Holy fuck man, Ted killed himself. This guy was an old school RA listener. He owns the first run, limited edition t-shirt, he financially supported the show, we had each other's personal cell numbers and used to text regularly, he fought next to me in Charlottesville, bravely, he testified at my preliminary hearing there, and he took my calls when I was locked up in Strafford.

Not long before my arrest, Ted told me to get away from the troublesome elements of our politics. He sent me a picture of himself with his wife and children and said, I paraphrase, "This what matters, get away from those idiots and start a family".

That sound advice, sadly, came after they had already set me up for prison.

According to a federal indictment, which I know from experience doesn't always reflect the truth, Ted was caught smuggling fentanyl across the US/Mexico border the following year. According to his obituary, he opted to shoot himself rather than stand trial.

Folks, prison sucks. Not gonna lie. But it's not worth killing yourself over. Even if you spend the rest of your life there, you will still have lots of laughs and spend time with friends and find meaning in life. Ted would certainly not have spent the rest of his life there. He would have come home in a few years and made love to his wife and seen his children grow up.

These stories, which are all too common, really bother me. Drugs, and money, are not worth risking prison, but more importantly, prison is not worth killing yourself over.

Please pray for Ted's family, if you're into that sort of thing.

https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/teddy-von-nukem-from-2017-charlottesville-rally-dies-before-drug-trial/