Category:Social Commentary

Children of War

Posted on Updated on by Geoff CarterCategories:Guns, Social Commentary

Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In the film Blood Diamond, set during the Civil War in Sierra Leon, a man named Vandy searches for his son Dia who has been kidnapped by rebel forces to serve as a child soldier. Dia has been brainwashed and trained to be a ruthless killer, but Vandy finds …
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Kickass and New Second Amendment

Posted on Updated on by Bill StokesCategories:Guns, Humor, Kickass, Michael DiMilo, Politics, Social Commentary

By Bill Stokes Illustration by Michael DiMilo Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper promoting some revision of the 2ndamendment as follows: “The right to BARE arms means you can wear t-shirts and has nothing to do with guns. The fact of more guns than people in this country is due to a Constitutional spelling …
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The Pen in Hand’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments: “Christmas on the Border, 1929”

Posted on Updated on by Geoff CarterCategories:Holidays, Immigration, Social Commentary

Attribution: YIRO5005, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Christmas on the Border, 1929 by Alberto Rios By Geoff Carter The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. But …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Holiday Movies: Review of “A Disturbance in the Force”

Posted on Updated on by Geoff CarterCategories:Holidays, Movies, Social Commentary

(The Worst TV Christmas Special Ever) Illustration by Michael DiMilo When Worlds Collide: A Review of A Disturbance in the Force (Originally published December 11, 2024) By Geoff Carter Own work based on unknown original creator, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Sitting in a crowded theater watching a movie is in many ways a solitary …
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Kickass and Depression Babies

Posted on Updated on by Bill StokesCategories:Aging, Economy, Humor, Kickass, Social Commentary

Attribution: Dorothea Lange, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and thousands of other “Depression babies” would likely not exist had there been an “affordability” consideration to their births.  But since there is no immediate cost to the physical act of making babies, even with an …
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Get Off My Cloud

Posted on Updated on by Geoff CarterCategories:Social Commentary, Travel

Attribution: Photo by Ava Tyler on Unsplash By Geoff Carter We recently took a week-long trip to Puerto Vallarta, one of our all-time favorite vacation destinations. We booked an early, a very early, an ungodly early, flight. Our Uber driver got us to the airport about 3:30 am—partly because we always try to follow airport guidelines—but partly because …
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Kickass and Snow Angels

Posted on Updated on by Bill StokesCategories:Social Commentary

Attribution: Photo by Andrey Lear on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will be following the keeper’s example and napping through the big snow predicted for the weekend. Fortified by one of Mike’s extravagant Thanksgiving feasts, the keeper and Phyllis will abandon their concerns and complaints about getting old. They will instead fixate on the fact …
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Kickass and UW Reporting

Posted on Updated on by Bill StokesCategories:Social Commentary

Attribution: Steev Selby from Wollongong, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper aware of the news item that UW researchers are growing hemp as part of a very serious plant-disease study, which reminds him of his days of reporting on UW activities back in the early days …
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