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 Nancy Slotnick, on Tue Sep 4, 2012 at 8:30 AM ET
“He makes me laugh.” – Ann Romney, Republican National Convention.
She said it at least three times I think, so it must mean a lot to Ann Romney, but in my opinion the quality “he makes me laugh” is overrated. I tried it on for size with regard to the Presidential Race—“He’s such a great President; he always makes me laugh.” Something just didn’t sound right.
But then I am mainly interested in love and relationships, being that I am a Recovering Dater, so I applied the same litmus test there. Al Bundy makes me laugh; Peter Griffin on the Family Guy makes me laugh; but would I want to be married to them?
If you go onto any online dating site and look at profiles, you will see “sense of humor” on top of most women’s wish list. Don’t get me wrong- I love to laugh with my husband- that’s one of the best experiences in the world. And giggling—so much the more so. But just because someone makes you laugh, can you tell anything about his character?
Comedians can be very angry people; they can be loners. The straight man (in the comedic sense, not the sexual orientation sense), on the other hand, can often prove to be more “stand-up” than the funny man, when it comes to love. Or at the very least the correlation between funny and good husband is inconclusive. So we must look for some other clues when we attempt to assess character.
Judging someone’s character when you first meet is a monumental task, yet an important skill in dating. In my coaching practice, I advise women to read his actions, not his words. In other words, if he says, “I’ll call you,” that is words. (often lies.) If he actually calls, that speaks volumes.
So in advance of meeting, when you are trying to scope someone out from afar, how can you get a reading?
1. Eyes are the window to the soul. If you believe in a soulmate, then start looking into the eyes of strangers and find out what you see. It’s not staring, but reading their eyes. I dare you to do it.
2. Watch him while he’s talking to his friends. You can tell a lot by how he interacts with others.
3. Listen to what he’s talking about and see if it sounds intelligent. Ok, I grant you that this may be hard to do if you are scoping him out in a sports bar setting. This is why I recommend trying to have 1 date/week. Some things you can only find out from going more in-depth.
4. Finally, look for his smile. That Aretha Franklin song says “It’s in his kiss- that’s where it is.” That is true too. But we’re talking about in advance of kissing. Then, it’s in his smile. Even if you just observe him smiling at his friends, or laughing with them, you can glean a lot. And if you dare to smile at a stranger, you may get to find out a lot about him and his character.
So it may not be all about him making you laugh, but rather seeing when he laughs, and what it’s about. If he has a winning smile, he’s a keeper. And I’m not just talking about Obama. Oh wait, maybe I am.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Sep 3, 2012 at 5:30 PM ET
The Politics of Pigskin
The NFL and its referees (currently on strike) were almost able to reach a deal on Friday that would have allowed the normal refs to work all the regular season games. However, once that deal was struck down by the NFL Referees Association the NFL, teams, players, and fans face the prospect of starting the season with replacement refs that were none too impressive during the preseason. [Yahoo! Sports]
Here is Peter King’s season preview for SI. On the first page you can also find links to the rest of SI’s NFL coverage. [Sports Illustrated]
Pigskin and Politics collide this week when the Panthers will be forced to practice in Florida due to the Democratic National Convention being held in Charlotte. [ESPN]
This actually happened a while back, but it’s worth mentioning. Ray Rice took to Facebook back in July to make some classy and respectable posts on Facebook about bullying. Good on you, Rice. [picture]
Here’s a nice chart for those of you interested in keeping track of wins and losses once the season starts! [picture]
All of your favorite Recovering Politicians and writers will be having some fun playing Fantasy Football this season. Check out this post every week and I’ll keep you abreast of the results!
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Sep 3, 2012 at 1:00 PM ET
Just caught this on “Showtime.” Derivative of the coolearly Social Network trailer — with the chorus of kids singing Radiohead’s “Creep” — but still awesome nonetheless.
Less than a month until the September 30 season premiere. Enjoy:
Last week, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin once again said that he is staying in the race, despite calls from his own party to drop out following his controversial statements about rape and pregnancy.
In the following clip, contributing RP Jason Grill and Republican Annie Pressley debate whether Akin still has any shot at winning in November:
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Aug 31, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Friday morning –stylin’ like a guy.
In Starbucks this morning I noticed a guy I hadn’t seen before.
Nattily dressed like he was ready to pop off a cover of GQ magazine, but looking stressed and impatient pacing as he waited for his coffee. I could smell his cologne from the condiment bar and thought to myself “He reminds me of a temperamental European sports car.”
And when I walked outside, guess who I see standing (posing, really) next to his European sports car? Yep!
So I wonder to myself, “Do guys as they get older start to look like their cars?” Maybe so. His sports jacket matched the exterior of his car and his pants matched the interior. His hair even seemed styled to coordinate perfectly with his sleek and sporty car.
I wondered how he managed to stand next to his car as he groomed himself in the bathroom mirror this morning.
I was about to chuckle out loud as I hit the unlock button on my own car. And realized that I looked just like my grey Honda Accord –with matching grey interior.
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. – Isaiah 1:18.
“I seldom think of politics more than 18 hours a day.” Lyndon Johnson
The next few months the political discourse will continue to get worse as a tight presidential race brings out the worst in both parties.
Unfortunately, that’s not unusual and remains a sad commentary on our modern politics. And in the modern world of social media – it is going to show up on Facebook.
So for those of us that politics is a passion – how do we manage our passion in a way that is respectful to those who don’t agree with us or could care less.
One thing that needs changing is the nature of political discourse. That’s a whole different note. I respect anyone who disagrees with my views – and I want to hear their views. I want to hear their perspective. I respect their views – and don’t doubt their patriotism or faith because they disagree with me. Unfortunately, a lot of people have spent the last four decades attacking politicians and then wonder why nobody trusts or believe in our government.
I’ve been a partisan Democratic activist (with the exceptions of times when I was in the media and it was a conflict of interest and tried hard to be very fair) since I was 18. Those who know me knows it is a passion.
Most of the time, my posts are designed to educate those who agree with me. I’m not trying to pick fights or debunk someone else. I have scores of fellow Democratic activists who are friends on here – including two running congressional campaigns.
But if our nation is going to move forward, both parties really need to listen and listen to each other. And as much as I enjoy hearing that one of my friends won a campaign Tuesday, I also want to read that my friend from middle school went to the National Tea Party rally. And if I chat with my friend Tony Boone, I know we’re going to talk football and the Oakland Raiders and he’s going to talk about motorcycles and probably bash the president. It’s okay. I respect his opinion.
Facebook reflects who we are and what we are doing now. A lot of people I grew up with are just now grandparents. I’m seeing a lot of grandchildren pictures. A lot of our kids are playing sports and we’re bragging on that. Lindy Suiter is going to talk about Racer basketball. Neal Bradley is going to be witty. Michael Buehle is going to talk Notre Dame football. Brian Clardy is going to talk history and African-American culture and wines and jazz and Democratic politics. Bryon Counsell is going to tee off on my politics. John Y. Brown III and I come from way different backgrounds, but when I read what he is writing, I realize we have a lot in common. And faith comes from Baptist preachers and Catholic priests.
But they are all my friends. They are all the fabric of my life – and the fabric of America. I need to hear – and more importantly, listen to all their voices. That’s why I talk politics – and talk politics on Facebook.
And by the way, the Bible verse was President Johnson’s favorite.
By Bradford Queen, Managing Editor, on Fri Aug 31, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of The Screen
“The Politics of The Screen” were on full display last night at the Republican National Convention with Clint Eastwood’s bizarre showing. The actor conversed with @InvisibleObama for almost 15 minutes. [WaPo]
An interesting look at today’s film distribution models. “What is a movie’s sell-by date?” [HuffPo]
Paramount Pictures and the children of the author of the “Godfather” series are in a court battle to cut ties. [LA Times]
Keanu Reeves details how 21st-century filmmaking is changing the industry in new documentary, Side by Side. [NYT]
Greetings from hot and humid Tampa Bay, Florida! It’s the final day of the Republican National Convention, with Mitt Romney taking the stage later tonight. If there was ever a time Romney needed to look Americans in the eye and convince them that he understands their problems, it’s now. Here’s today’s menu…
Appetizer: The most important word of the week hasn’t been “accountability” or “jobs” or “leadership” — for any convention-goer, it’s “Credential.” There are different badges for the media and for the delegates, distinctions by forum section and suite level access. Two of the biggest tickets are the blue floor passes (if it says “Escort” you can bring two others down with you) and black production passes (backstage access). Tuesday night we ran into one of the good men in the Senate, John Barrasso of Wyoming. Shaking his hand, I couldn’t help but notice his “Maine Delegate” badge. His response: “Hey, you can never have too many credentials at one of these things!” When a US Senator is wearing credentials from states other than his own, you know they come at a premium
Main Course: We’ve been talking to swing voters across the country for months now, but there’s been a clear revelation recently. Americans think Romney is better equipped to solve their problems, but that he doesn’t understand them. And they think Obama better understands their problems, but is entirely unable to solve them. Here are three important takeaways: 1) Many will cast their vote for the lesser of two shortcomings. Obama 2008 voters who are switching won’t be voting for Romney as much as they are voting against Obama. 2) Obama needs to convince voters that he made genuine efforts to solve, or at least temper, the economic crisis that began in 2008. That means cutting down on the blame game — Bush, Congress, Europe, the weather, Bibi Netanyahu — and imploring Americans to give him another chance to finish what he started. 3) Romney’s speech tonight matters. As you’ll read below, I don’t think these conventions will matter as much as the debates, but if there’s any part of this week that could swing this election, it’s Romney’s speech. Paul Ryan gave a great one last night — it was emotional, energized, and honest — but nobody casts their vote in November for the Vice President. So tonight, Romney MUST convince America that he gets it. Corny campaign trail stories won’t do it. He needs to admit to being a little stuffier than other candidates, a little less charismatic, a little less inclined to give that “human touch.” For 5 years now, Romney’s been on the defensive about his wealth, his record, and his personality. Admitting something about the third could be just the right amount of self-deprecation to better ingratiate himself with the general public.
Blog this!
