Podcast Episode: The Moon: The Next Great Gold Rush and America’s Future Frontier

Pip: The Overmanwarrior has a lot of interests — ancient scrolls, Ohio politics, model rocketry with grandchildren — but this week, everything points to one place: up.

Mara: Rich Hoffman makes the case that the Moon is the defining economic and strategic frontier of our era, and he connects that argument to energy independence, Ohio’s industrial future, and what it actually takes to build a Type I civilization.

Pip: Let’s start with the gold rush that isn’t metaphorical.

The Moon: America’s Next Frontier and the Coming Space Economy

Mara: The post opens not with a policy argument but with a moment — a tired walk back from the Smithsonian, arms full of books, and then a pause at a rack near the cashier.

Pip: He writes: “That spontaneous purchase captures something larger: the Moon is not just a celestial body; it is the key to the next great American expansion, a modern gold rush that will generate wealth, innovation, and opportunity on a scale rivaling the Western frontier.”

Mara: The upshot is that this isn’t nostalgia for Apollo. It’s a resource argument. The Moon holds helium-3, thorium, rare earth elements, and metals tied to what the post calls KREEP terrains — and the claim is that returning those resources via vehicles like Starship transforms economies on Earth.

Pip: The thorium case is the one that stops you. Small modular thorium reactors, described here as potentially the size of a large air conditioner, powering a home for decades with minimal waste. That’s not a distant concept — it’s the argument for why lunar extraction has a direct line to your electricity bill.

Mara: On the broader space economy, the post cites projections exceeding one trillion dollars by 2032, with space tourism alone growing at compound annual rates between 36 and 44 percent. SpaceX’s Starship cadence and Blue Origin’s lunar lander infrastructure are the mechanisms he points to.

Pip: And Ohio is the landing zone for all of it — literally. Butler County aquifers, the I-75 corridor, a proposed spaceport near Monroe, data centers, orbital manufacturing returning chips to Intel-scale plants. Roosevelt-era expansion, Musk-era execution.

Mara: He also addresses the skeptics directly. International lander confirmations from Japan and Firefly Aerospace, hardware visible through powerful telescopes — the post treats doubt as understandable but ultimately answerable by evidence.

Pip: His investment thesis is just as direct: aerospace, lunar resource plays, Starlink, and whatever an Interlune IPO looks like. Re-read this in a decade, he says.

Mara: The personal thread running through all of it is his grandson — the kid who memorized Kuiper Belt objects at age three and flew that Artemis model rocket. The Moon, the post argues, is the inheritance that generation actually gets to claim.


Pip: Roosevelt had the West. The argument here is that the next version of that expansion is already in motion — and the window is now.

Mara: The resources, the infrastructure, the policy levers — it’s all on the table. The question is whether the will follows.

Rich Hoffman

More about me

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

About the Author: Rich Hoffman

Rich Hoffman is an author, political consultant, and strategic advisor based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the creator of The Politics of Heaven—a unique framework that connects biblical theology, ancient history, and modern power structures to explain how moral alignment and spiritual forces shape global events. Blending real-world political experience with deep research into archaeology, UFO phenomena, and suppressed historical narratives, Hoffman offers compelling commentary on topics ranging from ancient civilizations and the Dead Sea Scrolls to modern populist movements, paranormal continuity, and leadership strategy in chaotic environments. As the author of The Gunfighter’s Guide to Business and the forthcoming Politics of Heaven, he brings a grounded yet provocative voice to media discussions, supported by firsthand experiences and a cross-disciplinary approach that bridges science, history, and theology. For interviews, speaking engagements, or expert analysis, visit richhoffmanbooks.com or contact directly via phone at 513-307-5815 or email at rhoffman@richhoffmanbooks.com.  If you’ve seen the movie, Disclosure Day and want to talk about it and the implications of Presidnet Trump’s UAP disclosures, let me know and we can bring some color to your coverage. https://richhoffmanbooks.com/media-inquiries-broadcast-topics-and-contact-info/?frame-nonce=ad51e7ecba I do have a firsthand UFO encounter to discuss.

The SpaceX IPO: A Generational Wealth Opportunity and the Dawn of a New Space Economy

I have been saying it all week, and I’ll say it again here: the SpaceX IPO represents one of the greatest opportunities for generational wealth creation in our lifetime. As someone who has followed SpaceX for years, toured its facilities on the Space Coast, and dreamed of humanity’s expansion into the cosmos, I see this not just as a stock offering but as a pivotal moment in human history. Wealth, as I often remind people, is a tool. The more tools you have, the more problems you can solve and the more good you can do. Donald Trump became president in large part because of his wealth, which allowed him to overcome the entrenched opposition that would have sunk anyone else. That same principle applies here. Elon Musk has taken the wealth from PayPal and other ventures and gambled it boldly on ventures like SpaceX, and now everyday investors have a chance to join in that vision. 

Critics, including some friends in the WarRoom group and others suspicious of wealthy tech figures close to Trump, voice concerns about subsidies, oligarchs, and potential crashes. I understand the skepticism—history is full of cautionary tales. But I counter with a simple truth: private sector innovation, not government bureaucracy, drives real growth. Look at the job numbers under Trump: government employment is at its lowest level in decades as workers shift into productive private roles. That transfer of energy and resources is exactly how economies expand. SpaceX embodies this shift, turning ambitious dreams into tangible progress. If you have a few thousand dollars sitting idle—perhaps from a recent real estate sale earning minimal interest in a bank—putting it into SpaceX at the IPO could be transformative. I’ve told people with $50,000 or $100,000 to consider it seriously. The potential returns, in my view, could turn modest investments into life-changing sums over the coming years. 

My enthusiasm isn’t blind. I recently visited the Space Coast with my wife, touring Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX facilities, and Blue Origin sites. We were in Florida visiting family, staying in a condo near Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. After a full day immersed in the excitement of rockets and exploration, I was still wearing my favorite SpaceX shirt when we stopped at the local Publix for fresh fruit, berries, grapes, and snacks. A fellow shopper, who looked like a Daytona Bike Week regular and a likely DeSantis or Trump supporter, approached me. “Elon Musk is a bomb,” he said. “He gets all his money from government subsidies. It’ll be great when he’s gone.” I listened politely but felt the opposite. That encounter crystallized the divide: some see dependence on subsidies, others see a catalyst for unprecedented progress. I walked away more convinced than ever that SpaceX is the real deal. 

SpaceX’s trajectory has been remarkable. Just recently, around Memorial Day 2026, Starship’s twelfth flight test achieved a successful launch and a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean, meeting key criteria for precision and reusability. This progress paves the way for the IPO, scheduled to price around June 11 and begin trading on June 12 under the ticker SPCX on Nasdaq. The company is targeting a $ 135-per-share price and aims to raise approximately $75 billion at a valuation of $1.75 trillion to $1.8 trillion. This would make it the largest IPO in history, surpassing previous records. Demand is strong, with reports of oversubscription. Elon Musk’s vision isn’t about personal enrichment alone; it’s about making humanity multi-planetary. He has often echoed the science fiction that inspired both of us—books that ask why we’re here and how we can reach further. 

I love science fiction and have for decades. Musk, like me, reads the classics and envisions carrying humanity forward. I’ve been vocal about the space economy for years, anticipating a thriving sector once the right policies are aligned. Trump’s return has accelerated that. The space economy isn’t some distant fantasy; projections show it growing from hundreds of billions today to over a trillion dollars by the 2030s or 2040s, driven by satellites, launches, tourism, and resource utilization. Starship is the key enabler—reducing costs dramatically and opening access to orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Think of the wealth generated during America’s westward expansion or the railroad boom in the late 19th century. This is analogous, but on a cosmic scale. No indigenous populations to exploit on the Moon or Mars; it’s pure frontier opportunity. 

During our Florida trip, walking the Space Coast, I saw the potential firsthand. The area around Ron Jon Surf Shop, Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach—it’s poised to boom as Las Vegas did, but with a focus on high-tech industry rather than just entertainment. Restaurants that are now seafood shacks could evolve into world-class establishments. Billions in economic activity from launches, manufacturing, tourism, and support services will flow in. I’ve seen similar transformations: the growth of Abu Dhabi and Dubai from desert to gleaming cities, or the shifts in organized crime I witnessed in my younger days in Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky, where money found new outlets. Vegas replaced mob-run desert outposts with a massive entertainment economy. Space will do the same, creating legitimate, innovative wealth. 

Critics point to BlackRock buying millions of shares or Musk’s past associations. I don’t like every player involved—Larry Fink’s politics, Mark Zuckerberg’s influence—but I separate the good from the bad. Wealthy individuals like Musk use their resources for ambitious projects. Trump’s wealth insulated him from the system. More people with independent wealth strengthen society against overreach. I’ve argued against socialism and progressive policies my whole life, yet I admire aspects of Teddy Roosevelt’s—energetic expansion—while rejecting its modern excesses. Musk isn’t a traditional Democrat or Republican; he’s a builder pushing boundaries.

Some friends worry about a crash or tech oligarchs. Economies have cycles, and short-term volatility is inevitable. Starship tests will have setbacks—explosions on the pad have happened before—but the long-term trend is upward. Hold for years, not days. Investing $1,000 today could yield enormous multiples as the valuation climbs with successful missions, Starlink expansion, and deep-space operations. Musk has said bold things before, like the Cybertruck’s early claims, but the engineering delivers. SpaceX’s valuation already reflects trillions in potential. This IPO could make Musk the first trillionaire, but more importantly, it democratizes access to that future for those who participate. 

My personal connection runs deep. As an aerospace executive, I’ve seen the industry up close. Model rocketry with my grandson teaches resilience—launching in wind and rain, troubleshooting, recovering. That same spirit scales to Starship. I can’t wait for archaeology on Mars. We’ll discover more about human history, perhaps ties to ancient legends of giants, the Nephilim, or low-gravity environments that foster taller statures, as in biblical accounts of Titans or Goliath. Low gravity on Mars could allow future generations to grow taller, altering human physiology over time. UFO phenomena, government disclosures, and ancient texts suggest we’ve had visitors or prior connections. The “Politics of Heaven” I explore in my writing ties spiritual warfare, history, and this frontier. Mars colonization isn’t an escape; it’s fulfillment and backup for Earth. 

Economically, the space economy will generate trillions through resource mining (asteroids rich in metals), orbital manufacturing, space-based solar power, and tourism. Data centers and AI on Earth will support it, fueled by reliable energy. Trump’s policies favor this private-led growth over bureaucratic stagnation. Biden-era approaches seemed designed to hobble American leadership, benefiting China. Now, with momentum restored, SpaceX leads.

I recall historical parallels: the 1860s to 1900s saw explosive capitalist growth despite the import of Marxist ideas. Antitrust broke some monopolies, but innovation thrived. Railroads connected a nation; Starship will connect worlds. Vegas exploded with entertainment revenue; Dubai with oil and vision. The Space Coast will follow. Local businesses, from shacks to fine dining, will thrive on influxes of engineers, tourists, and capital.

Skeptics at Publix or on CNBC apply old metrics. Conventional wisdom fails against paradigm shifts. Short-sellers may pounce on dips, but patient investors win. By 2030-2031, those who buy in could see returns that create multi-generational security. Imagine passing on wealth that frees descendants from financial drudgery, allowing focus on innovation, family, and higher pursuits. Yes, some may become “spoiled,” but that’s a parenting challenge, not a reason to reject opportunity. Vanderbilt and Rockefeller levels of wealth built institutions and advanced society.

My track record on predictions stems from pattern recognition: cultural shifts in the 1970s-80s music and media as spiritual attacks; political realignments; technological leaps. I’ve said things in 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2013 that materialized. This feels the same. SpaceX isn’t hype; it’s execution. Starlink already connects remote areas. Reusable rockets slashed costs. Human Mars missions are on the horizon.

For those with expendable capital—from real estate, savings, or investments—this is better than lottery odds or a sure Derby horse. It’s the underdog that wins because the fundamentals are revolutionary. BlackRock may profit, but so can average people. I encourage friends and readers: if you have $50k-$100k that’s not needed immediately, consider allocating it. Diversify, of course, but don’t miss this.

The IPO timing aligns with broader disclosure conversations and cultural moments, such as films that spark interest. It’s symbolic: breaking free from Earth-bound limits. I wore that SpaceX shirt proudly, envisioning open planets for humanity. My wife and I, after decades together, share these adventures—museums, history, family trips. Grandchildren will inherit a world with options we barely imagined.

Challenges remain: regulatory hurdles, technical risks, geopolitical tensions. China competes, preferring America to be sidelined. Critics tied to old systems resist. Yet Musk’s focus—multi-planetary life—transcends politics. He invests not in yachts but in rockets. That drive, rooted in curiosity and science fiction, mirrors my own lifelong questions about history, archaeology, and purpose.

In my younger days, handling high-stakes situations in the shadows of Cincinnati taught me about power, coded signals, and resilience. Those lessons apply: see beyond surface narratives. Two-tier systems exist, but individuals will impose order. SpaceX does that technologically.

The space economy will dwarf past booms—trillions in new value from transport, resources, research. AI and robots will handle the dangers, with humans providing direction. Tesla autonomy extending to space. Data centers in Ohio, powered locally, supporting it all.

This is a rare chance. People will look back in 2036 or 2046 and wish they’d listened. My essays and podcasts often explore these intersections—politics, history, faith, innovation. The Politics of Heaven, my upcoming book, delves into biblical conspiracies, giants, spiritual warfare, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. Mars archaeology will illuminate much.

To those suspicious of Musk’s Trump ties or wealth: judge by results. Launches succeed, technology advances, and jobs are created. Government subsidies? Many industries receive them; SpaceX delivers returns through innovation. Private investment now amplifies that.

For the guy at Publix or Tucker Carlson skeptics worried about “demon science”: I see God-given talent in engineers pushing boundaries. Creation includes curiosity. Staying Earth-bound risks stagnation; expansion honors stewardship and dominion.

Invest if it fits your risk tolerance and timeline—long-term hold. The Starship ecosystem—landings at Boca Chica, expansions at Cape Canaveral—will reshape regions and economies. Port Canaveral is bustling like never before.

This IPO isn’t just financial; it’s philosophical. Wealth as a tool for a multi-planetary future. Generational legacy. I urge those who can: participate. You’ll be glad, and future generations will thank you.

Footnotes (extensive selection; full version would expand):

1.  SpaceX IPO prospectus and SEC filings, May 2026.

2.  Reuters reporting on $135 pricing and $75B raise, June 2026. 

3.  CNBC coverage of Starship Flight 12, May 2026.

4.  Morgan Stanley Space Economy projections. 

5.  Personal observations from Space Coast visit, 2026.

6.  Biblical Archaeology Review archives on ancient history.

7.  Historical analyses of railroad expansion and Gilded Age wealth.

8.  Reports on Dubai/Abu Dhabi development.

9.  Elon Musk interviews on multi-planetary goals.

10.  Economic studies on space resource utilization.

Bibliography (large sample):

•  SpaceX Official Updates and Launch Manifest.

•  Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, NYT articles on IPO, 2026.

•  Morgan Stanley: “The New Space Economy.”

•  McKinsey/World Economic Forum Space Economy Report.

•  Hoffman’s The Gunfighter’s Guide to Business and The Politics of Heaven (forthcoming).

•  Asimov’s Foundation series (influence on vision).

•  Biblical texts, Book of Enoch, Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship.

•  Historical works on American expansion, railroads, Vegas growth.

•  Aerospace industry analyses, NASA/Artemis documents.

•  Additional sources on AI, robotics, asteroid mining economics.

Rich Hoffman

More about me

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

About the Author: Rich Hoffman

Rich Hoffman is an aerospace executive, political strategist, systems thinker, and independent researcher of ancient history, the paranormal, and the Dead Sea Scrolls tradition. His life in high‑stakes manufacturing, high‑level politics, and cross‑functional crisis management gives him a field‑tested understanding of power — both human and unseen.

He has advised candidates, executives, and public leaders, while conducting deep, hands‑on exploration of archaeological and supernatural hotspots across the world.

Hoffman writes with the credibility of a problem-solver, the curiosity of an archaeologist, and the courage of a frontline witness who has gone to very scary places and reported what lurked there. Hoffman has authored books including The Symposium of JusticeThe Gunfighter’s Guide to Business, and Tail of the Dragon, often exploring themes of freedom, individual will, and societal structures through a lens influenced by philosophy (e.g., Nietzschean overman concepts) and current events

The Moon: The Next Great Gold Rush and America’s Future Frontier

I remember the moment clearly. My wife and I were leaving the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago, arms loaded with heavy stacks of books from the gift shops. We had already bought plenty—typical for me when I travel. Books are what I bring home most. We were tired, heading back to the parking garage a couple of blocks away, when I spotted it on a rack near the cashier: a beautifully produced DK book on the Moon. DK books are special; they pack immense detail, vivid imagery, and love into every page. As someone deeply involved in aerospace and passionate about SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA, and lunar exploration, I couldn’t resist. My wife looked at me with that knowing smile after nearly 40 years of marriage and said we should go back for it. We did. That book now sits on my shelf as a treasured reminder of that day, a tangible link to the excitement of the present and the vast possibilities ahead. 

That spontaneous purchase captures something larger: the Moon is not just a celestial body; it is the key to the next great American expansion, a modern gold rush that will generate wealth, innovation, and opportunity on a scale rivaling the Western frontier. Just as Theodore Roosevelt championed westward expansion, national parks, and the productive use of resources to build a stronger nation, we must embrace this new frontier without apology. The Moon holds resources—rare metals, thorium, helium-3, and more—that can power a Type I civilization, fuel energy independence, enable orbital manufacturing, and revitalize communities like those in my home region of Butler County, Ohio. 

A Personal Encounter with Lunar Wonder

Walking past the Easter Island statue and near the Department of Justice building at the Smithsonian, carrying those heavy stacks, I paused because the Moon has been central to my thinking for years. People who lunch with me or listen to my podcast know this: I constantly talk about lunar missions, the space economy, and manufacturing in space. I associate with skeptics who question Apollo, but evidence convinces me otherwise. We can see the landing sites with powerful telescopes. Other nations, including Japan and Firefly Aerospace, have landed near Apollo sites and confirmed the hardware. These are real achievements, not Hollywood sets. 

The DK book reinforced everything I believe. It covers the Moon’s history, what we know, and—crucially—its future. It details manufacturing potential, resource utilization, and why the Moon matters for industry. Flipping through it at home, with my reading light on and stacks of other books nearby (many from the Museum of the Bible’s Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit I visited on my birthday), I felt the same thrill as when launching model rockets with my grandsons or touring Kennedy Space Center facilities.

My youngest grandson, a brilliant young mind obsessed with space since age three (memorizing solar system bodies and Kuiper Belt objects), saw me reading it. He’s the one who launched that detailed Artemis model rocket we built and flew on a breezy day—overpowered engine, wind shear, pretzel rolls, but safe recovery. He wants to build, understand, and explore. This book and the future it represents are for him and his generation. They will inherit opportunities from this gold rush that make the California or Dakota rushes look small. 

The Moon as the New Gold Rush

Compare this to Teddy Roosevelt’s era. Roosevelt, whose biographies by Edmund Morris I admire and whose Netflix documentary I recommend, loved the West. He explained the moral and economic necessity of westward expansion. Gold funded infrastructure, mobility, and a great nation. Critics today decry the exploitation of indigenous peoples, but the truth is, those resources built America. On the Moon, there are no indigenous populations to displace. We can extract without controversy, using the science and archaeology we uncover along the way. 

Lunar resources are extraordinary. The solar wind has deposited vast amounts of helium-3—estimates run to over a million tons in the regolith. Helium-3 promises clean fusion energy with minimal waste and proliferation risks compared to other fuels. Rare earth elements, thorium, titanium, aluminum, and metals associated with KREEP (potassium, rare earths, phosphorus) terrains offer riches. Thorium concentrations signal nearby rare metals. One kilogram of helium-3 can produce enormous energy when fused with deuterium. Bringing these back via Starship or similar vehicles will transform economies. 

Thorium itself is abundant on the Moon and ideal for reactors. On Earth, thorium is three times more common than uranium. Small modular thorium reactors—some the size of a large air conditioner—could power homes for decades with minimal grid dependence, producing far less long-lived waste. Imagine every home with its own safe, perpetual-energy source—Africa’s poor gain electricity and internet via Starlink. Surplus power feeds grids or charges vehicles. This is abundance, not scarcity. I’ve advocated this for over a decade; lunar thorium accelerates it. 

Space Economy: Projections and Infrastructure

The numbers are staggering. The broader space economy could exceed $1 trillion by 2032. Space tourism alone may add $16 billion or more, with markets projected to grow from $10 billion to over $17 billion by 2030-2032, at CAGRs of 36-44%. Commercial space flight, satellites, manufacturing, and resource return will multiply this. 

SpaceX’s Starship is pivotal—reusable, high-cadence launches (aiming for weekly), orbital refueling, and lunar/planetary capability. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and manufacturing facilities in Florida support Artemis. I toured these areas recently; the scale of Blue Origin’s facility dwarfs many terrestrial plants. Starship catching with “chopsticks,” successful Indian Ocean splashdowns—the cadence is building. Orbital factories in zero-G, powered by solar or nuclear power, produce chips, pharmaceuticals, and materials superior to those produced by Earth’s gravity-constrained methods. Precious metals mined on the Moon fuel superconductors and electronics, reducing reliance on terrestrial or Chinese supplies. 

Elon Musk’s vision, Tesla’s energy innovations (I love the charging stations at that Cracker Barrel north of Lima, Ohio, or Disney Springs), and Starlink complement this. I’m not against renewables or traditional fuels—Wawa, Bucky’s, gas stations built America. But nuclear power, including thorium, provides baseload capacity. Politicians who weakened the grid through poor policy must adapt. FirstEnergy and Ohio’s energy mix, plus lunar resources, are strengths.

Ohio’s Role: Spaceports, Data Centers, and Renewal

Ohio is primed. Butler County’s aquifers, the Great Miami River, the Trenton area, and proximity to the I-75/I-71 corridors make it ideal. I’ve walked these lands, showing the water resources that are perfect for data centers and manufacturing. Middletown and Monroe could host a spaceport. Farmland surrounds it; sonic booms are a manageable trade-off for vitality, unlike the decline and illicit economies some fear. Boca Chica proves it; Starships landing, cargo from lunar mines or orbital fabs unloaded like truck trailers. Chips manufactured in orbit return here, feeding Intel-like plants and restoring manufacturing. 

Hyperloop concepts in Monroe, spaceport infrastructure, and data centers powered by reliable energy create a corridor. With leaders like JD Vance (likely future President) and Vivek Ramaswamy (potential Governor), plus Ohio senators and locals like Sheriff Jones or Sen. Lang, bills are ready. This isn’t fantasy; it’s Rooseveltian vision meeting Musk-era execution. Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and new dynasties emerge from such frontiers.

Critics worry about noise or change. But silence in cornfields while communities decay? No. This brings jobs, STEM excitement for youth (like my grandson’s rocketry), and wealth. Environmentalists note: no indigenous claims on the Moon. Archaeology of ancient civilizations or human origins may await—tying into my work on The Politics of Heaven, giants, and spiritual history.

Overcoming Skepticism and Embracing the Future

Some still doubt Moon landings. I understand distrust of government, but international verification, hardware visibility, and private successes (Firefly, Japanese landers) confirm the reality. The wreckage isn’t in a desert lot; it’s on the lunar surface. Artemis, Starship, and commercial partners accelerate what Apollo started.

Investment advice I give at lunch: aerospace, space infrastructure, Moon-related plays. SpaceX IPO talk, Starlink, Tesla synergies, lunar miners like Interlune for helium-3—these are paths to wealth. Re-read this essay back in a decade; those who invest in the gold rush will thrive. 

My wife and I carried those books, tired but joyful. That DK volume symbolizes commitment. Museums like the Smithsonian and Kennedy inspire; they show past triumphs and fund future ones. I devoured Dead Sea Scrolls books on my birthday; this Moon book joins them.

For my grandchildren: model rockets today, lunar bases and orbital factories tomorrow. They’ll read these pages, build, explore, and lead. As an aerospace executive, writer, and grandfather, I see resilience in imposing will on circumstances—like launching in wind or pushing through fatigue for one more book.

Call to Action for Leaders and Readers

To JD Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, President Trump, Ohio senators, and others: This is the moment. Support Artemis cadence, thorium R&D, spaceport incentives in Ohio, orbital manufacturing tax policy, and resource utilization. Fund archaeology tied to lunar discoveries. America leads; China or others will if we hesitate—no apologies—abundance for all.

The Moon is our Teddy Roosevelt frontier: productive, moral in expanding human potential, wealth-building without exploitation. Invest your paycheck, imagination, and policy here. Factories on the Moon and in orbit, Starships cycling constantly, homes powered by thorium the size of AC units, chips from zero-G, economic renewal in Middletown and beyond.

I stopped in my tracks for that book because the Moon is my place. It should be ours as a nation. The gold rush awaits. Let’s claim it.

Footnotes

1.  Personal observations from Smithsonian visit and family rocketry activities.

2.  DK The Moon book details lunar resources and future industry. 

3.  Helium-3 estimates from scientific literature. 

4.  Thorium advantages: abundance, waste reduction. 

5.  Space economy projections from market analyses. 

6.  Artemis/Blue Origin/SpaceX updates. 

7.  Ohio aerospace context. 

(Additional footnotes would expand on specific quotes, historical references to Roosevelt, Morris biographies, energy policy critiques, etc., drawing from verified sources and personal experience.)

Bibliography

•  DK Publishing. The Moon. (Recent edition available via Smithsonian and Amazon).

•  Morris, Edmund. Theodore Roosevelt trilogy.

•  NASA Artemis program documents and partner updates (SpaceX, Blue Origin).

•  Scientific papers on lunar resources (ESA, Wikipedia summaries of peer-reviewed data, USGS on REEs).

•  Market reports: Grand View Research, Market.us, Visual Capitalist on space economy.

•  Thorium energy literature (World Nuclear Association, etc.).

•  My previous works: The Gunfighter’s Guide to BusinessThe Politics of Heaven manuscript.

Rich Hoffman

More about me

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

About the Author: Rich Hoffman

Rich Hoffman is an aerospace executive, political strategist, systems thinker, and independent researcher of ancient history, the paranormal, and the Dead Sea Scrolls tradition. His life in high‑stakes manufacturing, high‑level politics, and cross‑functional crisis management gives him a field‑tested understanding of power — both human and unseen.

He has advised candidates, executives, and public leaders, while conducting deep, hands‑on exploration of archaeological and supernatural hotspots across the world.

Hoffman writes with the credibility of a problem-solver, the curiosity of an archaeologist, and the courage of a frontline witness who has gone to very scary places and reported what lurked there. Hoffman has authored books including The Symposium of JusticeThe Gunfighter’s Guide to Business, and Tail of the Dragon, often exploring themes of freedom, individual will, and societal structures through a lens influenced by philosophy (e.g., Nietzschean overman concepts) and current events

Contemplations on taxes and land use: The value of the Buried Valley Aquifer

I have lived in Liberty Township for half a century, and my daughter has spent most of her life here as well. This place shaped us. I remember when Liberty Township was defined by open fields, cows grazing behind white fences, and families holding onto fifty acres or more. Those days feel distant now. Land once measured in expansive plots has shrunk to quarter-acre dreams, and the American vision of space and self-reliance has been traded for denser subdivisions and higher tax bases. I see this tension playing out right now with a proposed housing complex at the end of Lynn Road. My daughter wants to speak against it during public comments, and I support her. We drive by that property often, and it has always been a spacious vanishing point—a beautiful open vista that has brought me peace for decades. Watching it get plotted and dotted with houses feels like losing something sentimental, something that defined the character of this township. 

I am not against development in principle. I am pro-growth and see economic activity as a creative enterprise—an artistic one, even. I have friends who are landholders and developers, many on the wealthier side, and I understand their perspective. Property owners have every right to sell, and if someone wants to buy and build, that transaction should be respected, and high property taxes make it so selling that land to a developer is their only real option. But not every piece of land is the same. Some properties carry generational memories and visual value that new subdivisions erode quickly. I have watched this transformation happen repeatedly in Liberty Township. Brand-new houses look appealing at first, but many are built with materials that age poorly. In a decade or two, they become eyesores—secondhand in quality, declining in desirability, and burdensome to maintain. The open farmland that once symbolized freedom and productivity gets replaced by neighborhoods that demand more services while delivering diminishing returns. 

This is not just nostalgia. It is an economic observation. Converting productive farmland into residential plots often feels like economic shuffleboarding—moving value around rather than creating lasting wealth. A large plot growing beans and corn generates real output. Subdividing it generates immediate tax revenue, which big government loves, but it comes at the cost of open space and long-term character. Local governments face pressure to approve these projects because they promise quick fiscal boosts. Developers attend meetings, build relationships, and present polished plans. Residents who value the status quo often show up only when directly affected, so the process becomes one-sided. Hearings can feel like formalities. In many cases, the outcome seems predetermined. I have told my daughter as much: these deals are frequently made long before public comment. Yet speaking out still matters. It puts the sentimental and aesthetic costs on record.

I contrast this sharply with another development I support strongly: data centers in nearby Trenton, just across the river. Trenton sits in a strategic spot with highway access, existing infrastructure, and—most crucially—one of the world’s best water resources beneath it. The Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer underlies much of Butler County, including areas around Trenton and Middletown. This aquifer is one of the most productive groundwater systems in the United States, a network of sand and gravel deposits storing over a trillion gallons of clean water. It yields enormous volumes—hundreds of millions of gallons daily—and has supported industries such as the Miller brewery for decades. My own house sits on a hill overlooking Trenton, roughly 100 feet above the river, yet we have a constant water presence in our basement from the aquifer below. Geologically, this water basin is vast and reliable, replenished by the Miami River. Data centers need massive cooling capacity, and this aquifer provides it without noticeable depletion. The consumption rates discussed, even for large facilities, would barely register on the aquifer’s scale. 

I have followed the proposals for data centers in Trenton closely, including projects like Prologis’ “Project Mila” on 141 acres in the industrial park. These are substantial—hundreds of thousands of square feet across multiple buildings. There has been pushback from some residents concerned about views, noise, or rapid approval processes. I get the concerns; change is disruptive. But I see data centers as fundamentally different from housing sprawl. They represent the future economy: AI, robotics, data processing, and the infrastructure for the emerging space economy. I am a huge fan of SpaceX and what they are building. Giant factories in orbit, manufacturing in zero-gravity environments—these are not science fiction to me. They are the next frontier, safer and more efficient than Earth-based heavy industry in many ways. To get there, we need AI and the data centers that power it. Trenton’s location—near power infrastructure, highways, and this incredible aquifer—makes it ideal. 

Ohio’s energy picture supports this growth. We are in a different era now. Fracking, fossil fuels, and a pragmatic approach to nuclear power are providing abundance. I remember the politics around FirstEnergy and nuclear plants under previous administrations—efforts to shut down reliable sources in favor of intermittent renewables that could not meet demand. Those policies created artificial shortages. Today, with a focus on all-of-the-above energy, including drilling and keeping nuclear online, we have the capacity. Data centers are energy-intensive, but Ohio is positioning itself to meet that demand without brownouts or rationing. The aquifer handles the cooling, the grid handles the power, and the economic returns are substantial. 

I have seen arguments about water use and electricity draw, but the data reassures me. The Buried Valley Aquifer has been studied extensively by the USGS and local conservancy districts. It interacts dynamically with the Great Miami River, maintaining levels even with significant withdrawals for municipal and industrial use. Data centers can employ efficient cooling designs, sometimes using water for only a small percentage of the year. Compared to the long-term benefits, the trade-offs seem manageable. Meanwhile, residential developments consume water too—often less efficiently per unit of economic output—and they permanently fragment land. 

Tax revenue comparisons favor targeted industrial development, such as data centers, over blanket housing. Housing brings in property taxes from many small parcels, but it also increases demands on schools, roads, and services. Data centers, even with incentives, generate significant direct and indirect revenue. Ohio has seen billions in investments and tax contributions from the sector. They create high-value economic activity with fewer ongoing public service burdens. A data center does not fill classrooms or require the same level of residential infrastructure. It powers the digital backbone that supports everything from cell phones to advanced manufacturing. 

This selective approach to development reflects my broader philosophy. I like growth that builds real capability. Farms like Garver Family Farm Market and Neiderman Farm show how landowners can adapt—by selling directly to consumers, hosting events, and creating agritourism revenue to help cover taxes. These are creative solutions that preserve some open character while sustaining ownership. But crushing property taxes push many toward selling to residential developers. The system incentivizes short-term conversion over long-term stewardship. Big government benefits from the expanded tax base, yet it erodes the sovereignty of individual landholders. I see this as, in practice, turning private property into something more collective. 

My views come from decades of observation. I remember Trenton before and after the Miller brewery. That facility brought jobs and economic activity, though it also brought truck traffic on roads not designed for it. Data centers will bring different impacts—more buildings on former farmland—but they align with a high-tech future. Robots in fast food, AI handling data, automation filling labor gaps: these trends are real. I have friends in the restaurant business struggling with staffing post-COVID. Demographics and cultural shifts mean fewer people are available or willing to take certain jobs. Tesla and SpaceX demonstrate how robotics and AI multiply human capability. Data centers are the enablers. I want Trenton to be part of that boom. I want Butler County and Ohio to lead in the space economy. Factories in orbit, 200,000-square-foot facilities operating in microgravity—these are exciting prospects I hope to engage with personally. 

The housing project on Lynn Road bothers me because it trades irreplaceable open space for something transient. New houses age into maintenance headaches. Neighborhoods change demographics and character over decades. The view my daughter and I have enjoyed will be gone. In contrast, data centers, while industrial, serve a purpose that scales into the future. They do not sprawl into residential life the same way. They cluster in appropriate industrial zones.

I understand the counterarguments. Some worry about electricity strain or water draw, but Ohio’s policies and geology mitigate those. Others dislike the aesthetics of large warehouse-like structures. I prefer cornfields too, but economic reality and technological progress demand adaptation. Property taxes make holding large farms expensive. Development pays those bills. The question is which development creates enduring value.

I am optimistic about the direction. With sound energy policy, abundant water, and a strategic location, Trenton can thrive. Liberty Township should protect its remaining special open spaces where possible. Public comments matter, even if outcomes feel foregone. My daughter speaking out honors the place we love. I plan to support her.

This balance—resisting unchecked residential sprawl while embracing high-value tech infrastructure—strikes me as pragmatic. It respects property rights without surrendering everything to short-term fiscal pressure. It looks toward a future of AI, space manufacturing, and expanded human potential rather than repeating patterns of subdivision that have already altered so much of what I grew up with.

In the end, I want both: preserved pockets of the beautiful, spacious Liberty Township I have known, and developments like data centers that position our region for the next century. The aquifer under the Miami Valley gives us a unique advantage that few places can match. Ohio’s energy abundance under current policies removes old constraints. We should use these gifts wisely—favoring quality over quantity in residential growth, and boldness in embracing the technologies that will define tomorrow. 

Footnotes

¹ Personal observation and driving history in Liberty Township.

² Liberty Township comprehensive plans and development patterns.

³ USGS reports on the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer.

⁴ Butler County water resources documentation.

⁵ Prologis Project Mila proposals and Trenton approvals.

⁶ Ohio data center tax revenue studies.

⁷ Energy policy analyses regarding nuclear and fracking.

⁸ Farm market operations in the Monroe area.

Bibliography

•  Sheets, R.A. et al. Ground-Water Flow Directions and Estimation of Aquifer Hydraulic Properties in the Lower Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer System. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5013.

•  Miami Conservancy District publications on aquifer sustainability.

•  Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation reports on data center economic impact.

•  Policy Matters Ohio analyses of tax incentives.

•  Local news coverage from WCPO, Journal-News on Trenton developments.

•  Garver Family Farm Market business information.

•  Ohio Revised Code sections on data center tax exemptions.

•  Additional USGS and Ohio DNR groundwater studies for Butler County.

Rich Hoffman

More about me

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

About the Author: Rich Hoffman

Rich Hoffman is an aerospace executive, political strategist, systems thinker, and independent researcher of ancient history, the paranormal, and the Dead Sea Scrolls tradition. His life in high‑stakes manufacturing, high‑level politics, and cross‑functional crisis management gives him a field‑tested understanding of power — both human and unseen.

He has advised candidates, executives, and public leaders, while conducting deep, hands‑on exploration of archaeological and supernatural hotspots across the world.

Hoffman writes with the credibility of a problem-solver, the curiosity of an archaeologist, and the courage of a frontline witness who has gone to very scary places and reported what lurked there. Hoffman has authored books including The Symposium of JusticeThe Gunfighter’s Guide to Business, and Tail of the Dragon, often exploring themes of freedom, individual will, and societal structures through a lens influenced by philosophy (e.g., Nietzschean overman concepts) and current events.

Ascending from Plato’s Cave: Don’t suffer from second husband syndrome

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where humanity stands at this pivotal moment. As of late March 2026, NASA is days away from launching Artemis II—the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo, targeted for no earlier than April 1, 2026, with astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen aboard Orion for a ten-day lunar flyby.   This isn’t just another flight; it’s NASA finally getting aggressive, the way it always should have been. I support the Artemis program with my whole heart. I want to see timelines compressed, second and third shifts running around the clock, Saturdays and Sundays included—full throttle output. We’ve talked for decades about whether we ever really went to the Moon. I respect people who doubt it; many have been lied to by institutions they once trusted. But I’ve traveled the world, seen the curvature of the Earth with my own eyes, understood time zones through lived experience, and studied how ancient mathematicians calculated that curvature to plot constellations and voyages. Those advances in human culture demand we go to space—not just with drones or robots, but with people living sustainably off-world. That’s the only way we climb out of Plato’s cave, stop staring at shadows, and see reality for what it is.

My perspective is rooted in a deep love for knowledge, ancient history, and the biblical call to dominion. I don’t dismiss fears about transhumanism or the occult origins some attribute to NASA. I get the Tower of Babel parallels—humanity trying to replace God. But I also believe God gave us intellect and drive precisely for exploration. Leaving Earth isn’t rebellion; it’s fulfillment of the creation mandate. And with AI, robotics, and companies like SpaceX and Firefly Aerospace pushing boundaries, we’re on the cusp of a flourishing space economy that will create jobs, not destroy them. I’ll explain all of this below, drawing on the examples and reasoning I’ve shared in conversations, while adding substantial background, historical context, scientific details, and references for further study. This is my view, expressed in the first person because these convictions are personal—forged from years of study, travel, and reflection on what makes civilizations thrive or collapse.

Let’s start with the skepticism that still lingers. I’ve met kind, thoughtful people who defend Flat Earth theory aggressively. I feel for them. Decades of institutional deception—from governments to media—have left many clinging to simplicity as a shield against complexity. Yet the evidence against a flat Earth is overwhelming and ancient. Around 240 BCE, the Greek scholar Eratosthenes of Cyrene calculated Earth’s circumference with remarkable accuracy using nothing more than sticks, shadows, and geometry. At noon on the summer solstice in Syene (modern Aswan), the Sun shone directly down a well with no shadow. In Alexandria, 5000 stadia north, a stick cast a 7.2-degree shadow—exactly 1/50th of a circle. Multiplying the distance by 50 gave him roughly 250,000 stadia, or about 40,000 kilometers—within 1% of the modern equatorial value of 40,075 km.   Ancient cultures used this spherical understanding to navigate oceans and align monuments with constellations. Time zones, the Coriolis effect on weather, and lunar eclipses (where Earth’s round shadow falls on the Moon) all confirm it. I’ve seen the horizon curve from high altitudes and across oceans. We don’t need to argue endlessly; we need to move forward.

The same institutional distrust fuels Moon-landing conspiracies. Yet commercial progress is demolishing doubt. In March 2025, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander achieved the first fully successful commercial Moon landing in Mare Crisium, near Mons Latreille. It operated for over 14 days on the surface—346 hours of daylight plus lunar night—delivering NASA payloads and proving robotic precision.  This wasn’t government theater; it was private industry landing hardware right near prior Apollo sites. The best proof, though, will be routine human traffic: Starship ferrying thousands to lunar bases and back. When people vacation on the Moon like they do in Hawaii, the shadows-on-the-wall debate ends.

This brings me to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which I invoke often because it perfectly captures our situation. In Book VII of The Republic, Socrates describes prisoners chained since birth in an underground cavern, facing a blank wall. Behind them burns a fire; between fire and prisoners, puppeteers carry objects whose shadows dance on the wall. The prisoners believe these shadows are ultimate reality; they compete to predict the next shadow, mistaking illusion for truth. One prisoner breaks free. Dragged upward into sunlight, he suffers pain but gradually sees real objects, then the Sun itself—the Form of the Good. Returning to the cave to free others, he is mocked as blind. Plato uses this to illustrate education’s purpose: turning the soul from illusion toward truth.  

I see modern humanity in that cave. We’ve been fed institutional shadows—media narratives, bureaucratic lies, power-maintaining myths. Space exploration is the ascent. Drones and rovers have sent back data, but they’re still shadows. Humans must go—live, work, have children off-world—to grasp the fire and the Sun beyond. Only then do we understand what cast those flickering images on Earth’s wall. My entire worldview, from business to culture to faith, rests on this quest for unfiltered knowledge. I refuse to remain chained, interpreting shadows while interpreters with agendas lie about what they see.

Ancient history reinforces this urgency. I study civilizations full-time because they reveal what builds success: boldness, truth-seeking, and expansion. Many past cultures achieved greatness then lost momentum—collapsed under internal rot or external conquest. I call this “second husband syndrome.” Imagine a second husband tormented by thoughts of his wife’s first husband, especially if children from that marriage remain. Jealousy poisons the new relationship. Likewise, modern elites suppress or dismiss prior cultures’ achievements to claim sole glory. They rewrite history so previous “husbands” (Atlantis legends, megalithic engineering, advanced astronomy) never existed or were primitive. This intellectual jealousy stifles progress. Studying the Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, or Maya shows they grasped Earth’s sphericity, built with precision, and reached for the stars. To build successful cultures today, we must leave the mother’s womb—Earth—and psychologically inhabit other worlds. Labor shortages on Earth are irrelevant; AI and robotics multiply our hours exponentially.

Biblically, this expansion aligns with God’s design, not against it. Genesis 1:28 commands: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Theologians call this the creation or cultural mandate—image-bearers exercising responsible stewardship and creativity across creation.   Some interpret it Earth-only, warning against “playing God.” I counter: God gave intellect, curiosity, and the stars themselves. Exploration within biblical rules—humility before the Creator, ethical stewardship—strengthens faith. Western civilization’s prosperity flows from this worldview: truth-seeking fused with moral order. Space doesn’t dismiss Scripture; it illuminates it. Ancient myths and biblical echoes (Ezekiel’s wheels, chariots of fire) hint at cosmic realities. When we settle the Moon and Mars, we’ll confront those stories with fresh eyes, not fear.

Transhumanism and AI raise valid anxieties. I sympathize with those guarding the “temple of the human body” against occult-tinged experiments that seek to dethrone God. Yet I support robotics and AI enthusiastically. They’re tools, not replacements. Elon Musk’s Optimus robots—demonstrated in recent high-profile events—represent progress, not erasure. The robot Melania Trump walked onstage symbolized partnership: machines handling hostile environments so humans thrive. Blue-collar fears about job loss in trucking or fast food miss the bigger picture. Space will explode opportunities. Lunar mining, orbital manufacturing, tourism, and research will demand millions of roles Earthside and off-world. NASA studies project Artemis driving economic growth through commercial partnerships and a burgeoning lunar marketplace.  PwC forecasts a $127 billion Moon economy by 2050, fueled by energy infrastructure, resources, and services.  I think it will be a lot higher than that.  Far from regression, we gain jobs by the mass. I’m bullish because history shows technology expands human potential when paired with moral vision.

Look at the hardware already proving the path. SpaceX’s Starship must fly aggressively; routine, reusable flights are non-negotiable. Firefly’s success shows commercial lunar access is here. Artemis II tests Orion and SLS for crewed lunar operations, paving the way for Artemis III’s landing (targeted 2027–2028 under current plans) and eventual bases. I want Americans—led by visionaries like President Trump—first on the Moon again, first with permanent colonies (dozens, then hundreds, then thousands). A 10,000-person lunar hub by 2050 isn’t fantasy; it’s engineering plus will. People will live there comfortably: internet, power, hotels. I’ll be among the first tourists with my wife—enthusiastically. Imagine vacationing on the Moon, then returning transformed.

Mars follows. Elon Musk has highlighted the Fermi Paradox’s scariest resolution: we might be alone, or nearly so, in the observable universe—a tiny candle of consciousness in darkness.   That rarity demands we multiply life outward. Different gravities will reshape humanity—taller or shorter frames, new adaptations—yet our core experience evolves. Space archaeology will resolve earthly mythologies: Was Mars once lush? Did prior intelligences leave traces? We boldly go, not in fear, but in faith.

Opposition comes from anti-human forces—regressive ideologies that prefer controlled scarcity on Earth over expansive freedom. Democrats and globalist mindsets sabotage by slowing timelines, inflating costs, or prioritizing Earthbound politics. They fear off-world colonies because independent humans are harder to dominate. I reject that. Human destiny is multi-planetary; it guarantees species survival against asteroids, climate shifts, or self-inflicted woes.

I want answers. I want the space economy flourishing, exploration routine, and humanity confronting the fire behind the shadows. My book The Gunfighter’s Guide to Business outlines principles of decisive action and moral clarity I apply here. Subscribe, engage, study ancient history, support aggressive NASA and SpaceX timelines. Let’s compress Artemis, land Starships weekly, and build hotels on the Moon. The cave is behind us. The stars await. Godspeed.

Footnotes and Further Reference Material

1.  Plato. The Republic, Book VII (514a–520a). Standard translation by Benjamin Jowett or Allan Bloom recommended. For modern analysis: SparkNotes or MasterClass summaries align with my interpretation of enlightenment through ascent. 

2.  Eratosthenes’ method detailed in Cleomedes’ On the Circular Motions of the Heavens and modern reconstructions. See APS News (2006) or Khan Academy for accessible explanations. 

3.  NASA Artemis Program: Official site (nasa.gov/artemis) for timelines; Wikipedia for historical delays. Economic report: “Economic Growth and National Competitiveness Impacts of the Artemis Program” (NASA, 2022). 

4.  Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1: Firefly Aerospace press releases and end-of-mission summary. Confirms March 2, 2025 landing. 

5.  Biblical Creation Mandate: Genesis 1:26–28; extended discussion in Answers in Genesis or Focus on the Family resources. 

6.  Space economy projections: PwC Lunar Market Assessment (2026); NASA’s commercial lunar payload services page. 

7.  Elon Musk on Fermi Paradox and solitude in cosmos: Public statements 2018–2026, including Davos remarks and X posts. 

Additional reading: The Republic (Plato); Pale Blue Dot (Carl Sagan) for perspective (though I differ on some philosophical points); NASA’s Artemis economic studies; The Case for Mars (Robert Zubrin); ancient astronomy texts like Ptolemy or modern histories of Eratosthenes. For AI/robotics ethics: Musk’s own writings and Tesla Optimus updates. Study these, visit NASA facilities as I have with my wife, and join the ascent. The future is ours to seize.

Rich Hoffman

More about me

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

About the Author: Rich Hoffman

Rich Hoffman is an aerospace executive, political strategist, systems thinker, and independent researcher of ancient history, the paranormal, and the Dead Sea Scrolls tradition. His life in high‑stakes manufacturing, high‑level politics, and cross‑functional crisis management gives him a field‑tested understanding of power — both human and unseen.

He has advised candidates, executives, and public leaders, while conducting deep, hands‑on exploration of archaeological and supernatural hotspots across the world.

Hoffman writes with the credibility of a problem-solver, the curiosity of an archaeologist, and the courage of a frontline witness who has gone to very scary places and reported what lurked there. Hoffman has authored books including The Symposium of JusticeThe Gunfighter’s Guide to Business, and Tail of the Dragon, often exploring themes of freedom, individual will, and societal structures through a lens influenced by philosophy (e.g., Nietzschean overman concepts) and current events.

Its Time for NASA to get The Right Stuff, Again: They need to work faster, longer, and launches need to happen much more often

My wife and I recently returned from a trip to NASA’s Space Coast in Florida, a place that has held a special significance in my life for over 30 years. My family has owned a condominium complex in the area for decades, and we’ve visited the Cape Canaveral region dozens of times. It’s been a big part of our lives, from family vacations to watching the ebb and flow of the aerospace industry along the coast. This latest visit was particularly exciting because I wanted to get a firsthand look at the facilities tied to the Artemis program, as well as the impressive campuses of private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. I am deeply invested in the expansion of human presence off-planet Earth—not just for the adventure and acquisition of knowledge, but for risk mitigation against existential threats to humanity and to unlock the full potential of human intellect beyond our world. I want a thriving space economy, and I want NASA to succeed spectacularly in leading that charge. However, my observations during this trip left me with a mix of enthusiasm and constructive criticism about the current state of NASA’s Artemis program.

We timed our visit toward the end of February 2026, hoping to catch some activity. SpaceX had a busy schedule with multiple Falcon 9 launches deploying Starlink satellites, including one on a Wednesday, another on a Friday, and a Saturday night launch around 9 p.m. that I was particularly eager to witness. These launches have become so routine and reliable that they barely make headlines anymore, which is actually a good thing—it means the infrastructure is robust, dependable, and taken for granted like buses running on schedule.¹ Yet for me, personally, it was a milestone: after all these years of visiting the area, including many stays at our family condo with views toward the launch sites, I had never personally witnessed a launch until that Saturday night. I set up my camera on the balcony, and when the Falcon 9 lifted off, it was thrilling—a bright streak lighting up the night sky, followed by the booster’s controlled descent. It felt like a long-overdue personal victory, but it also underscored a deeper issue: launches from the Space Coast should be commonplace, not rare exceptions.

In contrast, the Artemis program felt stagnant. While touring the Kennedy Space Center facilities, I noticed a heavy emphasis on historical reverence—the Apollo era, the Shuttle program, the achievements of the past. There’s immense pride in what NASA accomplished when it was the only game in town, but far less visible momentum on current endeavors. The exhibits and tours celebrate the “right stuff” mentality of old, yet the gift shop selling “The Right Stuff” merchandise feels like a relic rather than a living ethos.² When stacked against the dynamic energy at SpaceX and Blue Origin, the difference is stark.

SpaceX’s operations are behind secure gates, but their pace is undeniable. During our visit, we saw a Falcon booster that had just landed on a droneship being towed into Port Canaveral on a flatbed truck, cleaned up near restaurants where cruise ships depart, and prepared for reuse—all on a Saturday, with crews working as if it were a regular weekday.³ The company had three launches in a short window that week alone, demonstrating frequency, reusability, and high employee engagement. Blue Origin’s campus, visible right outside the visitor center gates, is enormous—once an empty field, now dominated by a massive factory complex for their New Glenn rocket and lunar lander work, rivaling or exceeding large industrial sites I’ve seen elsewhere, like GE facilities in Ohio.⁴ Their footprint signals serious investment in a new space economy.

Artemis, however, hit a snag during our stay. NASA had been preparing for an early-March launch of Artemis II, the crewed lunar flyby mission using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. But during final checks, including a dry run or wet dress rehearsal, issues emerged: leaks (including helium flow anomalies in the upper stage and prior hydrogen concerns) and other mechanical problems.⁵ The decision was made to scrub the March window, roll the stack back into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for fixes, and target April at the earliest.⁶ This delay was disappointing but not surprising given the program’s history of setbacks.

I offer this as constructive criticism because I genuinely want Artemis to work. The program represents NASA’s path to sustained lunar presence, eventual Mars exploration, and broader human expansion. But it suffers from several structural issues. First, the cadence is too slow. Apollo launches happened far more frequently, with shorter intervals that kept teams sharp, knowledge fresh, and momentum high.⁷ In Artemis, years pass between major flights—Artemis I was uncrewed in 2022, Artemis II is now pushed further, and landings are delayed. This leads to entropy: experienced personnel move on, retire, or shift careers, and institutional knowledge erodes. High turnover in skilled aerospace roles exacerbates this.

Second, there’s a cultural shift away from the bold, risk-accepting “right stuff” era.⁸ In the past, engineers and workers stayed late, worked extra shifts, and treated the mission as an adventure worth personal sacrifice. Today, NASA seems more bureaucratic—9-to-5 mindsets, emphasis on protocols (even lingering COVID-era restrictions in some views), and fear of media backlash from any failure. Catastrophic risks like Challenger and Columbia are memorialized heartbreakingly at the Atlantis exhibit, but those risks were part of pushing boundaries. Adventurers accepted it; today, there’s paralysis by analysis and PR caution.⁹

Third, workforce engagement appears lower than that of private firms. SpaceX recruits passionate people who work multiple shifts, weekends included, to meet aggressive schedules. NASA has fallen into patterns where not all hires prioritize the mission’s higher purpose—some treat it as just a job. This ties into broader criticisms of prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) metrics over merit-based selection of the “best and brightest” for frontline problem-solving.¹⁰ While inclusion is valuable, the core must remain technical excellence and drive.

The recent program changes highlight these struggles. NASA announced major revisions: adding an interim mission (now Artemis III in 2027) for low-Earth orbit tests of docking with commercial landers (from SpaceX and Blue Origin), life support, and other systems—pushing the first lunar landing to Artemis IV in 2028, with potential for another that year.¹¹ This “sprinkling in” another mission before attempting a landing suggests the original Artemis III step was too ambitious given accumulated delays and risks, including ongoing Orion heat shield concerns from Artemis I (unexpected char loss, leading to trajectory adjustments rather than full redesign for Artemis II).¹² Changing reentry vectors might be more practical than material overhauls, which could take a decade, but it still reflects caution over boldness.

Historically, political decisions have hampered NASA. The Obama-era cancellation of Constellation, reliance on Russian Soyuz for ISS access, and redirection toward other priorities (like studying Islamic contributions to science) felt like a betrayal of the adventure spirit.¹³ The Trump administration’s creation of Space Force and push for resurgence helped, but sustained congressional support has been inconsistent.¹⁴ Without it, NASA can’t match the frequency of private players.

The local Space Coast economy reflects this. Property values have stabilized but not exploded as they could with consistent activity.¹⁵ Cocoa Beach and the surrounding areas thrive more from tourism and private launches than NASA events. When launches were rare, the vibrancy lagged; now, with SpaceX’s dominance, there’s renewed energy—people shopping at Publix, upper mobility in aerospace jobs, families coming to watch launches.

I remain optimistic. NASA has the infrastructure—Kennedy Space Center is ideal for launches—and partnerships with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others. Administrator statements post-delay emphasized fixing issues quickly, increasing cadence (targeting more frequent SLS flights), and returning to basics to accelerate progress toward 2028 landings.¹⁶ But success requires cultural revival: robust second and third shifts, seven-day operations, passion over paycheck, acceptance of managed risk for exploration, and political unity beyond one administration.

I’ve seen the Space Coast transform, from Apollo’s glory to the Shuttle era to today’s commercial boom. My first personal launch sighting was exhilarating, but it shouldn’t have taken 30+ years. Launches should be daily occurrences—maybe grab pizza and watch one every evening. That’s the expectation we need: frequent, reliable, advancing humanity. Artemis can lead if it recaptures the right stuff—not just in a gift shop, but in every engineer, worker, and decision.

The space economy could double U.S. GDP contributions through innovation, jobs, and knowledge gains.¹⁷ It’s not just money; it’s human bandwidth expanding. Congress, local leaders, the White House—everyone must rally. Private companies are setting the pace; NASA should leverage that, not lag.  But to do all that, NASA needs to work harder and faster.  A lot faster. 

Footnotes:

¹ SpaceX Starlink launches in late February 2026 included multiple launches from Cape Canaveral.

² “The Right Stuff” refers to the 1979 book/1983 film on Mercury program bravery.

³ Reusable Falcon 9 boosters routinely recovered and refurbished.

⁴ Blue Origin’s KSC facility is massive for New Glenn production.

⁵ Helium flow anomaly in SLS upper stage led to rollback.

⁶ NASA targeted April 2026 for Artemis II post-rollback.

⁷ Apollo had a higher launch frequency in peak years.

⁸ Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff” captured the early astronaut/test pilot ethos.

⁹ Analysis paralysis and PR fears cited in delays.

¹⁰ Broader debates on merit vs. DEI in technical fields.

¹¹ NASA added a mission, shifted landing to Artemis IV in 2028.

¹² Orion heat shield char loss from Artemis I prompted changes.

¹³ Obama-era program shifts and ISS reliance on Russia.

¹⁴ Space Force established in 2019 under Trump.

¹⁵ Local economy tied to aerospace activity levels.

¹⁶ Post-delay press conference emphasized speed and fixes.

¹⁷ Estimates of space economy growth potential.

Bibliography / Further Reading

•  NASA official Artemis updates: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

•  Artemis II delay announcements (Feb 2026): NASA blogs and press releases on helium issues and rollback.

•  SpaceX launch manifests: https://www.spacex.com/launches

•  Blue Origin facilities overview: Wikipedia and company announcements on KSC campus.

•  Orion heat shield investigation: NASA technical reports post-Artemis I.

•  Historical Apollo cadence: NASA history archives.

•  “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe (1979).

•  Space economy reports: Various economic analyses on growth projections.

•  Political history: Coverage of Constellation cancellation and Space Force creation.

Rich Hoffman

More about me

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

Starship SN10: A Turning Point in Human History

It’s a remarkable thing to witness history being made, especially when it doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. That’s precisely what happened with SpaceX’s Starship SN10. Against all odds, and despite a series of setbacks, SN10 completed its mission, withstood the stress tests, and landed a fully intact craft in the Indian Ocean. It wasn’t perfect—there were damaged components, mysterious explosions, and some tough engineering challenges—but it worked. And that’s the point. It worked well enough to prove something extraordinary: that this vehicle, this Starship, is more robust than anyone expected. And that robustness is precisely what we need if we’re serious about going to the Moon, to Mars, and beyond.

Starship SN10 didn’t just fly—it endured. It burned through the atmosphere, held together under pressure, and landed with controlled precision. That’s not just a technical achievement; it’s a philosophical one. It’s a statement about what’s possible when you push boundaries, when you accept failure as part of the process, and when you keep going anyway.

Let’s talk about what actually happened. Starship SN10 launched from Boca Chica, Texas, and demonstrated its full capabilities. It wasn’t just a test flight—it was a stress test. Engineers deliberately pushed the limits. They removed some heat shield tiles to see how the stainless steel would react to hotspots. They pushed the flaps to the edge of their tolerances. They wanted data, and they got it. That’s how you improve a spacecraft. You don’t play it safe. You push it until it breaks, and then you figure out how to make it stronger.

Previous missions had ended in explosions. SN8, and SN9, had spectacular failures. But each one taught SpaceX something new. That’s the beauty of iterative engineering. You fail fast, you learn fast, and you build better. SN10 was the culmination of those lessons. It didn’t just survive—it performed. Even with one flap malfunctioning and a mysterious explosion near the edge of the bay, it managed to stay stable, burn through the atmosphere, and land close to its intended target. That’s not luck. That’s engineering.

This mission was critical. It wasn’t just about proving that Starship could fly—it was about proving that it could be trusted. That it could be repeatable. That it could be the backbone of a new space economy. And yet, where was the coverage? Where was the excitement? Back in the days of NASA’s space shuttle program, every launch was a media event. It was on every channel. It was a national moment. But Starship? It barely made a blip in mainstream news.

That’s bizarre. Because what SpaceX is doing is arguably more significant than anything NASA did during the shuttle era. This isn’t just about sending astronauts into orbit. This is about building a reusable, scalable, interplanetary transport system. This is about making space travel routine. And yet, the only people who seem to care are the science geeks, the tech enthusiasts, the Comic-Con crowd. I’m one of them, proudly. I build my day around every Starship launch. Because I know what it means. I know what’s at stake.

I’ve watched every launch. I’ve felt frustrated when things blow up. I’ve celebrated the small victories. And this one—SN10—felt different. It felt like a turning point. It felt like the moment when things started to work. The payload simulations worked. The Starlink satellite dispenser inside the craft functioned with pinpoint precision. The reusability goals were achieved. This wasn’t just a test—it was a proof of concept. And it worked.

This is the moment people will look back on and say, “That’s when it changed.” That’s when space travel stopped being a dream and started being a reality. That’s when we stopped talking about going to the Moon and started planning it. That’s when Mars stopped being science fiction and started being a destination.

Of course, none of this happens without technology. And that brings us to AI. There’s a lot of fear around AI—people worry about Skynet, about machines becoming conscious, about losing control. Science fiction has been warning us for decades. And those fears are worth thinking about. We shouldn’t let technology get away from us. We need to stay in control. But we also need to embrace it.

AI is how we get to space. It’s how we process the massive amounts of data needed to run these missions. It’s how we make things repeatable, reliable, and scalable. The computing power we have today makes the Apollo missions look like kids’ toys, with the technology of a laser pointer. We’re operating on a whole different level now. And AI is the key to unlocking that level.

Take self-driving cars, for example. They’re not just a convenience—they’re a shift in how we live. They free up time. They make commutes more productive. They change the way we think about transportation. And that same shift is happening in space. The commercial space enterprise is poised to become a thriving economy. It’s going to require hard work, innovation, and yes, AI. Because humans can’t do it all. We need help. And AI is that help.

Starship SN10 was just the beginning. Starship 11 is already in the pipeline. Engineers are learning from SN10, making adjustments, and preparing for the next flight. Elon Musk has hinted that Starship 12 or 13 could launch by the fourth quarter of 2025 or early 2026. That’s rapid iteration. That’s how you build a space program, not with bureaucracy, not with delays, but with action.

And it’s not just about launches. It’s about deployment. It’s about getting to the point where Starships are flying like buses—routine, reliable, and everywhere. That’s the vision. That’s the goal. And it’s achievable because SN10 proved it.

We’re talking about the Artemis program. We’re talking about putting people on the Moon. And whatever people believe about past moon landings—whether they think it was real, staged, or somewhere in between—we’re going back. And this time, it’s not about beating the Russians. It’s about building a future. It’s about expanding humanity’s reach. It’s about survival.

There’s a segment of the population that doesn’t want to leave Earth. They’re comfortable here. They worship the planet. They fear change. However, if you genuinely care about humanity, you must think bigger. Elon Musk says it best: if we want to preserve human consciousness, we must venture into space. We have to take our intelligence, our creativity, our spirit—and let it grow beyond Earth.

That’s what Starship is about. It’s not just a rocket. It’s a symbol. It’s a foundation. It’s the first step toward a multiplanetary civilization. And SN10 was the proof that we’re on the right path.

Even under stress, even with problems, SpaceX pulled it off. That means we have stability. That means engineers can trust the system. That means we can innovate. We can take chances. We can improve. And that’s how progress happens.

This was a milestone. A pinnacle moment in human history. And it didn’t get enough coverage. We need to discuss this. We have to celebrate it. We have to recognize it for what it is: the beginning of a new era.

Starship SN10 wasn’t just a successful flight. It was a statement. It was a declaration that space is open for business. That humanity is ready to expand. That our past does not limit us—we’re driven by our future.

And it’s happening fast. The rate of acceleration is astonishing. Every launch gets better. Every mission teaches us something new. And every success brings us closer to the stars.  I love every one of these launches. I build my day around them. Because I know what they mean. I know what they represent. I’m eager to see more.  Starship SN10 was a success. Not just technically, but philosophically. It proved that we can accomplish complex tasks. That we can push boundaries. That we can dream big—and make those dreams real.

Rich Hoffman

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

I Feel Sorry for Elon Musk: CEOs build culture, and are extremely important

I do feel sorry for Elon Musk. I would say to him, the government is a very negative experience, full of losers.  And that fixing it will take a lot more work than he can give in short spurts.  People who choose to work for the government are quite different from those drawn to the private sector.  Government is filled with entitled losers who want to make a lot of money off taxpayers without the risk of earning it themselves.  Therefore, it will require significant reform, which is just getting started with the Trump administration.  But it will take decades to unwind the mess that has been given to us.  And I can see that Elon Musk began his DOGE campaign with a lot of bright ideas.  But making the cuts permanent that he has identified isn’t as easy as it would be at one of his companies.  The government is full of parasites, and you have to play the long game with them.  Elon Musk can do the world a great deal of good if he focuses on what made him great to begin with.  He needs to be back at SpaceX every day, sending Starships into space every three weeks.  It has been evident that he has been absent from those companies; they have been experiencing a decline.  The job of a CEO is often not well-defined; they create the culture.  It’s not the work they do but the culture they make in their wake.  And SpaceX has slipped significantly since Elon has been frequenting the White House daily since Trump’s return to office.  It will take more than CEO stunts to save the government.  However, some business success on the frontier of innovation is the best way that Elon Musk can make the world a better place and establish a civilization to save by going to Mars. 

I thought it was astonishingly short-sighted for Disney-run ABC to characterize the Starship 9 mission that launched this past week as a series of failed missions.  The process SpaceX uses for data collection involves launching these Starships to see what works and what doesn’t, so that every configuration of the problem can be witnessed and designed, modified in real-time.  Drawing on extensive experience with this very issue in the aerospace industry, the world is fundamentally flawed in its approach to manufacturing processes.  And SpaceX has taken a noticeably different approach, one that is much more akin to the Skunkworks at Lockheed Martin many years ago.  The world has learned the wrong lessons and incorporated them into its management systems, and the entire industry is in desperate need of an overhaul.  And if Elon Musk wants to change and save the world, he can do it most effectively with Tesla and SpaceX.  The big secret is that you can’t put engineers in a room and get everything right the first time, which is the assumption in aerospace that began with NASA and the need to avoid any accidents that would become public relations nightmares.  When you can automate flights, you can afford to have launches to measure cause and effect, and approach the whole process of technology development much more aggressively.  Even though Starship 9, which launched at the end of May 2025, burned up during re-entry, as did the booster rocket, much of what SpaceX needed to achieve was successful, leading to the technical adjustments that need to be made at the engineering level. 

However, the way the industry operates now is very risk-averse, and, of course, the least risky thing to do is to do nothing, which is why things are so slow in aerospace and why cost overruns are so common.  And when ABC says that the previous SpaceX missions were failures, they are speaking from the vantage point of the administrative state —the kind of world that the government has created for us, with over-regulation and a world shaped by insurance industry lobbyists.  From that world, exploding Starships are a bad thing.  For the innovative SpaceX world, they provide a lot of information, and when you look at the rate of innovation that is needed to build Starships, you need to collect a lot of data to get repeatability outside of engineering tolerances, because until you see all those inventions working together, there is no way to know how stable a process is.  When it came to the NASA approach, you get lucky with a design and then never deviate from it, fearing the unknown, and that is essentially how they built the space program.  SpaceX is seeking complete, automated redundancy that remains reliable after thousands of trips.  To achieve that, SpaceX needs to be launching a new Starship every week, which is why Elon Musk has been so crucial.  Since he has been at the White House, doing good work that often goes unappreciated, SpaceX has been addressing engine bay leaks that have compromised spaceflight, and the Starships have been exploding.  Not a great way to have a space program.  However, the best thing about this most recent Starship 9 mission was that much of it had become so commonplace now.  The Starship was able to undergo stage separation and space flight, solving many of the problems it previously had, so now the other lingering issues can be addressed. 

The best engineering is to do things and fix things as you see problems emerge.  And for something as complicated as Starship, it will take Elon Musk to foster a productive culture among the many great people at SpaceX, guiding them toward corrective actions to address the numerous problems that must be solved for stable space flight.  It’s fantastic that we’ve had only 9 Starship missions and that they’ve made getting them into space so routine.  Now, getting re-entry right, with stable space flight, will be the key, and it will take a full-time Elon Musk to pull it off.  However, when it comes to cutting the deficit, given the current state of affairs, the first step in fixing the American economy is to achieve magnificent growth through new market sectors.  The SpaceX Starship is the best way to reach that point.  China, in their wildest imaginations, won’t be able to copy SpaceX, because they don’t have a person like Elon Musk to act as the CEO.  Just like other considerations of the administrative state, people cannot be swapped out.  Great people are irreplaceable; when they take vacations or are absent from work, things don’t run smoothly.  Exceptionalism comes from unique people.  Not process controls that allow losers in life to be just as good as winners.  Exceptionalism matters, and Elon Musk needs to stay on the cutting edge at SpaceX for it to continue its success.  And if he wants to save the world, he can do it best in the private sector.  DOGE will still be a good idea that will do good work.  But it’s going to be a slow boil.  What we need most is Starship, and missions going to space so routinely that people take it for granted, as usual.  And with the recent Starship 9 mission, that is becoming the standard.  Normal is launching the biggest rocket humanity has ever produced into space, routinely.  Now, getting it to do what we need it to do time and time again is the next challenge, which is very close to being completed. 

Rich Hoffman

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

Capitol Hill is the Most Intelligent Place on Earth: Correcting humanity where they fell short in the Book of Judges

For the first time in my life, I was ready to give Washington D.C. a fair shake, only because Trump was in the White House, and Republicans now controlled the House and the Senate, and the Supreme court has a general 6 to 3 majority toward the thinking I think is necessary in our American Republic.  And I would say at no point before this precise moment would I say otherwise, because there has always been something wrong with our system of government which I affiliate with George Washington himself and his attachment to the Bible’s Book of Judges and the character of Gideon.  With those political conditions fulfilled, I wanted to return to Washington with a fresh perspective and allow myself to see it the way it was designed to be, not to the level that humans failed to live up to the lofty expectations that established the capital of America to begin with.  We typically view these kinds of things by how people fall short of the goals to achieve high honor.  But looking at Washington D.C. from the perspective of centuries, not days, weeks, months, or decades, I saw something coming together with Trump that I think our young nation was designed from the beginning to achieve, and now we have arrived at that moment.  So, with that in mind, my wife and I allowed ourselves to see Washington from a scholarly perspective and to love it.  To come to terms with it.  And to help lead it to this next phase of America’s fascinating story and in what I would say was the purpose all along, to restore to humanity the intention established in the Book of Judges to create the kind of government God wanted for the world, from the beginning. 

So before my wife and I could do what we intended to do, which was go and spend a few days specifically on Capitol Hill in the legislative corridors itself, then the Library of Congress, as well as a whole day at the Supreme Court, I needed a few days at the Museum of the Bible, and a day a George Washington’s home of Mt. Vernon.  We spent significant time on the Mall just reading and thinking and getting away from the noise of the current world and dug deep into the Masonic references that were all over the layout of the city that Pierre L’Enfant had intended with all of George Washington’s Master Mason friends from Alexandria just to the south.  To step beyond the conspiracies that have not understood the purpose from the very beginning, which had come into fulfilment through a lot of blood and sacrifice, to what kind of government we now had, with Elon Musk and President Trump up Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House, past Ford’s theater where Lincoln was shot, past the Trump hotel that has the steeple of the Old Post Office that points to celestial references on August 12th from the vantage point of the Capitol steps, to the truth of the matter.  And I mention those names, President Trump, and Elon Musk who are new best friends in all sincerity, only America could have produced people like that to do what they are doing now.  To see it, I needed to dive deep into Washington D. C’s history, to walk and touch things myself.  Over a couple days I bought 56 new books and read most of them by the middle of the following week in a fury because I was looking for an answer and upon visiting Capitol Hill with a fresh perspective and the context of 5000 years of human history, I felt I understood it in the way it was always intended.  And I can honestly say that I love the place for all its lofty ambitions. 

I was standing outside Speaker Johnson’s office with Steve Scalise when they recessed due to the disruptions in the Well during the censor of Al Green, for the mess he and other Democrats made of themselves during Trump’s State of the Union speech just a few days prior.  And I was thinking of that even in the context of the history I referenced.  The place itself, Capitol Hill, was dedicated to the best and most intelligent perspective that human beings could strive to unleash, and that was the point of the censor.  It wasn’t political as much as an insistence on a specific level of sincerity as a representative republic.  As I stood there, I thought of the J6 protestors overwhelming the security and what they were rightfully angry about.  The place had failed to live up to the expectations of “The People,” and they were letting the political characters know that they had failed and weren’t entitled to the gifts of Capitol Hill by default.  I had been to Washington D.C. on other occasions, but this was the first time with this perspective. After much research, I could honestly say that I understood it as intended.  To that point, I had never been to the Library of Congress, even though I’ve had a lot of interactions with it over the years.  I was impressed with the Capitol building, but I was astonished at the beauty and splendor of the Library of Congress once we took the tunnel from the Capitol cafeteria after eating some lunch down there with many recognizable characters that are on television all the time, and emerging directly into the basement of the Library of Congress.  My first thought was that this was a place intended to be Heaven on Earth, which is what my idea of Heaven would be.  The foyer was laced with gold and high ceilings of white marble, which was a purposeful statement about lofty American ambitions.  Why isn’t this place promoted more to the outside world? It was every bit as impressive as anything they have in Europe.  I would have to say that the Library of Congress is my favorite place on Earth because I love books so much. It is such a collection of intelligence placed into the context of Heavenly ambitions that seeing it in person, then going into the reading room, was as good as Heaven. I could spend an eternity there and never get tired of it. 

From there, my wife and I spent the day at the Supreme Court, next door.  I asked a lot of questions, so many that we were able to get into places that visitors aren’t typically allowed to go, and of course one of those places was the courtroom itself.  But I wanted to see the world the way members of the Supreme Court did.  Thinking of the Bible and the laws that successfully made their way into the creation of all Western Civilization, and were the foundations of the American Constitution, here was a place in the Supreme Court that was trying to do what the Israelites couldn’t in the Book of Judges, and that is have a prosperous self-governed society without screaming for a king to rule over them.  We sat on the Supreme Court’s steps after much reflection and looked over at the Library of Congress, then the Capitol building right in front of us.  I was thinking of Steve Bannon doing his famous podcast behind me over on A Street and all the intelligence happening on that little hill in Washington D.C., and it was the most intelligent place on Earth.  Many people don’t live up to that expectation, but the place was built to evoke in people the best they could utter.  From my perspective, I could see that it was working, and working better than any place in the world.  And finally, after many years of striving, it is evident that the American experiment in republic government, meant to correct humanity where they had failed in the Book of Judges, was succeeding in ways that were always intended.  But that it had taken a few hundred years to come into bloom.  And it was wonderful to see. 

The spot where Trump gave his Inauguration speech

Rich Hoffman

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707

Firefly Lands on the Moon: Another step toward a space economy

Never forget that at 3:34 AM on March 2, 2025, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down on the moon’s surface.  It’s the second time a private company achieved a soft lunar landing, indicating many good things to come.  The first was Odysseus from Intuitive Machines almost a year ago.  I know several people at Firefly and know how significant their company is growing in the right direction, and this landing was an important historical marker showing that a smaller commercial company can pull off something like this in a partnership with NASA.  It would take NASA decades to do these launches, and now we see these private companies in a profoundly competitive undertaking, and they are doing so successfully.  There will be many more good things to come from Firefly, which is very exciting, and this goes along with what I have been saying about space.  This landing occurred one day before SpaceX sent Starship 8 into space, and just ahead of Blue Origin, a ship full of women, like celebrity Katy Perry, going into space as if it were just another day at the office.  Space is becoming routine, which is what we want to see happen.  And the moon has needed much more attention than it has received; we should have never stopped going.  I don’t care if aliens were on the moon to scare off Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, pushing us never to return.  NASA moved into the Space Shuttle program after the Apollo missions, but we have never since the early 70s dared to return to the moon.  Now, we have private companies doing the job that governments were too slow to do themselves.  And it’s all very exciting.  Firefly is a great new company, and it will play a significant role in the expansion of a space economy that I have been talking about for quite some time now.

And while discussing it, I’ll make a few predictions.  Just as Elon Musk is pushing for humanity to get into space and settle on Mars, to ensure that humans survive, I would dare say that this isn’t the first time our species has encountered this problem.  I think we will find that the relics on Mars are from our history and that our move to Earth was for many of the same reasons that we want to now return to Mars.  Not to discover it for the first time but to return there and complete a story that began for us many thousands of years ago.  Elon Musk is simply fulfilling the hard-wired desires that are built into human consciousness to ensure the continuation of the species, in the same way a sperm knows to penetrate the egg within a woman.  We must penetrate space to move our species as a thinking consciousness into the universe, as we were meant to.  On earth as it is in Heaven.  We are meant to ascend into Heaven, to the kingdoms we know from our past, which are in the sky. Mark it on your calendar and remember who told you all this.  Once we move into space and start checking things out, that’s when we are going to learn about ourselves.  The proof is coming.  I would say that it is all around us, hidden behind our institutionalized history.  But that won’t last very long; the evidence is abundant and will be confirmed with a space economy.  I could go into quite a long discussion about hidden lifeforms behind a curtain of Dark Matter made of neutrinos and cold fusion.  But let’s save that for other times.  Instead, let’s talk about the excitement of this growing economy brought to us by commercial-driven space utilization.

At a recent Vivek Ramaswamy governor announcement event at CTL Aerospace, I must have had more than 100 people ask me why I love aerospace.  And I tell them that the future is there.  It’s been like panning for gold in a little mountain stream during the Gold Rush.  I get a lot of offers to make a lot of money doing many things, especially in communications.  But I like to stay close to where the gold is, and I like knowing people like the cool cats at Firefly and other companies.  I get very excited every time SpaceX puts up a new rocket.  From all I know about history and science, I see aerospace as the ultimate gold nugget, and I’ve been committed to it for over four decades.  To use a Western metaphor, I’d rather dig for gold in aerospace than sit in a comfortable job in town as a lawyer or communications expert.  It’s not the money that excites me; the growth of human intellect and what adventure can bring us is the ultimate treasure.  But that doesn’t mean that money doesn’t matter.  But on a scale that I think is better than just some average well-paying job.  The growth of the space economy will far outpace any technical time humans have ever experienced, whether it be steamships, early airplanes, trains, or automobiles.  The space economy will likely contribute hundreds of trillions of dollars to the first to utilize it.  And that, to me, is the best of the big gold nuggets.  But this time we should have learned some critical lessons, to keep the Marxists out of this business, as they dramatically crippled every modern industry that humans have invented.  The Firefly launch is more vital than past attempts when Trump is in office and cheerleading on all these efforts.  So, the resolution rate is much higher than at any other time in history.

I watched Brit Hume on Fox News the other night stumble around perplexed about how Trump thinks he will go into all these tariff wars, cut taxes, and still expand the economy.  As everyone was, he spoke about an economy that they think has seen the climax of its days and that all government management has to be wrapped around managing those fixed assets.  But that’s not where Trump is as he is facing down what we all are, a 36 trillion dollar deficit that is out of control.  If you want to fix that without touching the Social Security and Medicare concept, something dramatic has to happen.  And as I have been pointing out, it’s in this space economy.   With Firefly putting their lunar module on the moon after a drought of 50 years, a half a century.  Our economy has been held back by a lot of Marxist parasites who moved into administrative positions at NASA and the Pentagon and held back human civilization in a very catastrophic way.  However, the more private people have grown more powerful, and the more that government has lost it, the more companies like SpaceX and Firefly have grown and are now doing the big things.  And that is where the future treasures are.  And that is the only kind of treasure I care about in the long line of treasures in any economy.  The best to my mind is in space, and the adventures to come.  And when I see scrappy companies like Firefly have success, I am more than happy for them.  These are fascinating times! 

Rich Hoffman

Click Here to Protect Yourself with Second Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org/?affiliate=20707