Artwork by Michael DiMilo (Originally posted on May 31, 2019) By Geoff Carter Ah, Memorial Day: the harbinger of summer, the first family picnic, and the grill master’s opening day. Memorial Day also happens to be the holiday recognizing and honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our nation and Constitution. It is …
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Month:May 2022
Dialogues on The Long and Dusty Road: Letters from the Frontier
USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis Curley, and Geoff Carter Hey Bots, Some recent experiences of mine. Really not sure if any of this is blog fodder. I write from Boulder, Colorado, where Jean and I came to burn up some Southwest Air …
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New Wave Cinema 2.0: The Films of Clint Eastwood
English: “© Universal Pictures”. Photographer unknown., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In The New Wave 2.0 series, The Pen in Hand Blog will be examining the work of today’s most provocative and influential filmmakers, artists whose singular filmic stylings and compelling storytelling have stretched the boundaries of cinema. Drawing upon Francois Truffaut’s …
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The Cost of Freedom
By Mark Mamerow Originally Published August 18, 2020 Artwork by Micheal DiMilo “Freedom Isn’t Free!” It’s a potent bumper sticker, conjuring up images of GIs slogging ashore through heavy machine gun fire at Normandy, saving our American freedoms from the fascists. Freedom sets America apart from other nations: freedom of thought and expression, freedom to assemble, freedom …
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Get off My Lawn!
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Once upon a time, Wisconsin used to a state known for its practicality, progressive politics, and good economic sense. It boasted one of the nation’s best public-school systems, one of the finest state university systems, and was known for its shrewd management of its abundant woodlands and waterways. …
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Kickass and Fourth Day
Weixi Zeng, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the fourth day report of the keeper and Phyllis’ mountain /glacier quest for travel happiness, with the information that transitioning from a vibrating upper – bunk closet on Amtrak to a luxurious downtown Vancouver Hotel greatly improved their sleep …
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Dialogues on Hearts and Minds: Letters from the Real Me
Los Paseos from Earth, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis Curley, and Geoff Carter ‘bothood: Yet another selfless, I read it—you don’t have to distillation from yours truly. Sunday Times had a short but exhaustive analysis of Tucker Carlson’s descent into pure toxicity (white supremacy defense …
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Kickass and Day #3
Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the door stop dog, refrains from passing judgment on day three of the keeper and Phyllis’s excursion to mountains and glaciers, except to know that the keeper managed the upper bunk of the Empire Builder roommette, but it was not pretty. What was pretty, …
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Kickass and the Upper Bunk
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that on day two of their mountain/glacier escapade, the keeper and Phyllis are adjusting to the verity that “when you reach the age where putting on your shoes in the morning is viewed as an accomplishment” it might be wise to think twice …
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New Wave Cinema 2.0: The Films of Joel and Ethan Coen
Created by Rita Molnár 2001, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In The New Wave 2.0 series, The Pen in Hand Blog will be examining the work of today’s most provocative and influential filmmakers, artists whose singular filmic stylings and visionary storytelling have stretched the boundaries of cinema. Drawing upon Francois Truffaut’s definition …
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Kickass and Departure Day
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports on the first day—May 22, 2022, of the keeper and Phyllis’s train/ship, mountain/glacier adventure, noting that travel excitement tends to peak on departure day. And this one is special: though the keeper and Phyllis have both done extensive individual traveling, this is among …
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Dialogues on Gilead Rising : Letters to the Court
Legoktm, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis Curley, and Geoff Carter Next up on the agenda, after SCOTUS dumps Roe, is a federal level statute banning abortion. What, say you? I thought the most cherished hope of conservatives was to return abortion authority to the states. After …
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