The Lone Ranger doesn’t ride alone!

 

I have to credit the “anonymous” creator of the story below.  This is probably a case of an “orphaned” work.  It arrived on my inbox with no credit to whoever came up with it.  Yet, it remains a very good story and it actually brings home some of the points I’ve been trying to make.  Note: There’s a slight edit.  Here it goes…

 

The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert.  After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep.

Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, “Kemo Sabe, look towards sky, what you see?”

The Lone Ranger replies, “I see millions of stars.”

“What that tell you?” asked Tonto.

The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says, ”Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.  Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning.  Theologically, the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant.  Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What’s it tell you, Tonto?”

“You dumber than buffalo s–t. It means someone stole the tent.”

 

 

So it goes that we get wrapped up in our own delusions to where we lose sight of the obvious.  The Orphan Works bills debate circles around a plain fact: The Tent will be gone and artists will lie there pondering about what it all means to look into space, except it will contain no stars; it will be barren and unbecoming.

 

By the way, “tonto” in Spanish means, “dumb”.  I guess that this is only a coincidence, but I’d rather believe that the author of the legendary characters had a dark sense of humor. )