Send us a text

Start with a rumor in orbit and you quickly find the real turbulence on Earth. We open with the ISS “medical emergency” chatter and how institutional silence supercharges speculation, then follow the breadcrumb trail to a different kind of vacuum: the attention economy. Alex Jones and Nick Fuentes aren’t the story as much as the playbook is—edge toward the mainstream, sand down the spikes, and monetize controversy while the comments do the heavy lifting.

From there we head to Iran, where connectivity becomes a battlefield. Blackouts, alleged jamming, and surging protest footage hint at a regime squeezed by demographics and inflation. We weigh signals from China, Saudi, and Russia, and whether outside help can enable a revolution that still looks homegrown enough to last. The wider read: if a secular-leaning Iran reemerges, the shockwave hits regional politics, trade flows, and security doctrines far beyond Tehran.

Then: borders and bandwidth. The UK freezes out controversial voices, a symptom of a new Western reflex—control the perimeter when you can’t win the argument. Meanwhile Europe’s grid fragility reappears, and across the Atlantic, the U.S. contemplates a very practical empire mode. Greenland becomes a case study in strategic shopping: rare earths, basing rights, Arctic lanes, and natural cooling for hyperscale data centers. Pair that with AI’s appetite—silver and gold for interconnects, self-built power and water systems—and you get why metals are rising and why infrastructure, not vibes, will decide winners.

We close by untangling border law myths: immigration enforcement sits with the executive, not the judiciary, and due process there looks different than people think. Add in Venezuela’s oil reshuffling, Canada’s exposure, and NATO’s dependence on U.S. capacity, and a pattern emerges. Control the pipes—data, energy, minerals, flight paths, and narratives—and you control outcomes. Press play for an unvarnished, first-person walk through the week’s real leverage points, and if it sparks a reaction, we want to hear it. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves geopolitics and tech, and leave a review with the one take you’d challenge us on next.

Support the show

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

Send us a text

The news didn’t just move fast—it zigzagged. We kick off with an unfiltered look at how Greenland became a very real piece on the policy chessboard, why Europeans bristled, and what “state vs. country” means when NATO and the EU blur lines. From there we head south, breaking down a surgical operation in Venezuela that combined electronic warfare, runway denial, and precision timing to remove a regime figure in hours. The follow-up tanker seizure, a mid‑route flag change, and whispers of a sub escort raise a bigger question: what was so valuable on that ship?

We zoom out to the lessons modern conflicts keep teaching—drones eating billion‑dollar air power, intelligence networks deciding tempo, and why small, decisive actions can end stalemates faster than years of trench attrition. Then comes Iran: nationwide internet cutoffs, police siding with crowds, and a cultural turn that could reshape the region if the regime falls. The stakes are bigger than headlines—funding for proxies, energy risk, and whether authoritarian momentum can be reversed when people stop being afraid.

Back home, Minnesota turns into a stress test for law, training, and narrative. We walk through the viral ICE‑adjacent shooting frame by frame—tire angle, wheel spin on ice, officer displacement, and the moment shots were fired. Legally justified doesn’t mean optimal; earlier less‑lethal might have saved a life. Alongside that, we dig into daycare and medical fraud patterns, the Hilton franchise blacklisting after refusing federal rates, and a renewed push to bar dual‑citizen lawmakers. It’s all one theme: does authority match accountability?

We wind down with human performance and maker culture: fasting that hits harder with age, insulin nudges to manage stubborn glucose, and a quick tour of DIY suppressors—Form 1 pathways, modular builds, and what modern 3D printers can actually deliver. If you like geopolitics with receipts, police tactics without slogans, and tech you can hold in your hand, you’ll feel right at home. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves sharp analysis, and tell us where you stand in the comments—what did we nail, and what should we challenge next?

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

Send us a text

A new year, a new sound, and a lot to unpack. We kick things off by stress-testing the Rode Streamer X against the Motu and talk through why tiny hardware choices—like a reliable physical mute and smarter onboard processing—change how often we ship. Then the scope widens fast: we tackle the Minnesota fraud scandal and the fragile limits of “tolerance,” pull threads through Iran’s pre- and post-1979 identity, and revisit the strategic misreads around Iraq, WMDs, and missed leverage. It’s policy without the euphemisms—who benefits, who pays, and what norms are worth defending.

On the practical side, we map a DIY path to quiet shooting with Form 1 suppressors: serializing thread adapters, 3D-printed baffles, modular hub standards, and why pressure curves matter more than bullet size for lifespan. Expect early scarcity, then a wave of innovation as metal additive manufacturing enables complex, efficient internals that machining can’t touch. If you’ve been suppressor-curious, this is your blueprint.

We also get personal. One of us prepares for a two-week fast with a plan to beat the day-two slump and a smarter refeed; the other goes full Lego Enterprise and confesses a utilitarian streak revealed by space-building games. Along the way we trade notes on scaling creator businesses (what to outsource, what to own), call out the costs of performative influence, and celebrate small wins—like fixing foot pain by ditching hard heels.

If you’re into audio gear, DIY firearms, geopolitics, fasting, or the craft of making more with less, you’ll find something to grab onto. Subscribe, share with a friend who shares your sense of humor, and leave a review telling us which chapter you want us to go deeper on next.

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

Send us a text

Politics loves a headline, but incentives write the story. We kick off with a sharp pivot in U.S. leverage: foreign aid tied to UN alignment and public posture. Is that coercive or just honesty about the deal on the table? From there we tackle Europe’s speech controls and the push to block censors at the border—policy turning into travel reality. Even ICE’s trolling PR tells a tale: agencies that message with intent tend to move the field, while others just talk.

The conversation gets thornier with the Epstein files and Snowden. Performative redaction—layers you can peel off—looks less like a mistake and more like theater that protects powerful networks. Snowden’s floated pardon has a clean moral case and a messy practical one. You can free a whistleblower, but the secrecy machine he challenged still has teeth. That tension—between ideals and institutions—runs through everything we discuss next: welfare spending that swells without lifting outcomes, and online marketplaces where innovation is copied in months because the platform’s incentives permit it.

Abroad, we trace pressure campaigns around Venezuela and the shadow fleet, then wrestle with a gleaming provocation: a “Trump-class” missile battleship concept with hypersonics, lasers, and a railgun. Troll or doctrine? Maybe both—a jobs program for shipyards and a signal to rivals. Meanwhile, drones are rewriting the rules of war in Ukraine, exposing ports and fleets inside their own walls. Counter-drone becomes the new naval religion, above and below the surface. Back home, Chevron’s exit from California collides with boutique fuel mandates, nudging gas toward double digits and reminding everyone that policy choices show up at the pump.

We also get practical. Airline lounges aren’t a luxury; they’re leverage. Rebooking power, compensation rules, and flexible routing can turn a lost day into an upgrade. And if you’re shopping on Amazon, small heuristics—Prime fulfillment, “Sold by Amazon,” brand-first buying—can save you from cloned garbage. It’s all the same lesson: understand the incentives, then work them. If that resonates, hit follow, share this episode with a friend who loves geopolitics and life hacks, and leave a quick review—what surprised you most?

Support the show

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

Send us a text

This is our Christmas card to our listeners and especially to our monthly supporters! Ben and Gene wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Support the show

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

Send us a text

Did the election night in Pennsylvania and the Rust Belt catch everyone off guard, or was it a masterstroke of strategy? We unravel the surprising victory of Trump and the eerie calm that followed in cities like DC and Baltimore, which were braced for chaos. As we ponder over the lack of expected unrest and the implications of these results, our personal stories and firsthand experiences paint a vivid picture of a nation in disbelief and contemplation. The unexpected voter shifts among Hispanic and Black male voters, as well as the Amish and Jewish communities, give us plenty to dissect about what this might mean for the political landscape.

Trump's strategic choices, including picking Vance as a running mate, seem to have played a crucial role in his sweeping success. We speculate on the possibility of a future Vance presidency and what that could entail. The conversation also touches on the role of capable leadership in shaping the administration, with names like Elon Musk entering the fray. For some, this election harkens back to the Reagan era, signaling a robust rejection of wokeism. Join us for an engaging discussion that not only revisits the past but also looks ahead at what these results might mean for the future.

Support the show

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