Artwork by Michael DiMilo (Originally posted on May 31, 2019 in Honor of our Veterans. Addendum posted on May 25, 2026.) By Geoff Carter Ah, Memorial Day: the harbinger of summer, the first family picnic, and the grill master’s opening day. Memorial Day also happens to be the holiday recognizing and honoring those who have …
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Category:Social Commentary
Kickass and Window Gazing
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, shares his between-naps job with the keeper in observing the daily flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic as it plays out around the busy intersection of Gammon Road and Tree Lane in the neighborhood mix of schools, businesses and housing. Unable to resist frequent …
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Kickass and Reporter Dressing Style
Attribution: U. A. Saarinen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, has now lived for a day with the photo discovered by granddaughter Jessy showing him at a sanity hearing for Ed Gein at which Ed was the best dressed of all those in the courtroom, …
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Lost Soul
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” –Roy Batty (Blade Runner) You may …
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Kickass and Hair
Attribution: Mostafameraji, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, having adjusted long ago to his hairless condition, notes that both the keeper and Phyllis lucked out in the hair department, the keeper having dodged genes from his bald father that brother Orv picked up. Phyllis is equally fortunate with her lush …
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Kickass and Helping the Old
Attribution: Photo by Jem Sahagun on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, agrees with the keeper’s assessment that you are never too old to learn how to graciously handle the challenges that come your way. Most recently, and with seeming increased frequency, there is the challenge of accepting the kindly proffered assistance of young people when …
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Pants on Fire
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week’s Pen in Hand Blog column dealt with President Trump’s use—and abuse—of the English language, how he has dumbed down presidential rhetoric to a fourth-grade level, weaponized our political discourse, and created the most divisive atmosphere since the Civil War. We have fallen incredibly far incredibly quickly. …
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Like Nobody’s Ever Seen Before
Attribution: DonkeyHotey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Linguists and educational theorists have argued for centuries over the question of whether thought gives rise to language or whether the reverse, that language affects and determines thought, is true. The once widely-accepted Sapir-Whorf hypothesis postulates that language determines thought, while Fodor’s theory maintains the …
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Kickass and Natural Dinner
Attribution: Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that as the keeper promotes the verity that humans are as much a part of the natural world as the birds and the bees, he points to the many natural parallels to the interrupted community feeding at the Correspondents dinner last night. When …
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Kickass Remembers Earth Days
Attribution: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gabrielle Spalding, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis and the multitudes on this Earth Day to salute its originator—Gaylord Nelson, and in the keeper’s case, to remember a few personal contacts with the classiest senator Wisconsin …
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Kickass and the Morning Maze
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper starts every morning looking out across the parking lot at the schools and the streets and the many distant buildings, and then marveling at how everybody gets where they need to be in such a fast-paced routine of sharing intersections and …
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Dialogues on Confusions of Grandeur: What Would Jesus Do?
Attribution: Artificial intelligence, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., John K., Michael D., and Geoff Carter Have you guys seen this? According to multiple news sources, including “The New York Times”, Trump posted this grandiose AI generated image of his Christ-like self on “Truth …
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