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 Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET
Organic farmers rally together to turn the tables on Monsanto by suing them. Monsanto is known for their strong arm tactics and teams of lawyers that aim to put small farmers out of business. [latimes.com]
At a time when meat prices are on the rise how would you feel about eating a hamburger grown in a laboratory? [bbc.co.uk]
Fruit flies use alcohol as a defense mechanism. [npr.org]
A new type of planet is discovered by scientists. It appears to be comprised of steam but could have had earth like conditions long ago. [yahoo.com]
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
The downside of eavesdropping.
Was just having dinner with my wife and daughter at a local restaurant. My daughter and I were talking and I noticed she was trying to listen to a loud conversation at the table next to us.
I paused and asked, “Do you like to eavesdrop?” She nodded yes. “Me too” I said.
We talked about the nuances of eavesdropping, how to do it effectively without being noticed, and how to spot tables that are interesting and eavesdrop-worthy.
We continued to dissect the art of eavesdropping before I noted, “You know, the good part about eavesdropping is that you learn other people —who often intimidate us bc they speak so confidently and loudly–aren’t that interesting after all.
At that moment, we each looked at the other with mild panic and realized the downside of eavesdropping.
No one…No table…not even the waiters or busboy were trying to listen to our conversation.
I said, “Oh my goodness. Do you think we are the least interesting people here?!!” My daughter, laughing, said, “Afraid so.”
After that we stopped eavesdropping and tried to talk louder and something someone else may want to eavesdrop on.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET
Remember Watson, the computer that beat Ken Jennings on Jeopardy? Well, both Watson and its creators could be taking their talents to the healthcare field to do some revolutionizing. [The Atlantic]
I didn’t shed many tears for Pat Buchanan in the wake of his firing from MSNBC. The sales for his book—a pedestrian work that merely recycles 20 years worth of his diatribes—are about to surge, and he is mildly more familiar and relevant to Americans today than he was 72 hours ago. If he desires it, it’s a certainty that he is headed to Fox News Channel, and probably with a prominent platform.
The lack of sympathy shouldn’t be confused with an affinity for censorship. It should have been no wonder to MSNBC’s hierarchy that Buchanan’s demographic theories are overheated, and that he sounds alarm bells that are alarms primarily if you have a certain crabbed view of the country or a trace of zenophobia. To penalize those views now, when they have been the Buchanan brand for over two decades, has an arbitrary, unfair quality.
The problem with each side of this saga is that I always suspected that MSNBC was using Buchanan in a distasteful kind of way, and that he played along to the detriment of the conservatives whom he supposedly embraces. Buchanan’s on-air role had the feel of a caricature; it was the elevation of a conservatism that is exactly what many liberals imagine conservatives to be—smugly intolerant of the left, cantankerous, narrow-minded. Every time Buchanan chided modern conservatives for waywardness, it was exactly the kind of claim that the left expects the hard right to make—one that seemed unacquainted with the new hues in our culture, and one that yearned to reconstitute America along pre-sixties lines.
Read the rest of… Artur Davis: No Tears for Buchanan and MSNBC
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
Two Chinese workers who are employed by Apple in a Suzhou, China factory who were poisoned by toxins due to working conditions have written an open letter pleading with consumers to push for reform. [BGR]
Finally a company got the touchpad on laptops right. Thanks, Razer. [engadget]
“How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did” [Forbes]
Microsoft is beginning a new ad campaign that is not shy about attacking Google. Wait til you see it. [BGR]
Zynga, the game maker known for mega-popular social games like “Farmville”, has committed a gaming sin. After their game “Dream Heights” received many negative reviews two of Zynga’s employees were caught offering their own reviews. [toucharcade]
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
When I was about 6 or 7 years old I had an interaction with Colonel Sanders and he shared with me some pretty profound business wisdom.
We were at the Colonel’s Lady (Claudia Sanders) restaurant in Shelbyville, and the waitress had just brought rolls to the table.
The Colonel patiently showed me, a fidgety little boy, how to take the butter pats and mash and mix them with just the right amount of honey and then to smear the gold and yellow concoction on to a piece of the roll.
I loved it and wanted to keep eating the honey buttered rolls, but he stopped me because, he explained, his restaurant philosophy was to always leave the customer “wanting a little more” when they left— so they would come back.
That’s the opposite of the he-man meals restaurants feed us now….but I think the Colonel right.
In fact, that philosophy is good advice for many areas in our personal lives as well as in a variety of service industries.
But the advice I cherish the most from the Colonel –and have put the most frequent use in my life—was how to mix butter and honey for rolls.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Pigskin
With the NFL Scouting Combine coming up most people have their eyes on one or two players they hope their team will target. Here is a list of 10 offensive players that everyone should watch out for. [Yahoo! Sports]
The QB coach that molded Cam Newton into last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is now working with Andrew Luck, who most assume will be the #1 overall pick when draft day rolls around. [ESPN]
Peter King answers some questions about the NFL offseason in this week’s MMQB. [Sports Illustrated]
When the Giants won the Super Bowl earlier this month it gave coach Tom Coughlin his second title. In honor of his coaching achievement here is a look at the Tom Coughlin coached All-Stars. [Football Outsiders]
A lot had been made of the fact that new Steelers O-Coordinator Todd Haley and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had not spoken or met since Haley’s hiring. That popular story line can hopefully take a rest as it is reported that they met on Tuesday of this week. [Sporting News]
More Steelers drama as WR Hines Ward pleaded guilty this week to reckless driving charges stemming from an arrest back in July of last year. [ESPN]
By Krystal Ball, on Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 8:30 AM ET
State mandated-transvaginal probes!
Well Virginia, you certainly know how to get a gal’s attention. This weekend I went home to Virginia, partly to give my parents their granddaughter fix but partly to survey the political landscape. My home state has suddenly become the focus of national attention due to extreme anti-woman legislation that looks ready to be passed by the Republican legislature and could yet be signed into law by Republican Governor and vice presidential hopeful Bob McDonnell. The truth is that Virginia’s lady problems go way beyond what I like to call PAP (Probes and Personhood).
For years, a slim Democratic margin in the Virginia Senate and a hold on the governorship kept extreme legislation from becoming law. But since Republicans took over both chambers and the governor’s mansion, each bill has been more hard-edged than the last. With PAP, the Virginia GOP seem to finally have crossed a line — and it may well doom McDonnell’s national ambitions.
In 2009, the Democratic nominee for governor, Creigh Deeds, was swept away by a rising tide of anti-Obama Tea Party fervor and Bob McDonnell became governor, pledging to focus like a laser on jobs. In fact, his campaign slogan was “Bob’s for Jobs.” Poor Creigh didn’t stand a chance against someone whose name actually rhymed with jobs! Democrats, however, held onto the State Senate by a slim two-seat margin. The divided government was good for McDonnell, who clearly harbors national ambitions for 2012 and beyond. The Democratic Senate acted as a levee holding back the steady flow of extreme legislation coming out of the Republican House of Delegates. In addition to keeping the worst laws off the books, the Democratic Senate unknowingly did a favor for Bob McDonnell by saving him from becoming the critical deciding factor between Republican red-meat radicalism and mainstream sentiment in an increasingly purple state.
Read the rest of… Krystal Ball: How the Virginia GOP Could Tank Bob McDonnell’s Political Fortunes
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Feb 22, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET
Well, this is terrifying. The FDA is getting ready to review AeroShot, a shot of inhalable caffeine. [Time]
We all know exercising is necessary for a healthy body, but how exactly does it impact the brain? [NY Times]
Read about the science behind why dancing gives you such a high. [Psychology Today]
A new study shows that children who watch movies with drinking scenes are twice as likely to start drinking alcohol themselves. [NPR]
574,000 one-ounce bottles of grape-flavored liquid infant Tylenol have been recalled after complaints that the dosing system was too hard to use. [Wall Street Journal]
Blog this!
