What a Hell of a Way to Dad

Latest Episodes:

Paying Taxes: You Get Nothing (Except Cops) Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

No, we're not Grover Norquist. Far from it -- we want to raise taxes on the rich and to eliminate all the absurd loopholes, never mind the ridiculous levels of pain that everyday taxpayers go through in the US. But, what do we get for our taxes? If this recent meltdown has taught us anything, it can be boiled down to one thing: cops (for this argument, the troops are also lumped in with cops).

As an example we discuss a recent story that explains how the US spent $14.4 million on one specific tracking system for the Afghan military. Except it requires electricity and internet access. Whoops! (source: https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/us-weapons-vehicles-afghanistan-audit)

This week's bonus is another DadChat. It's priced at the $1 tier and features a discussion between Nate and Francis on the topic of cooking, gardening, bad British weather, and much more. Get it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39243075

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Fort Hood: Bad Place, Bad Name Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

This week, Francis and Nate discuss the recent DOD actions to ban the Confederate flag (a good thing to do) and rename bases named for Confederate generals (why we have these is a mystery). We also discuss the recent, horrific case of the murder of Specialist Vanessa Guillen, killed by a soldier in her own unit and buried in the desert near Fort Hood, TX. (source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53325925)

As we mention in the show, we want to hear from women and femme veterans about their experiences with SHARP and the threats they faced from their own fellow soldiers. We can absolutely guarantee confidentiality and we're happy to signal boost any other shows covering a similar topic. Please reach out to us on twitter or at sergeantjoker@hellofawaytodie.com.

In this week's bonus episode, Francis interviews fellow St. Louisan, Marine veteran, and writer Peter Lucier (@PeterLucier) on the topic of the 2005 Keanu Reeves film CONSTANTINE. Peter and Francis are both products of St. Louis Catholic schools and have some thoughts on the film's overall themes, never mind the iconic role of Tilda Swinton as the archangel Gabriel. Get it on Patreon at the $3 tier here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39007009

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Never Trust Democrats (in Gated Communities or Otherwise) Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

This week, we're doing a deep dive into Francis' hometown of St. Louis -- discussing the heavily armed couple with the huge weird mansion, the mayor of St. Louis doxxing protestors on a FB Live event, and why a blue dog Democrat resurgence is in fact bad.

The bonus features an interview in which Francis speaks to St. Louis activist and historian Umar Lee (@umarleeiii) about the recent uprising, why The Gateway Pundit is trying to lead protests to protect statues of medieval French kings, and what's changed since the 2014 protests in Ferguson. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38768117

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Fictional Dystopias for Actual Dystopia Residents feat. Matt Gallagher Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

On today's episode, Nate speaks with author Matt Gallagher (@MattGallagher0) about his new novel 'Empire City'. Matt's an Army veteran of the war in Iraq and has also written two other books, the novel Youngblood and the memoir Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War. We talk about incrementalism versus radicalism, how to write dystopian fiction when we already live in a dystopia, and much more.

You can buy Empire City (and support local bookstores) here: https://bookshop.org/books/empire-city/9781501177798

This week's bonus is a DadChat featuring Nate and Francis. It's available at the $1 tier here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38335982

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Shockingly, the Guard Also Kills People Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

This week, Nate and Francis discuss revelations that Louisville restauranteur David McAtee was killed by National Guard soldiers, how it relates to the Louisville PD's unwillingness to prosecute or even release the most basic details related to the murder of Breonna Taylor. We also talk about why MPs act the exact same as cops.

Here's a piece about David McAtee's murder: https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/06/13/david-mcatee-killed-kentucky-national-guard-remembered-funeral/3182348001/

Here's a piece about Breonna Taylor's murder: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53021249

This week's bonus features us reviewing and discussing the 2006 Bong Joon-ho film THE HOST. Get it at the $3 tier here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38243148

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

On 'The Jakarta Method' (feat. Vincent Bevins) Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

This week, Nate speaks with journalist Vincent Bevins (@vinncent) on the topic of his new book, 'The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World.' The book covers clandestine Cold War operations in countries like Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and elsewhere in the world in which the US aligned itself with forces of reaction to exterminate leftist political organizations. It's a phenomenal work and we recommend you get it.

The book is available here: https://vincentbevins.com/book/

This week's bonus features Francis, Joe Kassabian (@jkass99) of the Lions Led by Donkeys podcast, and friend of the show Carey Shockey (@shocks) in a discussion of the 2019 veteran-themed horror film VFW. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38036544

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Time to Pick a Side Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

This week's episode focuses on the current uprising, our takes on whether or not the military will turn on Trump, and much more.

This week's bonus is a DadChat, which can be yours for only $1 a month on Patreon. Get it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37738952

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Ghosn Baby Ghosn May 28, 2020

Show notes

This week, Nate and Francis discuss a recent story that reveals the culprit beyond former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn's escape from the Japanese court system: he paid a former Green Beret and extremely Boston cop-seeming guy to smuggle him out in a case. It turns out this patriotic human trafficker has his own incredible story, which we've cribbed from Military Times (https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2020/05/21/ex-green-beret-nabbed-in-nissan-execs-escape-has-lived-on-the-edge/)

For this week's bonus, Francis speaks with Defense News reporter Valerie Insinna (@ValerieInsinna) about the selling points of the F-35, what it's like to fly in a fighter jet, her favorite old-timey aircraft, and some premium St. Louis food banter. Get it on the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37526656

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here:

https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

I'm Sure The Troops Would Love This Tae-Bo VHS Cassette May 21, 2020

Show notes

We started out this episode with the intention of talking about a recent story in which someone tried to catfish a civilian by pretending to be a senior general in the U.S. Army. But then we went down the rabbit hole of trying to reconcile they ways in which the military is portrayed versus how we experienced it, and we wound up spending a lot of time talking about the utterly bizarre donations we used to receive while deployed. Here's the original story we found on Task and Purpose: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/fake-us-army-general-catfish-gmail

This week, Francis speaks with friend of the show Brock Wilbur (@brockwilbur) on the topic of the junior senator from Missouri, a right-wing freak who's smarter than Trump and represents the kind of fascist future trajectory of the Republican Party. It's bad, folks! You can get the episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37221570

Check out Brock's work at the independent Kansas City paper The Pitch: https://www.thepitchkc.com/

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

This One Weird Pandemic Can Destroy Military Recruitment May 14, 2020

Show notes

No matter how much bleach you drink or inject, you may suffer permanent lung damage if you contract covid-19. But don't ask us -- ask the US military, who have decided that a positive covid-19 test may be ground to bar enlistment. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2020/05/people-hospitalized-for-coronavirus-may-not-be-able-to-join-the-military/

We also discuss the military's plans to raise the age for on-post tobacco purchases to 21. Our position is perhaps a less libertarian one: we're fine with it, so long as you also raise the minimum enlistment age to 21. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/05/07/army-bases-prepare-new-ban-under-21-tobacco-sales.html

This week's bonus features Riley Quinn and Alice Caldwell-Kelly of the Trashfuture podcast, who help us break down the particularly online insanity of the recent Venezuela mercenary debacle. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/36973145

You may have noticed that the next issue of our zine has debuted, and you can get it in print by signing up at the $10 monthly Patreon tier.

We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay

Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts

Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

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