The StoneZONE with Roger Stone - Rod Martin ｜ 01-14-26

00:00:00.000 Every week, the Payne family cuts straight to the real financial story.

00:00:04.460 The one question, Bob, everyone's asking is, are we in an artificial intelligence bubble?

00:00:10.080 You've been through boom and busts. What do you think?

00:00:12.860 No hype, no myths, just what actually matters to your money.

00:00:17.420 Does feel very similar to what we experienced in the 90s. Where are we, though? Are we in 1995,

00:00:23.020 1997, 1999? Listen to the Payne Points of Wealth on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:00:30.000 The Stone Zone. Entertaining and informative.

00:00:33.920 On the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:00:36.940 Welcome back into The Stone Zone.

00:00:40.840 So could Greenland, a Danish colony in our hemisphere, actually become America's 51st state?

00:00:48.840 Joining me to talk about that is one of my favorite public intellectuals.

00:00:53.460 That's Rod Martin. He's the founder and CEO of Martin Capital.

00:00:57.480 But he also helms the Rod Martin Report.

00:01:00.440 I like Rod Martin because he's a technology entrepreneur, an investor, and a futurist.

00:01:05.080 But he's also a realist and a thinker.

00:01:07.800 So when he writes, I love to read it.

00:01:10.000 I love to repost his stuff.

00:01:12.060 And I always like to get his take on these things.

00:01:14.060 He's been way out ahead of others in analyzing the situation regarding Greenland.

00:01:19.620 Rod, welcome into The Stone Zone.

00:01:21.480 It's great to be here.

00:01:25.140 So do you believe that Greenland is a key part of effectuating what we're calling the Don Rowe Doctrine in this hemisphere?

00:01:33.900 And if so, why is that?

00:01:36.060 Well, the president's exactly right to be concerned about acquiring Greenland.

00:01:42.740 And, of course, he's not the first president to do so.

00:01:46.880 To listen to the intermedia, you would get the idea that he's off on some crazy bender.

00:01:52.220 But Dwight Eisenhower wanted to acquire Greenland.

00:01:55.960 He wasn't even the first.

00:01:57.740 And there has been a consistent understanding of the need for this.

00:02:02.860 There just hasn't been a lot of attention.

00:02:04.860 Well, it's a new day.

00:02:07.260 We live in an age in which either through global warming, which I think many of us are properly skeptical of,

00:02:15.300 or through the advent of growing nuclear power capabilities resulting in the likely prospect of a lot of nuclear icebreakers on the part of China and the United States and Russia,

00:02:29.720 you actually have sea lanes in the North that are of increasing vitality.

00:02:36.980 And Greenland commands those sea lanes very much as it did during the Cold War and World War II between itself and Iceland and the UK.

00:02:48.880 Hey, these are absolutely vital to American security.

00:02:52.700 But there's more.

00:02:54.440 Greenland is also a source of a tremendous quantity of rare earth minerals and other natural resources,

00:03:04.280 especially oil and gas offshore, that are vital to the future.

00:03:09.060 And they are all difficult to access.

00:03:11.820 They are all far beyond the technical and financial resources of Denmark to exploit.

00:03:18.520 So what we have is a situation where the 57,000 Greenlanders are stuck in needless poverty under colonial domination by a European power, if you can call it that.

00:03:29.940 And they really have no hope of any of this ever happening for them, apart from a major power coming in and developing it.

00:03:40.160 So the president's right.

00:03:42.080 If we don't act, China or Russia will. 0.92

00:03:46.420 And there's not a lot Greenland, I'm sorry, Denmark can do about it.

00:03:50.600 This is a money pit for them, a billion dollar subsidy a year and accomplishing absolutely nothing.

00:03:57.660 So at the outset, you said, should they become 51st state?

00:04:01.980 Probably not.

00:04:03.020 They want to be independent.

00:04:04.640 There's a way to achieve everything for everybody.

00:04:08.260 We can end Denmark's need to subsidize them.

00:04:11.820 We can take over that role of patron.

00:04:15.100 Greenland can become independent.

00:04:16.680 And we can form a compact of free association with them as we have with the Mariana Islands and with the Marshalls and with Palau.

00:04:27.660 They get all the benefits of independence with none of the costs and everybody's happy.

00:04:33.440 As you know, President Donald Trump has identified the Greenland question is a question of national security.

00:04:40.080 While Denmark's leaders have downplayed the threat to Greenland posed by the Russians or the Chinese amidst President Trump's outspoken desire to acquire this frozen island,

00:04:50.900 Denmark's own intelligence agency recently released an assessment bluntly warning of Russian and Chinese military ambitions and expansion towards Greenland and the entire Arctic.

00:05:02.360 You've also written very compellingly about the importance of the development of nuclear power in the Arctic in this new frontier.

00:05:10.480 So for those who try to say, well, Trump's bellicose language, his desires to obtain Greenland are similar to the war in Iraq, let's say, under the neocons.

00:05:25.980 I don't believe that.

00:05:27.280 I believe that this is, in fact, a national security question confronting our country.

00:05:31.780 It absolutely is, and there's nothing neoconservative about it.

00:05:37.760 This is the same kind of moral realism we saw under Ronald Reagan, where you use short, sharp uses of American power, such as we just did in Caracas, to achieve a multiplicity of ends.

00:05:51.840 Well, there's no need for a short, sharp use of power here, but there is a need for a very Trumpian, maximalist position going into a negotiation that compels the people on the other side of the table to get creative about actually solving the problem.

00:06:09.920 And the end result of that is always a good deal for everyone.

00:06:13.900 Anybody who wants to play ball with Donald Trump is going to win in the process as he wins in the process.

00:06:22.740 It's the people like the Ayatollah and Putin and Xi Jinping who are going to lose, because if you don't want to play ball with Donald Trump, he's going to whack you.

00:06:34.860 Yeah, and it's going to really actually be incredibly entertaining for many of us, and it's going to be a very effective course of action for the United States.

00:06:44.080 So that's just not going to be in the cards here, but it is going to get these guys to sit down and talk, and we saw the beginning of that today with the foreign ministers from Greenland and Denmark coming to meet with Marco Rubio.

00:06:56.640 So that's a good development, and they can say whatever bellicose things they want, but at the end of the day, they came to Washington, and they're talking about the problem, and we're going to get to a good solution.

00:07:09.080 This president will see to that.

00:07:12.260 Every week, the Payne family cuts straight to the real financial story.

00:07:16.860 The one question, Bob, everyone's asking is, are we in an artificial intelligence bubble?

00:07:22.540 You've been through boom and busts.

00:07:24.520 What do you think?

00:07:25.080 No hype, no myths, just what actually matters to your money.

00:07:29.700 It does feel very similar to what we experienced in the 90s.

00:07:33.400 Where are we, though?

00:07:34.080 Are we in 1995, 1997, 1999?

00:07:37.740 Listen to the Payne points of wealth on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:07:44.000 Folks, if you're just tuning in, we're talking to Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report.

00:07:49.120 You can go to rodmartin.org.

00:07:51.120 I strongly recommend you subscribe, either at Substack or at Rod's own website.

00:07:56.940 Always incisive analysis of the political developments and economic developments around the globe.

00:08:03.820 You know, Rod, I'm a political animal, and therefore, I don't see what the harm would be to putting this question up before the people of Greenland in a referendum.

00:08:13.240 I mean, why are the globalists so doggedly opposed to democracy and letting the people of Greenland speak about their future?

00:08:20.620 Well, it really is odd, isn't it?

00:08:24.040 Because polling has long shown that the Greenlanders want to be independent of Denmark.

00:08:31.380 Denmark has not been a good colonial master.

00:08:35.100 And there is, of course, this inherent bellicosity in the president's approach.

00:08:41.800 So, of course, that makes people nervous.

00:08:44.560 But the truth of the matter is, they would be independent if they could.

00:08:49.120 And they've been very clear about that.

00:08:51.260 And the unhappiness with Denmark is widespread and longstanding.

00:08:55.240 So, if they could be independent without the costs of independence, that would solve the problem for everybody.

00:09:05.100 Again, a compact of free association, such as we've already entered into with three separate independent countries in the Pacific, all island countries, I might add, is perfect for them.

00:09:19.000 It's expensive to have a military.

00:09:21.680 It's expensive to have embassies in 195 countries or even a fraction of that.

00:09:28.140 It's expensive to be part of the United Nations and all these different things.

00:09:32.020 And the United States just takes care of that for the people in free association with us.

00:09:38.100 So, they get to be free.

00:09:39.500 They get to do whatever they want internally.

00:09:41.620 America gets appropriate defense considerations.

00:09:46.540 And we pay the freight on all those foreign policy matters.

00:09:50.500 This would solve the problem.

00:09:52.180 And, yes, once the Greenlanders fully understand that that's an option on the table, I think you get to a referendum.

00:10:00.340 And I think this is exactly what they're going to vote for.

00:10:02.820 Yeah, the EU and NATO talk tough, but I don't think they have much to back it up.

00:10:09.600 And I think the president is going to call their bluff here.

00:10:13.320 Rob, while I've got you, I've got to ask you your take on the developments swiftly happening there in Iran, where the regime, which is extraordinarily brutal,

00:10:24.240 people need to understand that mass public executions are part of their bag of tricks.

00:10:29.940 This is one of the most brutal governments in the world.

00:10:33.720 It's not really a government.

00:10:35.300 I think former President Richard Nixon, when he was at the Shah's funeral, correctly appointed this as a mob, which is what it really is. 0.86

00:10:43.840 Your take on the situation in Iran.

00:10:47.720 Well, the crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, was interviewed today.

00:10:51.820 He says that his best information suggests that the regime has murdered 12,000 protesters.

00:10:59.420 These are unarmed people.

00:11:01.840 And this is exactly why we have a Second Amendment in this country, because the truth is, if only the state has guns, then everyone is at the mercy of the state.

00:11:13.420 And that's exactly what's happened in Iran.

00:11:15.720 So the president came out very strongly, I thought, you know, said very clearly, keep protesting.

00:11:22.460 Help is on the way.

00:11:23.800 Well, we don't know exactly what that means.

00:11:26.380 It certainly includes the 25 percent tariff he just slapped on any country that continues to do business with Iran.

00:11:32.700 But there are a range of military operations that are available that he is strongly implying we're going to employ.

00:11:40.880 And the only question is, what is the mix and what is the date?

00:11:44.580 And when he says help's on the way and then it doesn't happen within 24 hours, we shouldn't be unnerved by that.

00:11:51.620 The truth of the matter is, Iran's halfway around the world. 0.97

00:11:54.460 And it's not as easy to do this as it would be in Caracas.

00:11:59.280 But what is certain is this military under this president and Pete Hegseth and the team that Trump has assembled is absolutely going to be successful in what they do.

00:12:12.560 And I think we could be on the brink of this regime toppling.

00:12:17.580 I agree with your analysis.

00:12:19.960 I'm not sure Americans fully appreciate the courage of the Iranian people.

00:12:25.200 This is an incredibly brutal regime with a vicious secret police.

00:12:30.180 Now there's huge disinformation that those protesters who are being killed are being killed by Israeli agents who are doing it as a provocation.

00:12:40.920 I reject that entirely.

00:12:44.140 This is a manifestation of the fact that conditions in Iran have really eroded to the fact that people's quality of life has been badly disturbed.

00:12:52.740 There's there is there's a lack of food.

00:12:55.860 There's a lack of fuel.

00:12:57.780 There's a lack of gainful employment.

00:12:59.660 And this is a society that is collapsing before our very eyes.

00:13:03.780 And I don't think you're going to have a a an invasion.

00:13:09.400 I'm not sure that's going to be necessary.

00:13:10.920 I think this brutal regime is going to topple on its own.

00:13:15.100 And then the question becomes, what comes next?

00:13:18.340 I am opposed to moving from a theocracy back to a monarchy.

00:13:23.160 I don't think that's the answer.

00:13:24.920 Obviously, I would like to see that I have to see the nation have free, fair, open elections and a democratic process to select a way forward.

00:13:34.980 I'm not sure that that is immediately realistic.

00:13:38.920 What do you see coming up in Iran post regime?

00:13:42.780 Well, you and I have friends on both sides of the question of is Reza Pahlavi the right guy to lead a transition?

00:13:51.960 And, you know, some of our friends are concerned that he may be in league with the Revolutionary Guard and other of our friends poohoo that.

00:14:01.760 And the truth of the matter is, we can't know until something happens, but Reza Pahlavi has consistently called for a transitional government that becomes a secular democracy.

00:14:16.700 And he seems to be patterning what he has in mind on Juan Carlos in Spain.

00:14:22.780 After Franco died, he had decided to bring back the monarchy and Juan Carlos was the next one in line.

00:14:30.240 And so he sets up Juan Carlos, who immediately calls elections and creates a constitutional monarchy not that different from the one in Great Britain.

00:14:42.140 So if Reza Pahlavi were able to bring that to pass, it would be just unbelievable for the region.

00:14:51.900 First of all, the main threat to every Gulf state and to Israel would just be gone. 0.97

00:14:59.960 Iran would become not just a free country, but an ally of the United States and of Israel as it was before the Islamic Revolution in 79.

00:15:10.120 But we're also seeing some interesting developments on the religious side.

00:15:15.340 People have clearly rejected the Islamic theocracy. 0.92

00:15:22.040 And in the process, a great many of them seem to be rejecting Islam itself. 0.91

00:15:28.100 So we're seeing a rise of Zoroastrianism, which is the historic religion of Persia.

00:15:33.440 We're also seeing a rise of Christianity in a lot of places.

00:15:36.700 So this could really be a staggering development for the Middle East.

00:15:41.520 And we could see the resumption of the westernization of one of the most important countries in the region.

00:15:49.300 Folks, if you're just tuning in, we're talking to Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report.

00:15:53.640 Go to rodmartin.org.

00:15:55.060 And when we come back, I want to get Rod Martin's views on the events in Venezuela.

00:16:00.420 So whatever you do, don't touch that dial.

00:16:02.520 We'll be right back.

00:16:03.880 Thanks for listening to The Stone Zone with Roger Stone.

00:16:07.440 You can hear The Stone Zone with Roger Stone weeknights at 8 on 77 WABC.

00:16:13.440 If you like the podcast, share it with your friends and listen anytime at wabcradio.com and download the WABC Radio app.

00:16:22.320 Hit that subscribe button on all major podcast platforms.

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00:16:31.540 See you next time for a new episode so you never have to wonder.

00:16:35.380 What the heck is going on here?

00:16:37.200 Every week, the Payne family cuts straight to the real financial story.

00:16:42.040 The one question, Bob, everyone's asking is, are we in an artificial intelligence bubble?

00:16:47.640 You've been through boom and busts.

00:16:49.660 What do you think?

00:16:50.420 No hype, no myths.

00:16:52.600 Just what actually matters to your money.

00:16:55.020 It does feel very similar to what we experienced in the 90s.

00:16:58.480 Where are we, though?

00:16:59.140 Are we in 1995, 1997, 1999?

00:17:02.540 Listen to The Payne Points of Wealth on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

The StoneZONE with Roger Stone - January 17, 2026

Rod Martin ｜ 01-14-26

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