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:
Tomorrow, The Recovering Politician will be here to deliver the humor.
We begin at 8:30 with contributing RP Jeff Smith‘s latest piece on how a small lie led to both hilarity and a meaningful friendship.
Then the RP will engage around lunchtime with his latest Huffington Post submission, which should make you chuckle. (We hope it was intended to do so…)
So see you on Hump Day. We will make sure it will be memorable.
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue May 24, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Film
Super 8, the film directed by JJ Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, has been marketed heavily for the past year. Now, the first critics have been allowed to screen it. They were allowed to tweet their thoughts. /Film has a good rundown of what everybody thought. [/Film]
At the Cannes Film Festival last week, director Lars Von Trier really stepped in it. In a strange diatribe, he said that he “understood Hitler” and claimed he was a Nazi. He was banned from Cannes, but Kirsten Dunst, who stars in his new film Melancholia, still managed to win best actress at the festival. Von Trier has apologized a few times, with varying success. [Guardian]
A trailer for my most anticipated film of 2011 was released this weekend, attached to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. To be honest, this trailer was my favorite part of the movie. [Film Junk]
Since about 2009, film industry watchers have been wondering when, or if, the emblematic film about the 2008 financial crisis will be made. HBO has put together a star-studded cast to enact Ross Sorkin’s Too Big To Fail. Could this be it? One reviewer doesn’t seem to think so. [IFC.com]
James Cameron made 3-D into what it is today with his film Avatar. It seems like he enjoys the format more than almost anyone, and he is converting one of his older films into 3-D. Its the one about the ship that sinks with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet…I forget the name. [The Movie Blog]
Amongst all of the other disasters, wars, famines and plagues of locusts going on this week, Tiger Woods fell out of the Top Tenprofessional golfers list for the first time since 1997. Here’s a quick reminder of why he was there so long. [Greatest Shots (2005-2009)]
Will Tiger ever come back to dominate the field, terrifying his competitors, crushing his rivals and making Phil Mickelson squeal? Kevin Maguire (among many other golf pundits) thinks not. [ESPN]
Novak Djokovic continued his winning streak yesterday at the French Open, breezing past Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. He has now won 38 straight matches this season. He would need five more wins to beat John McEnroe’s Open era record of 42. Can the gentle Serb beat Nadal at Roland Garros and Mac’s record? [LA Times]
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue May 24, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
We’re now ready for Part 3 of the most spectacular film I have ever directed and produced. (OK, it is the only one. Still…) Hopefully, it is more like Return of the Jedi than Godfather III.
Last week, RPTV shared with you Part 1 and Part 2 of My Home Energy Efficiency Rehab which taught you about the initial energy audit of my residence, and gave you some illustrative examples of some of the problems your own house might be facing. It also shared some of the energy savings that you might be able to capture with just a small investment — an investment that will be returned in spades.
Today, Part 3 focuses on the rehab itself. The 15-minute film will give you a brief overview of the plans, as well as show you much of the work being done at my home. As you will see, I have decided to install geothermal in my home — a big production, but something that will pay for itself and far more in the long run.
If I’ve inspired you to explore an energy efficiency rehab at your own residence, and you live in Kentucky, we have a great new program called KY Home Performance – that I’m using for my own home — which provides low-interest loans or generous rebates to KY citizens. You can find out more here.
If you live in the region, amd you’d like to specifically contact Jamie Clark of Arronco — who is both the contractor of the rehab as well as the tour guide of this film — go to this link. Arronco can install geothermal, as well as the more traditional electric and gas rehab work, in an extraordinarily affordable and environmentally-friendly way.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue May 24, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
A few weeks after the surprising news of Osama Bin Laden’s death, data from multiple polls reveals that Americans’ primary source of news coverage was television. [Poynter Institute]
Newsweek discusses how American media outlets have coped with a particularly difficult May news cycle in the face of major budget cuts. [Newsweek]
Donald Trump’s fake presidential bid, by the numbers: [Good Magazine]
Twitter is in more trouble. British soccer star Ryan Giggs is suing the social media site for revealing his affair with a British model, despite an injunction that prevented the information from being printed in traditional media. [Wired]
A small group of Christians said The Rapture would happen on May 21, 2011. Here’s how the media and American culture built the “end of the world” up into a cultural phenomenon: [Associated Press]
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue May 24, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Fashion
This week, the Politics of Fashion joins with the Politics of Wealth as you can now buy stock in Prada! Check it out: [Bloomberg]
If you like circles, triangles, or squares, or if you just want to relive your Kindergarten memories, you might like the latest jewelry collection by Project Runway‘s Mondo Guerra! [NY Mag]
The Kardashian clan’s latest business venture is a nail polish line – will you be buying? [Racked]
Pajama Jeans might become the newest addition to your wardrobe. I hope not, but they might! Check out the commercial: [Racked]
Perfume is fashion, right? Maybe not but I just had to tell you guys that Justin Bieber just launched his own fragrance for women. Not for 13-year old girls, but for women. Is the Bieber growing up? Check it out: [SHEfinds]
By Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, on Tue May 24, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Among her many civic and philanthropic roles, contributing RP Kathleen Kennedy Townsend sevres as Chair of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology, founded by well-known AIDS researcher Dr. Robert C. Gallo. In recent weeks, the Institute received $23 million in new funding for an HIV/AIDS vaccine from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Army, and other organizations.
Still, Townsend argues, the need for research dollars is far, far greater. As she wrote for Atlantic magazine online:
While researchers are still struggling to develop a preventive vaccine, the treatment of HIV/AIDS has drastically changed. For most of the developed world, HIV/AIDS has been transformed from a death sentence to a chronic disease.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case in the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions don’t have access to life-saving drugs. For them the death sentence has not been commuted.
We lead off Tuesday with a piece from contributing RP Kathleen Kennedy Townsend about her work battling the global AIDS epidemic. While considerable progress has been made fighting the disease in the US, we still face an enormous challenge worldwide. Tune in at 8:30 AM to learn more about the scope of this problem.
At lunchtime, as we know you’ve been anticipating, The Recovering Politician will feature Part 3 of My Home Energy Efficiency Rehab. With the audit behind us, we move on to see what the rehab entails, and how these changes can dramatically improve the efficiency of your home, saving you bundles.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon May 23, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
Apple recently updated iTunes. No big deal, just a simple update, right? Wrong. The latest version of iTunes has has made using your iPod or iPhone with an older Apple computer impossible. This column’s author was unable to connect his daughter’s iPod Nano with his 4-year-old Macbook. This is another entry in a growing list of mistakes Apple has made since becoming the world’s valuable brand. [The Guardian]
Was LinkedIn scammed? This story goes to show, if you are going to take your company public, make sure you get it right. [New York Times]
26 terabits per second. “At those speeds, the entire Library of Congress collections could be sent down an optical fibre in 10 seconds.” Your mind should now be blown. [BBC]
By Sandra Moon, RP Staff, on Mon May 23, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
The Politics of Faith
Harold Camping’s doomsday prediction failed in 1994, and once again failed this past Saturday. Let’s just hope that third time’s not a charm. [Reuters]
The Taliban claims responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul resulting in six dead. [Boston Globe]
Former Utah Governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman declares he is Mormon after previously dodging questions about his religious affiliation. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Since the world has not come to an end, it’s time to continue on with our daily lives. Here are 7 shortcuts to to help add some happiness to each day. [Huffington Post]
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