Attribution: Photo by Zachariah Smith on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, in his unwavering efforts to keep the keeper at least as relevant as bathroom tissue, hears him as he asks the following burning question: If the rabbits were able to wrest the Easter egg extravaganza away from the chickens is there nothing they wouldn’t …
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Out of Order
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter “What do you call ten thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?” –“A good start.” “What do you throw to a drowning lawyer?” –“His partners.” All right, all right. I’ll stop, but people tell these jokes for a reason. They hit a nerve. We’ve all watched the …
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Kickass and Old Protests
Attribution: uwdigitalcollections, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries not to get in the way as Phyllis and friends work out an introduction to the city bus system so they can get to the Capitol for such things as political demonstrations. The keeper, in the meantime retreats to a …
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Kickass and the IRS
Attribution: https://www.irs.gov/, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, noting that it is “Tax Day” offers to eat the following note the keeper was planning to send to the IRS: “Hi Tax folks: “If you have not yet been fired or downsized to outhouse dimensions by the chainsaw hole-diggers, let …
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Kickass and Model T Coils
Attribution: dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes with the keeper and Phyllis that occasionally there will be a Facebook post that sends one or the other of them hurtling back through the decades. Such was the case for the keeper when the Model T …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Fly Me to the Moon”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Lassoing the Moon: Film Review of Fly Me to the Moon ★★★☆☆ By Geoff Carter To be honest, I’m a little tired of movies that reflect reality—mostly because I’m exhausted by today’s reality. It has nothing to do with the quality of the films, but seeing dystopian flicks like Civil War, The …
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Dialogues on MAGA Economics: A Tariffying Spectacle
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., and Geoff Carter Good am, members of the resistance: Comms channel: reminder to follow protocols and scramble all correspondences. Idea for political cartoon: Then and now axis of evil. Trying to understand how tariffs might trickle down, not just …
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Kickass Welcomes April 13th
Attribution: Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in welcoming the day: “Hello April 13, 2025! “It is great to have you whatever you are–at the moment a bit hazy and overcast. “We know the feeling and assure you that burning off the haze and getting to …
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Kickass Asks Questions
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has never eaten anyone’s homework nor chewed the cover off a banned book, but he is volunteering to assist the keeper and Phyllis in dealing with their current list of outrageous questions which includes the following: *Is there no stopping the utter madness of …
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Kickass and Sixth Anniversary
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, cheers on the keeper and Phyllis as they celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary with a Vietnamese dinner at Pho Nam where Phyllis drank from a coconut and the keeper demonstrated anew that he will never master eating noodles using chopsticks. In their Vista West crowd, …
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Kickass and Two Phyllises
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries to be helpful as the keeper continues to struggle with a double vision condition as a result of his macular degeneration. In trying to put a positive spin on it, the keeper notes the benefit of seeing two images of Phyllis. While he …
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Wisconsin Strong
Photo by Geoff Carter By Geoff Carter I’m a Wisconsinite, born and raised. I’m usually pretty proud of that. Not always, but usually. We’ve had our missteps and our black sheep, but generally Wisconsin does the right thing. I’m especially proud of the progressive traditions and stubborn idealism evident in our state. Just last week, in …
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