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:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Let’s think about the quote above. What is separating all of us from achievement? Is it us? Could it be that we are actually afraid of accomplishing what we set out to do? Bingo! I have a lot of experience in training and motivating others, not just in fitness but in life. I have always had a sense that deep down people are not afraid of failure but rather afraid of achieving. When you achieve something people will expect you to do the same every time. This adds responsibility and adds the component of hard work. Now, don’t get me wrong I am not calling out people, talking about how lazy they are. Quite the contrary, I am saying that in our subconscious we have a deep fear that we CAN accomplish any and every thing that we set out to do.
So how do I perform reverse psychology on myself? Here is the deal the first step to accomplishing anything is you have to believe it is possible. Here is an example; people once thought that running a mile in under 4 minutes was impossible. It wasn’t until 1954 that Roger Bannister broke the 4 minutes barrier, running a mile in 3 minutes and 59 seconds. 42 days later another man ran a mile in 3 minutes and 58 seconds. Fast forward to present day and the world record for the mile has lowered 17 seconds and now running a mile in under 4 minutes is the STANDARD by which all middle distance runners are judged. Do you see what happened there? Once one person did it, everyone else knew it was possible. You think that you are the only person in the world sitting there at your computer, reading this article with 50, 60, 70, 100 pounds to lose. The reality of it is people are doing it every day and so can you! All you have to do is believe.
The last step (yes I only have 2 steps here, this is not a 12 step process!) you have to have an undying commitment to your goal. Whatever the goal is, it does not matter you have to love it, marry it and live it. It is you and it is a part of you. Do what ever it takes, throw caution to the wind and do it! I believe in you, you must believe in you. Do not be afraid of climbing your personal Mount Everest! GO DO IT!!!!
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was”
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed May 8, 2013 at 3:12 PM ET
We’re in the middle of another very productive day of lobbying on behalf of hemp legalization in DC. This morning, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and I were joined by Kentucky State Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Paul Hornback, who was the lead sponsor of SB 50, the groundbreaking legislation that was left for dead at least a half a dozen times, until it passed with overwhelming majorities in both houses on the very last night of the General Assembly session.
Today so far we have met with most of the members of the Kentucky delegation, securing co-signers for Congressman Thomas Massie’s legislation to legalize hemp. As of today, we have 38 Congressmen, of both parties, signing on to the Massie bill.
Commissioner Comer also held a press conference (see the picture above) attended by several inside-the-Beltway political journalists. I think they were quite surprised by the consistent theme of bi-partisanship, not only with our lobbying group, but especially among the Congressional supporters, and of course paving the passage of SB 50 in Kentucky.
Of course, we still have much more ground to plow (although I learned from Senator Hornback that you don’t need to plow ground to plant hemp). We have met with resistance from the Drug Enforcement Agency, and still far too many policymakers are not aware of the underlying facts about the value of hemp, and the clear distinction with marijuana.
But if our success in Kentucky, as well our few days here in Washington, demonstrate, all that stands between hemp legalization and final passage is just a little bit of education. We are still in the middle of our journey, but the finish line appears to be quickly approaching.
To get there, we need YOU to get involved — NOW. Here are three very simple things that you can do — right now, at your computer — to register your support for legalized industrial hemp and pressure Washington to fulfill the people’s will:
Contact your Senators to urge them to co-sponsor and support S. 359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013. introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) that would exclude hemp from the definition of marijuana and allow states to legalize and regulate the product. Here is a great link to contact them from Vote Hemp.
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed May 8, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
“Weight where you are the healthiest and happiest”
I was talking to my wife this morning about me losing a little more weight.
Rebecca asked me to think back and ask myself what was the weight I felt the healthiest and most comfortable with myself and to make that my ideal weight and try to attain it.
After reflecting for a few moments, I had my answer and responded to Rebecca.
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed May 8, 2013 at 11:13 AM ET
After a day of posing with Commissioner James Comer’s GOP friends, I kidnapped him for a picture of my favorite Congressman, John Yarmuth, and President Obama. Sort of. (And see W. leaning over at the right.
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed May 8, 2013 at 9:00 AM ET
Best comment on this photo — from the Courier-Journal’s Joe Gerth: “You look awfully pasty, Jonathan”
Day 2 of my great hemp adventures in Washington with Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has just begun.
But as we trek around Capitol Hill and up Pennsylvania Avenue, I wanted to share with you the picture at left — the highlight of yesterday’s marathon visits with Members of Congress and senior Obama Administration officials.
It’s funny, but I did not share with the Speaker my political party affiliation. Although I did mention my daughter is his constituent at Miami University in Ohio.
And sorry to disappoint my fellow progressives who feel comfort in demonizing our political opponents as “enemies” or rotten people: Speaker John Boehner was engaging, extremely generous with his time, and very serious about the hemp legalization issue. He asked dozens of penetrating questions, digging deep into the agricultural and economic development potential of the crop; and fortunately Commissioner Comer was around to to provide substantive answers.
I’m the old man with Congressman Massie and Commissioner Comer
I also really enjoyed meeting Tea Party favorite, Congressman Thomas Massie. Massie is wicked smaht (a good description of an MIT grad), very warm, and was really eager to find common ground with me, discussing his involvement on issues such as hemp legalization, drone oversight, and providing flexibility on mandatory minimum sentences.
Of course, I did get to turn the tables on Commissioner Comer with several meetings with my fellow Democrats, including Obama Administration officials at several agencies, as well as my favorite Congressman, Louisville’s John Yarmuth (SPOILER ALERT: an hilarious photo is forthcoming.)
The feedback was consistent — those who were already educated on the issue were very supportive. Our critical task in Washington — as it was in Frankfort — is to simply share the facts and dispel the myths. Once that task is complete, hemp will be legalized. I’m confident.
As always, we strongly encourage to get involved — NOW. Here are three very simple things that you can do — right now, at your computer — to register your support for legalized industrial hemp and pressure Washington to fulfill the people’s will:
Contact your Senators to urge them to co-sponsor and support S. 359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013. introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) that would exclude hemp from the definition of marijuana and allow states to legalize and regulate the product. Here is a great link to contact them from Vote Hemp.
Anochi afar v’efer. In Hebrew this means, “I am but dust and ashes.”
Seems to be a less than perky reminder about the inevitable, I know, but it does offer supportive wisdom actually.
In the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar (the Hebrew word for ethics), the soulful human trait of humility plays a fundamental role in a life of balance. To realize that each of us no matter our accomplishments, inevitably become part of the physical earth, is humbling.
Given the truth of this ultimate reality, how can any of us believe we are inferior to others, or superior? Anochi afar v’efer, it’s a perspective grabber, and a cool equalizer.
This raises a significant question about what it means to be human in the time we have. How do we strive to fill in the time between life and, ahem, the alternative? How do we make our lives meaningful even in the mundane? How is one’s “mundane” existence actually not inferior to someone else’s life of adventure, leadership, intellectual contribution?
We think of all kinds of answers here, or maybe we don’t even know where to begin.
The ancient Mussar Rabbis taught that each human is born with a personal spiritual curriculum to fulfill, and that we are each assigned the task of mastery of something in our lives. While culturally today, we tend to think that the something should relate to professional life or contribution to world repair, the teachings here focus on a more intimate area of human life experience, one that holds true no matter the decade in which we come across the teachings.
The mastery of something refers to the inner realm, the part of us expressed through the soul traits we are all born with but that each of us have in varying degrees of development and measure: humility, patience, gratitude, compassion, order, equanimity, honor, simplicity, enthusiasm, silence, generosity, truth, moderation, loving-kindness, responsibility, trust, faith, yirah (awe of God).
Read the rest of… Lisa Miller: My Mundane Existence is an Apple to Your Orange
Like any woman in show biz, I’ve had a long history of crushes on gay men. There was the cute scene partner in acting class, the fellow waiter who won my heart by knowing who Ella Fitzgerald was, and the incredibly talented sax player who had me fooled for awhile since musicians tend to be not just straight, but straight with a vengeance. And there was the awkward-but-sweet college buddy with whom I reconnected after he’d come out to (and in) San Francisco and transformed himself into a buff, bronzed hunk, but with the same sweetness and intelligence. We spent so much time commiserating about our bad luck with men that we half-seriously began to think we should just marry each other. (My mother heard about this and objected, “But Lauren, you know there would be a problem marrying him – he’s not Jewish!” When I told her that perhaps being gay might be a bigger obstacle, her response was “Oh, that’s no big deal, they can fix that.”) (In case she reads this column I should explain, that was over 20 years ago and she’s MUCH better informed now.)
Having a crush on a gay friend can be really frustrating, knowing that he’d be perfect for you except for the sex thing. (My college friend and I did try to date a little, but it just didn’t work, for obvious reasons. He told me that if it wouldn’t work with me, he knew it could never work with a woman, which I hope was a lovely compliment instead of evidence that I turned men gay . . . ) But having a crush on a gay celebrity is stress-free – you know there’s no chance of anything happening, it’s just a fun fantasy. And it’s not as illogical as it seems; these guys are never going out with me regardless of their sexuality, so why not have fun? Plus when a celebrity comes out as gay, he simply adds to his attractiveness by his honesty and bravery. My list of celebrity crushes has included Ricky Martin, Nathan Lane, Victor Garber, Neil Patrick Harris, David Hyde Pierce, Nate Silver (he’s the political statistician who writes the NYTimes ‘538’ column and accurately predicted the outcome of every state in the presidential election – smart is almost as much of a turn-on as funny!)
I’ve never really followed sports, other than knowing my husband will be in a foul mood if ‘his’ team loses (which makes no sense to me, he doesn’t actually know any players on the SF Giants or the Warriers or Sharks, so why does he care?) (In case he reads this column, I realize that on the other hand, he doesn’t understand my crush on Nathan Lane, et al., and since he doesn’t tease me about it, I won’t give him any grief about the team thing). But I am now following the sports scene, thanks to Jason Collins coming out as gay. Collins didn’t just come out, he expressed himself beautifully, he handled criticism with grace and dignity, and he comes across as smart, articulate, and thoughtful – but I almost can’t keep my mind on all those wonderful qualities, I keep getting distracted by his gorgeous physique, his rippling muscles, and that matinee-idol smile. And I don’t think the depth of my crush is at all impaired by the fact that before his announcement, not only had I never heard of Mr. Collins, but I’d also never heard of half of the teams listed in his bio. (Memphis Grizzlies? Minnesota Timberwolves?)
So while I still admire all my previous crushes, and I look forward to more cute-and-funny celebrities coming out, I only write love songs for really special gay men. Nate Silver qualified during the election, but I think even more people will understand why I need to sing about Jason Collins! (In case he reads this column, I would LOVE to meet him and I promise not to drool – at least not too much.)
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue May 7, 2013 at 2:28 PM ET
Commissioner Comer speaks to USDA officials
It’s been a packed day of very productive meetings on hemp legalization in our nation’s capital. After a morning filled with briefing sessions with our allies from other states, we have moved on to sales mode, convincing Obama Administration officials and Members of Congress about the economic and environmental benefits of hemp legalization.
Our first effort was an hour long session with officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including senior executives from various sub-agencies, including Farm Development and Rural Development (as well as Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Tim Vilsack, Robert Bonnie — a Louisville native and a college classmate of mine). Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer held them captive with the dozens of potentially exciting applications of industrial hemp — from food to automotive products to clean energy production. They told us that Secretary Vilsack is constantly approached by Americans about the economic viability for hemp, and we hope that he will become a partner in our efforts within the Obama Administration.
Later this afternoon, we will be meeting with officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House to discuss environmental applications — both in the cleaner burning of fuels, as well as the more sustainable agricultural practices associated with hemp.
Currently, we are sitting in Capitol Hill, awaiting meetings with Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie (R) and John Yarmuth (D), who will be introducing us to key Members of both parties to help build support for the legalization legislation that are co-sponsoring.
As always, we strongly encourage to get involved — NOW. Here are three very simple things that you can do — right now, at your computer — to register your support for legalized industrial hemp and pressure Washington to fulfill the people’s will:
Contact your Senators to urge them to co-sponsor and support S. 359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013. introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) that would exclude hemp from the definition of marijuana and allow states to legalize and regulate the product.
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue May 7, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Practical and helpful negotiating advice I learned from my father
“Give a little, take a little, but don’t break up the game.”
We need each other and the best long term strategy for being someone wants to so business with is to be fair to others.
They deserve it and will appreciate the respect —and help the “game” keep going (and with you in it).
It takes more energy to be rude than pleasant. And is a sure indication that a sense if inferiority is masquerading as superiority.
You will go farther in life being average and kind than smart and condescending: Besides who wants to “play” with people like the latter category anyway?
Be a person who gives and little and takes a little and is in the game.
Blog this!
