Kickass and the Filibuster

Krotz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, demands the mic from the keeper and says that if all humans had individual filibusters in their physiological life, they would all die of extreme constipation as their essential systems shut down By a dog’s reasoning, the filibuster which can virtually eliminate …
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More Than Rain

Kristian Pikner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Southeastern Wisconsin had a relatively quiet and dry summer—up until last week. On Saturday, torrential downpours dumped up to four inches of rain in some areas, causing flash floods. Then, on Tuesday evening, a strong line of severe thunderstorms crossed into the area, ushering in …
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Kickass and McCoy Refugees

Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, indulges the keeper as the plans for using Camp McCoy in the Afghanistan refugee program prompts memories of 1980 when some 14,000 Cubans were housed at McCoy after escaping Fidel Castro’s regime. The keeper, a Milwaukee Journal columnist at the time, was also …
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Kickass and Multiple Choice

Photo by Mica Asato from Pexels By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has been assisting the keeper in accepting the body betrayal that befalls everyone from the moment they emerge from the womb as cute little, standard-sized  bundles of joy until they no longer breathe the air. For some, the lifetime of body betrayal goes beyond annoyance to …
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Kickass and the Jerk Dentist

Ka-ho Chu uploaded by R-E-AL (talk | contribs | Gallery)  (German Wikipedia) Ka-ho Chu, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes on the keeper’s news of the failure of a Wisconsin trade with Minnesota in which Mindless My Pillow Mike would be exchanged for Painful “Jerk-‘em-out” Prehn, the Wausau dentist …
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Kickass and Getting Out of War

Photo by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that the keeper has some experience in participating in exits from foreign conflicts, having lost friends while helping take the kinks out of Korea’s 38th parallel 70 years ago. That the parallel has stood the test of time as a barrier against the spread of totalitarianism …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Downtown Easttown: Review of “Mare of Easttown”

Artwork by Michael DiMilo Review by Geoff Carter HBO’s limited series Mare of Easttown is a compelling seven-part thriller that stretches the boundaries of expectations for the criminal drama genre. Mare Sheehan, Eastown’s veteran police detective, is not a typical TV cop. Although skilled, conscientious, and devoted to duty, Mare is also acerbic, brutally honest, and has–not …
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Kickass and Friday the 13th Weather Forecast

Photo by Mary Gorski By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is assisting the keeper in bringing weather forecasting into the current century and offers the following Friday the 13th example: *Temperatures and tempers will remain at dangerously high levels as the jet scream of ignorance continues to dominate across the nation. *A severe pillow fight …
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Lost in the Funhouse

Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Why can’t we get off this merry-go-round?  Despite the availability of safe and effective Covid19 vaccines, the nation is experiencing a new spike in cases—the worse since last winter—especially among children and young adults, in populations that refuse to get vaccinated. Despite seemingly overwhelming evidence that he sought …
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