Sabrina - brilliant piece. I'm not a big fan of the word "brilliant", because like so many important words, it has been overused and abused - rendering the depth of its intention impotent. Nonetheless - this take on musketamine as an autonomous compound groping blindly within the world's most consequential command center - is nothing short of brilliant.
Self correction: I hyphened in the wrong place. The one after "nonetheless" belongs after "musketamine". I play fast and loose with hyphens, accidents happen.
I disagree with only one thing in this piece. Musk does not have the "emotional maturity of a pre-pubescent teen.” He’s more like a pubescent teen. Much worse.
Ha ha HA!! Gotta laugh before tearing out my hair. Why do I feel like I am suspended somewhere between the worlds of Batman and Dick Tracy. We've got the comic book super villains, but where are the super heroes??
Sorry for the length of this.... As a therapist retired after over 40 years in practice I was pleased when my state of Oregon legalized the use of psilocybin, which is similar to ketamine, for treatment of certain emotional disorders. This is the psychedelic chemical obtained in certain mushrooms. These mushrooms have been used by native tribes where they are called "sacred mushrooms" and used in certain ceremonies. In Oregon there is a protocol for treatment with psilocybin which always includes a trained facilitator. The following is from the State of Oregon Heath website:
Will someone be there to help me during the administration session?
Yes, a licensed facilitator will support you in your journey. The Oregon Psilocybin Services Act ensures that psilocybin services will be non-directive, which means that licensed facilitators will not direct you or psychoanalyze you while you are in an altered state. They will help calm you, make you comfortable, and be present with you through the entire session but will not interfere with your experience unless you need additional support. For example, facilitators are allowed to engage in appropriate touch, such as on the hand or shoulder, and perhaps a hug, but only if that is agreed up on before the administration session. If you have toileting, mobility, assistive device support or interpretation needs, a client-support person may be allowed to be present with you for an administration session, but they would have to be prepared for the administration session by a licensed facilitator to learn about informed consent, the Client Bill of Rights, and how not to interfere with a session while supporting a client with specific accessibility needs.
Musk is taking katamine on his own. This is no surprise given his egotism. However, it also shows to me that he doesn't want anyone privy to his innermost thoughts and feelings.
As a therapist I can say that one runs a huge risk when they take a psychedelic drug like ketamine, LSD, or psilocybin on their own. Those like myself who was in college in the 1960s, but didn't take these drugs myself, knew people who did who sometimes told of what were called "bad trips." Some ended up in hospital psychiatric units sometimes being treated with major anti-psychotic drugs.
Musk has revealed his that he is neurodivergent and has Asperger’s syndrome. This is part of the autism spectrum disorder. WebMd tells us that There aren't any drugs approved by the FDA to specifically treat Asperger's or autism spectrum disorders. WebMD tells us that "some medications, though, can help with related symptoms like depression and anxiety." Another website (The Mood Center) says "People with Asperger’s have benefited from ketamine treatments to help with various issues that may have been caused by the difficulty of living with autism. Additionally, there have been reports that ketamine therapy may also improve the primary symptoms of autism." Note the word "treatment" which is used in the section on ketamine assisted psychotherapy.
Musk isn't, as far as we know, engaged in any kind of psychotherapy. We don't know if he ever had been. I doubt Trump understands that Musk, while apparently not an alcoholic, is using a substance that effects his brain functioning as much as alcohol does, albeit in a very different way.
Thanks for the helpful info doc! This column is currently trending on DailyKos, and from the comments, a lot of readers assume I'm against these drugs. On the contrary, I'd love to try them, especially if it ends my angst over abused/chained dogs... I just don't think it should be ANYWHERE near power, and it's clear trump is too cognitively limited to get that. Thanks for reading.
yes, pundits everywhere are taking bets on how long the romance will last. I’m not sure, highly transactional people are motivated by the endgame. Musk needs trumps power, and Trump needs musks money.
Well done, Sabrina. Super rich and stupid, what a combination. Musk is altering the thinking center of his being, and Trump has put him in a position to do some actual harm. I wish he would switch from Katamine to Hemlock and ease our pain and anxiety.
OMFG! SWITCH TO HEMLOCK! I soooooo wish I'd thought of that before you did. watching the trump/musk dynamic is so extreme it's comical. laughing at it, I feel like I'm playing an instrument on the deck of the titanic, enjoying the view as it goes down
Hey, Sabrina... I took my comment and am right now using it in for my blog today which includes a shoutout to you quotes from this essay. It will take me abiout an hour to complete it and post it.
This cautionary essay prompted me to write my blog today. I posted the long comment I posted as a reply here with quotes from websites, but without links. I realized I could expand on my comment in my blog and add links to the quotes. You can read it here: https://www.halbrown.org/2024/12/sabrina-haakes-take-on-musk-and-his.html
Hal, I tried to complement / support your blog post, but it's not on substack and Disquis wouldn't let me comment. I did try to log in but when that didn't work I lost patience.
So, an adult male naturalized US citizen born and raised in Apartheid South Africa, on the autism spectrum, is using ketamine on a regular basis to self-treat his depression and anxiety while, as the wealthiest person on the planet, he buys political influence and takes over the greatest and longest lasting Constitutional Republic in history, controlling a president with the personality structure of a 2yo, and the House of Representatives. And, all the while marrying 3 times and fathering 13 children (12 surviving). Did I get that right? What could go wrong? Everything? Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, he controls one of, if not the most used and influential social media platform. You cannot make this shyte up. Marvel must be working on the movie at this very moment. MAGATS will eat it up. Thanks, Sabrina, for the fine investigative journalism, even though you hate that moniker. ( :)) HAVE A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY, God knows, you've earned it!
"Under controlling jurisprudence on the free press, Times v. Sullivan, Trump had no chance of winning the case because he would have to prove Stephanopoulos spoke with reckless disregard of the truth, a finding blocked by the presiding judge’s clarification of ‘rape.’ "
No chance of winning? No chance, really? None whatsoever?
ABC may, in fact, almost certainly, have internal emails that would show they conspired to harm Trump right before the election. That may in fact be the reason ABC settled as discovery would have shown intent. I say "may" as a guess.
Additionally, apparently their producers repeatedly told Stephanopoulos to not use the word "rape".
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was repeatedly warned not to use word ‘rape’ by producer — but said it anyway: sources
Then, you write, "Bob Iger, the $31 million a year CEO of Disney, calculated that making nice with an unhinged president was in Disney’s long term corporate interests, free speech be damned. "
Here you claim to know the state of mind of Bob Iger. You impute, without evidence, the reason ABC chose to settle by somehow reading Iger's mind. It's also interesting that you write "the $31 million a year CEO of Disney."
context doesn't matter here. the #1 defense to defamation is truth, and it is legally true that the jury found trump liable for rape, along the contours described in the presiding judge's memorandum. my overall point is that the distinction between rape vs. sexual assault is a flimsy one to begin with.
"No chance” is obviously an opinion. Not a precisely correct one, but substantially on point. Under defamation law, Trump’s lawsuit had extremely low probability of success, but higher than zero.
While thus bc was new info to me, what I continue to find disturbing is on the bill that was stripped out of the CR limiting American investment in China particularly the technology sector. Taking this out is a benefit to King Musk. I have Sen very little attention paid to this.
The Rise of Sir has always struck me as the very Pinnacle -- nay Acme! -- of the Banal. Inadvertently "wins" because Sir seeks to cash in on a publicity stunt and then commences to prevent the Festering Boil of Stupid from being lanced -- finally returning to High Office in Glory, determined to manifest Sir's corrosive hallucinations.
But lo! Banality gets yet another boost with Sir's deference to a drug-addled autistic Afrikaner who is literally at work on the one thing the obsequious Religious Right fears most: Satan/the State planting a microchip in their brains!
Where are we? We are here: As Martin Amis so deftly described in "Koba the Dread", Negative Laughter has at last found its way from the open ditches of the CCCP to the Gilded Ornaments of the USoA.
Sabrina - brilliant piece. I'm not a big fan of the word "brilliant", because like so many important words, it has been overused and abused - rendering the depth of its intention impotent. Nonetheless - this take on musketamine as an autonomous compound groping blindly within the world's most consequential command center - is nothing short of brilliant.
Musketamine!!! i am so stealing that.
Self correction: I hyphened in the wrong place. The one after "nonetheless" belongs after "musketamine". I play fast and loose with hyphens, accidents happen.
But got the point across-nonetheless
So exquisitely flippant but poignant
thank you for getting me
I disagree with only one thing in this piece. Musk does not have the "emotional maturity of a pre-pubescent teen.” He’s more like a pubescent teen. Much worse.
Ha ha HA!! Gotta laugh before tearing out my hair. Why do I feel like I am suspended somewhere between the worlds of Batman and Dick Tracy. We've got the comic book super villains, but where are the super heroes??
ikr? I feel like I'm micro-dosing already just watching this shit.
Sorry for the length of this.... As a therapist retired after over 40 years in practice I was pleased when my state of Oregon legalized the use of psilocybin, which is similar to ketamine, for treatment of certain emotional disorders. This is the psychedelic chemical obtained in certain mushrooms. These mushrooms have been used by native tribes where they are called "sacred mushrooms" and used in certain ceremonies. In Oregon there is a protocol for treatment with psilocybin which always includes a trained facilitator. The following is from the State of Oregon Heath website:
Will someone be there to help me during the administration session?
Yes, a licensed facilitator will support you in your journey. The Oregon Psilocybin Services Act ensures that psilocybin services will be non-directive, which means that licensed facilitators will not direct you or psychoanalyze you while you are in an altered state. They will help calm you, make you comfortable, and be present with you through the entire session but will not interfere with your experience unless you need additional support. For example, facilitators are allowed to engage in appropriate touch, such as on the hand or shoulder, and perhaps a hug, but only if that is agreed up on before the administration session. If you have toileting, mobility, assistive device support or interpretation needs, a client-support person may be allowed to be present with you for an administration session, but they would have to be prepared for the administration session by a licensed facilitator to learn about informed consent, the Client Bill of Rights, and how not to interfere with a session while supporting a client with specific accessibility needs.
Musk is taking katamine on his own. This is no surprise given his egotism. However, it also shows to me that he doesn't want anyone privy to his innermost thoughts and feelings.
As a therapist I can say that one runs a huge risk when they take a psychedelic drug like ketamine, LSD, or psilocybin on their own. Those like myself who was in college in the 1960s, but didn't take these drugs myself, knew people who did who sometimes told of what were called "bad trips." Some ended up in hospital psychiatric units sometimes being treated with major anti-psychotic drugs.
Musk has revealed his that he is neurodivergent and has Asperger’s syndrome. This is part of the autism spectrum disorder. WebMd tells us that There aren't any drugs approved by the FDA to specifically treat Asperger's or autism spectrum disorders. WebMD tells us that "some medications, though, can help with related symptoms like depression and anxiety." Another website (The Mood Center) says "People with Asperger’s have benefited from ketamine treatments to help with various issues that may have been caused by the difficulty of living with autism. Additionally, there have been reports that ketamine therapy may also improve the primary symptoms of autism." Note the word "treatment" which is used in the section on ketamine assisted psychotherapy.
Musk isn't, as far as we know, engaged in any kind of psychotherapy. We don't know if he ever had been. I doubt Trump understands that Musk, while apparently not an alcoholic, is using a substance that effects his brain functioning as much as alcohol does, albeit in a very different way.
Thanks for the helpful info doc! This column is currently trending on DailyKos, and from the comments, a lot of readers assume I'm against these drugs. On the contrary, I'd love to try them, especially if it ends my angst over abused/chained dogs... I just don't think it should be ANYWHERE near power, and it's clear trump is too cognitively limited to get that. Thanks for reading.
Who’s funding Musk’s attack on American democracy? Follow the money!
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/12/21/saudis-fund-muck-purchase-of-twitter-being-used-to-attack-democracy/
Sabrina, how long do you think Trump will tolerate Musk giving the appearance of calling all the shots? I think his ego can’t handle it very long!!
yes, pundits everywhere are taking bets on how long the romance will last. I’m not sure, highly transactional people are motivated by the endgame. Musk needs trumps power, and Trump needs musks money.
Well done, Sabrina. Super rich and stupid, what a combination. Musk is altering the thinking center of his being, and Trump has put him in a position to do some actual harm. I wish he would switch from Katamine to Hemlock and ease our pain and anxiety.
OMFG! SWITCH TO HEMLOCK! I soooooo wish I'd thought of that before you did. watching the trump/musk dynamic is so extreme it's comical. laughing at it, I feel like I'm playing an instrument on the deck of the titanic, enjoying the view as it goes down
I'm glad you liked the comment. We have to have light moments to balance out having to face commenting on the ugly.
😍
Hey, Sabrina... I took my comment and am right now using it in for my blog today which includes a shoutout to you quotes from this essay. It will take me abiout an hour to complete it and post it.
awesome! thanks! send me a link please, or come back here and post it.
This cautionary essay prompted me to write my blog today. I posted the long comment I posted as a reply here with quotes from websites, but without links. I realized I could expand on my comment in my blog and add links to the quotes. You can read it here: https://www.halbrown.org/2024/12/sabrina-haakes-take-on-musk-and-his.html
Hal, I tried to complement / support your blog post, but it's not on substack and Disquis wouldn't let me comment. I did try to log in but when that didn't work I lost patience.
I post on multiple platforms including SubStack here: https://substack.com/@halbrown
So, an adult male naturalized US citizen born and raised in Apartheid South Africa, on the autism spectrum, is using ketamine on a regular basis to self-treat his depression and anxiety while, as the wealthiest person on the planet, he buys political influence and takes over the greatest and longest lasting Constitutional Republic in history, controlling a president with the personality structure of a 2yo, and the House of Representatives. And, all the while marrying 3 times and fathering 13 children (12 surviving). Did I get that right? What could go wrong? Everything? Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, he controls one of, if not the most used and influential social media platform. You cannot make this shyte up. Marvel must be working on the movie at this very moment. MAGATS will eat it up. Thanks, Sabrina, for the fine investigative journalism, even though you hate that moniker. ( :)) HAVE A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY, God knows, you've earned it!
My parents would call Musk a waste case. I suppose I would also! Excellent essay and comment exchanges. Thank you again.
"Why ABC Settled",
"Under controlling jurisprudence on the free press, Times v. Sullivan, Trump had no chance of winning the case because he would have to prove Stephanopoulos spoke with reckless disregard of the truth, a finding blocked by the presiding judge’s clarification of ‘rape.’ "
No chance of winning? No chance, really? None whatsoever?
ABC may, in fact, almost certainly, have internal emails that would show they conspired to harm Trump right before the election. That may in fact be the reason ABC settled as discovery would have shown intent. I say "may" as a guess.
Additionally, apparently their producers repeatedly told Stephanopoulos to not use the word "rape".
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was repeatedly warned not to use word ‘rape’ by producer — but said it anyway: sources
https://nypost.com/2024/12/18/media/abc-parent-disney-didnt-think-it-would-beat-trump-in-court-report/
Then, you write, "Bob Iger, the $31 million a year CEO of Disney, calculated that making nice with an unhinged president was in Disney’s long term corporate interests, free speech be damned. "
Here you claim to know the state of mind of Bob Iger. You impute, without evidence, the reason ABC chose to settle by somehow reading Iger's mind. It's also interesting that you write "the $31 million a year CEO of Disney."
(a) Childish article.
context doesn't matter here. the #1 defense to defamation is truth, and it is legally true that the jury found trump liable for rape, along the contours described in the presiding judge's memorandum. my overall point is that the distinction between rape vs. sexual assault is a flimsy one to begin with.
"No chance” is obviously an opinion. Not a precisely correct one, but substantially on point. Under defamation law, Trump’s lawsuit had extremely low probability of success, but higher than zero.
it was as close to zero as any defamation or 1st A case I've ever seen, and I've been litigating nearly 30 years.
While thus bc was new info to me, what I continue to find disturbing is on the bill that was stripped out of the CR limiting American investment in China particularly the technology sector. Taking this out is a benefit to King Musk. I have Sen very little attention paid to this.
The Rise of Sir has always struck me as the very Pinnacle -- nay Acme! -- of the Banal. Inadvertently "wins" because Sir seeks to cash in on a publicity stunt and then commences to prevent the Festering Boil of Stupid from being lanced -- finally returning to High Office in Glory, determined to manifest Sir's corrosive hallucinations.
But lo! Banality gets yet another boost with Sir's deference to a drug-addled autistic Afrikaner who is literally at work on the one thing the obsequious Religious Right fears most: Satan/the State planting a microchip in their brains!
Where are we? We are here: As Martin Amis so deftly described in "Koba the Dread", Negative Laughter has at last found its way from the open ditches of the CCCP to the Gilded Ornaments of the USoA.