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 John Y. Brown III, on Wed Oct 19, 2011 at 1:35 PM ET
Looking back on our lives, we are usually proudest of things we’ve done.
I’m perhaps proudest of something I stopped doing.
Although I rarely mention it, today is 26 years since I had my last drink of alcohol. It was an awfully good decision.
And I mention today because maybe some young person who is where I was 26 years ago will reach out for help. I’m glad I did. And grateful help was there….and more help is available today than ever before.
I won’t comment more on this but if anyone wants to message me personally, I’m happy to try to help.
(To send a confidential message to John, you can send an email to JYB3@TheRecoveringPolitician.com. That will go directly to John’s personal account.)
Could our culture of instant gratification, high expectations and economic stress be to blame for the high divorce rate? A recent study shows that what was once known as the seven year hump is coming earlier than ever. In fact, researchers suggest that the honeymoon period for relationships is wearing off around three years. [CBS News]
State Representative Joel Kleefisch of Wisconsin has proposed a bill that would make prenuptial agreements ironclad. While opponents argue that this would make it easier than ever for an individual to get victimized by their spouse, Kleefisch reported that the individuals that fall victim to their spouse get what they deserve. [The Capital Times]
A study done at Brigham Young University showed that couples that have more money have more problems with their relationships. A survey asked partners to report how much they value particular aspects of their lives. Individuals who reported that having money was not important to them scored 10%-15% better on their marriage stability. [Science Daily]
Educating our children in single sex classrooms could be reinforcing sexism. While advocates for single sex classrooms argue that they promote leadership, independence and academic success for young women, opponents suggest that these differences have simply been a result of better teachers. [Science Magazine]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Oct 19, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
Girls, do yourself a favor and please don’t want to be like Snookie when you grow up. New research from the Girl Scouts Research Institute reveals that 80 percent of girls who watch reality TV shows think the programs are unscripted and true to life. [Time]
Here’s seven ways to beat the afternoon energy slump: [Huffington Post]
A malaria vaccine in progress could save millions of lives. [NY Times]
Is there something scientific about the types of personalities that can handle the presidency? [Psychology Today]
Feeling down? Watch this montage of positive reinforcement clips from “Glee” and you’ll be smiling faster than you san say “Don’t stop believing!” [NY Magazine]
We introduce our newest Friend of RP tomorrow, and we think that you will enjoy her.
Named by Keith Olberman as “The Worst Person in the World” as a college student, she’s done some growing up. Now a twenty-something and mother of four, she regrets her strident language and tactics in her recent youth, while still holding strong to her conservative values.
This is the type of recovery we love to spotlight here at The Recovering Politician. And we also look forward to reading more from her unique point of view.
How has technology changed college today? This is an extensive topics that includes countless new developments which have found their way into the lives of college students inside and outside of the classroom. See here for an overview of rapid changes seen in the past 20 years. [VatorNews]
The most recent explosion from Apple has been the iPad. Since its release, there has been much speculation on the extensive possibilities tablets could provide not just for college classrooms, but in all areas of education. [Online Colleges]
Could the end of the printed textbook be approaching? Between 1986 and 2005, the average price of textbooks rose 186 percent. As the technological age takes us over, it seems clear a major aim of new businesses would be to eliminate these bulky, expensive books from college life. See here for some projects currently underway. [The Chronicle]
A new study has concluded that access to search engines like Google has actually hindered students’ ability to effectively research, rather than furthered it. The study attempted to understand the dramatic changes in how college students conduct research and to determine the effects on the students. [The Conversation]
Not only are the students utilizing new technologies, but the universities as a whole have begun using the opportunities provided to further their messages as well. In particular, social media has become a focal point for many institutions, including usage of Facebook, Twitter, iTunesU, and YouTube. See here for twenty schools that have put a particularly large emphases on these technological outlets. [Best Colleges Online]
Here are the details on tonight’s GOP debate from Nevada. I wonder what the Vegas odds are that Herman Cain’s “9-9-9 Plan” is mentioned within the first 9 seconds. [2012 Election Central]
The recently freed American hikers detained in Iran support Occupy Wall Street in Oakland, California. Do you? [Mercury News]
90% of North Koreans who defected to South Korea considered Kim Jong-Il’s remarks as good as law. Makes the Supreme Court’s constitutional jurisprudence read like a peaceful bedtime story. [Yonhap News Agency]
By Steven Schulman, on Tue Oct 18, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
My team, beset by an epic collapse and management dysfunction, has me angry, depressed and sleepless. The seeds of this disappointment were sown when I lived in Boston, a recent college grad who stayed in the cradle of idle young men (a tradition that started with the Sons of Liberty, the first Bostonians with way too much time on their hands).
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I had the good fortune to live in easy proximity of the leadership of the franchise that has so disappointed me this year. I watched faithfully as ownership built some great teams, and even though we both spent plenty of time at Fenway, I could not truly call those my own. It was only this year that I allowed myself to buy in fully, but given past performance, I should have known that heartbreak was more likely than a shower of Champagne.
Our Entourage. From Top left, clockwise: The author's much better looking brother, the RP, the author, and Turtle
I am, of course, talking about the recent disastrous performance of OVFTY Charts and my co-owner, The RP. Fantasy football is killing me. (Yes, I am also a Red Sox fan, but two World Series wins in the recent past has assuaged the pain of this year’s flop.)
While Jonathan and I have enjoyed Rotisserie league baseball as rivals over the course of 22 seasons, it was only his year that we decided to co-own a team. Because The RP has matched me with 6 titles in our Rotisserie league over its long history, I had high expectations. OK, so neither of us know anything about football, but how hard could it be for two men with absurdly expensive educations and penchants for obsession over the most trivial matters? (For Jonathan, politics; for me, Slovakian mud wrestling.)
Read the rest of… Steven Schulman: The Collapse of The RP
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Oct 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Politics of Fashion
BREAKING NEWS: Uniqlo, a Japanese Fashion Retailer, is taking over the world. No, seriously. [WWD]
Having trouble finding make-up to complement your Halloween costume? Look no further! Check out these Halloween-inspired make-up collections: [Fashionista]
Will you be watching Project Runway‘s spin-off, Project Accessories? [Lifetime]
Sale and Karl Lagerfeld typically do not belong in the same sentence. However, at Macy’s, they do. Uh oh. [Racked]
It’s time to stack up your nail polish collections for the Fall! [Fashionista]
Blog this!
