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 Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Fri Jun 10, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
On the night of June 3, Indiana University student Lauren Spierer went missing. The 20-year-old left a local sports bar, and never made it back to her apartment just blocks away. Lauren, a New York native, has a life-threatening heart condition called Long QT Syndrome that can be fatal without medication. The search for Lauren is still ongoing, but thanks to the power of social media, people all over the country are getting involved and spreading the word.
The news of Lauren’s disappearance shook the entire IU campus. Even though my friends and I don’t know Lauren personally, we’re all Hoosiers– the same thing could have happened to us. So my friends at the School of Journalism did what they do best: they started reporting. The Indiana Daily Student website provides constant updates on the search for Lauren, both for the Bloomington community and for those of us who are too far away to help in person.
But something even bigger happened– Facebook and Twitter feeds exploded within hours with information about when and where Lauren was last seen, what she was wearing, and what people could do to help. Lauren’s friends started a Facebook page to spread information across the country, which now has more than 26,000 members.
Twitter, which many considered to be a passing fad, has become one of the leading sources of up-to-date information about the search. The @NewsOnLaurenS Twitter account has more than 12,000 followers across the country, as of Wednesday. The page tweets updates each time the police releases new information. The account also tweets information about the meeting time and location of volunteer search parties. Thanks to national exposure, Wednesday’s search party had more than 250 volunteers. #FindLauren is a trending topic on Twitter, and celebrities like Zooey Deschanel and Ryan Seacrest have used their star power to spread the word.
The national exposure that social media provides ensures that people across the country will get involved in the search for Lauren, whether they’re donating their time, money, or awareness. This sad occurrence also proves that Twitter doesn’t just perpetuate fake scandals like Weinergate, it can serve a bigger purpose: keeping people informed and united in times of trouble.
It’s important to keep spreading the word, and more importantly, to help. If you’re near Bloomington, follow @NewsOnLaurenS for information about search parties each day. Or, you can go to the IU Hillel website to donate money to the search committee. If you have tips, call the Bloomington Police Department at 812-339-4477.
This Sunday, June 12th, is the 44th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court’s decision that struck down laws forbidding interracial marriage. Unbelievably, that’s forty-four more years that gay men and women have been legally denied the basic human right of marrying the person they love. Just before her death four year years ago, Mildred Loving released a statement in support of the rights of our gay friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to marry the person whom they choose. Where do you stand? [American Foundation for Equal Rights]
In a hint that modernity is at least creeping along in the US cultural landscape, a Catholic bishop in San Joaquin, California, has informed the clergy there that they may “perform blessings of same-gender civil marriages, domestic partnerships and relationships which are lifelong committed relationships characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect [and] careful, honest communication.” However positive this step is, perhaps the good bishop should lower his expectations of the whole relationship thing a bit? Geez! Remember: progress, not perfection. [The Guardian]
A recent infographic released by Online Dating University (We Will Teach You How to Get Laid) looks at how Facebook affects you and your relationships. Are one of the 31% of FB users that changed their relationship status to “single” over the last year? Interesting just how intertwined many of our lives have become with Facebook and what a boon it is to sociologists and researchers! [The Atlantic]
Finally, absolutely barmy to see Paul, Yoko, Sean, Dani and Olivia together to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Cirque de Soleil’s The Beatles Love. Check out the photos [here. Las Vegas Sun]
By Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, on Fri Jun 10, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
I recently visited Madison where I spoke to Wisconsin Women in Government, a group founded 24 years ago to support women who choose a career in public service. I welcomed the chance to talk about the ways women discover their power, a subject near to my heart and experience. Even though I’d grown up in a very political family, I’d never imagined as a young girl that I’d become a lawyer or run for political office. That’s what guys did. But eventually the women’s movement empowered me to develop talents I didn’t know I had and inspired me to encourage other women to do the same.
When I was in college, I saw women rally, conduct sit-ins and teach-ins, and march in the streets. In large groups and small meetings, women told their stories, demanded their rights, and passionately argued that they were equal to men. Women friends became class speakers, were hired to teach in law school, and won lawsuits. Heartened by their words and actions, I went to law school myself and founded a group called Women in Politics.
I couldn’t have accomplished these things without the support of other women who were also becoming empowered. Led by trailblazers like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, we gradually came to see ourselves differently and stopped believing what the world kept telling us–that we didn’t have it in us to make it a man’s world. We changed ourselves and we changed society. Friendship and solidarity made these transformations possible.
It wasn’t easy. I didn’t have a single woman professor in college. After law school, I applied for a job at Legal Services, and since I had two children, asked if I could work part time. The director said no. He wanted Legal Services to stick to the same standards as large law firms. They didn’t have part-time lawyers, and neither would he. A few years later, he was elected to Congress and joined a family-friendly caucus. He had changed, like many others.
Read the rest of… Kathleen Kennedy Townsend: Empowering Public Employees: Lessons From the Women’s Movement
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Speed
Do you recall the tale of the tortoise and the hare? Believe it or not that can be applied to modern NASCAR. It is not always the most dominant or fastest car and driver that wins. Sometimes it is the team that best manages fuel. [All Left Turns]
Carl Edwards is back on top of ESPN’s NASCAR power rankings this week. Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth round out the top five. [ESPN]
This week Jalopnik counts down the top ten 16-bit cars. [Jalopnik]
As with many things in popular culture the fly-by performed by a jet was introduced by Tom Cruise’s character Maverick in the movie Top Gun. I don’t know who the pilot in these videos is, but what I do know they are terrifying (and pretty awesome). [Jalopnik]
Agree with its premise or not, this Bloomberg editorial concisely sums up the upheaval currently going on in immigration policy. The RP predicts that immigration will, yet again, be a huge issue in the 2012 presidential election. Bloomberg
The RP heard this story this week on NPR. A very interesting piece on a young Yemeni woman that spent a year in the United States and turned her lens on us to document “the lives of American women [her] age and to compare and contrast (them) with the lives of Yemeni
young women.” Read, listen, learn. Yemeni Photographer Turns Her Lens On The West
The RP has referenced the DREAM Act a number of times in The Politics of Immigration. Here’s a video project in search of funding that puts faces and stories to the tragedy of young men and women brought to this country by their families,
educated and socialized as Americans, then unable as young adults to attend college or find gainful employment because of their immigration status. Kickstarter
Contributing RP Jeff Smith answers the Politico Arena query as to whether House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continues to be an effective foil for Republican candidates:
The trend’s spread to my neck of the woods, too: Missouri Republican Ed Martin kicked off his congressional campaign yesterday by tying prospective opponent Rep. Russ Carnahan to Pelosi as well (even though it was Steny Hoyer – not Pelosi – here campaigning for Carnahan the day before). This strategy appeared to be effective for Martin last cycle; he held Carnahan under 49 percent in a 59 percent Democratic Performance Index district.
Unfortunately, Pelosi’s numbers last fall were worse than Richard Nixon’s were during impeachment. Democrats can lament that and condemn Republicans for using sexist imagery and rhetoric to caricature her, but her cake is baked. (Wait, was that sexist?)
Since this appears to be a coordinated national message with money behind it, one can only assume that NRCC polling suggests that Pelosi remains a drag on Democratic congressional candidates in swing districts. It may not make sense given the House Dems’ relative impotence in the face of a Paul Ryan-driven agenda which is in itself quite unpopular, but I’m afraid these attacks still resonate.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jun 9, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
This week, The Recovering Politician published three pieces in which contributing RPs Jeff Smith, Artur Davis, and I weighed in on the John Edwards investigation and trial. If you missed them, here they are:
These articles certainly touched a nerve. I received several dozen emails from our readers, each giving their own take on the controversy.
Below I run a sample of the readers’ letters. Since I did not ask explicitly for permission, I am not using the authors’ names. However, if I used your email, and you would like to be identified, please let me know.
And of course, as always, we encourage you to comment below.
Is what John Edwards's campaign did against the law? That's the
question, right? It's not about the character of John Edwards, or at
least shound't be. And as for the poor first-time candidate worried
about taking it on the chin because he copped a few free haircuts or
some used clothes, wouldn't he want to know one way or the other
whether it's okay before he takes a gift? The commentary I have seen,
like that cited on your blog, doesn't say one way or the other whether
what happened here is or isn't (or should or shouldn't be) against the
law, but rather (i) leave the poor guy alone and (ii) what's the big
deal? History is full of powerful people who left the stage in shame
and then still had to suffer being investigated, sued, and/or
prosecuted. It's a risk that goes with being a public person with
something to hide. In Edwards' case, these were large donations (not
free haircuts), and if whether they should have been disclosed because
they served a political purpose is an open question, then let's get
the answer. Doing so would hopefully shed some light on what is
obviously a murky area, and may help deter some future shenanigans.
Someone will always be ready to push the envelope. If the edge is not
well defined, or worse, the signal is sent that we won't pursue cases
of apparent wrongdoing that are near the edge, we open the door to
even worse behaviour in the future.
John Edwards’ approval ratings are between 2 % and 3%. I hope he will never be considered for public office again. I think he is lower than dirt for his arrogant, narcissistic, dishonest acts against his dead wife and his children. His character is too low for him to be considered for any responsible government job. If he has broken laws in his covering up his out-of-wedlock child and lover, I would not shed a tear if he went to jail or was forced to do public service for indigent wives whose husbands have left them for the healthy, years younger model. I sent money to this man’s campaign, and it was NOT sent to support a mistress and baby outside of marriage! Poverty for John Edwards seems to me the best punishment.
Numerically, the Republicans seem to be cranking out more reprobates, liars, adulterers, thieves, and liars, but Democrats had better police their own if they want to count themselves as those taking the “high ground.”
Read the rest of… The Edwards Affair — Our Readers Weigh In
We’ve been so snowed under with responses to this week’s commentary on John Edwards’ investigation and potential trial that we’ve decided to print some tomorrow. Tune in at 8:30 am to read a wide variety of opinions, and we hope you will join the fray in the comments section.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Wed Jun 8, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Laughter
The U.K.’s version of America’s Next Top Model allowed fans to vote on their website for who they want to see as contests during the next season. All I have to say in regards to the person holding down the #1 spot in fan voting is “Go, Roland, go!” [next.uk]
Blog this!
