WINTER 2010 Ian Tyson The singer/songwriter shares his life and music in The Long Trail Mojave Desert Trail Ride Steve Thornton’s Winter Portfolio The Living Words of the Constitution Part 13 Display until March 15 www.paragonfoundation.org $5.95 US The Journal of the PARAGON Foundationion,, Inc.Inc. OUR MISSION The PARAGON Foundation provides for education, research and the exchange of ideas in an effort to promote and support Constitutional principles, individual freedoms, private property rights and the continuation of rural customs and culture – all with the intent of celebrating and continuing our Founding Fathers vision for America. The PARAGON Foundation, Inc. • To Educate and Empower We invit e you to join us. www.paragonfoundation.org photo by Steve Thornton IN THIS ISSUE 12 88 Of Note Charreria Current Events and Culture The Forerunner of from Out West American Rodeo By Guy de Galard 40 The Cowboy Way Profile 92 Don Edwards Riding the Mojave By Darrell Arnold An Out Back Adventure By Mark Bedor 45 R-CALF USA 96 Special Section Ranch Living Life on the Ranch with Thea Marx 53 American Agri-Women 101 Special Section Great White Western Shirts A Portfolio 55 Photography byWilliam Reynolds Big Doin’s in Cow Town The Legendary Fort Worth 109 Stock Show The Magnificent Seven at 50 By Mark Bedor A Remembrance By T.X. “Tex” Brown 59 FFA 114 Special Section Range Writing Cowboy Poetry from 66 All Over the West Your Rights By Daniel Martinez 116 Recommended Reading 70 Old and New Books The Living Words Worthy of Your Nightstand of the Constitution By Nicole Krebs 119 PARAGON Memorials 73 Winter in the West 120 A Steve Thornton Portfolio Out There 83 America: Where the Power Resides Cover photograph of Ian Tyson Best Overall Part One: Common Law Courtesy Ian Tyson and Mascioli Publication 2009 Entertainment photo photo by Steve Thornton By Marilyn Fisher WINTER 2010 VOLuME 6 NO. 4 William C. Reynolds EDITOR Nicole Krebs ASSOCIATE EDITOR Marilyn Fisher SPECIAL FEATURES EDITOR Robin Ireland ART DIRECTOR Steve Thornton FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER Darrell Arnold Julie Chase Baldocchi Mark Bedor H. Tex Brown Robert Dawson Guy de Galard Jay Dusard Dan Gagliasso Heather Hafleigh Adam Jahiel Thea Marx B. Byron Price CONTRIBUTORS THE PARAGON FOUNDATION GB Oliver EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Don “Bebo” Lee VICE PRESIDENT Jonna Lou Schafer Alice Eppers SECRETARY TREASURER 4 Stella Montoya HONORARY BOARD MEMBER Bobby Jones Daniel Martinez William C. Reynolds DIRECTORS For sponsorship inquiries, contact Nicole Krebs – 575.434.8998 at the PARAGON Foundation, Inc. office, 1209 Michigan Ave., Alamogordo, NM 88310. To join or renew your membership or sponsorship, call toll free 877.847.3443. The Cowboy Way is published quarterly by the PARAGON Foundation, Inc. Memberships are $50.00 per year. The PARAGON Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3. Postmaster: Send address changes to the PARAGON Foundation, Inc. 1209 Michigan Avenue, Alamogordo, NM 88310 WWW.PARAGONFOUNDATION.ORG Copyright © 2010 All Rights Reserved FROM THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT GB OLIVER The “Un-get-aroundable” Truth Since our last issue of The Cowboy Way, our country has God. Truth today is trumped by politics and posturing, our held a mid-term election, and, pretty much without society rewards sloth and deception, and integrity becomes exception, every politician and news analyst in this Nation the exception and not the rule. weighed in on the results in an attempt to tell us exactly The founders of our Nation were students of history, and what we were thinking in the voting booth. Regardless of history made clear the awesome responsibilities of self- how they view those November 2ND results, and their Government. Without self-discipline and truth, attempts to twist exit-polling data to fit their ideology, it’s self-Governments simply could not survive. My friends, all obvious that most Americans have about had it with actions have consequences, consequences not controlled by Washington’s way of doing the laws of Governments, business. Our country but by the laws of Nature. teeters on the brink of Every Nation in the his - insolvency, yet there are very tory of the world that has few elected officials with ignored these princi pals the courage to make the has sentenced their child - tough choices – right now. ren into servitude. When Perhaps the upside to a society believes that this debate is that, there is no such thing as through the spinning and truth, only shades of lies, rhetoric, more Americans and then a lie is only when have turned back to the we get caught, we find we united States Constitution have turned our backs on seeking a solution. This the traditions of freedom. realization by citizens So, if you believe that brings beads of sweat to Washington really heard photo by Pat Jones by photo Pat the foreheads of most the message on November Bobby Jones elected officials. Why? 2ND, look again. On the Just ask one to try and fast track, just three weeks explain the constitutionality of legislation such as TARP, into this lame duck session, trots in SB 510, The Food Safety the Stimulus Bill, Cap and Trade, massive Wall Street Modernization Act, an act that will be devastating to your bailouts, Health Care reform and the GM/Chrysler cost of food and destroy those in the country who produce takeover. In truth, all of these expenditures fall outside of it. Better yet, the enforcement of this Bill will be in the those delegated authorities afforded the Federal hands of none other than Homeland Security, the agency 5 Government in Article One, Section Eight of the who now believes it is their right to molest and degrade Constitution. So, they feed us information in the form of every passenger who boards a commercial airline in this spin and half-truths, all framed to prevent the next self- country – oh, with the exception of certain government inflected crisis. Truth and honor, which have endured the officials who may board commercial flights without this test of time, are not relevant in this society and are left out personal humiliation. Sort of makes one wonder what on the porch like an old pair of boots. happened to the Fifth Amendment and Equal Protection History, from the beginning of time, has been consistent, under the Law, doesn’t it? from the Athenian democracy through the Roman Empire, So, who will be affected by SB 510? Let me share with right up to the Declaration of Independence; the very you a recent experience I had. A few weeks ago, I had the essence of a society’s devotion to freedom has always been privilege of working with my friend and PARAGON measured in its belief in truth. The architects of our Nation Board member Bobby Jones as he gathered cattle and believed that truth and liberty were one in the same, that prepared to ship his fall calves. Bobby and his family own there were enduring truths such as justice and honor, and a ranch in our part of the world, here in southeastern New those truths were ordained by the laws of nature and nature’s Mexico. It is there that Bobby’s family produces some of WINTER 2010 photo photo by Steve Thornton 6 WWW.PARAGONFOUNDATION.ORG the food placed on our Nation’s tables. Like most best, to its extinction. Is that what we have Government ranchers, Bobby’s days begin well before daylight and end for? Is that the intent of the Constitution? And Bobby? way after dark. Well, to make his life even more interesting – in his specific He alone contracted the price and shipping date for case – the Federal government proposes to swallow up his one hundred thousand pounds of beef on the phone, ranch, along with his neighboring ranches, for a new secured only by his word. There were no attorneys, National Monument…a National Monument created notaries or reams of documents, and the buyer of those under the guise of “protecting this pristine land for cattle will never hold a more iron clad and solid generations to come” – something the Jones family has agreement. It’s the way business is still done in parts of done at their own expense for over one hundred years. It our country where men hold honor and integrity at a begs the question, “What is the future of this Nation when premium. Bobby’s hard work resulted in a superb and there is no room in it for self-motivated, productive men high-quality product, something he and his family like Bobby Jones and the work that he does to help feed a consistently do with next to zero impact to the land he hungry nation and beyond.” Did Washington really loves and cares for. His family has endured all that nature understand the message sent to them? Are they listening? and poor markets have dished out for well over a hundred Or are they just carrying on business as usual? years. They have endured them without asking for favors, As long as we continue to put our hopes, dreams and subsidies or Government handouts – because they know liberties in the hands of those in Washington, D.C., we can their success is their responsibility, no one else’s. The expect the results to remain constant. until we the people work ethic and attitude of small independent farmers and educate ourselves as to the limitations of Government, the ranchers – like the Jones’s – are fine examples of sad “un-get-around-able” truth is that we have the American self-reliance, integrity and personal government we deserve.