There is a yellowed, curling newspaper clipping on the wall of my office. From June 16, 2016, it describes the explosion of a Space X rocket on the launch pad as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” It even had its own acronym – RUD. I remember being incredulous. Can we not just say what we mean, I thought, describe what’s happening in plain English? It was an explosion, a blowing to smithereens, total destruction. Is that so hard to say?

That was 2016, and today, June 20, 2025, I read in the paper that another Elon Musk Space X rocket has suffered a “major anomaly,” kindly translated as “loss of vehicle.” Coverage noted that there had been another “rapid unscheduled disassembly” last January during which pieces of the exploded rocket fell into the Caribbean. So, almost 9 years to the day later, and again I am filled with disgust at the dissembling of the truth, but there is something else. This is the perfect description of our country at this moment. We are in a state of “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” and it is no surprise that this term comes from Musk, engineer of the implosion of the US government and master of speaking in tongues.

Let’s parse his language. 

RAPID: His Death by Doge strategy was designed to hit us in the gut, and move with lightning speed. “It is happening so fast!” we all said in disbelief. Moving fast was deliberate, as was the breakage that followed.  

UNSCHEDULED: A surprise attack, it was certainly not a vetted plan, debated in congress, and publicly scrutinized. It came out of the blue… or out of the red… with no warning for the ordinary, semi-aware citizen. And even for those who had read Project 2025 and understood the agenda, it was a shock.

DISASSEMBLY:  An interesting word. Rather than the smithereens image of everything turning into ash, disintegrating into tiny twinkling particles swirling in the smoke, I picture a sudden falling-apart, the pieces still intact. Separated from each other, they are useless. Without the structure, they cannot survive.  

USAID, for instance. The dismantling was swift and devastating, and a lot was broken. The impact of the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” on those we were serving will take its toll on world health, democracy and our reputation internationally. Over 5,700 Americans were fired, plus tens of thousands of foreign nationals and local contractors out of work, many in countries with little else to offer in the way of stability and income. This disassembly of USAID has resulted in individuals, still intact, but without a home, job, insurance, security, and most importantly a career that was for many a calling, a passion. “Everything just fell apart,” said the son of a friend working abroad. “One day I’m in my dream job, the next I’ve got no email, no internet, my files are frozen, I can’t talk to my clients, and I’m being called a criminal, a communist and a bum.”

I feel for these disassembled parts of our government. And I wonder if the “major anomaly” – loss of vehicle, in this case the whole government – is in our future.

If you see something, say something — clearly so we can all understand.