The Prosecution of George Soros
Sunday 19 January 2025
In a recent interview on X, Elon Musk claimed that, in his opinion, George Soros "hates humanity." This bold statement, coming from the platform’s owner, carries significant weight and raises questions about Musk's understanding of Soros's life and work.
Musk mentioned Soros's "troubled upbringing" but made no comparison to his own troubled upbringing. Such a comparison, however, might have underscored a fact Musk seems unable to grasp: what it meant to be a 13-year-old Jewish boy in Budapest during the height of the Nazi occupation in 1944. If Musk were to visit the Jewish Synagogue in the heart of Budapest, he would see gravestone after gravestone marked 1944—a stark reminder of the 424,000 Hungarian Jews deported to Auschwitz in just eight weeks. Others were shot and thrown into the Danube. Soros survived this horror as a child, a reality that would trouble any moral person deeply. Does Musk understand history or did he forget this unimaginable chapter?
George Soros has long supported progressive causes, much as the Koch brothers have championed conservative ones. Musk, meanwhile, has given more financial backing to Trump than Soros and Koch combined have given to any candidate. But because Soros funds liberal causes—such as supporting judges Musk considers "soft on crime"—a giant leap of faith is made in accusing Soros of hating humanity. That logic is akin to calling Musk a murderer and blaming him for all electric vehicle-related deaths because of his influence on the EV industry.
Source: Wikipedia
The accusation that Soros "hates humanity" also reflects a troubling pattern. Around the world, Soros has become a convenient scapegoat for populist leaders. His Jewish heritage and foreign accent make him a target for subtle and overt bigotry. The anti-Soros narrative has parallels to the “stab-in-the-back” myth that spread across Europe after World War I, blaming Jews for Germany and Austria’s defeat. Today, Soros is similarly blamed for everything from election interference to wildfires in California—an absurd but effective tactic for sowing division.
Musk, a self-professed voracious reader, claims to have read the Bible. Yet his comments about Soros suggest he may have overlooked—or forgotten—the Ninth Commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Spreading misinformation, whether on social media or in public discourse, erodes trust and fuels division. The Ninth Commandment may have been observed day one on platforms like Facebook and Twitter but surely was discarded by noon in favor of capitalism's First Commandment: Revenue.
Musk criticized Soros for “breaking the Bank of England,” referring to his role in shorting the British pound in 1992. However, Musk fails to mentioned the role the Bank of England played in making itself vulnerable. Whether one agrees with his methods or not, Soros’s achievements are widely respected in financial circles and the envy of hedge fund managers. Framing them as destructive plays into the anti-Soros narrative.
Despite the relentless attacks, law-and-order figures like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, India’s Narendra Modi, and Donald Trump have never charged Soros with any crimes. The reason is simple: he hasn’t committed any. Soros’s philanthropic efforts, from funding schools like Central European University to supporting political causes, remain legal and, for many, admirable. By joining the anti-Soros bandwagon, Musk aligns himself with populist leaders like Orbán, Modi, and Trump. This may bolster Musk’s public persona among certain audiences, but it risks undermining his credibility with others.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: it’s not that Musk is wrong; it’s just that so much of what he says isn’t true.
In the News… Eric, Unions, & Elon Overload
Sunday 5 January 2025
Eric Trump is "so back"…
…and all in on buying Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal, like a Black Friday special on Amazon. We had hoped his childhood summers in the Czech Republic might have given him a broader worldview. But it seems those memories have faded, and Eric’s perspective has been reduced to a game of RISK—a colorful playboard with matching pieces provides all the worldview he needs.
Culture, language, and tradition have no place in the pursuit of greatness.
Perhaps Eric thinks everyone wants to be an American and get a whiff of the Trump experience, willingly or by force.
He has been busy and could have missed the DOGE memo about reducing the Federal Government’s footprint. Or maybe he forgot to consider the burden of his proposed acquisitions—dragging on for years, costing billions, and ultimately amounting to nothing. A bit like the border wall.
It will be interesting to see which plan wins out: one (DOGE) that helps the country to run more efficiently or one that’s a replay of Trump 45.
Union Stumbling Block
When Elon Musk said the road ahead will be hard for many, he likely hadn’t considered (and perhaps didn’t know) that 10% of Federal Government employees are union members. This fact is not limited to a handful of agencies but exists throughout the Federal Government. Military and intelligence personnel are not allowed to unionize, but thousands of civilians employed who support the Department of Defense and the intelligence community are unionized.
Elon and Vivek will face some nasty uphill battles with their current agenda. But there’s a solution… if only the boys would read the white paper I sent each in November. White paper for America 2.0 and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Section 3. Approach reads:
Government reform should aim to retain essential talent. Rather than mass termination, a program of mass transitions would be more effective. Civil servants would compete for roles where their skills are most needed—both in and outside the Federal Government. This approach is more publicly appealing and less likely to face resistance from federal unions.
It's not too late! With little work, DOGE could use a service like LinkedIn to help transitioning civil servants out of government to better places. With a booming economy there’s not a better time to pull this off with minimal collateral damage.
Some want to see the retribution Trump promised: mass terminations and a long line of people with packed belongings and blank stares. A bit like when Lehman Brothers closed its doors in 2008. This is the image unions organizers will want to portray. A transition plan, on the other hand, is a different matter and one the unions will find harder to interfere with.
Elon Overload
I’m sorry to admit it, but my admiration for Elon Musk is diminishing.
While I agree with many of his ideas on DOGE, and praise his engineering accomplishments above all, I feel his financial power and influence are unhealthy – for Musk and the country alike. It’s hard to believe he’s a genius when so much trash is spewed from his mouth and on X.
Smart people generally know not to run their mouth.
I have a Tesla Model Y. It’s the best car I’ve ever driven, however, last year I came to realize the car wasn’t entirely mine. During a snowy day the autopilot kept disengaging. Twice I stopped the car to reset it. After an hour it went out entirely. On the screen the steering wheel flashed red. But what I most remember was Tesla’s reprimand.
My Tesla Y (named “E-lon”) threatened to suspend autopilot for up to a week or more. I was being treated like a child by the little Elon within the electronics that control every aspect of the car.
When I called Tesla support the next day, I learned the autopilot issue was caused by something unrelated to my driving - a dirty rear camera. Despite being a very safe car, I now realize that I could be driven off a cliff someday by a guy who wants to save the world but is okay with taking away a safety feature when it’s most needed. For Elon I’m a statistic. My life, a puff of air.
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Footnote: Donald J. Trump won!
His recent post on X is a repeat of what we heard on the campaign trail. Somebody should tell Donald J. Trump that he won the election and the debate over America’s future. Now is the time to execute on that vision, not to waste energy ranting about it.
I attempted to communicate this message diplomatically to the President-elect but, upon checking, it seems my comment was deleted. I guess I wasn’t diplomatic enough.
Budget Cuts vs Efficiency
Sunday 22 December 2024
As I listen to Elon and Vivek, I’m concerned the duo may be conflating budget cuts with efficiency. While there is some overlap, cuts do not necessarily equate to efficiency. In fact, if not handled properly, budget cuts can backfire and end up costing taxpayers more.
It’s easy to imagine a few key people being swept out the door, only to discover a month later that we need to pay a contractor ten times more to do their work. It’s the moment when contractors salivate and rake in millions.
Elon proposes eliminating redundan
cy and improving operational efficiency by consolidating over 400 federal
agencies into fewer than 100. And Vivek wants to "delete" some agencies and reduce inefficiencies by slashing the government’s headcount by 75%. I agree with these objectives and believe they’re achievable. However, they’re far less likely to succeed if civil servants are terminated without a transition plan. “You’re fired” may have worked in reality TV and thrilled audiences, but when it comes to building a better nation, shaming fellow Americans is destructive, counterproductive, and unethical.
A transition serves as a filter for identifying the best people in government. This includes those capable of managing tomorrow’s leaner federal government. But it could also be a means for building a team of smart accountants incentivized to recover some of the $247 billion lost to error and fraud in 2022, as reported by the GAO.
A transition plan also helps civil servants find their next job outside government. This is important as mass terminations not only create personal hardships but also put the economy at risk. Transitioning, on the other hand, removes the stigma of a job loss and mitigates the economic downturn that could accompany the termination of over a million people.
We should imagine the federal government as a castle entangled in vines. We can tear down the vines and risk toppling the castle, or we can cut the vines meticulously – while restoring the castle to its original splendor.
Is Elon Musk the right man for DOGE?
Sunday 15 December 2024
If efficiency is implemented in Washington like it has been on X, we should expect a Federal Government infiltrated by crooks and scammers. This was my recent experience. It began when a woman named Christy Beck, “Social Media Assistant to Elon Musk,” kicked off a process that attempted to rob me of $50,000.
His engineering skills are beyond this world. Through hard work and determination, Elon Musk has succeeded in bringing science fiction to the real world while addressing some of mankind’s biggest challenges. X, however, is not about sending people to Mars but more about wreaking havoc on the common Untermensch that remain on Earth. Musk calls it free speech, but his passive attitude has been a welcoming card to bad actors. And there are many on X, parading about right under the nose of its owner and genius, Elon Musk.
FAKE + REAL = X
We can all understand the bitterness Elon felt. He was forced to buy a company he didn’t want, and at a premium yet. This, however, doesn’t justify what followed, certainly not for a man who says: “If you are not rigorous about truth and honesty then you are going to live in a deluded world.” (Reference: Aspire to Be Honest by Gail Alfar.)
After acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Elon reduced the workforce by approximately 80%, cutting the number of full-time employees from 7,500 to about 1,500. Significant layoffs occurred across departments, including trust and safety.
Those cuts were needed, just like Washington cuts are needed. However, in the process of downsizing Twitter, Elon abandoned the rigors of truth in exchange for a better profit margin.
Today X is not shy about its disregard for rigor in defense of truth and honesty. The infamous blue mark that most see as a sign of a user’s authenticity is now a mockery of what it once meant. Instead of validating users, X’s Premium subscription fee now does the opposite—assuring subscribers that they “will not undergo review.”
Having already encountered a number of Elon Musk impersonators, I thought I was on the right track when I received a reply from Christy Beck, “SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT TO ELON MUSK.” With an account on X, a blue checkmark, and 11k posts, I assumed Christy to be the real deal. She wasn’t, but rather the keeper of a rathole defended by a man who gets teary-eyed when talking about the importance of truth and honesty but shows no willingness to uphold these principles on X.
Beck provided me Elon’s address on Telegram: @RealElonMusk_X. She promised nothing but suggested I give it a try. I wrote Elon and applauded the creation of DOGE. I also informed Elon of my background and research in this area and shared a white paper I had written for DOGE. Two days later, I received a reply from Elon and a short note of appreciation for the DOGE white paper. Wow, I thought, is this actually happening. Wanting to stay on his radar, a few days later, I sent Elon an article I had drafted on DOGE. I thought he might see my move as pushy, but I considered that a plus.
Within a few hours, I received a very positive reply from Elon. To this, I asked if I could help the DOGE team. Elon replied yes, and I shared my email and cell phone. I didn’t understand the context, but Elon wrote that I would be hearing from his Wealth Manager. He didn’t provide a name, but I searched and quickly found Jared Birchall.
Late the next day, I received a text message from a person claiming to be Jared Birchall. It looked like things were coming together. Jared explained that he would be assisting me in the onboarding process. I hadn’t asked about money and wasn’t expecting anything other than an opportunity to get involved and volunteer my time.
It was Saturday when things turned odd. Jared had texted me and asked if I was familiar with Top Capital Choice (TCC), a crypto trading platform. He wanted me to open an account on TCC and deposit $5,000. He explained that Elon asks this of all team members. It seemed strange, but I rationalized it as Elon’s version of the Franklin Effect—where getting a person to do something for you makes them like you.
The TCC website was new to me, but I could see it was designed for crypto trading. Despite the risk, I saw it as an opportunity to ride the DOGE coin wave and other assets hyped by Elon. My $5,000 wire was pending and would go out Monday morning.
Sensing my vulnerability, scam-team Elon went off script a few hours later. Not Jared, but the world’s richest man wanted me to join his VIP team, but for a fee of $100,000! The generous Elon would cover half of it. My heart sank when I read this message because I couldn’t imagine any billionaire wasting time on pennies. This was not the Franklin Effect but a scam.
I informed Elon that I would need to have a video call with him. I didn’t expect one, but a short while later, I received a voice message from Elon—short and to the point—it sounded every bit like the real Elon Musk. The fake Elon said he was too busy for a video call but encouraged me to move forward with Jared. Despite being anxious to get my money, the fake Jared was also too busy to meet online.
I summarized the history of events and sent them to a trusted friend, along with a copy of the Musk voice message. Within an hour, he exposed Christy as a fraud and the voice message from Elon to be AI-generated. I logged into my bank account and canceled the pending transfer.
Today’s X is the “deluded world” that Elon warned of.
We can give Elon the permissions he needs to launch rockets to the Moon and Mars, and for the Full Self-Driving Tesla, but we should keep him far from anything that requires the rigors of truth and honesty. Better to leave this to Vivek.
Fred Eberlein