California officials: SpaceX shouldn’t be allowed to launch from Vandenberg because we hate Elon Musk
In voting yesterday to reject a plan by the military to increase the number of launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, members of the California Coastal Commission admitted openly they did so because they do not like Elon Musk and his publicly stated political preferences.
The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected the Air Force’s plan to give SpaceX permission to launch up to 50 rockets a year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
“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,” Commissioner Gretchen Newsom said at the meeting in San Diego.
…“I really appreciate the work of the Space Force,” said Commission Chair Caryl Hart. “But here we’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and he’s managed a company in a way that was just described by Commissioner Newsom that I find to be very disturbing.”
It must be noted that this vote is not legally binding on the military. Though it has always tried to work in cooperation with this commission, it has the right to decide for itself how many launches it wants to allow out of Vandenberg. Whether it will defy the commission however is uncertain, and likely depends entirely on who wins the presidential election. If Harris wins, she will likely order the Space Force to not only obey the commission but to further limit launches by SpaceX at Vandenberg. If Trump wins, he will likely tell the Space Force to go ahead and expand operations, ignoring the immoral political machinations of these commissioners.
And it must be emphasized how immoral and improper these commissioners are. Their task is to regulate the use of the California coast in order to protect it for all future users, from beach-goers to rocket companies. It is not their right to block the coast’s use to certain individuals simply because those individuals have expressed political views they oppose. Not only does this violate Musk’s first amendment rights, it is an outright abuse of power.
If anyone in California reading this article wishes to tell these commissioners what they think of their actions yesterday, you can find their contact information here.
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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In voting yesterday to reject a plan by the military to increase the number of launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, members of the California Coastal Commission admitted openly they did so because they do not like Elon Musk and his publicly stated political preferences.
The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected the Air Force’s plan to give SpaceX permission to launch up to 50 rockets a year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
“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,” Commissioner Gretchen Newsom said at the meeting in San Diego.
…“I really appreciate the work of the Space Force,” said Commission Chair Caryl Hart. “But here we’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and he’s managed a company in a way that was just described by Commissioner Newsom that I find to be very disturbing.”
It must be noted that this vote is not legally binding on the military. Though it has always tried to work in cooperation with this commission, it has the right to decide for itself how many launches it wants to allow out of Vandenberg. Whether it will defy the commission however is uncertain, and likely depends entirely on who wins the presidential election. If Harris wins, she will likely order the Space Force to not only obey the commission but to further limit launches by SpaceX at Vandenberg. If Trump wins, he will likely tell the Space Force to go ahead and expand operations, ignoring the immoral political machinations of these commissioners.
And it must be emphasized how immoral and improper these commissioners are. Their task is to regulate the use of the California coast in order to protect it for all future users, from beach-goers to rocket companies. It is not their right to block the coast’s use to certain individuals simply because those individuals have expressed political views they oppose. Not only does this violate Musk’s first amendment rights, it is an outright abuse of power.
If anyone in California reading this article wishes to tell these commissioners what they think of their actions yesterday, you can find their contact information here.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
More females. This is becoming a definite pattern.
Should/when Trump takes office, we will see how this works out.
Do you mean that minor bureaucrats would try to interfere with political opponents?
This can not be true.
Imagine what a few petty functionaries could do from a higher office in Washington.(FAA)
Even a field inspector could hold up a launch if they just wait to submit paperwork.
When Ohio originally passed their CCW licensing rules they let the local sheriff have 90 days to hold the paperwork. Even if it was good and everything passed. It would sit on his desk for 90 days.
I was actually told by my instructor(who was a sheriffs deputy) to go to the neighboring county and have them do the paperwork because it would only take a week.
Gee, I just can’t imagine why Elon is trying to move as much of his business out of the Golden State as he can.
Unfortunately, he can’t do without Vandenberg. Fortunately for him, the Space Force cannot do without SpaceX, but they can do without the California Coastal Commission, and they will. Even if Kamala gets elected. (Her coterie has other tools at hand with which to persecute Elon.)
Kamala will just replace the Space Force commander until they agree to stop any launches more than just the minimum.
At what point will Elon be forced to throw in the towel during the next administration? He may not have many choices. I think we’ll see Elon bend the knee and pay significant tribute, and/or be so severely kneecapped to become irrelevant. Maybe worse, his thought crimes are pretty egregious.
At what point will Elon be forced to throw in the towel during the next administration?
That point may depend in part, among other things, on whether Republicans win one or both houses of Congress.
Look, the hard reality is that the current polling shows basically a dead heat, with maybe a very slight Kamala advantage. Her internals are said to be slightly worse, but they might be off, too. In short, it is quite possible that she *will* win. People need to be planning for that possibility — people especially like Elon.
I think Trump will win. But in the event Kamala does, I predict a pandemic of buyer’s remorse such that if we can make it to the next election, the Democrats won’t stand a chance! That’s a big “if” of course!
Well, lets see. How about launching out of Texas or Nevada or any other damn state? F-California.
Hello Ray,
Oh, she’ll be a very unpopular president. KHive supporters will be falling back on “Well, at least we kept Trump’s Fourth Reich out of power” self-therapy line at light speed. That won’t matter much to the elite circles behind her, of course.
Hello Rich,
Well, lets see. How about launching out of Texas or Nevada or any other damn state? F-California.
Part of the problem is the orbits Vandy can reach, not so easily replicated at the Cape — orbits that matter especially for their DoD contracts. Also, they have one (SLC-4), soon to be two (SLC-6) pads out there, the second to be configured for Falcon Heavy, and replacing those pads will take time – and they will lose a lot of cadence in the meanwhile.
Still, it might be time for Elon to start thinking about alternatives, if he hasn’t already. (I assume he has!) It’s a good thing all of his Starship infrastructure is going into Texas and Florida, which is bad enough as it is for regulatory compliance.
A launch out of Canada or Alaska could be possible.
Tucker Carlson on X
Elon Musk full interview
https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1843375397024485778
America has bases throughout the world that would welcome a lunch complex. he has a factory in Nevada, and Nevada is mostly desert… Guam has the infrastructure, can you see several landing pads and a set a chopsticks there? Whatever happened to the oil platform that he purchased? Anchored in international waters to avoid California may work. Starting to sound like a James Bond movie?
With the new law against people making Memes (which will kill the late night industry of all their jokes) Elon will be arrested the moment he steps in California.
It is worth noting, by the way, that the tempo SpaceX is attempting to build up to at Vandenberg is hardly unprecedented for the base. Someone at the NSF forums dug up the annual launch totals for Vandy back in the 1960’s and 1970’s (sourced from Jonathan McDowell’s GCAT), when it was consistently well over 40 per year, rising to as much as 122!
1962 – 58
1963 – 91
1964 – 105
1965 – 101
1966 – 122
1967 – 115
1968 – 78
1969 – 95
1970 – 87
1971 – 84
1972 – 65
1973 – 44
1974 – 49
1975 – 47
1976 – 41
(These totals include suborbital launches.)
Maybe this would cut no ice with the Coastal Commission. But again, it’s far from unprecedented. And the local wildlife does not seem to have been compromised by it.
The plan to increase the number of SpaceX rocket launches to up to 50 a year was rejected by the California Coastal Commission on Thursday, with some officials citing Musk’s incredibly political posts on his social media platform X.
“We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,” commission Chair Caryl Hart said.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/spacex-launch-elon-musk-us-election-california-b2628129.html
The fascists in Kalifonia do recognize the existence of the First Amendment
Fortunately,they have admitted it in public.
I have long thought that reading(or at least teaching) Atlas Shrugged should be part of high school curriculums
The NTSB isn’t happy with the FAA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oEsB2x2MQ
terence buyds wrote:
“I have long thought that reading(or at least teaching) Atlas Shrugged should be part of high school curriculums”
Yes, but John Galt’s lecture is a long slog for high school, although i did read it at 16. (Given to me by my older sister who turned out to be far left.)
The Fountain Head and We The Living are more accessible.
We The Living was not at all what i expected. i expected a semi-dry lecture on the evils of communism, what i got was a very human love-triangle drama that showed, not told, how communism destroyed three engaging and sympathetic characters.
i have all three (plus Anthem) in hard copy in case Amazon decides to edit or remove them from my Kindle, which they can do without notice.
Just Who Is, Gretchen Newsom?
(Spoiler Alert- she’s the Manchurian Commissioner. A real old school Maoist.)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchenkinneynewsom
https://obrag.org/2015/10/new-president-of-ob-town-council-gretchen-newsom-loves-obs-uniqueness/
Would it come as a surprise to anyone that she spent 6 months (circa 2004-ish) “studying” in china and learning to speak chinese. (Her husband spent a year; he speaks fluent chinese.)
IFT-5 Starship/SuperHeavy is go for launch!
https://x.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1845161262075744457
When was the last time Dems had consensual sex?
Judd Clark wrote: “terence buyds wrote: ‘I have long thought that reading(or at least teaching) Atlas Shrugged should be part of high school curriculums’.
“Yes, but John Galt’s lecture is a long slog for high school, although i did read it at 16. (Given to me by my older sister who turned out to be far left.)”
Galt’s speech was nicely abbreviated for the movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN6JV2GXyvg (5 minutes)
You know, the more I read and think about these comments by the CCC commissioners, the angrier it makes me. You don’t want him launching any more because you hate his comments on politics? Really? Who [deleted]] do you think you are? (Sorry, Bob. I hope the asterisks are enough.)
It’s like this entire state commission has now been staffed by Reddit moderators.
Richard M: No, the asterisks are not enough. You are clearly posting an obscenity, in clear violation of my rules.
I have deleted the words. And as much as I very much appreciate your comments here, I am suspending you for the next week. Too many seem to think they can do this without consequences.
Richard M: I should add that I sympathize with your feelings, but it seems to me that since I provide the contact information of these CCC thugs, you might have better spent your anger directly at them.
Anyway, after reconsidering things, I’ve decided to take you off suspension and instead make this a firm warning instead. Comment away!
Hello Bob,
Please accept my sincere apologies. I will compose my future comments more carefully with your warning in mind!
Richard M: Apology accepted. Please note that my reasons for these rules are not simply to keep my website clean, but to keep it civilized. Cursing definitely has a proper time and place, but not in normal discourse. To use curse words (or insults) disconnects you from the thinking half of your brain, and connects you to the savage and childish emotional half. By outlawing such things on BtB, it has definitely forced the discourse to become more thoughtful and educational.
That is not only to my readers’ benefit, I gain from it as well.
Now, if only I could convince people to do the same in normal conversation. The desire to routinely curse, as you did, is not beneficial to society or the future. We are teaching our kids the worst possible behavior.