Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes with the keeper that the gerrymandered chokehold the narcissistic Republicans have on the democratic political system will be its downfall: a kennel operating for the benefit of only a few tall dogs with no meaningful sustenance for the hordes of mutts cannot endure. …
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Month:June 2021
Qualified Immunity: There’s a Catch
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels By Mark Mamerow “That’s some catch, that Catch-22,’ Yossarian observed. “It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed. —Catch-22, by Joseph Heller Readers of Joseph Heller’s brilliant World War II black comedy Catch-22 see the war from the bemused and frustrated perspective of Captain Yossarian, a bombardier. Throughout the novel, Yossarian’s desire …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the Best of the Best
Nicolas Genin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons George Clooney’s Top Ten Films By Geoff Carter He epitomizes cool. George Clooney exudes an aura of ease, intelligence, and confidence reminiscent of old school stars like Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, or Cary Grant. He can be complicated, too, embodying the angst and disappointments of a typical middle-aged …
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Kickass and Unmasking
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is assisting the keeper in moderating some of the chaos resulting from the great unmasking now occurring across the country, specifically just how to treat the Lone Ranger and Tonto who apparently spent the entire Covid mask-up period as residents of Coventry Village on Madison’s west side where …
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Kickass and Backwards Underwear
“Outhouse” Suisant7, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper long ago stopped being concerned with the random—some might say “garbage-can” nature of his thought process. Were it not for this, he might fret over the fact that for 60-70 years there has been stored in his memory …
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Kickass and Pond Life
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in the proximity of pond eco systems where hidden predators—huge snapping turtles, dominate to the threat and detriment of all other life forms; and, of course, the keeper and Phyllis find …
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Living in the Past
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. –Thomas Jefferson We’ve been taught to respect and believe these hallowed words since we were children. Of course, after a close examination of U.S. history, no one—except perhaps a child—is naïve enough to believe them. Shortly …
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Kickass and River Calamity
Holyoke Water Power Company, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that there are those among the keeper’s followers who may recall the ill-fated expedition when the keeper and his son Mike rigged a pontoon boat for a trip down the Wisconsin/Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, and only got …
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Kickass 6/2/21 Bear at Bird Feeder
Photo by Bill Pennell on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries to help the keeper stay calm over bird feeder issues, particularly after hearing from the keeper’s brother Orville up in Barron County where a black bear has smashed the bird feeder and taken up a lounging presence in the feeder’s proximity. Dedicated animal/bird people, …
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Kickass and Memorial Day Memories
Photo by P. Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass the doorstop dog, will be assisting the Keeper and Phyllis as they recuperate from a Family-filled Memorial Day weekend which proved the following: *Visiting Sate Street and UW environs makes you feel both young and old. *Watching toddlers play on the river beach sand causes you to …
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