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:
Note: I’m very excited to begin a food column for The Recovering Politician. From recipes to restaurant trends to chef interviews, this space will be devoted to all things gustatory. Check back regularly for updates!
Most people would not call my father a foodie. His diet revolves more around salmon and nuts than bahn mi or foie gras corn dogs.
Every morning, he pulses kale, spinach and other nutrient-packed ingredients into a murky green concoction he calls a smoothie. The potent quaff, which has yet to tempt my palate, appears to have a life of its own.
And yet, he has a point. A physician, he espouses the life-changing qualities of eating well at his busy medical practice and has had meaningful success with his patients.
But the example he sets is more than just about health. The biggest imprint his eating lifestyle has had on me is his dedication to and appreciation of good, quality food.
Growing up, I watched in wonderment as he skinned freshly caught fish in the backyard, slicking the scales off with a look of great intensity.
I would scrutinize with the closest attention the reddeningorbs sprouting in the strawberry patch he had planted near my play area. The towering asparagus edging the fence appeared to me like a jungle, but one I knew better than to explore.
Today, cucumbers, peas and onions are ripening in his backyard forest of green, and the basil is ready to be freshly picked for his smoothies. If it’s a Saturday morning, you’ll find him culling pokeweedto sauté with bacon (really the only way to eat pokeweed, if you’ve ever tried it).
At this time of year, other dads may covet grilling tools, a well marbled steak, or an aged bottle of scotch. For my dad, those gifts would be met with a bewildered stare.
But. He has a weakness. I hate to share his secret so publicly, but every hero has his sweet spot.
For my dad, that weakness is jelly thumbprint cookies. A specialty of my mother’s made only a few times per year, the cookies offer the perfect guilty pleasure. Gently sinking his teeth into a freshly baked, piping hot cookie lovingly imprintedby my mother’s own thumb, he needn’t say a word to express his bliss. The delicate sweetness of the treat is heightened by the velvety texture of the blackberry preserve topping.
This Father’s Day, you’ll find my dad savoring each bite of his cherished cookies, eyes closed. The memory will have to tide him over until Christmas, the next special occasion worthy of the splurge. But until then, he will relish this moment.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait as long as my dad to have a taste. I coaxed the recipe from my mother’s dog-eared treasure trove just so I could share it. You may just find that your father, or any other special man in your life, may enjoy it just as much.
If you want to get creative, use the cookies as a canvas for a variety of fillings, from jams to honey to Nutella.
Or if you’re short on baking time, I’ve included a few other ideas that will satisfy any man’s appetite:
Reflective of a modern but simple Southern sensibility, the Lee brothers share delectable fixings such as smothered pork chops and kumquat gin cocktails.
A mouth-watering array of cured meats such as capicola, finocchiona and even saucisson au chocolat are available by mail-order from this salumiera based in Portland, Oregon.
For the Gardener: Heirloom Seeds from Southern Exposure Food Exchange
From butterbeans to collards, Ira Wallace’s seed collection spans an impressive range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, with more than 700 varieties.
For the Red Wine Lover: Wild Horse 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast
For a classic California wine that doesn’t break the bank, Wild Horse provides a fruity, medium-bodied flavor that pairs well with steak.
Dee Dee’s Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolk
2 2/3 cup flour
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter in bowl until creamy.
Add sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Add flour gradually, mixing just until moistened.
Shape by tablespoonfuls into balls. Place on greased cookie sheets. Make indentation in each cookie with thumb.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
After removing from oven, place cookies on drying rack for cooling.
Once they have cooled, cookies may be filled with homemade jam or jelly.
Note: My dad prefers Blackberry preserves, but there are a variety of tasty fillings you can use. My favorite is a vanilla-orange flavoring. Here’s how you make it: In a medium saucepan, melt 1/3 cup of butter, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 6 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk ½ cup of powdered sugar into the liquid. Then spoon the frosting onto each cookie.
Growing up, my idea of fun was hitting the local menswear store and picking out ties for my dad. (Yah I know, I’m a good time.) And Father’s Day was always one of my favorite holidays because it gave me an excuse to do just that. If you’re not as fanatical about menswear as I am and need inspiration on what to give this year (or if you’re a dad and want to give hints), read on for my Father’s Day gift list.
One of the easiest, most low-commitment ways to up your style game is with socks. If your dad needs extra help in this department (if he wears black Gold Toe’s everyday, the answer is yes), get him a few pairs from Paul Smith. They make a great variety of colors and patterns, and the socks themselves are durable ($30). Note that the more colors there are in the pattern, the easier it will be for him to match them to his outfit. For my Sock Matching 101 guide, click here.
Does your dad (a) like to make a statement or (b) know how to have fun? Then these embroidered Dia de los Muertes slippers ($325) may be the perfect gift for him.
Bulky pants pockets are definitely not dapper. If your dad suffers from overstuffed wallet syndrome, help him streamline with this handsome crocodile money clip ($125).
Many of my clients travel nonstop, often to different countries, and this multi-currency wallet would simplify things for them ($285). Make the gift extra-special by having it gold-stamped — you can choose from a variety of different motifs and/or lettering.
For the dad that has everything, this vintage table box inset with a silk Hermes scarf would make a fantastic addition to his repertoire (contact store for price).
Our new book, The Recovering Politician’s Twelve-Step Program to Survive Crisis, has hit the national zeitgiest, as it was today’s topic of discussion on HuffPost Live.
Huff Post Live’s Marc Lamont Hill talks with three of the book’s co-authors about politics, rhetoric, and their 12-step program for recovering politicians.
Originally aired on June 13, 2013
Guests:
Michael Steele @steele_michael (New York , NY) Former RNC Chairman
Jeff Smith @JeffSmithMO (Montclair, NJ) Assistant Professor in the Urban Policy Graduate Program at the New School; Former State Senator for Inner City St. Louis
Jonathan Miller @RecoveringPol (Chicago, IL) Former Kentucky State Treasurer; Editor of ‘The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis’
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Jun 13, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Just because a middle-aged man looks at an ad in a magazine that discusses a supplement for low testosterone does not in ANY way suggest he thinks he might one day need to know about such a supplement for himself personally.
Not at all.
Lets be clear on this
A lot of men just read over advertisements because they are bored or curious and like learning about something new, or like the pictures in the ad, or maybe are just admiring of a well done magazine advertisement on a complicated subject.
A complicated subject for other men, that is. Obviously.
Last month, Rep. Michele Bachmann announced her decision not to seek a fifth term amid an array of ethics charges, one of which is an allegation that she secretly paid Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson for his support during her abortive presidential bid. According to NBC, Bachmann’s former chief of staff, Andy Parrish, swore in an affidavit to the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee that Bachmann “knew of and approved” a scheme to funnel $7,500 per month to Sorenson through an allied consulting firm in exchange for his backing, despite Iowa Senate ethics rules barring lawmakers from receiving presidential campaign payments. In his affidavit, Parrish called Bachmann an “outstanding public servant,” suggesting he had no axe to grind. Sorenson flatly denies any violation of ethics rules, and says he received money only to cover expenses. While gleeful liberals and dismayed Tea Partiers have mostly overlooked the charge in the wake of her announcement, it may be an important harbinger of future election cycles.
To understand why, you have to start with turn-of-the-century urban machine politics. Early get-out-the-vote (GOTV) systems relied on money changing hands through employment: Party bosses, generally divided by ethnicity, rounded up votes from ethnic neighborhoods in exchange for control over the abundant patronage positions available in rapidly-growing cities. At first the practice was confined to European immigrant populations, but African American voters were gradually included. In Chicago, for instance, blacks were gradually incorporated into the machine by powerbrokers like the late Rep. William Dawson, and were offered municipal positions like the one held by Fraser Robinson III, a pump worker at the city’s water plant (and Michelle Obama’s father).
Many American cities have a storied tradition of machine politics. But in recent decades, party electioneering has evolved into arrangements whereby candidates and parties pay people small amounts of cash in exchange for GOTV efforts like canvassing. When I represented an inner-city St. Louis state Senate district, I was often approached by operatives proposing such arrangements. That’s not strictly illegal, but it creates a lot of untraceable campaign cash, and it’s vulnerable to corruption. (Although I declined, I did run afoul of federal campaign-finance law during my 2004 U.S. House race: I approved coordination between two aides and an outside party who created a flier about my opponent’s legislative attendance record. I then lied when asked about it, earning me eight months in federal prison for obstruction of justice.) I know people who have disbursed several hundred thousand dollars on Election Day. In some cases, the process is blunter, not to mention illegal: Low-level operatives simply distribute cash in even smaller increments to individual voters.
In St. Louis, local powerbrokers often steered “street money” through a trusted ally or relative — and, according to scuttlebutt, siphoned off a chunk for themselves. Sometimes a powerbroker will even dole out money to low-level party functionaries himself. In 2004, John Kerry reportedly dropped hundreds of thousands on the street in Philadelphia alone, though ultimately the Republicans’ all-volunteer ground game was widely seen as superior — and Kerry lost.
Read the rest of… Jeff Smith: ‘Walking-Around Money’ — How Machine Politics Works in America Today
“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” Hebbel
I started my fitness journey as skinny, puny 145 lbs 18 year old. Like most guys, I wanted muscles to get noticed but what started as a way to get a date with a girl became a lifestyle and a career. After tirelessly trying to break into the fitness industry, I got my first training job in 2004. I was certified and ready to start whipping people into shape. What started as something I was doing on the side became a love and an obsession. Personal training was what I wanted to do! I trained them all; professional athletes, wannabe pro athletes, housewives, wannabe housewives, executives, and wannabe executivesJ. You name it, I trained them. My next moves were instilling the education and know how I developed as a trainer to other trainers. In 2007 I was promoted to Quality Control Director for Urban Active Fitness. I have spent the past 6 years directing and leading 400 personal trainers in 7 states. I’ve certified trainers; I’ve proctored hundreds of seminars and conference calls and even contributed 10 published articles. My mission is to spread the word of fitness to as many people as I can through personal training. My motto is Train, Motivate and Inspire!
This is my listed biography, short form, but doesn’t tell you everything about me. It has been a long road for me, a road with alot of high points, a few low points but otherwise great career. A career that could have been derailed several times but one that keeps going very strong. A great word I like to use is virtuosity. A word that most people are unfamilar with but one that is very important particularly to me. It simply means “doing the common, uncommonly well,” a moniker I strive to live by. The last 60 days have been a challene for me on a professional level but also a personal level. Personal training is life to me; clients, members and trainers are my family. With Urban Active I helped develop thousands of trainers some of which are with the newly name LA Fitness and some are spread throughout the industry. That simply means everything to me. On October 25th, 2012 at 5pm EST Urban Active closed its doors after nearly 20 years of operations. My entire fitness journey occured within the four walls of Urban Active. A part of me died the day we closed the doors. Now, I could of hung my shoes up and moved on to something else but I wouldn’t be living by the virtuosity defininition. There is a fire inside of me that needs to make a difference, that needs to lead. I need it like I need to breath. I am rambling I know but these thoughts have been trapped for the last 2 weeks and I needed an avenue to reliquish it
To summarize my feelings and future plans I want to say this; I need fitness as I need food. I cannot leave my passion and refuse to let my vision die just because Urban Active closed the doors. It is time for a new journey a journey I have not been on before. My search for new obstacles to conquer has begun, please join me on this ride, I promise you will not be disappointed. I am back jack!
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jun 12, 2013 at 2:11 PM ET
Welcome to Episode Two of The Recovering Politician’s CRISIS TV, a weekly roundtable discussion of the highest profile national scandals, with expert analysis from those who’ve served in the arena and suffered through crises themselves.
SPOILER ALERT: Be prepared to laugh — these former pols tend not to take themselves too seriously.
CRISIS TV is hosted by The RP, former Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller.
This week’s guests include:
Rod Jetton, former Speaker of the House, state of Missouri
Jason Grill, former State Representative from Kansas City
Josh Bowen, Nationally renowned and published personal trainer
Click here to order
This week’s topic — Baseball and Performance Enhancing Drugs
The panelists discuss the nature of the scandal, what Major League Baseball and accused players such as Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriquez have done wrong, how they could have handled the crisis more effectively, and what advice they would share with the players and owners.
The panelists discuss the lessons they learned from their own crises, detailed in the book they co-authored, The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis. Click here to order.
5 Gifts That Keep You At The Top Of Clients’ Minds
The Fruit of the Month Club was way ahead of its time. Now, you can have everything — from razors to makeup to dog treats — sent to you on a monthly basis. I personally use a few of these subscription-based companies to make sure I don’t run out of the essentials, but I really see the value of subscriptions for client gifts.
If you’re in the service industry, staying top-of-mind with your clients (in a positive way) is important. Our company wants to show our clients and partners that we appreciate them in a genuinely thoughtful way, not in an “I’m bribing you with a $500 bottle of wine” kind of way, so we’ve enlisted the help of a few subscription-based companies.
I have to admit that part of the attraction of subscription gift-giving is the laziness it allows. Greg Alvo, CEO of OrderGroove, explained it perfectly: “Subscription gifting is the perfect way to show appreciation and stay on your client’s mind. The best part? As the on-the-go gifter, you have the ability to ‘set it and forget it!’” It still requires thoughtfulness to find the perfect fit for a client, because if he or she is going to be receiving something from you once a month, it had better be something well-liked!
Here are some ideas for interesting items that won’t break the bank, but will pleasantly surprise your clients.
The Stylish Stud:
You know how you’re always losing socks (behind the dryer, at the laundromat, under the hotel bed)? We’ve found a solution.Sock 101 has created the Sock of the Month Club. One pair of high-quality, stylish dress socks will be sent to your clients every month. Now, when people compliment their savvy style, your company may just come up in.
And even better — a personal note from the most famous old-school handwritten note writer in the US:
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Jun 12, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Me and cars. What do you want to know?
Me (with friend asking sales clerk for directions) : Are you sure it’s on Hubbards and Shelbyville road ?
Sales Clerk: Yes, across from Mini Cooper Dealership
Me (to sales clerk). OK. Thanks
Friend to me: (smiling because he knows I know little about cars) Do you even know what a Mini Cooper is?
Me: Are you serious ? Of course I do.
Friend: What are they?
Me: They are cars. They are, obviously, a smaller version –a sort of miniature version –of the regular-sized Cooper…..
(Pause). Snickering .
Me: I know Austin Powers drives one. You probably didn’t know that, did you? You want to know any more about Mini Coopers or entire Cooper line—including Medium Coopers, Jumbo Coopers and the soon-to-be-released Teeny Tiny Micro Coopers (mostly in Europe, of course). Or are you gonna quit before I embarrass you with my deep knowledge of cars?
The Licking Valley Courier, a small town Eastern Kentucky weekly newspaper that doesn’t have an online version, had some clever words to share about the Rebuilding West Liberty initiative discussed on these virtual pages. Thanks to Miranda Cantrell, News Editor, we post the column of Publisher Earl Kinner in its entirety below:
Town’s rebuilding plan catches eye of Clinton Global Initiative
Some pleasant ironies in story about Judge Conley’s invitation to participate in international forum
Judge Conley holding a copy of the Courier
Not many readers, we suspect, will fail to detect a bit of pleasant irony underlying the news this week about Morgan County Judge Executive Tim Conley’s invitation to participate in an international forum established by former Democrat President Bill Clinton.
After a tornado last year devastated West Liberty, the town of 3,500 began an initiative called Rebuilding West Liberty, which was designed to not only help re-build the town but to make it more energy-efficient and serve as a model for other towns looking to create sustainability and entrepreneurship.
The initiative has caught the eye of national leaders, and Morgan County Judge Executive Tim Conley has been invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Chicago on June 13 as a member of the Residential Energy Efficiency Working Group. This according to former Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller on his web site, The Recovering Politician. (Miller is a Democrat and Conley is a Republican).
After the tornado killed seven people and destroyed 400 homes, businesses, and government structures, the community began rebuilding with energy efficient and cost-effective techniques. At the conference Conley will provide insight on “rebuilding roughly half of the 300 residential homes that were lost to the storm,” Miller writes.
The solution West Liberty came up with was to construct “150 affordable, highly energy-efficient factory-built and site-built homes,” Miller reports. “The three-year project includes a $27 million investment of equity, grants, debt and operating grants to complete the project in West Liberty and scale innovations piloted for other disaster response efforts and affordable housing projects for factory-built homes across the nation.
Many will recall the bruising but unsuccessful effort by Democrat Party leaders (both at the local and state levels) to block Judge Conley’s bid for re-election to a second term in 2006. Thankfully, the world has moved on and the ironies called to mind by Miller’s story are pleasant to contemplate. To wit:
Jonathan Miller, a Democrat stalwart whose party virtually bet the farm trying to defeat Conley. A Harvard graduate from Louisville, Miller served as national director of Students for Gore in 1988 when Al Gore was running for President, later worked for Gore when he was Vice President in the Clinton Administration, and also served two terms as Kentucky State Treasurer, and later as Finance Secretary for Gov. Beshear.
Tim Conley is a County Judge and a graduate of Morgan County High School from Honeymoon Holler.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation established by former Democrat President Bill Clinton, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEO’s, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments designed “to improve the lives” of over 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at more than $73.1 billion. Clearly, the Clinton Global Initiative is no small potatoes.
As for Judge Conley’s invitation to speak at the CGI’s international forum in Chicago next week, congratulations to him. He’s one of our own and proof certain that country-bred common sense, sincerity, and competence trump lots of things, including partisan politics, and that’s as it should be.
Click here to join the great work being done by Rebuilding West Liberty.
Blog this!
