Kickass and Stokes Trumps

Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper is thinking of changing his “Stokes” surname to avoid appearing in such common news headlines as “Trump Stokes Racial Division.”

Stokes is a fine name, originating from the English community of “Stoke-upon Trent,” the keeper says, and is common among Blacks as well as Whites.  As a name, stokes is a noun, but it can become a verb if the “s” is dropped.  Or if it is used as “stoked” it becomes an adjective to describe being exhilarated or “stupefied” from drugs or booze, or simply enthusiastic and ready for whatever comes along.

Given its respectable derivation and its versatility, the keeper says he has never experienced serious problems with the Stokes surname—-until now, when almost on a daily basis there is a blaring headline that puts “Trump” and “Stokes” together as if they were partners in crime.

The keeper is demanding that this “Trump Stokes….” thing cease immediately, or that the order of the two surnames be reversed so there can be a headline reading: “Stokes Trumps POTUS Racist Tweets With Truth.”