Should America return the Statue of Liberty to France?
A French government official believes the United States should return the Statue of Liberty to France.
The statue was a gift from France in 1886 to celebrate the centennial of America’s independence from England, and it was a symbol of the enduring friendship between France and the United States. Over the years it has become a symbol of freedom for people all over the world.
But with America’s drift toward authoritarianism and its rampant xenophobia, it no longer embodies those ideals.
I think America should return the Statue of Liberty to France. It is no longer worthy of such a statue.
In its place, America should construct a statue of a gigantic golden calf. The MAGAts will understand the significance of that, seeing as how they’re such Biblical scholars.
If not a calf, then a giant golden pig. Pink Floyd fans will know what I mean.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
People listen to speakers at a rally held at Fort Walton Landing on March 8, 2025, prior to embarking on a protest march through the downtown area of Fort Walton Beach. Image by Del Stone Jr.
On Saturday, in my small, conservative Northwest Florida town, we marched in protest.
It wasn’t a big protest. Between 50 and 75 people gathered at Fort Walton Landing to hear speakers. About 25 people marched from The Landing, across Main Street and along the sidewalk to Perry Avenue, then back to The Landing.
Miraculously, we crossed all roads without getting mowed down. There were few if any hecklers – one knucklehead yelled “Trump!” from his car window.
But there were a great many horn honks for support. A number of people clapped and cheered, or shouted “Good job, guys!”
That surprised me. Some folks were concerned about harassment and confrontation before the march. It didn’t happen.
If you were thinking of taking part in a protest, I’m not going to tell you it’s OK or not. But in my short stroll for democracy, everything worked out just fine.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
Image by Warner Bros.
“Mickey 17” Starring Robert Pattinson as Mickey “Mickey 17” Barnes, Naomi “Gonna Kick Your Ass” Ackie as Nasha, Mark Ruffalo as Kenneth “Trump Christian” Marshall, Toni “Moms for Liberty Prototype” Collette, and others. (Names in parentheses, barring Pattinson’s, ascribed by reviewer Mladen Rudman). Directed by Bong Joon Ho. 2 hours, 17 minutes. Rated R. In theaters.
Plot summary: A slave finds freedom. A love story. An allegory for the way aliens are treated by the White Man. Religion is idolatry because it’s always channeled by a pontificator who places himself above God or whatever deity a mass of people worship. Take your pick. Basically, it’s about a small-time con artist who signs up to be an “expendable,” somebody who can be cloned through 3-D printing, aboard a ship headed to the planet Niflheim. Through his deaths and rebirths he grows into something more than an expendable, as do some of the people around him.
Mladen’s take
“Mickey 17” should’ve been titled “Mickey Mouse 17,” as in something seriously malfunctioned during the planning or production of this film. I say that with a broken heart and a mound of disappointment because I adore all the other works of cinema directed by Bong Joon Ho. “The Host (2006),” my first dose of Bong, is masterful sci-fi horror tinged with political satire. “Snowpiercer (2013)” is a joyously brutal, no-holds-barred interpretation of social class warfare. “Okja (2017)” is a whimsical and realistic take on mankind’s manipulation of nature and treatment of livestock. And, yes, “Parasite (2019),” which earned the Oscar for Best Motion Picture of Year.
“Mickey 17” is a good film but, I suspect, to most people it won’t seem to be. Keep in mind that I liked the film because I have a very low bar for what qualifies as good. “Mickey 17” provoked thought and my thought was, “Why didn’t I like this film when I should have?”
The movie has all the features that I want from worthwhile cinema: Commentary on the human condition, including how easy it is for us to disregard suffering. It shows the gullibility of the masses to superstitions such as God and eternal salvation that are fired by hatred for those who are unlike us and, in this case, that includes a smart and kind alien species resembling roly-polies. The film is rife with examples of what happens when a charismatic’s horrifying decisions and actions go unchecked. Still, overall, the movie stank.
I offer this advice for watching “Mickey 17.” Make no effort to look for a master plot that links the film’s many subplots. But, if you must have coherence, think of the movie as a redemption arc for Mickey. He goes from voluntarily serving as a throwaway, literally, human being to a person whose life matters. Pay attention to the all-to-brief discussion toward the middle of the movie about “multiples.” There are other neat components in the film exploring phenomena such as 3D printing, the variability of personality even if the person is other than naturally produced, and what makes a tasty sauce for your steak. Also, Pattinson is effective portraying Mickey as Forest Gump-like and John Wick-y-ish. Ackie is very good as Mickey’s protector and a smart, big-hearted cop who cares deeply for good people be they humans or pillbug aliens. Ruffalo is good as a prosperity church preacher and Collette as the brains behind the Niflheim colonization.
For some reason, the studio, producers, or other reviewers of “Mickey 17” have labeled the film sci-fi comedy. It’s not. Yes, there are some funny parts in the movie but its murky thrust is deadly serious. The problems we now face in this age of internet squalor and mass media propaganda, mind-boggling disparities between the wealthy and middle class and poor, soulless leadership, a gullible citizenry, and willingness to drop bombs is, more or less, factored in “Mickey 17.” So is the solution. Loyalty to each other is important but that loyalty must be smart, sincere, and reversible in case what you’re loyal to ends up the source of widespread misery, if not genocide.
Huh, looks like critiquing “Mickey 17” has helped me make better sense of the movie. I urge caution, anyway. If you see “Mickey 17,” you’ll take away this or that lesson. But, to me anyway, this is a film that requires more than one viewing to comprehend its intention and sweep. “Mickey 17” treats several interesting ideas like they are drive-by-shootings, deeds that had to be done without the risk of getting caught by staying in one place too long.
“Mickey 17” has very good sound effects – plenty of explosions and an alien language that covers the spectrum from shrill howling to nearly infrasound thrumming. Visual effects are good, too. I didn’t pay much attention to the score, maybe because a lot of that attention was applied toward understanding the movie.
“Mickey 17” is either an A or an F. Can’t decide. So, for the sake of Movie Face-Off consistency and to flank Del’s punctilious need for order, I’ll split the difference to give the film a B-/C+.
Let us know what you think.
Del’s take
“Punctilious need for order”? Grrrrrrr.
YOU, sir, are the product of a “punctilious need for order,” from the protons, neutrons and electrons of your physical self to the axons and dendrites of your brain – few they may be – and the glottals and dipthongs of your often incoherent speech. Were it not for a “punctilious need for order” you would be nothing more than an amorphous blob of undifferentiated protoplasm.
In other words, Donald Trump.
But I digress. The subject here is “Mickey 17.” What I hear you trying to say is what I’ve been thinking the past day and a half: I wanted to like “Mickey 17,” I wanted to feel as passionately supportive of “Mickey 17” as I did “Parasite.” I recognize the genius of Bong Joon Ho and “Mickey 17” is a solid piece of moviemaking. But I just didn’t get into it and I’m not sure why.
I didn’t feel a visceral connection with this film. I want to say it’s lacking the manic, absurdist energy of “Parasite,” or that perhaps Bong is trying to do too much with the film, diluting its vision. Maybe I’m overthinking the whole thing.
You said the movie wasn’t funny – it tried to be funny but somehow kept missing the mark. The humor was off by about a single octave and I struggled to laugh at scenes that were obviously intended to be laughed at. You said the movie was commentary about the human condition and it was most definitely that, though not quite so on-the-nose as “Snowpiercer” or “Parasite.” Let’s talk about that for a moment.
The movie is yet another Bong denunciation of class stratifications with the 3-D printed Mickey serving as a metaphor for throwaway people. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette, who play Kenneth and Ylfa Marshall, leaders of the expedition to the planet Niflheim (Get it? Marshall, i.e., the law-bringer and enforcer … oh, and Niflheim is the hell of Norse mythology), represent the highest caste, followed by a pantheon of lesser gods. Mladen’s roly-poly aliens are presented as the “other,” or in Republicanspeak, undocumented aliens.
But I think “Mickey 17” is about more than just class warfare. To my age-besotted brain, it’s a carefully calibrated observation about the corruptibility of man.
Mickey Barnes agrees to serve as an “expendable” aboard a spaceship traveling to the planet Niflheim. An expendable is somebody whose body and mind are mapped and kept on file. Should they die, a new version is printed and voila, dead guy is reborn. Crewmembers eagerly assign all the dangerous jobs to Mickey because they know he can always be reprinted. He’s like a cheap TV from a big box store – if it breaks, so what? Throw it away and buy a new one.
Mickey, in effect, becomes a commodity. There’s lots of talk in the movie about commodities and the value of things, from Mickey himself to Ylfa Marshall’s weird obsession with sauces. It seems everything in life has been commoditized, which is odd when you consider the exact same conversation is taking place in America right now, from our strange obsession with the price of eggs to strip-mining our national parks and invading Greenland. If empathy is removed from the life equation, all you’re left with are cold numbers. Life becomes purely transactional. Mickey’s disposability has indeed transformed him into something like a cheap TV.
But something happened during Mickey’s reprinting. Somebody tripped over a cable and Mickey was momentarily deprived of his “ink” supply. The Mickey that emerged was not the Mickey who was originally mapped but a newer, more innocent, almost child-like Mickey who becomes an easy mark for the people around him. As Mickey “dies” and is reborn through his 17 iterations he slowly accumulates experience until, on his 18th printing (the age that people are considered grown up), Mickey is bestowed with the cynicism and corruption that characterizes the rest of us. Luckily, Mickey 17 is still around to preserve what’s good about mankind.
Or maybe that interpretation is horseshit. I don’t know. If it isn’t, I don’t think Bong anticipated life would imitate art so soon.
Robert Pattinson is a good actor who does a solid job representing Mickey in his various iterations. Steven Yeun of “The Walking Dead” fame is also effective as Mickey’s careless and uncaring business partner and “friend,” Timo. The actor who stole the show for me was Mark Ruffalo’s Kenneth Marshall, a half-baked con artist falling somewhere between Trump and Jim Bakker of PTL Club infamy. He was wonderfully bumbling.
Overall I’d say “Mickey17” isn’t as thematically coherent as his previous efforts, or if it is, it’s a lot more subtle. Bottom line? I couldn’t develop an emotional bond with the film. It’s a good movie, well worth a trip to the theater, but if you’re expecting the intensity of “Snowpiercer” and the quiet yet biting drama of “Parasite,” you may be disappointed.
People keep asking Mickey what it feels like to die. How can he answer, when he hasn’t really lived?
I’m giving “Mickey 17” a grade of B. And that’s my punctilious need for a closer.
Mladen Rudman is a former journalist and technical writer. Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and writer.
I’m curious: Why aren’t Elon Musk’s competitors screaming bloody murder about his access to the United States government and the strings he’s able to pull?
Guys like Zuckerberg, Bezos and a host of others must be looking on with envy at the way Musk can access the private information of millions of Americans and pretty much do what he wants with it, no questions asked.
The business advantage this gives Musk is substantial, and it’s already working: The State Department wants to buy $400 million worth of armored Cybertrucks, and the FAA is thinking about replacing Verizon’s services with those provided by StarLink, at a cost of $2.4 billion.
These are very clear conflicts of interest, yet none of those billionaire good ol’ boys are uttering a peep.
Kinda makes me think something else is going on we should know about.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
Did you watch the Hemorrhoid in Chief’s lie-athon State of the Union address last night? Neither did I.
But I saw a video clip of one lone Democrat, Rep. Al Green of Texas, who stood up and called out the Hemorrhoid in Chief for his dishonesty and deceit. Now that’s what we need from the Democrats – some fire in the belly. As far as I’m concerned, Rep. Green did a good thing.
When Marjorie Taylor Green, who was dressed like somebody who had just finished up with a customer behind the dumpster down at the 7-Eleven, stood up during Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and called him a liar, she was allowed to remain in the chamber. But when Rep. Green did the exact same thing, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson had him thrown out. He’ll probably end up in the re-education camps.
I’ve had people tell me to stop giving the Democrats a hard time, that they’re doing everything they can and we just don’t see it. Well, that’s the problem. We just don’t see it.
I saw a video clip online that epitomizes the ineffectiveness of the Democratic Party in opposing this quiet coup. A group of Democratic congresspeople was trying to enter the Department of Education building and one lone guy – ONE GUY – was barring the door. What did the Democrats do? Did they relocate the guy 3 feet to the left and enter the building?
No, they stood off to the side with their phones, frowning and fussing, and then eventually went away.
What we need are some Democrats to stand up, fight back and be visible doing it. Stop being polite. MAGA and the Republicans don’t do polite. Be a damn streetfighter. Get in there and scrap with them like they are scrapping with us.
The Democrats need to show some leadership because the American people can only do so much, and we desperately need some sane, responsible leadership at the moment.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
Our new Secretary of Defense, that drunkard, Comrade Hegseth, has decided that Russia no longer poses a threat to the United States and has ordered a cessation of both offensive and defensive cyber security activities aimed at Moscow.
We’re such good friends with Russia now, despite the fact that our favorite Russian oligarch, Polonium Putin, ordered his cyber forces to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election on a seismic scale, and then again in 2020, and yet again in 2024. And they’re still doing it. Just recently, when the Republicans passed that sorry excuse for a budget, thousands of new accounts showed up on social media, accounts with millions of followers, claiming the Republicans had passed a new budget that contained tax breaks on tips, overtime and Social Security, and the horrible Democrats voted against it.
Those social media accounts were fake. Those millions of followers, bought and paid for. There were no provisions for tax breaks on tips, overtime and Social Security in the GOP budget.
It was all a lie.
We’re such good friends with Russia now, despite the fact that Polonium Putin’s political adversaries have an odd way of falling off balconies or out of windows in high-rises, or drinking radioactive tea and unaliving themselves.
And we’re such good friends with Russia now despite Polonium Putin hurling his army, navy and air forces against Ukraine in an illegal invasion, unaliving tens of thousands of innocent people; targeting schools, churches and hospitals with his missiles and bombs; kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to diminish his depleted ranks; and raping thousands of Ukrainian women, children, even men.
Tell me something.
Why haven’t these people been arrested for treason? Because that’s clearly what’s happening here. They’re rendering our nation defenseless against its primary enemy – not the Russian people, but the corrupt and criminal Russian leadership.
Russia said the other day that America’s worldview now aligns with Russia’s worldview. If that ain’t treason, I don’t know what is.
And we owe it all to Donald Trump and his alcoholic lapdog Comrade Hegseth.
SMH.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
Well, that was disappointing.
I tuned into the Oscars last night expecting fire and brimstone. What I got was tea and crumpets.
There was a little bit of Gaza, a little bit of immigration, a little bit of the Holocaust and racism, one mention of Russia, and that was about it. You would have thought those people had been counseled beforehand to avoid the subject of politics.
Man, in the past actors like Meryl Streep, Sean Penn, Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine would have been all over that shit. But last night? It was like watching a bunch of people who had been huffing helium-filled balloons laugh at their Donald Duck voices.
I guess this means we’re on our own. We’ve been abandoned by the media, the government has sold its soul to the devil, the courts are starting to knuckle under and now Hollywood has abandoned us too.
Well, that’s OK. We can do it. We’ve done it before; we can do it again.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
Russian bots are in hyperdrive, flooding the social media zone with disinformation about Trump, the GOP and Russia.
First they targeted the budget, claiming the recent GOP spending proposal included provisions eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, and pointing out the Democrats voted against those tax cuts.
Wrong.
The budget contained no such provisions. They could be introduced later in the year, but they’re not in this plan.
Then the bots began filling social media with posts praising Donald Trump and his outstanding leadership. After yesterday’s disgraceful mugging of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky I don’t know that any human being with a shred of integrity could believe Trump or JD Vance were anything but liars and traitors unworthy of anything but our contempt.
This is propaganda, folks. The Russians are master practitioners of the craft. Americans, with their addiction to media, are suckers for these subornations of reason. Don’t be a sucker. Don’t fall for them.
And with that, I’m going to take a break from social media for a day or two because I’m tired and discouraged. I’ll get back to you when I feel stronger.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .