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Happy Holidays everyone. See you in 2026 and thank you for all the support.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/no-time-to-die
License code: S4CEQWLNQXVZUMU4

Artwork and logo design by Misty Rae.


Special thanks to Joanna Roux for editing help.
Special thanks to the listeners and all the wonderful people who helped listen to and provide feedback on the episode's prerelease.


Please feel free to email Matt topics or suggestions, questions or feedback.
Matt@unitedstatesofPTSD.com

Send us a text

Wendy returns for reunion episode. Per listener request Matt shares some of his own personal trauma and how it impacted his relationships before and after his resolution.

Below is the poem I wrote when I was 33. This is how raw the feelings were back then. Thankfully the pain has been healed.

I am a bastard, thanks to you.

I bet 33 years ago you never imagined,

your polluted seed would create

the man that stands here

I N V I S I B L E

Did you think your whimsical germination

would harbor feelings of resentment powerful enough

to create the persona I have built my existence on?

Or does my illegitimacy

deny me the right to claim

this hatred I have for you.

I can’t comprehend the void of feeling

Held within your perverse core

That would allow you to give me away

Forgotten and packed, out of your sight

Out of your mind, like a stuffed animal

Left on the side of the road

Battered

Lonely

Damaged…only

Somewhere out there is a child who mourns

Its loss, helplessly pleading with the parents to

save it, before the unthinkable happens.

Or did it already happen?

Lifeless cloth shell swollen with cotton

has more value, than I to you.

I can relate

I have fonder memories of my own toys.

Of course they were in my life more often

I protected them with every ounce of my soul

I hugged when they were sad

I kept them company when they were alone.

Unconditional love, whatever that is

And no one ever had to ask them why they didn’t have a father?

Or “Why doesn’t he love you?

Or what did you do to make him leave?

But I’m the bastard.

Packsaddle son swaddled in rags

and left out for the Monday night trash.

That’s what you did to me.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/no-time-to-die
License code: S4CEQWLNQXVZUMU4

Artwork and logo design by Misty Rae.


Special thanks to Joanna Roux for editing help.
Special thanks to the listeners and all the wonderful people who helped listen to and provide feedback on the episode's prerelease.


Please feel free to email Matt topics or suggestions, questions or feedback.
Matt@unitedstatesofPTSD.com

Send us a text

Starvation isn’t a metaphor—it’s policy made real. Erika and I sit down on Halloween. A holiday that is ironically about asking for snacks from strangers. We map how a government shutdown can remove the barely sustainable payment rails for SNAP, why many families get far less than a livable food budget, and how the benefits cliff punishes a $1 raise with thousands lost in childcare, healthcare, and food support. The math doesn’t lie, and neither do checkout lines when EBT systems fail. We break down the myths about “living off the system,” explain refeeding syndrome as a medical reality, and show why feeding people is both humane and fiscally smart.

From corporate welfare to the war economy, we follow the money that protects weapons over breakfasts and how retailers profit twice: underpaying workers who need benefits, then capturing those benefits at the register. Farmers are squeezed, small producers risk losing land, and shelters brace for pet surrenders as families choose between kibble and groceries. Through it all, we keep the focus on what works now: food banks with bulk buying power, mutual aid fridges that cut red tape, recurring micro-donations, and practical ways to add pet food to your giving so people can keep the companions that support their mental health.

We also honor Dr. Muath, a veterinarian in Gaza who cared for companion animals and working donkeys amid bombardment. His story reveals the human thread that ties war, hunger, and courage together—and why empathy should guide policy, not just sentiment. If you’re ready to replace outrage with action, this conversation offers clarity, context, and a path forward: fund your local pantry, support mutual aid, challenge casual classism, and push leaders to treat nutrition like the public infrastructure it is. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review telling us how you’re supporting food access in your community.

Help Dr. Muath | Animal Healthcare Workers Against Genocide

Queer and trans immigrants allege forced labor and sexual assault in Ice facility: ‘I was treated worse than an animal’ | US immigration | The Guardian

Arizona politicians respond to possible lapse in SNAP benefits | 12news.com

findhelp.org by findhelp - Search and Connect to Social Care

Arizona refugees to lose SNAP eligibility in November - AZPM

Governor Hobbs Announces Funding for Food Banks and New Food Bucks Now Program to Support Families in Need of Food Assistance | Office of the Arizona Governor

Tempe sued for targeting residents who feed homeless

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/no-time-to-die
License code: S4CEQWLNQXVZUMU4

Artwork and logo design by Misty Rae.


Special thanks to Joanna Roux for editing help.
Special thanks to the listeners and all the wonderful people who helped listen to and provide feedback on the episode's prerelease.


Please feel free to email Matt topics or suggestions, questions or feedback.
Matt@unitedstatesofPTSD.com