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Calling yourself patriotic is easy. Living like a patriot is harder, especially when the facts feel messy and the incentives in politics push us toward slogans instead of responsibility. We sit down with Michael T. Lester, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Desert Storm veteran, and cybersecurity leader, to talk about why he titled his book We Are the Bad Guys and what he means by it: not that Americans are bad people, but that U.S. foreign policy is often experienced abroad as coercion, not liberation. That outside view can be shocking, and it can also be clarifying.

We unpack how beliefs are shaped through selective information, repetition, and social proof, the mechanics behind manufactured consent. Then we zoom out to history and geopolitics, touching on examples like Central America, Hawaii’s overthrow, and the 1953 Iran coup and why “it came out of nowhere” is often a symptom of missing context. We also connect the dots back home: opportunity costs in federal spending, a growing civic knowledge gap, and why performative patriotism can replace real involvement.

Finally, we get practical. We talk campaign finance, super PACs, Citizens United, closed primaries, gerrymandering, and reforms like ranked-choice voting and the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Most importantly, we lay out steps you can take now: start local, keep conversations nonpartisan, learn who represents you, and hold them accountable in ways that actually get seen. If this made you rethink anything, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people find the conversation.

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or podcast affiliates.

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