Who Gave the Billionaires the Keys to the Skies and Planets?

Political illustration contrasting U.S. government intervention under Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Barack Obama with modern private control of technology. Below, Elon Musk manipulates a digitally connected Earth surrounded by SpaceX rockets and Starlink satellites, while Mark Zuckerberg controls social media icons like puppets above the U.S. Capitol and a crowd of citizens. — Illustration: America once stood up to corporate giants. Now two billionaires have their fingers on the controls, their hands in our pockets, and enough power to make kings jealous.

Beloved, when a satellite goes silent during a war, people can lose more than a signal. They can lose their lives.

Recently in October 2026, Ukraine reported that restrictions on Elon’s Starshield’s satellite connections were disrupting drones used to fight Russian forces and defend civilians. Fast-moving equipment began losing connections. On October 19, Russian strikes killed six people near Kharkiv, including two children. There is no established link between those deaths and the service restrictions. But when wartime defenses weaken, innocent families face terrifying risks.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk ordered the slowdown. Other accounts disputed who made that decision, and the Trump administration denied ordering it. One thing is certain: Ukraine’s military was left struggling with restrictions on a vital communications service.

Who should hold that kind of power?

Illustration: When one man sits too close to the switch, whole nations can feel the tremor.

The Town Square Has a Landlord

On October 17, during nationwide No Kings demonstrations, the movement’s Instagram account vanished for a time. Zuckerberg’s Meta apologized, blaming automated security tools that mistook a burst of activity for bot traffic.

Wonderful. The town square disappears, and the landlord blames the robot.

Mark Zuckerberg leads Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. Elon Musk leads SpaceX, the company behind Starlink and Starshield. These men control companies operating some of the world’s most important communications technology.

Their inventions are extraordinary. But their corporate power deserves public scrutiny.

Imagine a town square where the landlord can lock the gates during a meeting. He may call it a computer error. The people standing outside still cannot get in.

Illustration: The town square may be digital now, but it still matters who owns the gates.

Presidents Who Have Taken Control of “Nationalization” Before

Some people hear the word nationalization and think America has never done such a thing.

Honey, open a history book.

Woodrow Wilson, 1917: Put America’s railroads under federal operation during World War I to move troops, food, and military supplies. Private control returned in 1920.

Illustration: Wilson’s wartime takeover of the railroads showed that Washington has stepped in before when the nation said the system was too important to fail.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933 and 1943: Created the Tennessee Valley Authority to bring public electricity to neglected communities. During World War II, he also ordered temporary federal operation of coal mines when strikes threatened wartime production.

Illustration: Roosevelt used public power and wartime authority to keep the nation running when private systems and labor conflict threatened the larger mission.

Harry Truman, 1950 and 1952: Put railroads under Army operation during the Korean War. He later attempted to seize steel mills to prevent a shutdown. The Supreme Court stopped him. Even a president has limits. Imagine that!

Illustration: Truman pushed hardest against a crisis, and the courts reminded America that even emergency power has a line.

Barack Obama, 2009: Inherited an economic crisis that threatened America’s auto industry. President George W. Bush had begun emergency assistance in 2008. Under Obama, General Motors and Chrysler went through bankruptcy restructuring. Washington acquired about 61 percent of the new GM and a smaller stake in Chrysler, later selling those interests.

Illustration: Obama did not nationalize every factory, but Washington took ownership stakes and used public power to keep a core industry from collapsing.

Different presidents. Different emergencies. One lesson: When essential industries are in danger, government has ways to act, within the law.

Illustration: Railroads were once the arteries of national power, and presidents treated them that way when war and collapse were on the line.

There Is Already a Public Satellite Above Your Head

America’s GPS satellites are government-owned and operated. Private businesses build products around them. The sky did not fall. Those public signals help airplanes, ambulances, farmers, and ordinary drivers every day.

Congress could examine public ownership of critical SpaceX communications assets, build an alternative to Starlink, and establish stronger protections for services people depend upon. Meta’s power over Facebook and Instagram raises separate questions about regulation, competition, and free expression.

And yes, government control needs independent oversight. Nobody should get a secret switch, whether sitting in a corporate boardroom or the Oval Office.

The Stars Don’t Belong to Oligarchs

I look out from the mountaintop and think about the children who may someday cross the heavens. Will only the wealthy decide who gets to speak, who gets protected, and who gets a seat on the rocket?

Humanity did not crawl out of caves, learn to fly, and reach the Moon just to hand the keys to a few men with stock options and presidential phone numbers.

The universe was here before Musk, Zuckerberg, Trump, or any of us.

Political satire depicting Donald Trump as Humpty Dumpty, wearing a crown atop a crumbling wall, surrounded by lightning connecting him to Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and wealthy allies. Below, soldiers, horses, and protesters tear down the wall in a march toward Jericho, while a demonic Trump figure is dragged in chains into a fiery hell filled with dancing devils.

Our ability to communicate, explore, and reach the stars deserves more than the permission of a few powerful men.

This planet belongs to all its children. The future must serve humanity, not merely the fortunes of those who control the machinery.

Go in peace, and do that which is right. Amen.

George Freeman, Visionary, Presiding Chaplain
The Spiritual Blog