was one of the first agencies 'occupied'. No conflict of interest here! LINK
In 2022, USAID and Starlink collaborated to provide 5,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine, to give the country fighting Russian invasion access to Musk's advanced internet system, operated through SpaceX, as reported by The Lever.
"In addition to another ongoing audit on direct budget support, we are examining USAID's Energy Security Project, USAID's oversight of Starlink Satellite Terminals provided to the Ukrainian government, and USAID's efforts to protect against sexual exploitation and abuse in Ukraine," Martin told Congress.
"When completed, we look forward to sharing the findings of these reports with the subcommittee."
However, one of Musk's first moves as DOGE chief has been to dismantle USAID, convincing the Trump administration that the agency is a waste of federal spending and not fit for purpose.
This raises a potential conflict of interest, as Musk's company was under investigation by USAID shortly before he began calling for the shutdown. Starlink's activity in Eastern Europe has been criticized, with many Russian operatives claiming to have access to Starlink despite Musk's assurances that only Ukraine was using the service.
5thhorseman wrote: ↑Wed Feb 05, 2025 7:47 pm
DOGE now has access to Medicare and Medicaid systems. More violations of privacy laws but Congress probably still doesn't care.
United States DOGE Service (USDS) has always had access to Medicare and Medicaid.
It was created under Obama as United States Digital Service (USDS).
Trump has merely renamed and repurposed it, while retaining the same acronym.