Send a textA sunrise drive around Guam turns into a lesson on power you can’t see: undersea cables threading through a tiny island that quietly anchors the world’s data and money. From there we jump—hard—into the forces reshaping politics and security, from Rubio’s sharp warning to Europe to the UK’s meme‑powered insurgency and what a “restore” movement could actually deliver. The throughline is culture: why a melting pot needs rules, why a nation needs a center of gravity, and how identity, borders, and institutions either cohere or crack.We pull the map wider across the Pacific. Japan signals it’s done living under postwar limits, and we unpack what that means for deterrence, supply chains, and the semiconductor race. Taiwan’s future gets stress‑tested—votes, blockades, factories—while Vietnam’s manufacturing boom and China’s patient leverage complicate the picture. Then we flip to the Caribbean and ask what Cuba’s energy lifelines really tell us about soft power, blockades, and missed windows. Threaded through it all is a media critique: the spectacle around “lists,” apologies, and information dumps that bury truth under noise.We don’t dodge hard history or hard policy. There’s a bracing segment on slavery, indenture, and narrative shortcuts—used to frame current debates on immigration, civic order, and why asylums might return as a necessary civic tool. Energy geopolitics gets its own spotlight: Venezuela’s reopening, Canada’s awkward bind, BRICS experiments, and Russia’s signals on SWIFT hint at a world where alliances get shorter, more transactional, and relentlessly interest‑driven. The case is simple even when it’s uncomfortable: choose clarity over drift, capacity over dependency, and measurable outcomes over vibes.If you’re ready for a fast, unvarnished tour across travel, tech, culture, and statecraft—with a few sharp laughs and a surprising musical closer—press play. Then tell us: which shift should America prioritize first? Subscribe, share with a friend who loves geopolitics, and leave a review to join the conversation. Want to hear old episodes? All subscribers have access to the full back catalog of episodes and specials! Just Two Good Old Boys (Just Two Good Old Boys +) Communicate with us directly on x.com by joining the Good Old Boys community! https://x.com/i/communities/1887018898605641825 Can't donate? Listen to Amy Clare Smith Music Check out Gene's other podcasts -podcast.sirgene.com and unrelenting.show Read Ben's blog and see product links at namedben.com