The subject of Rangers has arisen again. In a post entitled "European lack of sophistication," the Crusader War College writes:
It is with annoyance that the Dean of Students notes a comment from Sweden's Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, where she criticized President Bush for acting like the lone ranger in Iraq. . . .It happens that back in April this page advocated forming a new Texas Rangers for Afghanistan. Given the situation we're seeing in Zabul and the rest of the south, that suggestion looks better today than it did four months ago. I stand by it.Displays of ignorance of this sort were common long before the Iraqi conflict, but Ms. Lindh has distinguished herself by plunging to new depths thereof. In the Pantheon of Cowboys, the Lone Ranger (note the caps, Reuthers) stands among the Major Gods, right up there with Will Rogers, Gene Autry, The Cisco Kid, and John Wayne. There are good reasons why the Texas state police are called the Texas Rangers (an organization that pre-dated that state's admission to the Union). The deeds of the Army Rangers are even more glorious.
UPDATE: So you want to be a cowboy too, eh? Well, get started with "Ringo," and if you like that, try some Gunfighter ballads ("Big Iron" is about an Arizona Ranger. They aren't as famous as the Texas Rangers, but deserve their spot in the sun too. Nor is that all: The Georgia Rangers were founded by James Edward Oglethorpe himself, not one but two units: the Coastal Rangers and the Highland Mountain Rangers. They still exist as a unit of the US Army, who trains her own Rangers in Georgia. I've had the pleasure of training in rappelling and other rope work at Camp Frank D. Merrill, as an invited civilian guest).
Not enough? Try the bravest of the modern-day cowboys, the Bullriders. Or strap on a rig and learn to throw lead from your own big iron. If you think clothes make the man, drop a line to JaSpurs Western Wear. I get my Ariats from there. If you aren't lucky enough to have inherited one from your grandfather like I did, you can get a line on Stetson Western hats, whose site says, "What man hasn't dreamed of being a cowboy?" Why, the French foreign minister, of course.
Just don't buy any Levi's jeans, if you would be so kind. Levi's, based out of San Francisco, contributes heavily to gun control organizations. You can get "Cowboy Cut" jeans from Wrangler, and others, if you're of a mind to.
