Please sign the petition below to remove the statue of Jefferson Davis currently in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda, and replace it with a tribute to Muhammad Ali, “the Louisville Lip” and “the Greatest of All Time.”
I just heard from the Ali family: It is the Champ’s belief that Islam prohibits three-dimensional representations of living Muslims. Accordingly, I have adjusted the petition to call for a two-dimensional representation of Ali (a portrait, picture or mural) in lieu of a statue.
UPDATE (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)
In this interview with WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold, Governor Steve Beshear endorses the idea of honoring Muhammad Ali in the State Capitol (although he disagrees with removing Davis). Arnold explores the idea further on his weekly show, “The Powers that Be.”
Click here to check out WDRB-TV’s Lawrence Smith’s coverage of the story.
And here’s my op-ed in Ali’s hometown paper, the Louisville Courier-Journal.
UPDATE (Saturday, June 4, 2016)
In the wake of the 2015 Charlestown tragedy, in which a Confederate flag-waving murderer united the nation against racism, all of the most powerful Kentucky policymakers — U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Governor Matt Bevin, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo — called for the removal of the Davis statue from the Rotunda. Today, as we commemorate last night’s passing of Muhammad Ali, there is no better moment to replace the symbol of Kentucky’s worst era with a tribute to The Greatest of All Time.
UPDATE (Wednesday, June 8, 2016):
Great piece by Lawrence Smith of WDRB-TV in Louisville on the petition drive to replace Jefferson Davis’ statue in the Capitol Rotunda with a tribute to Muhammad Ali.
UPDATE (Thursday, June 9, 2016):
Excellent piece on the petition drive by Jack Brammer that was featured on the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Highlight of the article:
Miller said he has received a few “angry comments” on his call to honor Ali.
“One of them encouraged me to kill myself,” he said. “You can quote me that I have decided not to take their advice.”
UPDATE (Friday, June 10, 2016)
The petition drives continues to show the Big Mo(hammed): check out these stories from WKYU-FM public radio in Bowling Green and WKYT-TV, Channel 27 in Lexington:
UPDATE (Saturday, June 11, 2016):
Still not convinced? Check out this excerpt from today’s New York Times:
By Jonathan Miller, on Sat Jul 13, 2013 at 9:00 AM ET
If you’ve been following the legislative actions taken surrounding the Farm Bill in Washington, DC, this past month, you’ve seen some of the very worst about our current political system — deep hyper-partisan divides, bills passed without thorough discussion, secret power plays on behalf of special interests, yadda, yadda, yadda.
But one thing happened last week that represents the very best of American politics — the bi-partisan passage in the U.S. House of an amendment that would allow colleges and universities to grow hemp for research purposes in states where hemp production is allowed by state law (like Kentucky, Colorado and about a dozen other states.)
The amendment was co-sponored by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.); and here in the Bluegrass State, it has the support of a broad partisan and ideological coalition, including conservative Senator Mitch McConnell, Tea Party champion Senator Rand Paul, and progressive icon Congressman John Yarmuth.
The lead advocate for hemp legalization in Kentucky is Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, and I was lucky to join him in Washington recently for high-level meetings on the bill with senior Obama Administration officials and even House Speaker John Boehner. (Click here to read about our efforts.)
Comer was thrilled about the recent development, telling WPSD-TV, Paducah, “It wasn’t that long ago that people told us we wouldn’t even get a sponsor for the bill in the state Senate. Now we have a state law for regulating hemp production, and one house of Congress has passed legislation to allow colleges and universities to grow hemp. This has been an amazing journey. And we’re not finished.”
So, please help us get across the finish line. Sign the petition below, and contact your Senator ASAP. Click here for an easy link.
U.S. Senators, Support Hemp Amendment to Farm Bill
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Jul 12, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET
This afternoon (generally in the 6:00 PM EDT hour on most NPR stations), Friend of RP, Mark Nickolas will be appearing on National Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” discussing his critically-praised new short film, “The Story of the Wall Street Bull.”
Nickolas, who singlehandedly started Kentucky’s political blogosphere, has become a documentary filmmaker, and his new short film on Occupy Wall Street is up for a Smithsonian In Motion award.
Watch the film below, and vote here to support Mark’s effort. (The film is listed as “The Story of the Wall Street Bull” and is in the ‘Arts’ category. You’ll see when you click on the link.)
Check out a cameo from contributing RP (and former Missouri State Representative) Jason Grill in this teaser video about his taking part in a Google Glass experiment — and stay tuned in the days ahead for more videos chronicling their progress:
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Jul 12, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
Friend of RP, and the man who launch Kentucky’s political blogsophere, Mark Nickolas, has embarked on a documentary film career that is already getting broad national attention. His short film on Occupy Wall Street is up for a Smithsonian In Motion award.
Watch the film below, and vote here to support Mark’s effort. (The film is listed as “The Story of the Wall Street Bull” and is in the ‘Arts’ category. You’ll see when you click on the link.)
What if New York City’s famous charging bull could talk? Mark Nickolas’s short film, My Life in the Canyon of Heroes, answers just this question. The clever film traces the history of the Wall Street bull from the perspective of none other than the animal himself. With the voice of a friendly middle-aged New Yorker, he recounts his life, from his birth as a defiant piece of guerrilla art, up through his murkier days as the Occupy Wall Street movement’s symbol of financial greed and excess.
The short is nominated for Smithsonian magazine’s In Motion video contest, along with 24 other finalists. The contest recognizes videographers that “explore and document the world around us.” Voting is open to the public, and the grand prize winner will be announced on July 15, 2013.
If there’s one place you want to look your best, I would venture to say at the beach or poolside would be at the top of the list. After all, that’s where (presumably) you’ll be as close to naked as you’ll ever get in public. Thanks in large part to the James Bond movie “Casino Royale,” which features a taut Daniel Craig emerging from the water in short, tight swim trunks, men’s swim styles have been moving gradually toward higher hemlines and more tailored cuts. While not everyone has the build or desire to bare quite as much as 007, abbreviated and tailored looks are in fact more flattering and mature in feel than the oversized, extra-long trunks you may be used to. My clients are always pleasantly surprised at what a couple fewer inches and a narrower trouser-like cut can do. With that in mind, below are 6 Rath-approved swimsuits for Summer 2013, with a little something for everybody.
With its flat waistband, mid-thigh length, constructed fly and trim leg openings, this classic style from Hartford
($165) looks good on just about everyone. Bonus tip: for the most flattering leg width, you should be able to fit 2-3 fingers in the bottom leg opening of your suit.
Read the rest of… Julie Rath: Sink or Swim: Your Guide to Summer’s Best Swimsuits
This afternoon, The RP taped a 30-minute broadcast of “One on One” with Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Bill Goodman of Kentucky Educational Television. They discussed, among other things, the new book, The Recovering Politician’s Twelve-Step Program to Survive Crisis.
Read about the program, and tune in on July 28 at 7:30 PM EDT/6:30 PM CDT to watch. For you foreigners outside of the Bluegrass State, we will post the video at this web site.
Artur Davis might actually have a shot at being the first politician in half a century to be elected to Congress in two different states.
Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf has represented his state’s 10th congressional district for over three decades. In the 2012 election cycle, he cruised to his 17th consecutive term by a healthy 21-percent margin, despite his district having gone to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney by a 1-percent margin.
Reportedly, Wolf has yet to indicate whether he will seek an 18th term and retire. But should he forgo reelection, the race for his successor will be wide open, according to preliminary polling — making it possible for even former Alabama Democratic Rep. Artur Davis, who switched political parties in 2012, to be elected in that district as a Republican.
With the exception of a brief spell in the late 1970s, Virginia’s 10th congressional district — which stretches from West Virginia to the outskirts of Washington, D.C. — has traditionally leaned Republican. But if Wolf were to retire, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee would almost certainly have interest in an attempt to take the seat.
A survey conducted by a Republican polling entity on June 30-July 2 — with a sample of 432 and margin of error of 3.44 percent — shows no clear front-runner among a handful of potential Republican candidates that included Davis, Virginia State Sens. Jill Holtzman Vogel and Dick Black, Virginia State Dels. Barbara Comstock and Tim Hugo, and Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart.
The survey, commissioned by Davis and given to The Daily Caller by someone who has been shown the data and a polling memo connected with it, reveals Vogel and Black as front-runners but both coming in at under 17 percent with 31 percent of respondents undecided.
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Jul 11, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
How to stay relevant even when you’re not.
Oh come on. You’ve wondered this too. It’s like trying to avoid excessive amounts of cellulite on our personality or wrinkles on our reputation. And, yes, it matters.
I had no interest to read the article. We all have a pretty good idea of who the “most powerful celebrities” are.
Obviously, Oprah tops the list. And it’s fair to assume Lady Gaga, Madonna and Justin Bieber are all in the mix near the top.
OK. Yawn.
But what about a list of “The Least Powerful Celebrities” in the world?
That would pique my interest. Maybe it’s age; maybe practicality or maybe fear. But increasingly I’m more interested with the secrets of maintaining my status as my skills and energy levels decline.
I would be interested to know how some celebrities have found ways to succeed at remaining celebrities while being on the brink of irrelevancy and without any apparent influence.
I know that doesn’t sound like the most exciting late night infomercial pitch.
Or does it?
Think about it….
“Have you spent your career trying to establish yourself in some area and finally broken through? But now see age and agism start you on the downhill course toward obscurity and professional oblivion? What can you learn from Cuba Gooding, Vanilla Ice, Kato Kalin and Nik Wallenda? The surprising answer is “More than you might think.” What are their secrets to staying in the public mind despite nearly half the public believing they “may have died” several years ago? What is it that they do to differentiate themselves from those who have already transitioned to merely “former celebrities” with no power? How do they successfully get invited to appear on QVC and Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice show while their less savvy borderline celebrity peers phase out of the public mind?
Now that is a pitch that I’d be interested in hearing more about. And be willing to buy the book, CDs and DVD set.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jul 11, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
The Recovering Politician’s Twelve-Step Program to Survive Crisis was launched with an exciting book signing event at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY. Editor and co-author Jonathan Miller was interviewed by Kentucky Hall of Fame journalist Bill Goodman.
If you were one of the handful of Americans who missed the event, click here to learn more about the book.
Blog this!
