I’m told that my last column was insensitive to those who despise Elon Musk and Tesla with every fiber of their being.

So, allow me to make amends and start off today’s column by saying something positive. Last Saturday was International Tesla Takedown Day, but unlike their brothers and sisters in arms, our local protesters have not been firebombing Tesla dealerships.

That demonstrates maturity, and if there’s one quality that our home-grown dissidents have in abundance it’s maturity, although you’re not supposed to notice anything at all about these folks standing in the public square doing their very best to be noticed.

Their vitriol is aimed primarily at Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who now heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). We all know people who just a few months ago would swoon at the mere sight of a Tesla. But those days are in the rearview mirror since their former hero’s defection to the Dark Side. Now, the people who want you to stop burning fossil fuels are torching Teslas. That’ll show the climate deniers.

But again, I want to stress that our local supporters of government waste and fraud weren’t the ones vandalizing or lighting Teslas on fire. They remained steadfast at the corner of Main and Water streets last Saturday, albeit in much smaller numbers compared to past weeks, presumably due to the steady, cold drizzle that was falling. (Sometimes, comfort and commitment conflict.)

Am I allowed to observe that some of the local sign-holders also had umbrellas? I just want to know where the bar is for “bullying.”

Disenchanted Tesla owners have been selling their cars in protest – or fear. Many who have decided to keep their cars are attaching bumper stickers declaring, “I bought this before Elon went crazy,” in hopes that the self-righteous vandals will leave them alone.

Last Saturday’s “Global Day of Protest” was designed to hurt Tesla economically and get Musk to back off his efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. The official website of the “Tesla Takedown” features an article headlined, “We’re Dealing with Actual Nazis.”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that activists have been keying privately-owned Teslas, firebombing dealerships and spray-painting swastikas on Tesla inventory.

But we mustn’t make jokes about those who call Elon Musk a “Nazi” and Tesla drivers “collaborators.”

That would be mean.
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[This column originally appeared in the April 3, 2025 Wakefield Daily Item.]