SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
[...] Musk has a top-secret level clearance because the company he founded and leads is certified to launch military spy satellites for the US government.
The review underscores the ramifications of Musk's appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in September, where he took a puff of a marijuana blunt during the livestream. Musk's appearance on the program didn't sit well with NASA's top officials, who earlier this month ordered a review of the workplace cultures of SpaceX and Boeing.
NASA's contracts with the aerospace companies -- worth a combined total of $6.8 billion -- require both companies "maintain a program for achieving a drug-and alcohol-free workforce."
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
Elon Musk's Security Clearance Reportedly Under Review Due to Pot Use
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 78 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
The clothes have no emperor.
-- C. A. R. Hoare, commenting on ADA.
(Score: 3, Disagree) by TheGratefulNet on Friday March 08 2019, @06:10PM (23 children)
I hope they go after him.
why?
he's richer than god and it will take someone rich, like him, to get the laws FINALLY changed.
the states are legalizing it. its not the devil's weed. it does not cause black or mexican men to rape women. nothing 'they' said about it is true and its long overdue that we act like adults and stop the anslingering and the nixoning (two of the worst people in US history who supported these back-asswards laws).
this could be a good opportunity, if we use it right.
regular people can't change laws easily, but the powerful? yeah, its in their domain to change things that they want. lets hope this is an impetus for real change.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @06:12PM (13 children)
I prefer Musk waste his billions getting us into space instead of legalizing pot
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2, Touché) by nitehawk214 on Friday March 08 2019, @06:26PM (6 children)
Why not both?
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 4, Informative) by DannyB on Friday March 08 2019, @07:48PM (5 children)
We will get both. Pot is already well on the way to legalization without taking Musk's money that could be better used to get to Mars.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @10:00PM (4 children)
In my country, He is known to have mental problems and no credibility.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:12AM (2 children)
Those are traits that can make you a billionaire in my country. BTW hi Kylie Jenner.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:44AM (1 child)
> "BTW hi Kylie Jenner."
Huh?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:55AM
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/7/18254738/kylie-jenner-forbes-self-made-billionaire-lip-kits [vox.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday March 10 2019, @08:52PM
Surely you are confusing him with Mr. Trump?
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:51PM (4 children)
You know how whenever someone brings up capital taxes, the rich just laugh it off threatening they'll leave the country? That's what space is: A magical thinking solution to wealthy people's regulatory woes. Why stop strip mining everything in sight and deal with pollution, sociaty's problems and climate change when you can always leave the planet?
Space tourism... Mars... Moon bases... Nuclear bunkers... Underwater cities... It's all variations of exponential trend lines cons. It's just so common nowadays people can't even tell what's good public policy anymore. 50 years ago you'd build infrastructure thinking "This is the problems we're facing. This is the methods we have to solve them. Lets try fixing them". Now you have "This is the problems we're facing. Some wiz kid that made a killing at the stock market came up with a scientific-sounding doohicky that would solve the problem easier in 10 years from now so lets wait while funding him and removing any regulatory barriers while we're at it".
Madness. The lot of it. Dumb immoral madness.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday March 08 2019, @08:11PM (1 child)
Precisely! The elite have stripmined this planet and are now planning to go off-world and let the rest of us slowly rot and starve. Life imitates art, and in this case it's imitating a whole lot of late 20th-century sci-fi. We know they won't be able to do it of course, but they're still going to ruin our natal homeworld...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by Tokolosh on Saturday March 09 2019, @04:06AM
He's already left one country for better prospects in another. You can bet he'll do it again. Just so you know, his first country bitterly regrets his leaving, and wishes he would come back. Same goes for Mark Shuttleworth and numerous others. Be careful what you wish for.
Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Musk is not as heartless as you say, and will include you on the B Ark.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @08:22PM
The technological advances that we use in our daily lives started out as luxuries for the rich. I get the concern about escapism but space is not going to be something you can just sit back and live a vacation in forever. Those who are rich tend to like living the life of luxury and flaunting what they have. You don't get to have fast cars in space (yet), you don't get your own private island with sand, ocean, and beaches (yet), you can't go on long moons-lit walks on Mars on your vast acreage and enjoy nature (yet). You can't own a house high up on Olympus Mons and look out over the vast Martian nature (yet). You get to live in a box, and work out a lot to keep yourself from atrophy, you can't go on walks without bulky suits (possibly just pressure suits with tanks). Mars can be a true workers paradise and you could have the truest utopia there. Yeah you could be rich on Mars, but why?
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:13AM
Bezos proposes that moving industry into space and mining asteroids can be a solution to pollution and strip mining.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by patricepetticoat on Friday March 08 2019, @10:46PM
Sarcasm? Are these the only two options?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday March 08 2019, @06:22PM (2 children)
Who modded you down?
But yeah, I agree with Sulla, now is not the time for that. SpaceX needs a nice flow of cash to successfully develop BFR and Starlink. It's a critical time for the company, and even losing a couple hundred million dollars of potential launches would not be helpful. If BFR and Starlink are successful, SpaceX could be financially secure for decades.
Cannabis is already in a quasi-legal state in most of the country and Democrats have pretty much pledged to legalize it finally. Yeah, yeah, be skeptical of that, but I think there is a good chance it could get done if they take the Presidency and the Senate. And if they renege, it will be a new low (vs. a new high).
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:15AM (1 child)
Why do you think having Democrats win the Presidency and the Senate would matter? Democrats won all 3 branches in 2008 and didn't change a damn thing. Meanwhile, we actually have a president who has hinted that he would sign a bill to legalize it.
Most likely, all branches go republican in 2020. Democrats will often get legislative power, but won't get the presidency until they defeat a reelection bid by Pence or Cruz in 2028.
Legalization might not matter for the sort of trouble Elon Musk is in. You can also get your clearance revoked for being a drunk, despite that being legal.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:23AM
Top Democrats were not preaching cannabis legalization then. Obama was laughing it off. Now you have Schumer and the Dem. Presidential candidates on board, for example.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @08:11PM (5 children)
he's richer than god and it will take someone rich, like him, to get the laws FINALLY changed.
Or you could just vote Democrat. They have descheduling bills in Congress RIGHT NOW. It's only Republicans that are going to stop them.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @08:25PM (3 children)
Meh. If the democrats cared they would have done it when they had all three houses. They are only considering it now because they know it won't pass so their pharma overlords are willing to allow them to do it for political gain. As we established in a prior article, Democrats receive more money from Pharma than Republicans do.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @09:24PM (1 child)
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that 95% of the legal pot states are blue.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @11:10PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Mountain_(TV_series) [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @09:30PM
As we established in a prior article, Democrats receive more money from Pharma than Republicans do.
Also, that is a lie.
Pharmaceuticals / Health Products [opensecrets.org]
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday March 09 2019, @03:34AM
Now this is what I came here to say. Except for the Democrat part.
Denials of security clearances can be appealed, but if Musk keeps his (and we should find out in the next couple weeks) ,and if the reason for the denial is solely for having smoked pot within the past 12 months more than three times, then you could invoke the "Musk" defense just as Sub Picture Guy* [nypost.com] invoked the "Hillary Clinton" defense.
* Epilogue: Trump pardoned Sub Picture Guy.