All Too Real

Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter I’ve never had the experience of attending a Comic-Con, and I’ve never—except maybe for Halloween—engaged in cosplay, dressing up like a character from a movie or novel, but it is amazing to see the detail and craftmanship that goes into some of the cosplay costumes and accessories at …
Read

Independence Day

(Originally published July 8th, 2021, but–unfortunately, still as timely now as it was then) Artwork by Michael DiMilo Article by Geoff Carter Our nation just celebrated The Fourth of July. Any American can—hopefully—tell you what this holiday is all about. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, severing all …
Read

Fool Me Once….

Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The United States has an impressive legacy of leadership, boasting war leaders like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and FDR, and nation builders like Jack Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower. We have also elected notable scholars like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, ferocious defenders of democracy like John Adams …
Read

Dialogues on the Redder the Better: The Ron and Don Show

The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter Bots, Now that perfect weather is secure here in the upper Midwest…and… Mark M. is busy doing field work–his longitudinal cross-section study of Americana, I thought I’d …
Read

Kickass and Storage Boxes

United States Department of Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that most people in the keeper and Phyllis’s crowd readily identify with storage boxes, having made recent moves to places like Vista West; and more than a few of those “movers” would be pleased to have the …
Read

Kickass and Pinocchio Day Fallout

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, assists the keeper in handling the fallout from his establishment of “Pinocchio Day” to mark the indictment last Tuesday of the former pretender to the throne.  As Pinocchio Day gets on the calendar with other noteworthy days–Father’s Day and April Fools Day come to mind, …
Read

Kickass and Political Questions

Flying Logos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, observes that the keeper is frequently left with more questions than answers, and this seems to be one of those mornings. Granted that they certainly have a legal right to do so, the keeper would inquire of those who send money …
Read

Kickass and Credit World

Cecco del Caravaggio , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in celebrating the fact that the country has decided to pay its credit card bill. What a wonderful thing! All children and grandchildren take note: credit cards are abominations. Pay them off and rip them …
Read