A Friend, A Father, and A Dang Good Cowboy.

Posted by: Ritchie White @shotgunborivers

A good friend of mine was hit by a drunk driver on November 30th in Charlton, NY. I wanted to take the time to pray for him, and wish him well, and his family all the best in his recovery. It will surely be a long road ahead for him and his family. Tom is a Rodeo Cowboy, and like me former military. He is a former Marine (RECON 3rd Batt.,First Marines, 1st Mar.Div) He lives a simple life and has three wonderful daughters, Katelyn, Jaimy and Faith, and a whole lotta family and friends that are rooting for him to get better. He lives by the cowboy’s Code and one simple philosophy. “Work Hard, Do Your Best, Keep Your Word, Never Get Too Big For Your Britches, Trust In God and Never Forget a Friend, and I am a lesbian trapped in a mans body.”

Below is the newspaper Article that was written in the Saratogian Dec. 01 2012 Edition

Dec, 01 2012 CHARLTON — A man remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma after a drunken driver allegedly ran a stop sign and crashed into his car Friday evening, sheriff’s deputies said.

Traci L. Briskin, 38, of Clifton Park Center Road in Clifton Park was charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, after the accident. She was later released.

Saratoga County sheriff’s deputies say Briskin ran a stop sign at the intersection of Route 67 and Jockey Street in November 3oth.

He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center with internal injuries.

Baker’s daughter contacted The Saratogian Saturday evening and reported he is “not doing well at all,” is on life support and underwent multiple surgeries as of about 5 p.m. She said Baker was on his way home from work when he was hit.

The accident remains under investigation.

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I have checked in with Katelyn his daughter every day since the accident to get an update on his recovery and this is what she has told everyone yesterday afternoon.

“Update on my Father Tom Baker : over the past couple of days his numbers have been remaining low and his ct scans looked decent so doctors gradually took him off sedation, a few hours afterwards his ICP’s were raising well above where we want them so doctors put him back on sedation to ease the pressure and relax his body. Although it seems like a large setback his body is just not ready and he is very anxious and stressed so they want to give him more time to rest and heal. We will be sure to inform everyone when they decide to start taking the sedation back off and the status of the long journey ahead of us. It is so nice to hear from all the people who care and love my father and I appreciate the thoughts and prayers sent our way. ♥”

Either way Tom, Get better, and remember to Cowboy Up, hang in there, and I share my Prayers with you and your family. Thanks for being a PAL Ritchie.

And remember;

Before you judge a person, walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, if they get mad, you’ll be a mile away
and you’ll have their shoes.

I am asking some good Rodeo Cowboys to drop a line and say hi, Tom fought for our country, and he deserves a fair shake.

“Whatever you do don’t let go
It’s time to be a cowboy don’t you know
If you get through this you got it whipped
But till you hear the whistle blow
Whatever you do
Don’t let go”

-Justin Mcbride ©2009

 @jstnmcbride

The Symbol of America: The Cowboy

While in my travels of searching for western authors to assist me in celebrating the National Day of the Cowboy, I stumbled onto a gentleman that surely knows his way around a western, not only in writing them, but starring in them as well. I would like to give a good warm welcome to Ken Farmer, or “Deputy Kyle” as in the 1983 film Silverado. Welcome Ken.

Ken Farmer

The Cowboy is just as important to our nation’s heritage as the pilgrims, the revolution and the civil war.  In fact, in many parts of the world, the Old West Cowboy IS the symbol of America. Having been born in the early ‘40s, I grew up with westerns. First the Saturday double feature matinee where we waited for the Durango Kid, Red Ryder, Hoppy serials or The Three Mesquiteers, Tim Holt, Johnny Mack Brown, Gene and Roy movies. Then later on in the ‘50s, there was that little box we called the TV. Yep, grew up with the Cowboy. Didn’t realize at the time, that those movies and TV shows were actually Hollywood’s glamorized version of the Old West.

It wasn’t until I started doing research for writing screenplays that I learned about the “real” Old West—that there weren’t tied-down gun rigs or shoot-outs in the street at high noon. Oh, sure there were gunfighters, bounty hunters mostly who would just as soon shoot you in the back as not or guns for hire. Most gunfights took place at a distance. The dime novels had a great deal to do with the Old West myths, like Wyatt Earp, who, according to actual records and newspaper accounts (excluding his own versions), never killed anyone. Did a lot of pistol-whipping, though. Carried his gun in a leather-lined pocket in his coat, not in a holster. Again, so much for Hollowood.

Deputy US Marshall James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok got a lot of dime novel play that spiced up his reputation, but there was a Deputy US Marshall in the late 1800s that far out-shown Hickok as a lawman. He killed twice as many men in the line of duty as “Wild Bill”, served over 3,000 felony warrants, was never wounded even though he had his hat shot off, his reins shot in two, his gun belt shot off and a button shot off the front of his vest. He served over 32 years as a Deputy US Marshal and is still considered to this day to be the best Deputy US Marshal in the long and storied history of the Marshal’s Service. The reason he didn’t have the notoriety at the time was…he was black. He was a former slave and the first black Deputy US Marshal appointed west of the Mississippi. His name was Bass Reeves.

My writing partner, Buck Stienke and I decided that Bass would be the focus of our first deviation from our modern-day military action series novels about the Black Eagle Force we had been writing. After three Black Eagle Force novels, we decided to do an accurate historical fiction western adapted from a screen play I had written back in the ‘80s called the Tumbleweed Wagon. We elected to title the novel, The Nations.

The synopsis is as follows:

THE NATIONS also known as “Indian Territory”, “Robber’s Roost” and “No-Man’s Land”, was regarded in the latter part

The Nations

of the 19th century as the bloodiest and most dangerous place in the world.  It was a refuge for outlaws men from all over the North American continent. There were only 200 Deputy US Marshals made up of whites, blacks and Indian to police the vast area of 74,000 square miles under Federal Judge Issac C. Parker, known as the hanging judge. The Nations is based on actual cases and is crammed full of excitement, suspense and the everyday humor that develops between men as they live and fight and sometimes die together. From the action and dialogue, the guns, wardrobe and historical authenticity, The Nations paints a story of the Old West  as it really was.

It is the year 1885. A notorious band of outlaws, known as the “Larson Gang”, has been terrorizing Arkansas, Missouri and the Nations for years. When they kill five Deputy Marshals while rescuing Ben Larson, the vicious younger brother of the leader Wes Larson—it is too much for Judge Parker. He orders an all-out concerted effort to capture the Larson Gang and bring them to justice. “If  they will not respect the law; then by God we will make them fear it.”

Black Marshal Bass Reeves, the first black marshal west of the Mississippi, and white Marshals Jack McGann, Tobe Bassett and John L. Patrick recapture the youngest member of the gang, Ben Larson, a true sociopath. Along with two Indian Police, known as Lighthorse, the lawmen begin the treacherous journey to Fort Smith with their prisoners—Preacher Budlow, a gospel quoting, whiskey running and somewhat demented old scalawag, Jed Neal, a tough, but honorable black man mistakenly accused of killing a cowboy on the trail, and Ben—shackled to the bed of the Tumbleweed Wagon.

In the small town of Checotah, the Marshals encounter the Larson gang unexpectedly. A wild gun battle ensues and when the smoke clears, all of the outlaws are dead, except Ben, who does indeed get to Fort Smith to stand trial under Judge Parker.

“It is not the severity of the punishment that is the deterrent… but the certainty of it.” – Judge Issac C. Parker.

The Nations will be released 20 July, look for it. You can order signed copies from Ken & Buck for $14.95 at

http://blackeagleforce.com/buy_now/Do we believe there should be a National Day of the Cowboy? Absolutely! Nothing is more “American” than the Cowboy. ‘Nuff said.

Short Bios of Ken Farmer and Buck Stienke.

Ken Farmer, served in the Marine Corps and graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University. Ken has been a professional actor/director/writer for over forty years with memorable roles in Silverado, Friday Night Lights and The Newton Boys, wrote and directed Rockabilly Baby. He was also the OC an VO spokesman for Wolf Brand Chili for over eight years and participated in the Ben Johnson Pro-Celebrity Rodeos until Ben’s death in ‘96.

            Buck Stienke is a former fighter pilot and retired captain from Delta Airlines. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, he was also executive producer for the award-winning film Rockabilly Baby and co-author of five novels with Ken Farmer.

http://www.facebook.com/TheNationsNovel

http://www.blackeagleforce.com