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 Fri Nov 18, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Today is dedicated to all of my Christian readers, except those of the Laettner variety. Israel is my Jewish homeland, but is very much the Holy Land for Christians as well — for a variety of reasons; but most significantly, as the place where Jesus spent his entire life.
Accordingly, I want to share some pictures and stories from my ventures this morning along the Sea of Galilee, where Rabbi Jesus of Nazereth shared his profoundly influential message during the last few years of his life.
We began at Capernaum, home of Simon (Peter) and a synagogue in which Jesus shared his ministry. Check out the sign on the picture above. The white stone is from a 4th century facility built on top of the dark stone synagogue which dates from Jesus’ time. This landmark shows an extraordinary link between the archeological evidence and the scripture from the New Testament. And across the road lies the ancestral home of St. Peter, upon which different levels of churches have been built over the millennia.
Read the rest of… The RP: Walking in Jesus’ Footsteps
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Fri Nov 18, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET
Troubled Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly was sentenced yesterday to serve 6 years in prison. Jolly was under suspension from the league for the same drug charges he was put on probation for. It’s unfortunate to see a young guy with a promising career ahead of him mess things up. Hopefully he can overcome his addiction and we can see him play football again someday. [ESPN]
The 51 percent approval is definitely problematic. But remember that while the president’s struggles have been dissected in every way possible for the past three years, the inept Republican presidential field has yet to lay a glove on Mitt Romney. Democrats are likely to ensure that he is unrecognizable a year from now.
There are a lot of angry unemployed people in the country who blame the president for their plight, but it may be hard for Republicans to rally swing voters around that sentiment, given the fact that the economy wasn’t exactly humming along when the president took office.
Conversely, there are thousands more who, after being laid off by the profit-hungry Bain Capital machine, blame Mitt Romney. Their sentiments are, I think, more likely to move voters; I suspect that many of their heartbreaking stories will emerge.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Nov 17, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
We talked a little about Internet censorship last week. You can get more than enough information on the bill and what it could mean for the future of the Internet here. [American Censorship]
Ron Paul has come out in opposition to SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). [Tech Dirt]
Here is a summary of what SOPA would do to the Internet from one of the most popular tech sites out there. [ars technica]
Here is an update on where SOPA currently stands. Google and Facebook appear strong in their opposition. Important stuff happening in the tech world, people. [CBS News]
More from Google fighting the good fight: the RIAA recently requested they take down a music downloading app from the Android app store. Google refused. [PC Mag]
Google officially opened its music store and looks to go head-to-head with the Apple iTunes store. [Guardian UK]
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Nov 17, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
What happens when your mission through Israel is guided by an internationally-respected expert on religion, history, and archeology?
You get an extraordinary experience.
Let me share a few fun facts gleaned from the wisdom of Dr. Ian Stern (pictured at left), the Director at Archaeological Seminars Institute.
First, Ian is sitting on a rock that was separated from the Second Temple when it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.
The remaining part of the wall, known as the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, is in the background.
The stones in the foreground weigh somewhere between 6 and 8 tons. It took an incredible engineering feat to accomplish something so destructive.
How ’bout those Romans?
Heard of the Jewish holiday, Tisha b’Av, which commemorates the Temple’s destruction? Ian is sitting on it.
Fun fact 2: In the picture to the right, check out the ladder leading from the balcony to the window.
This is a closeup view from the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one of Christianity’s most significant holy sites — if not the single most significant — as it marks where Jesus was crucified, buried, and reborn.
So back to the ladder…That modest, unassuming ladder has rested in that exact spot for more than a century.
Why you ask?
Well, it has become a symbol for the millennia-old battle between various Christian churches for the right to manage the church ground. One church owns the balcony; another the window. If the ladder were moved, it would disrupt centuries of careful negotiation. Ian tells us that the church is opened and closed every day by a Muslim family to avoid inter-Christian squabbles.
Read the rest of… The RP: Fun Facts from an Extraordinary Tour Guide
By Sandra Moon, RP Staff, on Thu Nov 17, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Food
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and while some look forward to traditional side dishes, others want to break up the monotony of the holiday meal. Here are some ideas for easy side dishes that will add some new flavor to your Thanksgiving dinner. [NY Times]
How is Congress fighting the proposal by the Obama administration to make school lunches healthier? By allowing pizza to be counted as a vegetable. [MSNBC]
If you will be hosting any vegetarians at your holiday dinner, here are some tips to make them feel welcome at the table. [Food Network]
The RP’s Recipe of the Week: Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Fuji Apple [Food & Wine]
When approval of Congress barely crosses the 10% Mendoza line–an old baseball slang named after a journeyman player who consistently batted .100–it’s safe to say that improving their stock portfolio should not be a major fixation for senators and representatives. Recent press reports regarding stock trading by congressmen has touched one more nerve for a public that already believes politicians operate in their own gilded, privileged world.
I am still, however, a bit torn here–not because I did the same thing (for what its worth, I never owned stocks during the time I served in Congress) and not because I think it’s a good thing to use an elected office to further personal profit. The problem I have is that the controversy, in all its unseemliness, spares us some needed introspection: about how narrow some of our financial laws are, and about what some ill-timed trades say about a larger culture that virtually all us aided and abetted.
First, the laws and their relatively limited state. The misconceptions around insider trading are extensive, even in informed circles. Its not well known, for example, that you can search the whole federal criminal code and never find the term “insider trading”; the concept is a creation of how judges and regulators have interpreted the securities fraud laws (which were written in the thirties, before E-Trade, before money markets flourished, before stocks became a middle class instrument to fund colleges and cushion retirements).
The prevailing myth is that “insider trading” means you can’t buy or sell stocks based on “confidential information”. That’s actually wrong–the courts and regulators have focused on only one class of violations–hinging on individuals who have a specific legal or fiduciary duty to the source of the information. It’s true that you can be on the hook for criminal liability if you get information from someone that you know breached their fiduciary responsibilities–but it can be tough to prove what a trader knows about the ties between his source and the company whose confidences are being breached.
Read the rest of… Artur Davis: On Congressional Insider Trading
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Nov 16, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
In United States public school cafeterias, pizza still legally counts as a vegetable. Congress blocked the Department of Agriculture’s proposed changes school lunch menus to fight childhood obesity. [NY Times]
Could women’s use of birth control pills increase men’s risk of prostate cancer? A new study suggests there’s a link, finding that countries where more women take oral contraception have higher rates of prostate cancer and prostate cancer deaths. [Time]
Here’s seven stress-busting foods and scents for when Thanksgiving preparations get to be a little too much to handle. [Huffington Post]
Check out these healthy, easy recipes that only require one pot. [Fitness]
Read about the science about Toddlers and Tiaras moms and why some parents want to live through their kids. [Psychology Today]
How significant is the relationship status of a couple in their child’s development? A recent study showed children of married couples fair better in development. [Herald Sun]
A recent survey on married couples shows that marriage may be one thing that does improve with age. Older couples may be more affectionate and have better control over their emotions. [USA Today]
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced his support for gay marriage on Tuesday. He is the only current cabinet secretary so far to show public support. Could he be a trend setter? [Metro Weekly]
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