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Tuesday Trends

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I’m going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others. Today’s Tuesday Trends will look at patterns or emerging ideas within the terrorism targeting Tesla.

I had a chuckle at Abby Phillp telling Scott Jennings on CNN Monday night that Elon Musk’s stump speech in Green Bay last weekend was “hyperbolic” because Musk was pointing out the significance of the state supreme court race on power in the House of Representatives and the resultant change would effectively derail the agenda that the majority of Americans voted overwhelmingly for just last fall.

This is rich coming from the people who gave us “Bushitler”, told us McCain and Romney were “worse than Bush” and now tell us that President Trump is worse than Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin combined.  (Aside — wait until they try to convince you that JD Vance and Ron DeSantis are “worse than Trump” in a few short years.)

These are the people who said climate change is an existential threat to humanity and are now inspiring organized acts of vandalism, violence, and a campaign of terror against the largest maker of electric vehicles in the country as well as burning charging stations across the country.  And I wonder how many of those were the dozen or so they got built for the $8 million they ripped off from the taxpayers.

So let’s look at some of the wackiness that went on last Saturday that contrasts with the extreme levels of violence that we have seen.  My favorite had to be the large print chant lyrics sheet carried by protesters in case they forgot what rhymes with “hey hey, ho ho”.

Large print chant sheet carried by protesters in case they forgot what rhymes with "hey hey, ho ho"
Anti-Musk protesters have their chants – in large font – scripted out in case they forget them. Courtesy of Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio @jasonrantz
At one protest, people took hammers to toy cars screaming like mad like a petulant child not wanting to take their bath and go to bed.

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A protest at the Tesla store in Southlake, Texas, reportedly ended promptly at noon on Saturday. Multiple witnesses noted that the protesters ceased their activities and left immediately when the clock struck 12:00 PM, with one observer describing it as “odd” and suggesting it appeared coordinated or time-bound.  These are the rent-a-mob types as the late Rush Limbaugh used to call them.

In New York a more or less traditional die-in was held over non existent-Medicaid cuts.


They even including the inspiring message “Burn a Tesla, Save Democracy”.

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As silly as this past weekend’s madness often was, other incidents have not been silly at all, but extremely serious acts of violence and destruction.  A partial listing includes.

  1. Salem, Oregon – January 20, 2025
    • Details: Adam Matthew Lansky allegedly threw multiple Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership, setting a red Tesla SUV ablaze and damaging several other vehicles. He returned on February 19 with additional attacks, including gunfire from a suppressed AR-15 rifle. A large object was also thrown through the dealership window.
    • Impact: One vehicle was completely destroyed, and others were damaged. Lansky faces federal charges with a potential 20-year sentence.
    • Context: Occurred on Inauguration Day, suggesting possible political motivation tied to Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration.
  2. Loveland, Colorado – January 29 to February 24, 2025
    • Details: Lucy Grace Nelson (also known as Justin Thomas Nelson) conducted a series of attacks on a Tesla dealership, spray-painting “Nazi” and other words on vehicles and windows, and throwing Molotov cocktails in late January and February. She was arrested on February 24 near the dealership with additional Molotov cocktails in her possession.
    • Impact: Damage estimated between $5,000 and $20,000. Nelson faces federal charges of malicious destruction of property, with a possible 20-year sentence if convicted.
    • Context: Repeated targeting of the same location, indicating a sustained campaign.
  3. Boston Area, Massachusetts – March 3, 2025
    • Details: Seven Tesla charging stations at an outdoor shopping center in Littleton were doused with an accelerant and set on fire.
    • Impact: Significant damage to charging infrastructure; no suspect identified, but investigated as arson.
    • Context: Part of a broader wave of attacks on Tesla facilities.
  4. Tigard, Oregon – March 6 and March 13, 2025
    • Details: A Tesla dealership was targeted with gunfire twice within a week. On March 6, seven bullets damaged three cars and shattered windows. On March 13, over a dozen shots were fired, further damaging vehicles and the building.
    • Impact: Property damage to cars and dealership; no injuries reported as a security guard present was unharmed.
    • Context: Rapid succession of attacks suggests escalation.
  5. North Charleston, South Carolina – March 7, 2025
    • Details: Daniel Clarke-Pounder threw Molotov cocktails at a Tesla charging station, accidentally setting himself on fire. He also spray-painted an expletive aimed at President Trump and “LONG LIVE UKRAINE” on the ground.
    • Impact: Damage to charging stations; Clarke-Pounder was arrested and charged with arson, facing up to 20 years. Anti-government writings linked to DOGE were found in his possession.
    • Context: Explicit political messaging tied to Musk’s government role.
  6. Las Vegas, Nevada – March 18, 2025
    • Details: An individual set fire to five Tesla vehicles at a Tesla Collision Center using Molotov cocktails, fired at least three rounds into the vehicles, and spray-painted “RESIST” on the building doors. The attack occurred around 2:45 a.m.
    • Impact: At least five vehicles damaged, two fully engulfed in flames. The FBI and local police are investigating.
    • Context: High-profile incident with clear protest symbolism.
  7. Kansas City, Missouri – March 17, 2025
    • Details: Two Tesla Cybertrucks were set ablaze at a dealership, suspected to be arson.
    • Impact: Destruction of two vehicles; investigation ongoing.
    • Context: Part of a pattern targeting Cybertrucks specifically.
  8. Ontario, Canada – March 20, 2025
    • Details: Over 80 Tesla vehicles at a dealership were vandalized with deep scratches and punctured tires.
    • Impact: One of the largest single instances of Tesla vandalism by vehicle count; police investigation underway.
    • Context: While outside the U.S., it reflects the international scope of anti-Tesla sentiment.
  9. Seattle, Washington – Early March 2025 (exact date unclear, around March 10)
    • Details: Multiple Tesla Cybertrucks were burned at a Tesla lot, inspected by the Seattle Fire Department and ATF. Six vehicles at a nearby Lynnwood dealership were also vandalized, one with swastikas.
    • Impact: Significant property damage; cause of the fire not conclusively determined but suspicious.
    • Context: Part of a cluster of Pacific Northwest incidents.
  10. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas – Date Unspecified (reported March 2025)
    • Details: A Tesla owner, Jeff Nguyen, reported his vehicle being keyed while parked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
    • Impact: Direct attack on an individual owner’s property rather than a dealership.
    • Context: Indicates violence extending to private Tesla owners, though less severe than arson or gunfire.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a second person now facing up to 20 years in federal prison for a stack of charges related to domestic terrorism from the Loveland, Colorado attack on a Tesla dealership that included Molotov cocktails.

It won’t be long now before we hear RICO charges filed related to who is financing these attacks.  The other thought that crossed my mind over the weekend is I wonder if the Securities and Exchange Commission has opened a preliminary investigation into short and distort or bear raid against Tesla stock.  Somebody is planning to get rich on driving the stock price down.  Let’s look at a couple of different ways this illegal profiting happens.

“Short and Distort”

“Short and distort” involves shorting a stock and then spreading false or misleading information to drive its price down, allowing the perpetrator to profit from the short position or buy back at a lower price. The primary legal frameworks covering this are:

  1. Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
    • This is the big one. It prohibits “any manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance” in connection with the purchase or sale of securities. The SEC uses this to go after fraudulent schemes like “short and distort.”
    • Paired with Rule 10b-5, which gets into the nitty-gritty:
      • Makes it illegal to “employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud,” “make any untrue statement of a material fact,” or “engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates as a fraud or deceit.”
      • Spreading false rumors or disinformation to tank a stock price while holding a short position fits squarely here. The SEC has pursued cases where individuals or firms disseminated fake press releases, bogus financial reports, or coordinated smear campaigns.
  2. Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933
    • This targets fraud in the offer or sale of securities. It’s broader than 10(b) because it doesn’t require a purchase or sale to have happened-just the intent to deceive. If someone’s “short and distort” scheme involves fraudulent statements to investors, this can apply.
  3. SEC Enforcement Actions
    • The SEC doesn’t have a specific “short and distort” regulation labeled as such, but they’ve historically used 10b-5 to prosecute these cases. For example, in 2009, the SEC charged a hedge fund manager for shorting stocks and then issuing false press releases to drive prices down. Penalties included fines, disgorgement of profits, and trading bans.

“Bear Raids”

A “bear raid” is a coordinated effort to drive a stock price down, often through heavy short selling, sometimes paired with rumor-mongering or other tactics to amplify the drop. Historically, these were more blatant in the pre-regulation days (think 1920s), but they’re still policed today. Relevant laws and regs include:

  1. Section 9(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
    • Specifically targets manipulative trading practices. Subsection 9(a)(2) prohibits “a series of transactions in any security… creating actual or apparent active trading in such security, or raising or depressing the price of such security, for the purpose of inducing the purchase or sale of such security by others.”
    • A classic bear raid-say, a group flooding the market with short sales to artificially depress a stock and panic others into selling-could violate this. The intent to manipulate is key.
  2. Rule 10b-5 (Again)
    • If a bear raid involves false statements or deceptive tactics (e.g., spreading rumors of bankruptcy to trigger a sell-off), it’s back under 10b-5’s fraud provisions. The SEC often pairs this with Section 9 when there’s both trading activity and deceit.
  3. Regulation SHO
    • This governs short selling directly. Rule 204, for instance, requires brokers to close out “failures to deliver” within a set time frame, partly to prevent abusive shorting that could fuel a bear raid. While Reg SHO isn’t about intent, it curbs the mechanics that might enable a raid. Naked short selling (selling shares you don’t borrow) used in a manipulative way could also trigger SEC action under 10b-5 or 9(a).
  4. Historical Context and Modern Enforcement
    • Bear raids were a major target of the 1934 Act after the 1929 crash. Today, they’re rarer in overt form due to oversight, but the SEC still watches for coordinated short attacks, especially if tied to disinformation. A 2018 case saw the SEC charge a trader for a bear raid-like scheme involving fake SEC filings to crash a stock he’d shorted-again, 10b-5 was the hammer.
Key Differences and Overlaps
  • Short and Distort: Heavy on fraud and misinformation. It’s about lying to move the market.
  • Bear Raids: More about trading tactics, like overwhelming short sales, though they can include fraud too.
  • Overlap: Both can violate 10b-5 if deceit’s involved, and both aim to profit from a manipulated drop.

The SEC’s approach often combines these statutes based on evidence. Penalties can include civil fines, profit disgorgement, and criminal charges if the Department of Justice gets involved (e.g., under wire fraud statutes).

I’m not saying nor do I believe that these are all definitively linked.  This past weekend was largely a performative clown show done by rent-a-mobs.  Many instances of keying or damaging of individual Tesla vehicles and Cybertrucks are being done by self-styled criminal morons who don’t realize that Tesla vehicles have cameras and Sentry Mode.  The use of Molotov cocktails and gunfire and are antifa tactics.  That’s where I’m interested in tracing the money, which is long overdue.

A final question: Why all the silence from Democrats?

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James K. Bishop

James K. Bishop is a conservative writer and raconteur hailing from Texas, known for his incisive and often provocative takes on political and cultural issues. With a staunch commitment to originalist constitutional principles, he emphasizes limited government, individual liberties, and traditional American values. Active on X under the handle @James_K_Bishop, he frequently engages his audience with sharp critiques of progressive policies, media narratives, and overreaches by the federal government. His style is direct, often laced with humor and wit, which resonates strongly with his conservative followers.