Disarming Villains, One Story at a Time
There’s a scene in the very enjoyable 1986 movie Rustler’s Rhapsody where Rex O’Herlihan, the Singing Cowboy, is settled in for the night, penning a letter home to his mother. He is the pristine good guy—starched, always in a white hat, and known for disarming villains by shooting them only in the hand.I feel a little like Rex as I send this newsletter off to you this morning. If you remember, Rex’s letter went something like, “Dear Mom, please send funds...”Rex’s mission in life was to fight off the bad guys and save towns across the West. We relate to that on more levels than we care to admit, and we hope you’ll join us in doing all we can to tell the stories of the families and communities that rely on ranching and extraction industries for their livelihoods.Toward that effort, we have established the RANGE community foundation as a way for our readers and longtime supporters to help fund the reporting, publishing and distribution required to make sure those stories are gathered firsthand, told accurately and carried far beyond the communities where they begin.We’ve sent this letter out to the many supporters who over the years have kept RANGE magazine alive, and we would like to thank those of you who have responded with kind words and generous contributions. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see the letter, see below...we hope you’ll join us in the good work as we tell these stories and continue disarming the villains.
