What a Hell of a Way to Dad

Latest Episodes:

I Hate It When Fascists Police My Militarized Borders Somehow Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

This week, we react to the recent happening at the US-Mexico border, in which a group of paramilitaries (among them ex-cops and veterans) held unarmed asylum seekers at gunpoint until the Border Patrol could arrest them. As Francis and Nate discuss, this sure sounds like some fascism.

We also talk about a Marine general's fixation on yard care, which brings us to the larger point: why is the military so obsessed with demonstrations of obedience as opposed to anything approaching actual discipline? Why do we actually care if a 19-year-old has shaved his ridiculously paltry beard? Why do any of us get worked up about this?

This week's bonus features an interview between Francis and Carey Shockey (@shocks), a labor lawyer and Coast Guard veteran. He's the first Coastie we've managed to get on the show, and we're happy to learn about the most secretive of all branches: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26266503

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

Are you tired of your veteran-themed coffee company shirts being too subtle? Well, we have a solution to your problems: https://teespring.com/dickgun-coffee-company#pid=387&cid=101869&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Imperial Aftershocks feat. Joe Glenton Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

We figured it was time to dig in a little deeper on British military stories. This week, Nate speaks with British Army veteran and journalist Joe Glenton (@joejglenton) about his recent piece in the Independent, on the topic of paratroopers shooting at a picture of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn. The conversation also touches on reactionary sentiments in the British Army, the UK's history of veteran activism, and the strange ways in which people convince themselves to forget the truth about empire.

Read Joe's recent piece here: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/corbyn-shooting-video-soldiers-target-practice-snapchat-army-a8853086.html

Also, Joe's memoir Soldier Box is available from Verso Books here, and it's good as hell: https://www.versobooks.com/books/1428-soldier-box

This week's bonus features Nate and Cynthia discussing the 1995 Hughes Brothers movie Dead Presidents, in which they ask the important question: is it fascist? Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26117226

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

Are you tired of your veteran-themed coffee company shirts being too subtle? Well, we have a solution to your problems: https://teespring.com/dickgun-coffee-company#pid=387&cid=101869&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

We Can't Afford It (Unless It's Racism) Apr 11, 2019

Show notes

It's been something of a banner week for dumb military and veteran news. For starters, a scandal emerged in Nate's adopted home of Britain after a video showed British Army paratroopers happily shooting a portrait of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2019/apr/06/british-army-chief-addresses-claims-of-unacceptable-conduct-by-soldiers-video

We also discuss a news story in which Marine Corps general officers complain to the press that Trump's raiding of military discretionary spending (in order to build his wall) is hampering their ability to recover from climate-change-worsened natural disasters that have recently struck. https://www.newsweek.com/marine-generals-email-leak-trump-congress-budget-1386469

This week's bonus features part 4 of Francis reviewing the HBO series "Generation Kill." You can access it at the $3 tier on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/francis-reviews-25961884

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

Are you tired of your veteran-themed coffee company shirts being too subtle? Well, we have a solution to your problems: https://teespring.com/dickgun-coffee-company#pid=387&cid=101869&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Just Say No (to Mayor Pete and Joe Biden) Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

Rumor has it that leftist politics podcasts only exist to rip on Democrats. Well, that's only half-true: we rip on right-wing politicians all day long, but we know that they're fascists and plutocrats. Democrats, on the other hand, are supposed to be on our side -- hence our desire to actually elect people who represent our desires. And in that vein, we're discussing Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden. Guess what? They're bad.

We're greatly indebted to friend of the show Nathan J. Robinson, whose article for Current Affairs forms the basis of our criticism of Mayor Pete: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/all-about-pete

This week's bonus features a discussion between friend of the show Brock Wilbur and Francis, on the topic of Sierra's "Police Quest" series, a game in which you'll always die if you don't do it by the book. They discuss its inherent reactionary sentiment, the way it changed to suit gaming modes of the day, and the looming shadow of Daryl F. Gates—the father of the militarized LAPD and a consultant for the Police Quest games. Get it on the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25741937

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

Are you tired of your veteran-themed coffee company shirts being too subtle? Well, we have a solution to your problems: https://teespring.com/dickgun-coffee-company#pid=387&cid=101869&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Pacifism Does Not Mean Constantly Getting Owned feat. Nathan J. Robinson Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

This week, we speak with Current Affairs (@curaffairs) Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson (@NathanJRobinson) about pacifism: why it's so maligned in popular discourse, and why a horror of war and violence is a necessary thing in our violence-saturated era.

Nathan recently published a piece on the topic of pacifism and the memoirs of Vera Brittain, which you can read here: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/the-importance-of-pacifism

You can access Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' in PDF form here: https://ia601600.us.archive.org/7/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.34310/2015.34310.Testament-Of-Youth-An-Autobiographical-Study-Of-The-Years-1900-1925.pdf

This week's bonus is a Q&A session. You can learn what Nate and Francis think is the best invention ever, whether or not the NFL is going to employ veterans as anti-kneeling goons, and what Francis is currently growing in his garden. Access it on Patreon here at the $3 monthly tier: https://www.patreon.com/posts/march-q-session-25623888

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

Are you tired of your veteran-themed coffee company shirts being too subtle? Well, we have a solution to your problems: https://teespring.com/dickgun-coffee-company#pid=387&cid=101869&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Teen Antifa Fan Club Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

In the aftermath of the tragic and horrendous massacres in New Zealand, we witnessed what you might describe as performative innocence on the part of people who traffic in Islamophobia.

However, some young heroes were not having it — yes, we're talking about Egg Boy and Leen Dweik, two beacons of hope in an otherwise garbage discourse. This week, Francis and Nate discuss why it's good to confront public figures and terrible politicians, whether it's speaking to them sternly (in Chelsea Clinton's case) or decorating them with an egg (in Australian white nationalist senator Fraser Anning's case).

This episode also includes an interview between Nate and Miles Lagoze, the director of the Combat Obscura documentary. Miles explains why he decided to make a feature film out of combat camera footage, why the Marine Corps tried to censor the film, and why his opinions on the war have changed as he's educated himself.

That interview starts at 36:29, and you can stream Combat Obscura here: https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Obscura-Miles-Lagoze/dp/B07N8P93XP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=combat+obscura&qid=1553089824&s=gateway&sr=8-1

The film's website is here.

For this week's bonus, Nate and Francis discuss the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic COMMANDO, and ask the important question: is it fascist? You can access it and all our other movie reviews at the $3 tier on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/is-it-fascist-25453494

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

Are you tired of your veteran-themed coffee company shirts being too subtle? Well, we have a solution to your problems: https://teespring.com/dickgun-coffee-company#pid=387&cid=101869&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Solving Problems by Adding More Lieutenants: The Army Way Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

This week, Francis and Nate discuss two new military-related stories that will likely bring comically unintended consequences.

First, the Army intends to assign lieutenants to basic training units as platoon leaders. Which lieutenants? Well, all of them: pre-basic-course, post-basic-course, and post-platoon-leader, all of which sounds like a good (read: bad) idea. That story is available here: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/03/08/lieutenants-appearing-soon-at-an-army-basic-training-platoon-near-you/?fbclid=IwAR3oEt4jmjIkssuwfVYsfB9BXDJ7GiS2pbNVgWRvQoH3v1_Q6Wzvz7hewzA

Next, a discussion on President Trump's plan to tax our allies by making them pay more to host US military bases, a decision that most certainly will not cause more bases to close. Anti-imperialist Trump strikes again, by accident, because he's a big, wet idiot. That story is available here: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/09/politics/trump-admin-us-bases-more-money/index.html?fbclid=IwAR00jtezVoWr6nz51h5WtcTBbro33MdaP-VA-kkn4s28NMM-MsQGHExmAxg

For this week's bonus, Francis and Cynthia discuss the Lion King, live-action remakes of Disney movies, and much more — to include a surprise defense of Scar. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/scar-was-right-25302399

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/c/whatahellofawaytodie

Francis has a sweet new t-shirt design involving a refreshing glass of Soviet assault rifle. Get it here: https://teespring.com/kalashnikov-classic#pid=373&cid=100039&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can check out all our stuff on our store at https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/store

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

The Army Has Found a Way to Make Landlords Suck Even Worse Mar 07, 2019

Show notes

This week, Francis speaks with Army veteran and sociology student @Falsemotive about what it's like on the Army post where he lives as a military dependent. The Army offers free housing to military families, but what you may not know is that on many posts that housing is privatized. The government paid contractors to build it, pays contractors to ostensibly maintain it, and allows those private companies to siphon off the profits. And guess what: they do a terrible job of it.

Also, this episode turns into some damn Army story time, a thing you have all come to know and love with us.

For this week's bonus, Francis continues his review of "Generation Kill," and like all movie reviews on the Patreon, you can get it for $3 a month: https://www.patreon.com/posts/francis-reviews-25126638

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

Francis has a sweet new t-shirt design involving a refreshing glass of Soviet assault rifle. Get it here: https://teespring.com/kalashnikov-classic#pid=373&cid=100039&sid=front

We also have a Soviet-inspired socialist gym rat shirt, for the Swoletariat: https://teespring.com/swoletariat#pid=755&cid=103339&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Bad News: the Coast Guard is Now Fash Too Feb 28, 2019

Show notes

How did a white supremacist spend 30 years in the US military? Well, he enlisted, and then he reenlisted. This week, Nate and Francis discuss a recent story that appeared in Vice on the topic of a Coast Guard lieutenant with a kill list. Additionally, they discuss how some ex Navy SEALs wound up arrested in Haiti with a lot of firepower — like normal people do.

Read the Vice article here: https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/vbwyjd/how-an-allegedly-violent-white-nationalist-spent-decades-in-the-us-military-undetected

Get Extended show notes on the website - https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/single-post/2019/02/27/Bad-News-the-Coast-Guard-is-Now-Fash-Too

This week, Francis offers a video (or audio, if if you prefer) analysis on the phenomenon of stolen valor. Access it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/stolen-valor-24954478

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

Francis has a sweet new t-shirt design involving a refreshing glass of Soviet assault rifle. Get it here: https://teespring.com/kalashnikov-classic#pid=373&cid=100039&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

An Interview with Joe Haldeman, author of 'The Forever War' Feb 21, 2019

Show notes

This week, Francis did some damn journalism. He interviewed Joe Haldeman, author of the 1974 sci-fi masterpiece 'The Forever War,' about his Army service and how it informed his writing (and about blowing things up with C4). We really hope you enjoy this.

Additionally, we've got an update on some of 2019's newest war crimes stories, in which gamer and vaper Duncan Hunter weighs in on whether it should be okay to murder people or not.

This week's bonus continues our 'Is It Fascist?' review series, with a special war film that you likely know and hate: Kathryn Bigelow's 2008 Iraq War thriller 'The Hurt Locker.' Nate's wife Cynthia joins us to provide some film-critic civilian perspective. Get it here for $3 a month on the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/is-it-fascist-24785664

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

Francis has a sweet new t-shirt design involving a refreshing glass of Soviet assault rifle. Get it here: https://teespring.com/kalashnikov-classic#pid=373&cid=100039&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

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