104: Identity Theft pt.2: Hit, Stay, Pray

Grant Thomas
May 7
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Does non-violence include property damage? What if you feel God and faith are calling you to do it? What if it works? This week we dive into the anti-war movement and the unlikely group of resistance fighters who burned thousands of draft cards - priests and nuns. This week Grant unpacks the Draft Board Office Raids, the faith‑fueled conspiracy “to save lives,” and how a million charred cards helped expose the FBI’s COINTELPRO games while jamming the Vietnam War machine. Maia wrestles with modern parallels, from CO exemptions to today’s Overton‑window shifts, and wonders whether burning Teslas might be the spiritual sequel. Plus: bakery‑run sugar highs, Connect‑Four smack talk, and a surprise Robert Irwin thirst detour—all on this week’s Well, I Laughed!

Chapters/Key takeaways to listen for

[00:00:00] Catch Up: Pandemic‑Zoom shirt déjà vu, “put those dogs away” foot banter
[00:26:45] Hit, Stay, Pray: The simple 3‑step template every raid followed
[00:36:45] History Lesson: How Indochina became America’s war zone
[00:43:23] How Did the Draft Work?: Birthday‑bingo lottery, loophole deferments, Canada escape routes
[01:12:52] It’s All a Bucket of Shit: Barry Bondhus dumps literal waste on draft files, sparks copycats
[01:15:39] From One to a Movement: The Catonsville Nine & Milwaukee 14 branding, media judo, and righteous napalm jokes
[01:28:40] Where There Is Smoke, There is Fire: Boston Eight, Beaver 55, Women Against Daddy Warbucks shred & burn
[01:39:51] More Smoke: Citizens’ Commission lifts COINTELPRO docs, Washington Post blows the whistle
[01:50:24] Things Are Spiraling: The Camden 28 trial that flipped an informant and humiliated Hoover’s Bureau
[01:58:43] Final Thoughts: What “moving the Overton window” means for protest tactics today & why property flames shift opinion

Protest of the draft during the Vietnam War - group of people holding a sign reading 'Resist the draft don't register'

Quotes:

"As American citizens, we share a responsibility for the actions of our country." - Grant Thomas
"We acted together as women against the draft, because conscription rests on women's accepted role as insulated comforter and supporter of violence." - Grant Thomas
"So many people can't even consider being religious because they can't consider aligning themselves with people who hate the people that they love right now." - Maia Warner

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