So, and I might be wrong, but these DOGE pricks now get a pension????

20 year-old useless pieces of shit like Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine ( A nickname he chooses to go by ) were given GS-15 positions. I worked 10 years at NASA to become GS-15… and in going from GS14 to GS15 I had to interview with senior center management and demonstrate my track record of successful missions and proposals.

Coristine was born in December 2005.[2][3] His father is Charles Coristine, the CEO of LesserEvil.[4] His maternal grandfather, Valery Martynov, was a KGB lieutenant colonel executed in 1987 by the Soviet Union as a double agent. After Martynov’s execution, his widow moved with her children—including Coristine’s mother Anna—to the United States.[5]

Coristine graduated from Rye Country Day School in 2024.[6] He acquired the nickname “Big Balls” during a math class in his junior year of high school[1][7][8] and added it to his LinkedIn profile.[9] He enrolled at Northeastern University in 2024 as a mechanical engineering and physics major.[6][10] School friends describe him as intelligent and driven, with Elon Musk being his hero.[11][10] Coristine is a registered Republican.[2]

Musk was handing GS15 positions like they were party favors for his Frat-boy entourage…

And when I say they were given unfettered access- I mean it- They were the only employees not required to have their badges visible. They had complete access to the NASA email system- able to search and read any emails archived in the system- which is ALL the emails received or sent- ever. I am sure they read the email where I strongly argued against making use of one of Musk’s companies for a project for many technical reasons… as well as his demonstrated willingness to cut off services to people or organizations that had pissed him off.

We were told that if we were approached by someone _saying_ they were from DOGE and they demanded access to your computer and files – no matter how sensitive they were, no matter if the files would give SPACEX or STARLINK a competitive advantage, classified or CUI- it didn’t matter, you were to comply with the request and you were NOT allowed to ask to see their badge to verify they were who they claimed to be. You were required to log them in and let them access whatever they wanted – violating all sorts of security rules and ethical considerations.

Additionally, they were going around and walking into people’s offices and looking for reasons to fire them- Technically it is a violation to leave your computer logged in and accessible when you are not present- for instance you take 2 minutes to go to the bathroom down the hall, or to talk to a co-worker in the next office over and forget to lock your computer that is technically a violation. Not NEARLY as big a violation as logging unidentified people into your system and giving them access to all your emails and files… but they were walking in to people’s offices when they stepped out and seeing if they forgot to lock their computers- and firing them if they had forgotten.

So, a pimple-faced 20 year-old that had been handed a GS-15 position could walk up to a NASA employee that had been working for NASA since before this kid was born, and this kid could simply SAY he was with DOGE (you could not ask for proof, a badge, or even their NAME) demand to see sensitive files relating to a SPACEX contract, and you had to comply. Meanwhile all other NASA employees were required to display their badge at all times, and if it wasn’t visible other employees were free to ask to see it to verify you were a NASA employee with access to the area you were in.

THAT is just how fucked-up the situation was- security and ethics rules did not apply to them. Meanwhile, they could- and did- fire people who forgot to lock their computer during a 2 minute bathroom break.

Division heads that simply said in a meeting that the way their employees were being treated was unfair and unethical were removed from their position on the spot.

Every year we were required to take a training course on how a culture of fear and silence in the past has led to some of the agency’s greatest disasters, and loss of lives. Yet the yes-men they put in charge at the center were openly making a point of punishing anyone that spoke up…

NASA will not see the people it lost ever return… but its only a matter of time before the tragedies make their come-back.

The ratings appreciate someone from their cohort making it to officer, or senior enlisted, status. Although the stereotype of the clueless officer is perhaps somewhat
exaggerated, we’ve all experienced the “boot ensign”.

Mustangers (former EM’s who have successfully sought out and achieved Commissioned officer status) are particularly popular with crews. They have a reputation for being tough, but fair, and competent.

I enlisted at 18, got into quite a bit of trouble and bounced up and down in rank a few times during my hitch. I was commended a couple times but was late returning to the ship more than once in Olongapo.

There was a warrant officer on my ship. Seemed absurd he was technically outranked by ensigns, and the strong vibe from senior officers was he was held in much higher regard than low level commissioned officers.

Imo, Tech Bros could start their service by shining warrant officers’ shoes.

In the chain of command, the WOs are senior to the highest level of enlisted man (E-9, or Master Chief) but junior to even the lowliest Ensign (O-1). Its sort of a limbo rank, they are accorded respect because of their expertise, but they do not hold command positions outside their own technical specialty.

When I left active service in the fleet, I was an E-4 (third class petty officer or QM3) although I had passed my exams for E-5 (QM2), but I was not promoted unless I “shipped over” (Re-enlisted). However, when I reported to my hometown reserve unit for standby duty I was allowed to sew on my “crow”. I am told that for a reservist to make E-5 after only 13 months of sea duty was highly unprecedented, but it was wartime…

When the Captain gave me my shipping over speech I was offered the rank, a $3000 cash bonus, and my own command, a Patrol Boat River in the brown water Navy, just like the PBR in “Apocalypse Now”. Gunner’s Mates, Boatswain’s Mates and Quartermasters were the only enlisted ratings eligible for that post. I politely declined.

Rather pisses me off knowing the work my father did to earn his final rank as full colonel.

BTW, a Lt Col is equivalent to a full Commander in the Navy.

The ‘captain’ on my ship was a Commander. His executive officer or Number One was a Lieutenant Commander. ‘captain’ is a courtesy title for any ship’s master, regardless of his actual rank. My ship was the flagship of a 4 destroyer Division, the flag officer responsible for the entire Division was a Captain, but to avoid confusion, he was referred to by his courtesy title of ‘Commodore’. Commodore is a division or squadron commander, it is not an actual rank. An Army Captain is a relatively low ranking officer, he usually commands a company. A Navy Captain is a big shot, equivalent to a full army Colonel who might command a battalion or even a brigade.

Captain Kirk was captain of the Enterprise. Major warships like cruisers may rate a full Captain as captain, his Number One was Lieutenant Commander Spock. Since Enterprise operated on her own, there was no flag officer aboard.

These are the officer ranks in the Navy: Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, and several levels of Admiral above that. The corresponding ranks in the Army are Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, and several levels of General above that.