NASA Ames, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Mark Mamerow NASA’s new telescope is an amazing scientific and engineering accomplishment, but a groundswell of opposition has arisen to the naming of the telescope after James Webb. He directed NASA in the 1960s and led the agency in its successful quest to mount manned missions to the …
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Category:Activism
Kickass and Wine-Tasting Tea Parties
Lou Stejskal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in observing that while the taverns, and their predominantly male occupants, have historically been the main places of both outrageousness and mayhem in the area of social imbibing, there has been a shift from taverns to wineries, with …
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Helping Hands
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Since the recent—but not unexpected—Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe -v- Wade, American citizens have been scrambling to come to terms with the consequences and implications of this new and deeply disturbing ruling. The nation is reeling in shock. After all, it’s the first time that the highest …
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Kickass and Mom’s Job Not Over
Legoktm, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper has abandoned all that is sacred and offers the following: MOTHER Mother, Mother, we love you so. You taught us how to stop and go. We learned from you the good and bad, And how they both showed …
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Kickass and Manchin and Prehn
Joe ManchinUnited States Senate, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper has reached the limits of his tolerance for the likes of Joe Manchin lecturing desperate kayakers from the back of his $700,000 yacht; and Fred Prehn, the Wausau tooth-jerker, who refuses to leave the DNR …
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Better than What?
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Earlier this month, in the course of one twenty-four period, thirty-three people were killed during two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. According to CBS News, as of August 5th, there have been over two hundred fifty-five deaths resulting mass shootings in this country since …
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Giant Steps
Giant Steps Toni Morrison, one of America’s great visionary authors, passed away last week. We lost not only a supremely talented writer, but also a woman of profound courage, incisive vision, and sublime sensibilities. As an African-American woman, her writing enveloped and embraced the marginalized in our society—her society. Novels like Sula, Beloved, The Bluest …
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The Part You Won’t Recognize
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The controversy over the freshmen Congressional members of the “Squad”, ginned up by President Trump in inflammatory tweets last week, reminds me of how prominent black athletes who spoke out for black rights in the ‘60s and ‘70s were condemned by mainstream American culture. Muhammad Ali is the archetype for this …
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Brooding Parasite
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The brown-headed cowbird has a notorious reputation as a brood parasite, a bird that relies on other species to raise its own young. A cowbird will find a host nest, destroy or evict one of the original resident’s eggs, and replace it with one of her own. The host bird will …
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Won’t Get Fooled Again
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Everyone is familiar with the term “the one percent,” our name for the ultra-rich of American society. These are the ones who control nearly fifty percent of the wealth in this country, a figure that has been consistently and perniciously growing. Some projections suggest this elite club will control almost two-thirds …
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The Cost of Doing Business
–Artwork By Michael DiMilo Last summer, my wife and I had to pay a visit the local emergency room—nothing serious—and even though the treating physician was exceedingly efficient and confident, I couldn’t get over the fact that he looked like one of my high school students. During our visit, I asked him if he could …
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