Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The second Trump presidency has been an unnatural disaster—as damaging as a Category 5 hurricane. And like a hurricane, this administration has wrought extensive and irreparable damage, damage to our government, our people, and our country—and to the people of the world who have depended on American aid. …
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Kickass and a new FETCH
Attribution: Ashraf Amra, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes the keeper and Phyllis’s discovery of a new TV version of the game of “Fetch,” in which a man with bloody hands—Netanyahu, throws a live hand grenade out to be fetched by a dog—Donald who has serious distemper. Has …
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Kickass and Note to IRS
Attribution: Matthew G. Bisanz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis feeling left out in that they did not receive personal letters from the IRS boss thanking them for their support of the billionaire narcissistic class. Friends have shared copies of …
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Kickass Goes for a Walk
Attribution: Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, was not invited along when Phyllis promoted a walk around the block for the computer-bound keeper who once built newspaper columns around “Walking across Wisconsin with spring” and other similar “walking” themes that got him out of the office for days—even weeks at …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Legacy of Gary Oldman
Attribution: Brett Cove at https://www.flickr.com/photos/brettdcove/, GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter There is no more unique actor–or screen villain–than Gary Oldman. He can be the epitome of sadism, malevolence, or violence, but he can also be suave and charming—though he is never entirely trustworthy, even when portraying Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour or George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, …
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Kickass and Eating Out
Attribution: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper had another one of those challenging dining experiences when Phyllis, a health-oriented dining adventurer, directed the two of them to an ethnic eatery where the keeper could not read or understand the expansive menu, found it impossible to …
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Kickass and InDepends
Photo by Geoff Carter By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis survived Independence Day 2025 curious as to whether or not “INDEPENDence Day” had anything to do with the origin of the “Depends,” brand name, a not unheard-of word in their crowd. See more at… The Bill Stokes Author Page
Happy Independence Day from The Pen in Hand Blog
Attribution: National Portrait Gallery , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons May we see many more…
Kickass and Political Signs
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper sat in on a planning meeting of Phyllis’s “Protection Rally” group as it discussed where to direct its very successful efforts that created an alternate, more accessible opportunity to participate in the national outrage over—among other things, various forms of …
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Kickass and Dog Shunning
Attribution: humboldthead, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, believes the keeper when he reports that in the big bulls— bill being forced by narcissistic nabobs down the throats of a slack-jawed populace, two of the one thousand plus pages got stuck together and effectively hide the provision that allocated …
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A Fourth of July Memorial
Attribution: Photo by Alex Martinez on Unsplash By Geoff Carter Every Fourth of July, we celebrate and honor an idea, a hope, and a dream which has survived more than two hundred and forty years. It seemed to be an impossible dream, that a nation could function as a free democracy, with lawmakers elected by the people to …
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Kickass and July
Attribution: William H. Majoros, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in greeting July 2025 with its explosive character of renewal: Gosslings! Ducklings! Bear cubs! Lambs! Fawns! Fresh berries! New potatoes! Sweet corn! The list is infinite. It is a glorious time of fledging and …
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