After a few days they come across some people on the trail that tell them about a week earlier they had seen the robbers heading south. Knowing they are on the right trail, the two lawmen speed up a bit in an attempt to overtake the outlaws, who are a full seven days ahead of them. As they continue their ride following the tracks they sleep at night outside in the mountains with nothing more than a blanket to cover themselves. They dig in the soil around abandoned homesteads looking for spuds to eat. They ride 14 hours or more a day in the saddle.

They follow the tracks for 43 days, through southern Colorado, into New Mexico and then Texas where they finally overtake the two outlaws. Without backup, bulletproof vests, automatic rifles or fire trucks to hide behind, like they bravely did at Columbine, Doc and Tom Horn apprehend the two armed and desperate outlaws and then turn around and bring them back to justice in Colorado.

I tell you those two stories about Doc because it demonstrates to me what a true citizen of a republic should be. One cannot tell the difference in the actions between Doc the citizen, who is always prepared to defend his community, rising to the challenge and fearlessly chasing the murdering punks, or Doc the sheriff, who bravely never gives up on the trail of the outlaws. Both citizen and sheriff, Doc knows his duty.

We are truly living in a peaceful time. A look at the old law books shows murder after murder in all our western communities with a fraction of the population we have today. I am not urging you to go about armed and looking for trouble. Many days I go to work as sheriff without a firearm. But I do want you all to be prepared to stand up, even if in voice only, to enforce the principles of liberty and responsibility. One does not exist without the other. Let us regain our lost responsibilities of educating our children, providing for our families, and defending ourselves.

Finally, let me leave you with the words of Thomas Jefferson, the symbol of American liberty to the world:

"A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."-Thomas Jefferson

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