Arjan Meester (@acmeester) profile picture
Joined March 2010
Photo by Arjan Meester (@acmeester)Photo by Arjan Meester (@acmeester)Photo by Arjan Meester (@acmeester)Photo by Arjan Meester (@acmeester)
Arjan Meester retweeted
Replying to @RPlasterk
Voor de verandering niet mee eens. De oppositie staat op achterstand, want ze hebben helemaal geen stem gehad. Dan geldt dat ze niet akkoord kunnen gaan. Het gaat niet om kleine veranderingen, maar om grote. In feite had JA21 in meerderheidskabinet moeten zitten. Kabinet valt.
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These guys don't understand each other. Elon Musk is too guileless. He says exactly what he thinks is true with little regard for how others will react. He alienates allies by airing disputes in public instead of settling them behind closed doors. Because he is a sperg engineer who leads companies of sperg engineers, and to do this, you must be 100% truthful and transparent. Donald Trump is too guileful. He says exactly what will advance his plans with little regard for telling people what he actually thinks. He alienates allies by expecting their unconditional support without sharing any aspect of his strategic plans with them. Because he is a New York real estate developer, who thrives on winning negotiations and gaining advantage from unshared knowledge, and to do this, you must be 100% calculating and opaque. Here's what happened. Musk worked super hard, and took great personal risks, to get a head start on balancing the federal budget. He correctly believes that federal spending is an existential risk to the nation. Trump regards those savings as a political asset. And, since he lacks leverage in congress, he took them and traded them for other things he wanted, apparently dealing with border control, the courts, etc... problems which he correctly believes are an existential threat to the nation. He may have concrete plans for balancing the federal budget in the future, but, frustratingly, he won't tell his own team what they are. Trump could have squared this in advance with Musk, in private, but he appears to either have assumed his loyalty (treating an ally like a subordinate), or been unable to persuade him. Likewise, Musk could have raised his complaints in private, but either he was too upset to try, or was not able to reach an agreement when he did. Trump doesn't understand how to deal with spergs. You have to tell them the truth, not expect them to read subtext. They refuse to read subtext. They want to be spoken to honestly. Musk doesn't understand how to deal with Machiavellians. They think of language as a power tool, and think of those who insist on truth as naive. Both men are used to being in charge, and are used to dealing with subordinates, who must cater to their preferred style of communicating. They are both therefore uniquely unsuited to having both the patience and the capability to speak the other's language. The truth is that both the federal budget and the federal bureaucracy are existential threats to America. Maximum priority. Trump's concerns about the "art of the possible" are probably valid, but Musk's sense of urgency should not be dismissed lightly. It is churlish to leverage the superior strengths and talents of people on the autism spectrum while making zero allowances for their unique needs. That said, spergs can be frustratingly dogmatic, even when they aren't the richest and most successful man in the world. A few other things to notice: The democrats have said nothing. That's because there are no democrats. They have no independent intellectuals, only paid schills. A response will not be forthcoming until the wholly organic grassroots PR committees have met, and the wholly grassroots talking heads have been cut a wholly organic grassroots check. There's also a strong case to be made for Team Nothing Ever Happens. Remember that Musk will sometimes shut up when he calms down, and Trump has no problem calling someone the Antichrist one day and working with him the next.
Elon’s stance is principled. Trump’s stance is practical. Tech needs Republicans for the present. Republicans need Tech for the future. Drop the tax cuts, cut some pork, get the bill through.
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I am an Elon Musk superfan but he needs to recognize where his strengths are and stay in his lane. He has zero understanding of geopolitics and foreign policy, and it shows. On top of that, he is very easily influenced which isn't helpful, either.
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Arjan Meester retweeted
Worth a read.
GeoConfirmed UKR - Misinformation by President Trump. While we typically refrain from political commentary, President Donald Trump's recent statement regarding the war in Ukraine is so egregious that we feel compelled to respond. Several claims made by President Trump have already been debunked. We've included responses from Grok AI for each claim, demonstrating that even Grok refutes the misinformation spread by the president. In this thread, we will provide geolocated footage as a reminder to everyone that Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marking the beginning of this war. 1) The United States has not spent $350 billion on this war, nor has it outspent Europe by $200 billion. In fact, European contributions have surpassed those of the US. Moreover, a significant portion of the American military aid (around 90% !) is spend in the US, reinvesting in the US economy. statista.com/statistics/1499… eeas.europa.eu/delegations/u… ifw-kiel.de/publications/new… csis.org/analysis/where-miss… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/9grtpN5K2…) 2) President Zelensky did not claim that half the American money sent to Ukraine is "missing". He stated that half of the promised funds had not been received, which is a crucial distinction. csis.org/analysis/where-miss… politifact.com/factchecks/20… edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/p… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/x2J4XJgAu…) 3) Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections during wartime, a measure designed to protect the democratic process from foreign interference, particularly given Russia's known capabilities in this area... foreignpolicy.com/2023/07/11… edition.cnn.com/2024/03/30/e… united24media.com/war-in-ukr… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/iNgj4reyI…) 4) President Zelensky is not a dictator, as evidenced by Ukraine's constitutional framework and his commitment to holding elections once hostilities cease. In contrast, it's worth noting that President Putin consistently wins elections in Russia with implausibly high percentages of votes, with opposition that 'falls out of windows", is poisened or jailed, raising questions about the true nature of Russia's electoral process. europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc… oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/p… osce.usmission.gov/on-the-ru… japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/0… bbc.com/news/world-europe-68… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/aK1JCZlsa…) 5) President Zelensky has a approval rate above 50% and not 4%. 4% is Russian disinformation. edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/p… kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=re… euronews.com/2025/02/19/zele… abcnews.go.com/International… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/IHyHHTkKe…) 6) There was no NATO expansion to the East, as NATO itself cannot expand. Instead, democratic countries independently decide whether they want to become members of the alliance. The process of joining NATO is voluntary and involves multiple steps, including meeting specific requirements and completing a formal application process. The fact that many of Russia's former neighbors have chosen to seek NATO membership speaks volumes about their perception of Russia and their desire for collective security. The decision of these nations to pursue NATO membership reflects their sovereign right to determine their own foreign policy and security arrangements. It also indicates a preference for the stability and security guarantees that NATO membership offers, rather than remaining under Russian influence. Regarding the famous 'promise': Article 103 of the UN Charter establishes a clear hierarchy in international law. It states that obligations under the UN Charter prevail over obligations under any other international agreement in case of conflict. This supremacy extends beyond just treaties, as it is generally understood to also apply to customary international law. The hierarchy can be summarized as follows: 1) UN Charter obligations 2) Other treaties and customary international law 3) Non-treaty international texts 4) Political promises or commitments 5) Historical claims Russia's invasion of Ukraine clearly violates fundamental principles of the UN Charter, including the prohibition on the use of force against the territorial integrity of another state. Any attempts to justify this action based on lower-ranking considerations like political promises or historical claims are legally irrelevant. euvsdisinfo.eu/report/there-… nato.int/cps/ra/natohq/11520… iir.cz/lies-provocations-or-… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/fb5Fnn3Do… and teapawt.net/i/grok/share/NgIPkpYvJ… and teapawt.net/i/grok/share/NgIPkpYvJ…) 8) Who initiated this nearly three-year-long war? RUSSIA. As a platform that has analyzed over 50,000 frames/videos related to the conflict, we will remind the president ,with geolocated footage, who started this war: RUSSIA. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, despite repeatedly denying any plans for invasion in the preceding days. teapawt.net/Mike_Pence/status/1892… edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/p… (Grok: teapawt.net/i/grok/share/m1W0ZufMq…) --- 24 FEB 2022 - Russian tanks crossing the border from Belarus into Ukraine in Senkivka. 52.106063, 31.780644 4Q4J+C7C Sen'kivka, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine Sources: teapawt.net/Conflicts/status… 1/11
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Arjan Meester retweeted
Who has a fair claim on the region of Israel and Palestine? It's time to go deep to understand: • History • Geography • Religion • Legal claims • Morality • And more:
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Arjan Meester retweeted
Michelle (12) Autisme, kreeg ABA een omstreden gedragstherapie. Haar autisme werd met extreme oefeningen onderdrukt om gewenst gedrag te vertonen. Ze ging maskeren om haar autisme onzichtbaar te maken. Dat veroorzaakte PTSS… Morgen in @trouw aangrijpend artikel #ABAKapErmee
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Arjan Meester retweeted
After 1.5 years of occupation & 2 months of battles, Maria has just been liberated by the UA Army in Robotyne. Listen to what she says about how she spent her birthday! Ppl in the West saying 🇺🇦 must “trade territories for peace” want Ukraine to give up on ppl like her Never!
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Een belangrijk draadje dat vermoedelijk genegeerd gaat worden.
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Arjan Meester retweeted
Given the imminent explosion of deepfake video/voice content, it is probably wise to start devising a solid verification protocol with friends/family to defend against targeted scams. Especially warn grandma.
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Arjan Meester retweeted
.@nrc Heerlijke Heldere Zaterdag
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Whenever they tell you a change is impossible, show them Utrecht. An urban freeway with many lanes can become a green park with a beautiful canal. Instead of a car sewer, the water flows.
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Hey @Sen_JoeManchin the EV tax credit is having the opposite effect of what it’s intending to do. It’s rewarding heavy, inefficient, HYBRID vehicles over pure EV made in America vehicles like the Tesla. This needs to be fixed immediately @elonmusk
These cars are all the same form factor and number of seats, PLUS THE FORD AND AUDI ARE HYBRIDS, yet the Tesla somehow gets fucked over. What is going on?????????? $TSLA
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Arjan Meester retweeted
On October 9, 1903, a NY Times editorial followed the ignominious failure of a government-sponsored flying machine, commenting that ""Man won't fly for a million years". The Wright Brothers made their first powered flight 9 weeks later [full article: buff.ly/3hRZYK5]
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Arjan Meester retweeted
"Als ik binnenkom bij PLNT dan leeft iedereen." En dat voel je! 🎉 PLNT Festival bruist: bij ons komen werelden samen en ontstaan ontmoetingen en ideeën. "Je gaat nooit zo veel mensen en connecties vinden als in die twee minuten bij de Pitch Auction." youtube.com/watch?v=juQLhyOz…
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UPDATE: @gpschipaanboord van @CUSGPLeiderdorp zit bij de 50 raadsleden met de meeste stemmen. Dank! Daarom is hij door daar de volgende ronde. Vrijdag 4 maart a.s. krijgen we te horen of hij bij de beste 12 zit (juryoordeel). #LeukNieuws @UnityNu @gem_leiderdorp @Sleutelstad
Komt het beste raadslid van Nederland uit #Leiderdorp? Zorg dat onze Geert door mag naar de volgende ronde, waarin een onafhankelijke jury zich zal uitspreken! 🗳️ Stemmen kan nog steeds via besteraadslid.nl/raadslid/ge… @raadleiderdorp @gem_leiderdorp @CUSGPLeiderdorp
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Yes! De Baanderij sponsort ons weer voor een jaar en betalen de hostingkosten van onze website 🥳 @DeBaanderij @gem_leiderdorp
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Arjan Meester retweeted
Dit is mijn statement!
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Arjan Meester retweeted
‘Het deelnemen aan parlementaire controle is geen daad van deloyaliteit’ Snoeiharde en zeer terechte kritiek op Nederland. De rechtstaat moet mensen beschermen, onze bestuurlijke cultuur moet kritiek verwelkomen. Tijd dat er wat gaat veranderen.
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