THERE ARE THOSE

who wonder why this mug shot was not historically accurate. They wonder how how a guy with no apparent good looks or good voice, unless you like guys who talk their way through songs a la Lee Marvin in " I was Born Under a Wandering Star," ever made it big without a little help from their friends. There are those who never trusted the Rat Pack and the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe(pictured in her high school yearbook) and others.

But that's not the purpose of this blog this day. Its purpose is to stump for two candidates from different sides of the country. One running for mayor of Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Ray Botch. I've known Ray since he moved to Mt. Vernon from the northern part of Illinois. A Cub fan since birth, Ray has many other redeeming qualities. As a former City Manager of Mt. Vernon, he helped bring a lot of industry their way. Industry and jobs that for years now have been going south to Marion, Illinois. Ray knows and is liked by the movers and shakers because he's an up front, kind man who sincerely cares about people and his adopted hometown. He's qualified, he's concerned, he's a great guy. I've always considered him a friend.

My second candidate to vote for is gubernatorial (that can't be right; I mean that word should be dropped from the English language) candidate for Governor of Arizona, Len Munsil. A former member of my church and current member of the Arizona Diamondbacks season ticket holders' group I'm in, he represents all things I love in a politician. He's simply a straight shooter. He won't flip flop on any issue whether it hurts him in the polls or not. Like Ray Botch, he loves his constituents. Also like Ray, he's kind, concerned about the direction the state is headed under the current governor, and he's a great guy. Qualified? Yessir. He's done his homework. Just listen to him, and you will be ready for new leadership from a guy who knows his positions, knows his roots, and knows he's not using the governorship(or is gubernatorialship?) for a political stepping stone. He doesn't want to appeal to all people for all the wrong reasons. He wants to appeal to all the people for the right reasons.

Thanks for reading, if you're still with me. I feel pretty strong about the these two guys. We need them more than they need us. As far as Sinatra, well "New York, New York" is good, but that's about it. And don't get me started about Springsteen.