Attribution: SHAEF [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces] Public Relations Division., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons A heartfelt thank you to those who risked–and gave–their lives in order to rid the world of fascism. Their courage should stand as an example to all of us. From the Pen in Hand Blog
Kickass and D-Day
Attribution: National Archives and Records Administration , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, stands with the keeper and Phyllis in trying to imagine how the world was focused on this day—June 6, in 1944, to repel the one-man cruelty crusade of unspeakable narcissistic horrors with its “Super Race” and concentration …
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Kickass and Last Day of School
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, prompted by fellow poster Scott MW, acknowledges the significance of this time of year as it marks the last day of the school term and what that means to young minds. Was there ever a time so important to a …
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Taco Taco Man
Attribution: Grok, prompted by @tRumpnado2016 on X, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter The Teflon is wearing thin. Donald Trump is no longer impervious to the slings and arrows of satirical barbs and jabs. Somehow his rudeness, crudeness, criminality, corruption, incompetence, arrogance, narcissism, and macho posturing have gone largely uncriticized (or at least …
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Dialogues on Busting the Bench: Walking on thin ICE
Attribution: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark O., Mark M., Dave S., Dennis C., and Geoff Carter Awaiting our boots on the ground bots to shine light on this one. Some thought starters: Now…about that 2 year old, future drug dealer…rapist…serial killer… But that’s a pretty …
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Kickass and Things Go Wrong
Photo by Matthew Alexander on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports on the keeper’s day of errors and suggests that perhaps trying to coordinate his treatment at the VA eye clinic with son Mike’s molar extraction on the far west side was simply too much to expect, particularly in light of past history when the …
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Kickass and Adventure Failure
Photos by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, listens as the keeper recounts his general failure as a great adventurer: There are more as the keeper did his best to find ways to stay out of various newspaper city rooms, and now he does not often bring up his adventure failures to …
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Kickass and Festivals
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, napped as the keeper and Phyllis joined in the summer-long tradition of immigrant descendants gathering to celebrate their ethnicities. It was the “Festa Italia” at Mckee Farms Park and a great time was had by all thanks in part to the hosting of Gary and …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Mickey 17”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo ★★★★☆ The Disposable Man: Review of Mickey 17 By Geoff Carter You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get with a Bong Joon Ho film. From the linear class battle laid out in Snowpiercer to the convoluted twists and hidden spaces of Parasite to the heart-rending pathos and bioethics of Okja, his movies tend to …
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Kickass and Collecting
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is little help to the keeper as he tries to figure out why he is prone to “collecting” while Phyllis prefers a more clutter-free life. In a recent visit with Carol who is among the Vista West premiere collectors, the point was made with …
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Kickass and News Anchors
Attribution: U.S. News & World Report photographer Thomas J. O’Halloran, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper toying with a new way of measuring his long life as he counts how many TV news anchors he has gone through as Lester Holt hung it up last night …
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Kickass Milks the Cows
Attribution: Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, as a former farm boy who knew the experience of hand-milking cows, laments the progression of the twice daily task to “milking parlors” and rotating stalls and the hand-over to immigrant farm workers. With that last …
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