1) Who was that masked man? That comes straight from my childhood in the 1960s, and of course the answer is: The Lone Ranger, who of course was not alone, but rather had his faithful friend Tonto always at his side. Interesting, when you think about it.
2) I have known the man who is AnonymousK for many years. I have never known a man of more sterling character. There's another Lone Ranger connection...his silver bullets. I did NOT think of this consciously when I urged K to speak. But, truth is, he speaks in silver bullets.
3) K is my kimosabe, and I am honored to be his Tonto. And at the end of the mission, when he's riding away on...oh yeah...Silver...and people always ask, "Who was that masked man?" I am always ready to answer, he is Anonymous K.
4) Where The Lone Ranger is fiction, Tom Payne and his book Common Sense are history. He was outed, of course, as I someday fear my friend K may be, Payne first published his historic rant anonymously.
history.com/this-day-in-hi…
history.com/this-day-in-hi…
5) Do you remember the William Tell Overture, by Gioachino Rossini? I hear it as I type. How much of my passion for classical music dates back to that TV show from my boyhood? I hear it. I see it.
Hi-yo Silver! Away!
Hi-yo Silver! Away!
6) You could do worse than to follow my kimosabe K, today. He and I are no comic book heroes. We're just a couple of normal blokes, I assure you. And you know what? So was Tom Payne, that is, jost a normal bloke. You should check out his story.
7) He struggled in England, emigrated to America, struggled here, became the veritable voice of our revolution, struggled afterward, and died quietly, unheralded. Were he here now, I'd call him AnonymousT. My man K is very different. He is amazingly successful, unlike T.
8) And like the Lone Ranger, my man K spits out silver bullets. And like the Lone Ranger, my man K lives by a code. Did you know that the code of the Lone Ranger is documented? I just found it here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Rang…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Rang…
9) The Code of the Lone Ranger:
I believe that to have a friend,
a man must be one.
That all men are created equal
and that everyone has within himself
the power to make this a better world.
That God put the firewood there
but that every man
must gather and light it himself.
I believe that to have a friend,
a man must be one.
That all men are created equal
and that everyone has within himself
the power to make this a better world.
That God put the firewood there
but that every man
must gather and light it himself.
10)
In being prepared
physically, mentally, and morally
to fight when necessary
for what is right.
That a man should make the most
of what equipment he has.
That 'this government,
of the people, by the people
and for the people'
shall live always.
In being prepared
physically, mentally, and morally
to fight when necessary
for what is right.
That a man should make the most
of what equipment he has.
That 'this government,
of the people, by the people
and for the people'
shall live always.
11)
That men should live by
the rule of what is best
for the greatest number.
That sooner or later...
somewhere...somehow...
we must settle with the world
and make payment for what we have taken.
That men should live by
the rule of what is best
for the greatest number.
That sooner or later...
somewhere...somehow...
we must settle with the world
and make payment for what we have taken.
12)
That all things change but truth,
and that truth alone, lives on forever.
In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.
That all things change but truth,
and that truth alone, lives on forever.
In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.
13) I won't speak for K here, as he and I have not discussed this code. I will share that there is one part of the code - and shockingly ONLY one - with which I disagree. The technical term is "Utilitarianism." It means the greatest good for the most people. I'm not a fan.
14) Damn, I almost missed my second disagreement. Environmentalism. Not a fan of that, either. We must pay for what we've taken? Nah, not so much. We're just part of the whole, and when it comes to the Earth, the whole is much bigger than we are. The sentiment is nice, though.
15) Disagreements covered, I ADORE that code. And, while I've never spoken with K about any of this, he stands that high in my estimation. He reminds my of that character from my boyhood. And I assure you, K is a hero, the real thing.
