February 3, 2025

Posted on by Laine et Lumière

Okay y’all. This weekend has been a lot. So let’s take a breath and break it down.

The Bad News

  • Elon Musk is acting as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a bogus organization that does not have any legal power. It takes an act of Congress to create a new government department and then another to confirm its leader. None of this has happened. Musk is an unelected private citizen who has expressed, to put it mildly, sympathy with Nazi ideals. He has zero legal authority over government departments, period.
  • Musk’s team is comprised of men fresh out of college (and one who may still be in college). Their names are Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran. These men do not have clearance to access government databases, and they certainly do not have authority to lock government employees out of offices or computer systems.
  • Elon Musk and this gang of insurrectionists spent the last few days conducting hostile takeovers of two government offices and a government department. They have gained access to the payment systems of the US Treasury, the confidential databases of the Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management, and the offices of the US Agency for International Development. They are physically holding these locations; they have moved in beds so they can stay around the clock, they’re locking government employees out of their offices, and there are reports of employees’ personal belongings being searched.
  • The hostile takeover of the Treasury has given Musk (once again, an unelected, unconfirmed private citizen) control of the payment system for the entire United States government. The hostile takeover of OPM gives him control of the HR department of the government. A group of private citizens, acting with no governmental authority, has conducted a forced and hostile takeover of government systems. This is a coup.
  • Musk and his team of insurrectionists have also used their position at the offices of USAID to attempt to force a shutdown of the department. Once more, government departments can only be established or shuttered by an act of Congress. The executive branch has no legal authority to do that. USAID employees have been told not to come to work today.
  • Trump said on Sunday night that Musk is doing a great job. All of this is being done with his blessing and support. To be clear, this does not make this action legal. Trump and Musk are breaking federal law. This is the equivalent of two guys drinking in a bar, complaining that they don’t like the city providing funding for a new playground, and then breaking into City Hall and refusing to let employees enter the building.
  • This weekend, Trump also announced tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China and has said this will cause “some pain” for the American people. The timing of this is not an accident. They want us distracted and busy looking at grocery prices so we don’t notice the coup that just happened.

What You Can Do

  • First and foremost, call your representatives today. 5 Calls has a fantastic tool to put you in touch with your representatives, as well as scripts to tell you what to say. Calling has much more impact than emailing. Call and make it known that the people will not stand meekly by and watch billionaires steal our government.
  • Talk to your friends and family about this. A lot of people still don’t realize what’s happening, and news sources are being very quiet about it. Make sure the people in your life know what’s happening, and encourage them to call their representatives too.
  • Stay informed about what’s happening. Follow Alt National Park Service if you don’t already. They’re doing a great job of keeping the public informed. Search news stories. Don’t wait for information to come to you, because it won’t.
  • A great way to deal with tariffs is to sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture share. This is basically a subscription box with a local farm or farms that gets you vegetables and potentially meat, dairy, fruit, bread, and so on. These organizations aren’t directly impacted by the tariffs and so may be able to keep prices lower. You’ll also be taking money away from the corporations that are donating to Trump, supporting local business, reducing the environmental impact of shipping food across the country, and getting fresher ingredients.

I know things are scary right now. We aren’t powerless. Fight back. Love and power, babes.