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 Sep 16, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
The Politics of the Planet
A California study actually looks at the potential dollars lost at various beaches because of rising sea levels. [latimes.com]
As technology changes the demand for earth metals rises and some are becoming rare and others are mined in politically dubious areas. As prices go up, recycling technology should improve. [bbc.co.uk]
The first balloon to test man-made solutions to climate change set to launch in the UK. [bbc.co.uk]
What do South Carolina and Michigan have in common? They are the only two US States that have not had a disaster declared. [npr.org]
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Fri Sep 16, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
The Politics of Film
New casting news from the next Tarantino film Django Unchained out this week. Are you as excited for this film as me? No, you aren’t. That would be impossible. [/Film]
The Weinstein Company is one of the biggest film distribution companies in the world. One of its newest films, Butter, isn’t doing so hot. So, Harvey Weinstein decided to do something crazy: he invited Michele Bachmann (the lady who fights for girl’s rights to cervical cancer) to the Iowa premier. [The Guardian]
The Toronto International Film Festival is going on right now. There is a lot of news about what films are being picked up for distribution. One film that I am excited to see, dark comedy God Bless America, was recently picked up. [Film Junk]
Christina Hendricks might play Wonder Woman in a film about the DC heroine. This would cause me great joy. [IFC]
Top Gun is being post-produced into 3-D. This is incredible stupid, but so was that movie. [The Movie Blog]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Fri Sep 16, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET
Terrelle Pryor is seeking to overturn his 5-game suspension after initially stating he would not. The former Ohio State QB just recently met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has stated that it was productive. We will now wait to find out if we will get the see Pryor within the first five weeks of the season. [Sports Illustrated]
This late summer should have been prime time for a centrist third party movement called Americans Elect. With Barack Obama’s approval ratings around 40 percent, and a profound fear that Republicans are too extreme and too un-serious to govern, the case for another political path is arguably being made by events.
But unless you are an avid reader of Tom Friedman’s columns at the New York Times, or Matt Miller at the Washington Post, you’ve likely never heard of Americans Elect and their audacious plan to qualify for the 2012 ballot in all 50 states. They are well-heeled, based on starting capital from some major hedge-fund players; respectable enough to have caught the attention of serious people like Friedman and Miller; and essentially still an anonymous blip on the public radar.
A major part of the skepticism is historical in nature – the last credible third party, the Progressives in 1912, had the virtue of being led by a popular ex president, and the updated versions have been regional demagogues or self-appointed provocateurs. Then there is the Nader factor – the experience that a third party often guarantees that the “evil”, rather than the “lesser of two evils”, wins.
All true. Yet, the national atmosphere lately has been unsettled enough that the past has ceased being the predictor of the future in politics. The grip of Democrats and Republicans on voter loyalty is weaker than it has traditionally been. We are also on the cusp of a double dip recession handmade by dysfunctional two-party politics.
Read the rest of… Artur Davis: A Pathway for Americans Elect?
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Sep 15, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
The National Labor Relations Board recently ruled that employees cannot be fired for complaining and/or making comments about work on Facebook or other social networking sites. [Forbes]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Thu Sep 15, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
The Politics of Fame
Show me the love: President Obama tells crows “if you love me” you’ll help get the jobs bill passed. [Breitbart]
Rupert Murdoch’s son James is called to testify before members of Parliament one more time. [The Financial Times]
“Is it weird enough yet?”: Thomas Friedman weighs in on the climate change skepticism of Republican Presidential candidates Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. [New York Times]
NASA finally unveils it new rocket to replace the retired space shuttle. [PC World]
Texas Governor Rick Perry casts himself as a man of faith. Some argue this means he is also casting himself as an anti-intellectual. [The Washington Post]
The winning bidder for a lunch with Warren Buffet was hired at the lunch to work for Buffett. So, who is this mysterious investor and what does his hiring mean for the future of Berkshire Hathaway? [The Wall Street Journal]
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Sep 15, 2011 at 1:00 PM ET
At some point, I will give our loyal readers a full and mostly serious account of my amazing journey through Italy this past week.
But first, let me share my most two overwhelming impressions, of beer and Pisa.
First, beer. See the picture above. There really is Duff beer. It’s not just for Homer anymore. (And wasn’t the original Homer Greek, not Roman?)
Second, Pisa. It was absolutely amazing to see the Tower of Pisa (which is a lot smaller in person than you imagine, just as Michaelangelo’s David is a lot bigger). What an incredible thrill it was to stand in the same place where Galileo and Rick Perry dropped the pizza to disprove the scientific community’s misplaced faith in global warming and a round earth! Quite humbling.
But just like climate change and rough earth theory, the so-called “Leaning” Tower of Pisa is just yet another conspiracy. Check out the picture below. The Tower and I are perfectly straight, while the rest of Pisa leans to the right.
Another tragic myth perpetuated by the mainstream media, debunked exclusively here for the RP Nation.
By Patrick Derocher, on Thu Sep 15, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET
Rep. Gohmert in a less interesting moment.
Well, you can’t fault him for not having a sense of humor. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) has introduced a prank jobs bill that consists solely of repealing the corporate income tax. The catch? Like President Obama’s jobs bill, it is called the American Jobs Act of 2011. The President’s bill has yet to be introduced, owing to protest from both sides of the aisle, and will now have to be given a different name. Gohmert, known as a Tea Party provacateur, is considered one of the chamber’s more fiery conservatives. [Slate]
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