personal

It’s obvious from my lack of posts I’ve been pretty busy. I wrote earlier that I would announce NobleThinking.com endorsements for the Arizona Republican primary. Given that I have been pretty lame about getting those out, I figured I’d roll out a few in one post and keep the commentary to a minimum. If there is race I miss, it’s likely because I’m going to do a separate post on it.

So here goes.

Governor

By default, it’s Jan Brewer. I hope she whips Sam Goddard’s son in the general.

Secretary of State

Ken Bennett

Treasurer

As I have posted, Doug Ducey.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

John Huppenthal

Corporation Commission

Brenda Burns and Gary Pierce.

Legislative races

My home district is legislative district 6, so it’s the one to which I’m paying the closest attention. As such, for the State Senate seat the best bet is David Braswell. He was appointed to fill the vacancy that Pamela Gorman left when she joined the masses in running for John Shadegg’s congressional seat. David is a serious guy who takes the job seriously. He deserves election to a full term.

In LD 6 House races, my first choice is Amanda Reeve, who also was appointed when Sam Crump couldn’t resign his seat fast enough to run for Shadegg’s seat. I’m guessing that Sam is rethinking giving up he seat so quickly. In a race that will have 10 candidates, I’m going to bet that Crump comes in no better than 7^th. (More on CD 3 race to come later).

Anyway, Amanda is great. And given what a personal disaster Carl Seel is (using taxpayer funds for personal items, having judgments against him for failure to pay on debts, etc.) I strongly encourage voters to “single shot” Reeves. What that means is that even though you can vote for two candidates, you only vote for one, so as to strengthen the position of the person you support the most. That is the best way to defeat Seel – voting Reeve in a single shot.

As to other legislative races? In LD 7, Nancy Barto. In LD 11, Adam Driggs (who has to be one of the smartest people in the world to have not jumped into the CD 3 race). In LD 10, Kimberly Yee.

Stay tuned for more endorsements coming.

Arizona’s First Congressional District encompasses huge swaths of the Grand Canyon State (including portions of the Grand Canyon). My hometown of Show Low is in CD 1, so I’ve always had a high interest in what happens there.

For me it’s a call between Flagstaff dentist Paul Gosar and former legislator and artist Rusty Bowers.

Bowers has deep family roots in the district and is probably related to a bunch of voters. One challenge for him might be that many of his relatives are conservative Democrats and won’t be able to vote for him in the primary. Bowers is a fiscal conservative, a social conservative and an all-around great guy. However, he hasn’t been able to kick his campaign into gear and raise any significant money.

Gosar is also a conservative and has lived in the Flagstaff area for more than a quarter of a century. He’s a small businessman and, being a dentist, understands with acute awareness how government regulation can stifle economic growth.

Both Gosar or Bowers would make a fine Congressman, and both would mount a strong challenge to Democrat incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick, who is so out of touch with her district that she has been seen driving from Winslow events in a car with California plates.

The potential spoiler in all this is retread Sydney Hay. Her pure ambition to be a member of Congress (as evidenced by multiple runs for a seat) is enough to disqualify her from consideration.

In a very close call, Gosar gets my support for being better positioned to take on Kirkpatrick and give CD 1 the representation it has deserved for years.

Gosar for Congress in AZ-01.

Local businessman and Arizona State Treasurer candidate, Doug Ducey, is a newcomer to politics and to public life. I hope someone warned him that running for office is more of a contact sport than his last job, selling ice cream.

Just in time for early voting, I’ve heard some folks are trying to say that because Ducey is a citizen candidate, not a career politician, he’s not a true conservative.

Huh?

Let’s get the facts straight: He opposes tax increases, has the endorsement of Arizona Right to Life, and supports SB 1070. It’s hard to see merit in claims that Ducey is anything but the real deal as a conservative.

Most importantly, he’s bringing the message of fiscal conservatism to the Treasurer’s race at a time when Arizona can’t afford anything less. Ducey’s platform is about prudent investing and bringing clarity to our finances so that we as taxpayers can actually see and understand where our money is being spent. And with a background of managing budgets and being accountable to investors, Ducey has proven he can do it.

Even current Treasurer Dean Martin has stepped up to say that Doug Ducey is the only candidate with the business and finance experience needed in the Treasurer’s office.

So really, there is no question. He’s a social conservative. He’s a fiscal conservative. He’s a businessman, a family man, and he likes ice cream. As for me, I think there’s a lot more than ice cream to like about Doug Ducey.

NobleThinking heartily endorses Doug Ducey for State Treasurer.

Over the course of the next few days, NobleThinking.com will announce endorsements for a variety of primary races in Arizona.  Some will be obvious, and some might surprise you.

The most important thing is THAT YOU VOTE!

To know Mitch Menlove was to like him. He was one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet.  He was a wunderkind in everything he did professionally, in his church and as a husband and father.

And at the tender age of 36, he has been called home to his Father.

Those of us who share his faith believe that there is a purpose for his death. But that doesn’t take away the shock and pain. And it doesn’t take away the grief we suffer as we think about his wonderful wife Elizabeth, the three boys, and the baby that is due any day now.  As Kevin DeMenna (Mitch’s former boss and tennis partner) said, Mitch must be one incredible human being to be needed “on the other side” more than here.

Our hearts go out to Mitch’s young family, his brothers, his parents and anyone else who was blessed to call him a friend.

Here is a statement from two of his close friends, Kevin DeMenna and Matt Salmon:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is with immense sadness that we share with you the heartbreaking news that our friend, colleague and brother, Mitch Menlove, passed away shortly after 1:00 AM last night in the Flagstaff hospital.

[Service information below]

There is no way to express the heartbreak and the sadness that death at such a young age brings, however, Mitch’s family and friends are gathering to celebrate the life of such an extraordinary and selfless man.

We ask that your prayers and thoughts be with Mitch and his loved ones at this time.

With heartfelt feeling to all,

Kevin DeMenna

The Honorable Matt Salmon

Phoenix, Arizona Services:

• Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

• Biltmore Ward

• 1835 East Missouri Avenue

• Phoenix, Arizona 85016-3021

• Family Viewing from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

• Public Viewing from 9:00 AM to 10:45 AM

• Funeral Services will begin at 11:00 AM

Salt Lake City, Utah Services:

• Friday, July 23rd, 2010

• (Location yet to be determined)

• Family Viewing from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

• Public Viewing from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

• Funeral Services will begin at 10:00 AM

Mitch was one of the good guys.

Jim Martin is an American hero.  Since 1992, when he founded 60 Plus Association, Jim has led the effort to advance conservatism by mobilizing seniors to action.

I was honored to be asked to pay tribute to Jim at a 60 Plus Association dinner Thursday night honoring him for his unfailing commitment to freedom.  It was a bit intimidating to share the stage with the likes of Pat Boone, Charlie Black, Morton Blackwell and Grover Norquist.

Here is what I said:

Earlier this evening I was talking to my 16 year-old daughter. When you are my age, realizing that you have a 16 year-old makes you feel really old… and then I walked into the dinner tonight – a 60 Plus dinner. I represent the -40 crowd.

Jim Martin and I share a few things in common– a deep-seated love of country, a commitment to the conservative cause, we were both journalism majors - I didn’t go as far as Jim, because I was a broadcast journalism major and they told me I had a face for radio.  But most of all, we both love to play softball.

Now, Jim is a much more accomplished softball player than I am. He led his 55+ senior softball team to two consecutive appearances in the Senior World Series

Men’s softball, which is really the place where wannabe baseball players go to re-live the glory days, is a microcosm of politics.

In politics, just like in softball, if you stick to fundamentals – your principles – and you treat every election as if the future of the nation depended on it, you can succeed in staving off the onslaught of liberalism and the creeping intrusion of government control.

Jim Martin has been a part of each of the major victories of conservatism in the last 50 years – call them the “transformational elections” - most significantly 1980 and 1994.

And now, he stands in the middle of what could be another conservative transformational election as he leads America’s seniors in the pushback against the greatest threat to freedom they have faced since WWII – a leftist President enabled by liberal majorities in the House and Senate. Jim takes William F. Buckley’s lead in “standing athwart history, yelling Stop!”

And I’m confident that he will succeed, along with many others in this room, in stopping the threat come November.

There is something that will drive the left crazy as Jim takes them on – his unwavering optimism, and his constant smile. They hate it when he smiles – well and that he looks like one of their heroes, Ted Turner.

And that is Jim Martin’s secret – it’s what makes him a “happy warrior” – he’s optimistic and smiles…. Because he knows he is right.

Jim, you are a hero, not just as a decorated Marine, but because you have toiled in the vineyard for five decades. Your fight is not quite over – so let’s play ball!

“Isn’t our choice really not one of left or right, but of up or down? Down through the welfare state to statism, to more and more government largesse accompanied always by more government authority, less individual liberty, and ultimately, totalitarianism, always advanced as for our own good.  The alternative is the dream conceived by our Founding Fathers, up to the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with an orderly society.  We don’t celebrate dependence day on the Fourth of July.  We celebrate Independence Day.” –Ronald Reagan

OK, because I’m a political hack, you probably thought this post was about the rash of primary elections happening throughout the country.

Wrong.

This Tuesday was super because it featured the season finale of Glee.

As a friend of mine tweeted, “Quote of the night, “Who cares about politics?! Primaries??! We’re talking GLEE here!”  Totally agree.

All I can say is that with the twists and turns, the surprises and showmanship, this ranks up there as one of the best season finales EVER. In fact, I felt like it was a series finale.

It had everything – the heartless protagonist does the right thing; the good guys don’t really win, but then they do; the baby is born and ends up with the person who values her the most; Olivia Newton John is not nearly as nice as I had thought; and Josh Grobin is a bit of a whiney wimp. And we are coming back for more! Wow.

I worry that the writers have outdone themselves. I really don’t know how they can replicate the first season, but I am anxious to find out.

Yep, I was a show choir geek in high school… and darn proud of it! Jjust call me a Gleek.

I don’t remember the first time I ever heard Taps bugled, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard without having tears in my eyes. Usually, I think of my granddad and the very few times he spoke of his service in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during WWII. On a couple of occasions, I recall him being asleep on the couch in his living room and waking up from a violent nightmare, near-screaming. He wouldn’t talk about those episodes, but I learned from my grandma that his nightmares came from an occasion that his PT boat had sunk a Japanese boat and he refused to make the gunner kill the survivors floating in the water, instead taking that unimaginable responsibility upon himself. That was my first inkling that war is hell.

We owe so much to the brave men and women who have traveled through hell for us, whether it be the forest and fields of Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary War, the battlefields of Virginia during the Civil War, the Black Forest of Germany during WWI, the south Pacific or the European Theatre during WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. The march through hell, to protect our freedom deserves much more than just the last Monday of May as a memorial.

My aunt’s husband, a true patriot, emailed me the video below. As you listen to this beautiful variation of Taps, (it is known as Il Silenzio) played by a 13 year-old girl, think about the words (there are actually a couple versions – both below).

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the hills, from the lake,

From the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

Go to sleep, peaceful sleep,

May the soldier or sailor,

God keep.

On the land or the deep,

Safe in sleep.

Love, good night, Must thou go,

When the day, And the night

Need thee so?

All is well. Speedeth all

To their rest.

Fades the light; And afar

Goeth day, And the stars

Shineth bright,

Fare thee well; Day has gone,

Night is on.

Thanks and praise, For our days,

‘Neath the sun, Neath the stars,

‘Neath the sky,

As we go, This we know,

God is nigh.

***

Fading light dims the sight,

And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.

From afar drawing nigh — Falls the night.

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;

All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Then good night, peaceful night,

Till the light of the dawn shineth bright;

God is near, do not fear — Friend, good night.

For more about the history of Taps, go here and here. This Wikipedia link has additional lyrics and an mp3 of the simple, but beautiful version the U.S. Army plays.

God Bless the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much, in too many cases, the ultimate sacrifice, so that we may live free.

God is smiling down on me. I had a couple meetings scheduled in Chicago this week. Now, I’ve been to Chicago many times, but either during the winter months or for too brief a time to play around.

But this time, because of meeting schedules, I had time to catch a game at Wrigley field. To make it even better, it was a day game and it was the Dodgers! There is a saying among Mormons that when things are falling into place it means “you must be paying your tithing.” When I bought aisle 104 (in Wrigley “sections” are actually called “aisles” on the lower level) behind home plate and on the visitor side, that saying crossed my mind.

Obviously, I’m a bit of a nostalgia nerd, especially when it comes to baseball. As I blogged a long time ago about the reason I have the Brooklyn Bridge as the image on my blog, I am a huge Dodger fan, and particularly keen on Dodger history, which had some of it’s best years in Brooklyn. As such, going to a game at Wrigley Field has been a life-long dream.

I went to my first major league game at Candlestick Park just before I turned five years old when my dad was in dental school in San Francisco, and when we came back to Arizona and settled in Show Low that summer, I could only dream about big league baseball games as I listened to Vin Scully call Dodger games on KTAR. Those dreams included seeing games at Dodger Stadium (which was fulfilled the first time in 1981), Yankee Stadium (fulfilled in 2004), Fenway (fulfilled in 2006) and finally Wrigley Field. So it’s been a long time coming.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day for baseball. Sunny, light breeze and about 70 degrees at first pitch, which was at 1:20 – making the experience even more fulfilling since it was a day game. (Wrigley Field was the last of the major league parks to add lights, holding out until 1988). I settled in, bought a hot dog from a vendor walking the aisle, applied the Gulden’s mustard and had the second best ballpark hot dog of my life. (The best was the hot dog I ate at Fenway – I can’t even tell you what made it better).

I took in the imagery, the history and, in part because I was wearing my Brooklyn Dodgers hat, envisioned the Brooklyn Dodgers playing ON THIS VERY FIELD!

Like I said, I’m a nostalgia nerd. (I think I’ve coined a phrase).

I suppose the only thing that could have made the day better was a Dodger win. However, it was a great game, a pitchers duel that the Cubs won 1-0 with back-to-back triples in the bottom of the eighth.

So I’ve hit the big four of the parks I’ve long wanted to see. The only thing left is to visit the monument for Ebbets Field, which was torn down ten years before I was born.

Play Ball!