The Rod Martin Report: February 24, 2018

You can read about the world anywhere. You read The Rod Martin Report to understand it.

by Rod D. Martin
February 24, 2018

Dear Friend,

As you know, the Rod Martin Report normally provides in-depth analysis of several of the week's key events and how they fit into the "bigger picture". But every so often, one event is of such great import that we dedicate an entire issue just to that.

This is one of those weeks. You've no doubt seen or heard about the successful launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy (from historic KSC Pad 39A, where Apollo 11 departed for the Moon). What few have grasped are its economic and geopolitical implications, its lessons for our understanding of how government can hold back progress for generations or turn on the taps of private sector innovation, and perhaps above all, that the Jetsons future we were promised in the 1960s -- hopes dashed ever since -- is on the verge of actually happening.

This is one of the most important essays I've ever written. Please take a few moments to read and consider. (Oh, and a subscription-only version I wrote for Stratfor, t…