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 Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Fri Oct 21, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET
What a crazy story – the Detroit Lions were in the process of trading RB Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the trade was cancelled when the Eagles found a brain tumor during a physical. Luckily for Harrison the physical caught it early and the prognosis is quite good for his life and for playing football again. [ESPN]
By Ronald J. Granieri, on Fri Oct 21, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
The Arab Spring has led many commentators to ruminate upon the mixed blessings of democracy. As they asked when Hamas won the first free elections in Gaza, or when Hezbollah found itself in government in Lebanon, people today are asking, “Is democracy a good thing if people end up voting for extremists, or if they vote to crush the rights of minorities?” Ross Douthat, reflecting on the increasingly dire situation of Coptic Christians in Egypt, recently posed the question slightly differently, wondering whether the development of modern polities actually requires a kind of forced homogenization that comes at the expense of minorities.
Many if not all readers of this post likely agree that they prefer to live under a system of representative government based on democratic elections. Nevertheless, I wonder how many have taken seriously the structural problem of how democracy encouraging homogenization and its implications for the future. I have to admit it worries me more each day. My inspiration for such worry is not the impending presidential election (which gets more impending all the time as states fall over themselves to push their primaries back into 2011) but rather the approaching Election Day in my own back yard, Philadelphia. This year, as in 2007, the November Mayoral election is a complete afterthought, since it is obvious that Democratic incumbent Michael Nutter will sail to victory over the underfunded and barely noticed Republican challenger (and former Democrat) Karen Brown. The lack of excitement is even greater this time, since in 2007 at least the Democratic primary in May was a close-fought race among several viable candidates, whereas this year Nutter won the Democratic primary handily over token resistance. Then as now, however, commentators have to keep reminding themselves and their readers/listeners that Nutter has not officially been (re-) elected yet, even though there is no doubt.
Mayor Michael Nutter
My point here is not to attack Philadelphia (which I have come to like very much, as only the son of a different but eerily similar gritty post-industrial city) or Michael Nutter, who strikes me as an earnest and honest man. Nor is this a purely partisan complaint—I happen to agree with those Philadelphia Republicans who argue that their leadership is complicit in this situation. The problem is not that the Democrats will win in November. The problem is that, no one even pretends that the election will be competitive. I have seen this same development from the other side, when I lived in the lovely town of Greenville South Carolina, where all the action was in the Republican primary, while the general elections were a foregone conclusion. (That the one-party system was especially entrenched in Chicago, where I lived for the second through seventh years of the Reign of Richard II, goes without saying…)
Read the rest of… Ron Granieri: Democracy is for Losers…and That is a Good Thing
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Oct 20, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
Quantum Levitation. Unbelievably cool. You want to see this. [Youtube]
That’s one website you’ll never have to visit again. [picture]
Here is a preview of the Task Manager in the the upcoming Windows 8. Good stuff. [MSDN Blog]
A lawsuit filed in federal court by a Mississippi woman has accused Facebook of violating US wiretapping laws. This is based on the woman’s claim that Facebook tracked her browsing history even when she was not logged onto the site. [The Register]
This is hilarious: in a federal court hearing Samsung lawyers were unable to immediately distinguish the product they were defending (the Galaxy Tab 10.1) from the Apple iPad2. /facepalm [Digital Trends]
This is ridiculous. In Australia a fellow pointing out a glaring security flaw in a company’s website. How did they repay him? By claiming he broke the law, possibly created the bug, and then billing him. [Tech Dirt]
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Oct 20, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
I’ve written earlier that the only things I hate worse than negative ads are the political commercials of the “false positive” variety: You know, the ads that exaggerate a candidate’s record and/or make them out to be something that they are not.
The Kentucky Secretary of State’s race is probably not one you follow closely, even if you live here. However, you’ve got to watch the following ad in support of Alison Lundergan Grimes, a young Democrat in her first run for office. Unlike the hyper-serious false positives you may be used to, this one is clever, funny, and even throws in a short, clear policy message:
I think that it is the best ad of the cycle, and perhaps even the best ad produced for a Kentucky Secretary of State’s race since this one below from 1995 (for contributing RP, John Y. Brown, III):
Perry’s attack itself may not have been that effective, but the reply he elicited from Romney was sure damaging: “I’m running for office, for Pete’s sake,” Mitt said he told his contractor. “I can’t have illegals!”
Debates are about moments that (appear to) crystallize candidates as human beings. After the hostage crisis and other blows to American prestige, people craved strength in 1980, and so when Reagan boomed, “I paid for this microphone!”, it suggested that he could be provide America the backbone it wanted at that moment.
When George H.W. Bush looked at his watch in the 1992 town hall, it indicated that he just wasn’t that concerned with people’s plight – as opposed to the famed Clinton empathy to which a recession-weary nation responded. A simple gesture spoke volumes, because it comported with what Americans suspected was true: Bush was out of touch with their suffering.
In that vein, “I’m running for office, for Pete’s sake – I can’t have illegals!” Romney offered a window into his character: ambitious, practical, hands-on, and utterly lacking in principle. Let’s see if Perry can capitalize on this gift in the coming days.
By Sandra Moon, RP Staff, on Thu Oct 20, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Food
Toro, the fatty cut of flesh from the belly of a blue-fin tuna, is often the most expensive item at a sushi restaurant. Eat it while you can, because increasing demand, overconsumption, and unregulated fishing may lead the species to extinction. On second thought, maybe all sushi-lovers should refuse to eat it and opt instead for more sustainable species. [Triplepundit.com]
LivingSocial is launching a gourmet food events service aimed at offering foodies unique and exclusive dining opportunities. [Fox News]
If you went to McDonald’s and ordered a happy meal, would you be happy to find apples, but fewer french fries? Some fast food chains are making changes to help their customers eat healthier meals. Some aren’t happy with the changes and view them as taking away their right of choice. [NPR]
The RP’s Recipe of the Week: Creamy Delicata Squash Soup. Fall/winter varieties of squash are packed with vitamins and fiber. [Everynutrient.com] While this cream-based soup may not be the healthiest way to eat squash, it definitely is a delicious way to eat it. This is an easy recipe, and the butternut or acorn varieties can be used in place of delicata squash.
By Michael Steele, on Thu Oct 20, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Over the years, I have had the privilege of being “in the room” with quite a number of amazing people. From presidents to philanthropists to ordinary folk who did extraordinary things, each has left an indelible mark on America’s history. But more important than how history views these individuals is the immeasurable contributions that many have brought to the black experience in America.
Most recently I was honored and pleased to find myself in the green room at MSNBC with Harry E. Johnson, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. He was about to go on TV to talk about the dedication of the memorial — a stunning accomplishment and testament to perseverance — and what it means to the nation, but most especially to African Americans. Johnson shared with me that many who walked through that narrow entrance to the memorial have just stopped and wept when they came face-to-face with the towering figure of King.
As Johnson and I parted, it got me to thinking about how gifted we are to have individuals who rise from within our nation’s experience to define and to set in stone (figuratively and, in King’s case, literally) a uniquely American story born out of success and failure, pride and prejudice. Political fights between red and blue, right and left, may roil about us, and we may experience tough economic times, but we don’t have to reach too deep into history to see that this great nation still has unlimited potential. Indeed, our history teaches us that today’s hardships can build the character of one person or an entire people.
Which brings me to another individual I’ve met “in the room”: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. I consider it a rare privilege that I have had the opportunity on several public, and some private, occasions to see and to speak with Justice Thomas. From his full-throated laugh to his silent acquiescence to the fact that he is not accepted by most in the black community, I have found his story — and his sharing of it — to be both a genuine and an important representation of the black experience in America.
Read the rest of… Michael Steele: Are We Ready to Understand Clarence Thomas?
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Oct 19, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET
A terrific day of recovery and reinvention here at The Recovering Politician.
If you are new to the site, brought here as an FOM (Friend of Morgan), welcome. Despite my own progressive leanings, we welcome bi-partisanship here, and Morgan is a terrific new addition.
And in that vein, tomorrow, we lead off with a piece from contributing RP and former Republican National Chairman Michael Steele: “Are We Ready to Understand Clarence Thomas?”
Often controversial, but always civil. See you tomorrow.
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