Elon Musk And Pete Buttigieg Collaborate On Twitter To Address Hurricane Rescue Flights
Elon Musk and Pete Buttigieg worked together on Twitter in a rare display of bipartisan unity. This was not just optics…it was a showcase of what is possible when we work together.
Elon Musk and Pete Buttigieg Collobaraote On Twitter To Address Airspace Issue
Musk took to Twitter/X to suggest that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was blocking private pilots from completing rescue flights in areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
Just received this text 20 mins ago.
The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!! pic.twitter.com/wWbBR7FfUo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
But Transporation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded, “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”
And so Musk called…
Thanks for the call. Hopefully, we can resolve this soon.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
And it was a fruitful call.
Thanks for helping simplify the FAA NOTAM. Support flights are now underway. Much appreciated.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
Glad we could address —thanks for engaging.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) October 4, 2024
I’m with View From The Wing here…this was a great interaction and as much as I find Musk a very conflicting character and lament how the candidate he is supporting is weaponizing FEMA as a political tool, this was a great example of how we can work together when we try.
And I think that’s what people want. I was happy to watch the VP debate earlier this week and see two adults talking, not two children fighting over crowd size and eating dogs. We can do so much better in this country and we must.
This whole interaction shows that X has become the new public square and while I lament all the spam that now comes on X (and Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn and WhatsApp…) it is a primary avenue of communication in this age; a tool to hold people accountable and for every person to have a voice.
Here in California, I’m spared from hurricanes…mostly…but if we ever have the “big one” (earthquake) I expect Twitter will also play an outsized role in communication and recovery…and with Musk now working with T-Mobile to test Starlink access on mobile phones, even a massive earthquake need not cripple our access to the world wide web and internet calling.