The Pastor's A$$ - Fair or Foul

When I read the story below in a small, local paper, the "High Plains Rider", I thought it would be fun to share. I also found it online in many locations. I couldn't find the author, so I reprint it without permission, assuming it is in the public domain. (You do know what happens when you 'assume' something? It makes an [ass] out of [u] and [me]!! Hope that doesn't happen this time!) 

Are you familiar with the term 'public domain'? It means, according to Wikipedia, "those works whose intellectual property rights have expired, been forfeited, or are inapplicable." It means you can use the works because they aren't owned privately. They aren't protected under the copyright laws. 

In my other life, BC (before Colorado), I worked with teachers and students in helping them understand copyright and fair use. In this world of easy access to published works, including music, video and writing, it is so darn easy to select, copy and paste that many make use of other's work without thinking of the rights of the original artist or author. That's a violation of copyright. However, there is a grey area in using copyrighted materials, and that's where 'fair use' comes in. There are times when a person can use copyrighted materials without securing permission, depending on the purpose of it's use, the nature of the work, the amount of the material used and the effect on the artist. Using portions of works for educational purposes usually falls in the 'fair use' area of the law. 

Here is an excellent overview of fair use from the University of Texas Libraries. 

So, I have turned my post into an educational post. Using the story below is 'fair use' - Fair? or Foul?

The Pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won.
The Pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again and it won again.

The local paper read:

PASTOR’S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day the local paper headline read:

BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR’S ASS.

This was too much for the Bishop so he ordered the Pastor to get rid of the donkey.

The Pastor decided to give it to a Nun in a nearby convent.

This cute story was published in the "High Plains Rider", a local newspaper. I've also seen it online, and couldn't find the source. So, I reprint this, hoping it is simply public domain!

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day:

NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The Bishop fainted.

He informed the Nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read:

NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the Bishop so he ordered the Nun to b uy back
the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read:

NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The Bishop was buried the next day.

The moral of the story is . . . being concerned about public opinion
can bring you much grief and misery . . even shorten your life.

So be yourself and enjoy life.

Stop worrying about everyone else’s ass and you’ll be a lot happier
and live longer!