Attribution: James Petts from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s deep appreciation to all of those who, with gifts and best wishes, encouraged him to get on with his 95th year after enough posturing and partying to launch a ship. Thank you. Thank you. …
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Month:September 2025
Kickass and 94th Birthday
Attribution: Nicolas Cianca, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is the first to remind the keeper that there is a lot of sheer luck involved in his being around for his 94th birthday as the most tragic day in US history is noted. On this day in 2001, the keeper …
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Revenge of the Nerds
Attribution: Rhoda Baer (Photographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds, two socially inept but brilliant—and dorky—misfits go to college and are immediately teased, tortured, and bullied by more popular students. They call them nerds. Denied admittance to any of the fraternities, the nerds, who by this …
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Kickass and Baby Book
Attribution: Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper as a first grandchild on his mother’s side relished all the perks that go with “first-grandchild” identity which included, back in the dark ages when he was born, a young mother keeping a detailed personal record of her newborn …
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Kickass and Epstein Dogs
Attribution: Maarten Honnebier, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, proudly reports to the keeper and Phyllis that no dogs’ names are anywhere to be found in any of the Epstein garbage. The reason is not that no dog is or was powerful enough to qualify for inclusion in the …
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Kickass and Military on Main Street
Attribution: Tech. Sgt. Andrew Enriquez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper wonders about the thought process individual military members must go through when they are ordered to duty against their fellow Americans? It is one thing to be sent off to a foreign country to …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Great Films That Have Faded Into Obscurity
The Lost and Forgotten Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Movies are more than entertainment, more than art, and more than artifact. Scenes and moments from film have become so embedded in our cultural that they are part of our national—and international—consciousness. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”, “I’ll make him an offer he …
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Kickass Thanks Party Makers
Attribution: U.S. Army photo by Davide Dalla Massara, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass the doorstop dog, reports that as part of marking the keepers 94th birthday special, there will be a blood red eclipse of the moon tonight which was arranged by family members after they threw the keeper a fantastic birthday …
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Kickass and Citizen Shooting
Attribution: Student John Filo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, having reminded the keeper and Phyllis of their complicity in the US military slaughter of 11 boat passengers in international waters, expands the question to wonder how long it will be before US citizens fall to military bullets ordered …
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Kickass and Murder at Sea
Attribution: U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog asks the keeper and Phyllis and their fellow American citizens how they deal with the designation of accomplices in the murder of 11 passengers on a boat in international waters when the Navy, following Trump’s orders, …
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Kickass and Back to School
Attribution: Photo by Deleece Cook on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis have respective mobs of wonderful, flawless, perfect grandchildren and great grandchildren scattered across the country and currently marching proudly in the back-to-school parade; and they would like them all to know how great it is to see their …
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Working Class Blues
Illustrated by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We marched in the Labor Day parade yesterday. I fell in with my old union, the MTEA, as we lined up with firefighters, machinists, ironworkers, electricians, plumbers, and hospitality workers. Thousands participated. It can be argued that what truly made America great was not the rugged individualism embodied by …
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