What a Hell of a Way to Dad

This week, Francis speaks with an Air Force reservist paralegal named Pat who takes us through the way that the military approaches sexual assault cases. As you might expect, it leaves an inordinate amount of leeway for commanders' discretion. But we hope that this episode gives you a better idea of why things don't seem to be getting better. Our bonus this week features Milo and Alice from Trashfuture on the topic of Britain's peculiarities, and folks… you will like this one. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39492812 *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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/ *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