Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Donald Trump came swaggering into the Oval Office on the first day of his second term like a sailor on his first night of shore leave—and he behaved pretty much like a drunken sailor, too, signing executive orders like bad checks and—figuratively—standing on the bar proclaiming he was …
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Category:Social Commentary
Kickass and Dog Shelter
Attribution: Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, in an effort to help the keeper and Phyllis understand what contrary things are occurring in their world encourages them to think of themselves as being stray mutts in a corporate-owned animal shelter that has a contract to provide dog meat to North Korea …
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Kickass and Vision
Attribution: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, hands it off to the keeper who insists on writing a personal note to his wonderful mother, gone these many years but never forgotten: “Well, Mom, as I am tying my shoes this morning in the manner you …
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Kickass as a Jackrabbit
Attribution: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, turns it over to the keeper on this wintery Saturday: “They were like the royalty of winter, those big jackrabbits that would spring magically out of nowhere to lope with infinite grace across 40 acres before stopping to reassess the …
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Mighty Love
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Originally Published 2/14/2022 By Geoff Carter In her novel Surfacing, Margaret Atwood wrote “The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them, there ought to be as many for love.” She‘s probably right, although what passes for love today might not be as important to us as snow …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Substance”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Inner Child: Film Review of the Substance ★★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter In a number of recent independent films, including Drive Away Dolls, Love Lies Bleeding, and the X Series there has been a blurring of boundaries. This is particularly true in the horror genre. Subgenres like body horror and hag horror have been reinvigorated …
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The Fascist Cookbook
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter (Originally published September 26, 2024) A refresher course on Project 2025. This is where our country is presently headed. I grew up during the late sixties and early seventies when youth counterculture was king. Rock and roll, pot, LSD, free love, and political activism were all part of …
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Kickass and Super Bore Fans
Attribution: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper staying in contrary character on this Super Bore Sunday by passing along a portion of the lead from a cover story he did for the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine issue of Apr. 4, …
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Dialogues on LA Noir: Ashes to Ashes
Attribution: Pacific Southwest Forest Service, USDA from USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., and Geoff Carter What do the ‘bots think about Hotel California blazing away? Let’s be honest. Human casualty has been minimal. I reckon, in terms of the ratio of $$$$ …
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Kickass and Blame
Attribution: Vector Portal, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper is admittedly slow to catch on, but is finally recognizing the importance of “blame” in maintaining relevance in today’s Land of Oz. Under the precepts of the “blame” culture when something bad happens, such as an …
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Registered Offenders
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter They are living amongst us. They might be your co-worker, your neighbor, your teammate in the volleyball league, or the housewife standing in line at the grocery store staring at the tabloid headlines. Hundreds—more than a thousand—of them were just released from their prisons and are once again …
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Kickass and Sarah/Boo Visit
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joined the keeper and Phyllis in hosting the keeper’s granddaughter Sarah and Boo, the small schnauzer that once ruled the keeper’s Mazo house where she played her own piano, did an impressive routine of tricks and expressed a barking opinion on all things great …
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