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 Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, on Tue Jun 14, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
I’ve been mulling over a column by David Brooks on “The Politics of Solipsism” for the past couple of weeks. What he wrote is nervy to say the least. He argues that America has lost the republican virtues on which it was founded, namely, the curbing of self-centeredness in the interest of the public good. I too am a fan of Cicero, but Brooks fails in one of the primary republican virtues by not forthrightly acknowledging that Republicans, the adherents of Ayn Rand, are the ones who have most blatantly deserted these same virtues. Self interest has center stage on their platform.
Brooks praises Truman and Eisenhower, but he fails to mention that it was President Kennedy who repeatedly challenged Americans and asked them to sacrifice. He urged us to go to the moon because it was tough, not because it was easy. And when my father, Robert Kennedy, was running for president and medical students asked him who would pay for more health care for the poor, he quickly answered, “You will.”
Contrary to the Republican philosophy, summed up by Ronald Reagan, that government is the problem, John and Robert Kennedy considered politics an honorable profession and affirmed that government was the place where we “make our most solemn common decisions.”
Both my uncle and my father knew that America is at its best when its citizens are willing to give up something for others. That was the spirit in which they committed themselves to public service. Ultimately they both gave their lives in the service of their country.
Like my father and my uncle, I believe that serving the public good is the essential republican virtue. In fact I led the effort to make Maryland the first and still only state in the country where community service is a condition of high school graduation. I did this because I believe that virtue comes from habits developed, not sermons given. Aristotle said, “we become house builders by building houses, we become harp players by playing the harp, we grow to be just by doing just actions.”
Republican governors are making their mark attacking public servants. They’re laying off citizens who exemplify republican virtues like teaching in inner city schools, fighting drug cartels, and rushing into burning buildings. Why? So that those who make outrageous salaries can pay lower taxes.
Brooks says that Republicans want growth, but I see no evidence that they want growth for anyone but the most well off. Where is the commitment to education, to infrastructure, to science?
Rep. Paul Ryan
Brooks commends Paul Ryan for sending the message that “politics can no longer be about satisfying voters’ immediate needs.” And yet Ryan would give the rich even more of a tax break at a time when our taxes are the lowest in three decades.
George Washington, whom Brooks also praises, would be surprised that the rich are being asked to shoulder less of a burden. He supported excise taxes that would fall disproportionately on the wealthy. When he went to war, he brought his wife, Martha, to share the hard, cold winter of Valley Forge along with him.
The wealthy have a special responsibility. From those who have been given much, much will be asked. In a true republic, people of wealth and privilege are first in line to serve in government, go to war, contribute to the honor and glory of their country. They set the nation’s values. If what they value is money, money, money, then the country will follow.
After 9/11, George Bush asked us to shop. At just the moment when he could have called us to a cause greater than ourselves, he (apparently on the advice of Karl Rove) urged us to step up for new TVs and designer bags rather than for the public good.
So if Brooks really wants to put an end to the politics of solipsism, he must take on the Republican party itself, which has done so little to cultivate the virtues of service, sacrifice, and commitment to country.
Please don’t lecture us about solipsism and republican virtues when it’s Republicans who are the ones who have made such a virtue of self interest.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Jun 14, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
What are people making of Sarah Palin’s recently released emails? Pretty much nothing. [NY Magazine]
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords just released her first public photos since she was shot at an Arizona constituent event in January, in an effort to prevent the release of paparazzi photos. Her chief of staff says she may be released from the hospital before the end of the month. [Poynter Institute]
Twitter didn’t just create a new kind of political scandal, it also created this year’s version of the emoticon: the hashtag. #awesome [NY Times]
Remember WikiLeaks? Even though Julian Assange isn’t splashed across the news anymore, the website still affects how we get our political information. [CNN]
Facebook is awesome, but there’s certain virtual behaviors that have no place in real life. Example: don’t show random people your photos and ask them if they want to comment. [BuzzFeed]
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Jun 14, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Well, why don’t you look at this? It looks like some of your favorite male athletes are once again trading in their cleats and Nike warm-ups for Prada loafers and Giorgio Armani suits. The latest rave in the men’s fashion world is not Jorts (much to Kentucky fans’ surprise) nor the UGGs for men that I mentioned a couple weeks ago (thank heavens!), but the reemergence of male athletes as fashion models. Huh? That’s right – they’re back. It happens almost every year, and 2011 is no different. In 2008, we saw Tom Brady and Eli Manning face off as cover boys for Esquire and Men’s Vogue, respectively,but that was nothing in comparison tolast year’s fashion spell, which included Kobe Bryant tapping into his inner diva in a L.A. Times Magazine photo shoot, Tiger Woods posing for his infamous Vanity Fair cover, and Terrell Owens strutting his stuff down the runway. But, who will it be in 2011? Who will be the next major sports figure added to the expanding roster of athletes-turned-models?
Read the rest of… The Politics of Fashion: Are Male Athletes Fashion’s Newest “It” Boys?
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Politics of Tech
Let me introduce one of the worst laws regarding technology in recent years. A ban signed into law last week by Gov. Bill Haslam will have this effect “Anyone who sends or posts an image online (and yes, that includes TwitPics) that they “reasonably should know” would “cause emotional distress” could face several months in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.” Wow! [Engadget]
Newegg.com got a cease and desist from Best Buy for this one. [Youtube]
Google’s R&D team has been charged with making renewable energy cheaper than coal “within a few years.” I can’t wait to see what they come up with. [Fast Company]
Contact lenses that project a HUD (heads-up display) into your field of vision? Why not? [The Economist]
A company called Sonic.net that has been around since 1994, is introducing 1Gbps internet service along fiber-optic lines for $70 per month. Am I dreaming? [ars technica]
By Sandra Moon, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
The Politics of Faith
This week’s theme: Quote, unquote.
“Scripture tells you that all things shall pass,” said Mike Ditka after was fired from his Chicago Bears coaching job. That passage, however, is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Ignorance and confusion often lead those who profess a deep faith rooted in this book to misquote it, sometimes with theologically and socially harmful results. [CNN Belief Blog]
A young, Catholic U.S. President once said, “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.” Texas Governor and likely Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, along with several other GOP candidates, don’t seem to agree. [LA Times Op-Ed]
There is a saying in the Talmud that “a liar’s punishment is that he is not believed even when he tells the truth.” In response to Congressman Weiner’s sexting scandal and the subsequent lies that followed, four rabbis offer him faith-based advice. [Religion News Service]
Unitarian Universality minister Marilyn Sewell often hears people say “You can believe anything and be a Unitarian Universalist.” What do Unitarian Universalists actually believe? Sewell gives a summary of the religion’s theology. [Huffington Post]
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
A few weeks ago, I experimented with opening up the site to our readers for their Memorial Day tributes to beloved veterans.
It proved to be one of my very favorite days in the long, storied history of The Recovering Politician.
Well, there’s one job that a man can hold that’s even more important than military service. And we celebrate those men every third Sunday in June.
It turns out that Fathers’ Day coincides this year with what would have been my own father’s 73rd birthday.
So to celebrate both milestones, this Sunday, we will open up the site to your tributes and remembrances to your fathers. Whether you’ll be spending the day with dear old dad, or his memory will comfort you through the weekend, we want to hear your stories about your father.
We also want to see pictures. (No, not those kinds of pictures, Washington insiders!). Send us a photo of your dad. Better yet, a photo of you with your dad. Best yet, a photo of you and your dad when you were a kid.
The deadline for submissions of a short essay (100-1000 words) on your father and accompanying picture is this Friday, June 17 at 10:00 PM EDT. Send them to Staff@TheRecoveringPolitician.com.
Let’s make Fathers’ Day an even more rewarding day at The Recovering Politician. Share your stories and honor your father even more. Thanks.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Mon Jun 13, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Words are a very powerful thing, especially in politics. The choice of sympathetic versus tough language alone can make the difference in how a political situation is perceived, especially in a situation as contentious as that in Palestine. Our very own contributing RP, Artur Davis, wrote an op-ed on the power of words for the Montgomery Advertiser:
Words matter in politics to the point that they often have equal weight with ideas.
That is why Republicans religiously describe the 2010 health care reform as “Obamacare.” It is why much of the Latino community cringes at the term “illegal aliens” and why Newt Gingrich almost self-immolated his campaign when he described a Republican Medicare proposal as “right-wing social engineering.”
It should be no surprise then, that President Obama’s recent endorsement of an Israeli-Palestinian border drawn along the “1967 lines” has proved so contentious. It is possible to blunt the literal value of the words with diplomatic minutiae: the White House was swift to italicize the portion of Obama’s speech that referred to additional “swaps” of land on both sides of the 1967 lines as necessary additional elements of a permanent accord.
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