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:
We have another busy Friday in store for you at The Recovering Politician.
If you’ve become a fan of contributing RP Artur Davis — or were already one to begin with — he will be the star of this week’s RPTV Friday Video Flashback. Tune in around lunchtime for his moving views on faith, humility and compassion.
We lead off with the debut of a new Friend of RP. Tired of life as just another lawyer, he jumped ship and began his second act in a new profession. Any of our readers looking for inspiration to make a career change should check in tomorrow at 8:30 AM.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu May 19, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Speed
Gas prices are high. We all know it, we all have to deal with it. However, just because you are getting squeezed at the pump don’t let yourself be susceptible the various “gas saving” devices on the market. They are scams – pure and simple. [Jalopnik]
Here is a very interesting article from Patrick Peterson, a former NASCAR mechanic, on how pit crews deal with drivers and their rage. This an interesting, revealing article that NASCAR fans should definitely read. [All Left Turns]
Replacing the tires on your car is most likely not something you think about on a day-to-day basis. However, NASCAR drivers think about it minute-to-minute and the tire-changing strategy is changing in the current racing climate. [ESPN]
The Worldwide Leader has your NASCAR power rankings for this week and they include Carl Edwards holding onto the top spot and Matt Kenseth jumping up the list after winning 2 of the past 5 races. [ESPN]
In his role as a contributing member of Politico’s “Arena,” contributing RP Jeff Smith was asked if he believed the U.S. Senate’s “Gang of Six” — a bipartisan group formed to develop a solution to the budget deficit crisis — would remain relevant after the recent departure of conservative Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
Here’s Jeff’s answer:
The Gang remains relevant. Given his nature, Coburn could return as easily as he left; sure, he may be frustrated, but it’s probably just a tactic to get more movement from Durbin. Apparently they’re close to an agreement; if $130 billion more in Medicare savings is the main sticking point in an effort to achieve $4 billion in overall debt reduction, it would seem that this impasse can be bridged. And the ten weeks remaining to bridge it is an eternity: as with a tied NBA championship game with ten seconds left, there may be many more twists and turns to come.
This is an amazing story of courage and persistence in the face of adversity. Isabel Castillo, an undocumented immigrant who came to the United States with her family when she was six years old and has been a vocal and visible proponent of the DREAM Act, will be presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of San Francisco tomorrow, the 20th of May. There’s only one catch: this Magna Cum Laude graduate of Eastern Mennonite University without a Social Security card could be deported at any moment. [Catholic San Francisco]
The United States is not the only country that deports undocumented immigrants. Mexico commonly deports its fair share of people from Central and South America simply trying to get through the country safely and into the U.S. Yesterday, Mexico detained nearly 500 immigrants in two semi-trucks trying to reach the United States. [CNN]
Check out some incredible musica nueva this week from Brasil, Colombia, México and more on [Alt.Latino]
As I discussed yesterday, while many of us would like to take meaningful steps to adjust our lifestyles to help protect the plan; often times, the remedies can be expensive.
With a home energy efficiency rehab, however, your rehab expenses will be paid off by the savings in your utility bills after only a few years; then the savings go directly into your pocket.
Today, I will share with you part 2 of the energy audit of my house. In the coming week, films will feature the rehab itself.
If I’ve inspired you to get an energy audit and/or 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.
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Thu May 19, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Fame
Help wanted: major political party seeks candidate to run against President Obama. Send all applications to RNC headquarters with current resume and three professional references. [US News]
“I’ll [most likely NOT] be back.” The end of Arnold. [Politico]
Gingrich campaign raises eyebrows from the get-go: details here. [Washington Post]
THIS JUST IN: Latest polling data shows Huckabee’s exit boosts Romney. [Wall Street Journal]
FINAL TRUMP WATCH: The unbearable lightness of being The Donald. [Forbes]
By my count, six Republicans of differing degrees of stature have passed on running for President. Some of the hesitation is rooted in jitters about entering the national stage prematurely (Pence, Thune, maybe Christie, if he is chemically capable of jitters); some of it is based on a cold assessment that Barack Obama plus a billion dollar war-chest is too high a barrier in the fall, and that playing kingpin in the primaries is an appealing enough way to spend the winter and spring of 2012.
(1) Can Romney win a nomination when his signature accomplishment is anathema to his party? In the early part of the last decade, when a centrist record seemed essential to winning general elections, Romney’s stewardship of healthcare reform in Massachusetts seemed ideal pre-positioning for an eventual presidential run. Today, “Romneycare” is why a candidate who just raised 10 million dollars in a day, and who leads in the polls, is still so vulnerable. Roughly 80% of Republicans not only oppose the national legislation that copies major portions of Romney’s work, they loathe it and desperately desire its repeal. Romney’s efforts to explain away the comparison are so far a babble and greater scrutiny of his plan will only make matters worse.
Romney’s hope is that electability, the fact that he alone polls within hailing distance of Obama, will outweigh his albatross. His problem is that in primaries, electability is a vessel for blank slates, not candidates with a freight train of positions. Nor is Bill Clinton ‘s “centrist campaign” in 92 much of a model. Clinton’s defense of the death penalty and his then vague promises to revamp welfare were hardly signature issues that year; in contrast, the fate of Obama’s healthcare law will be front and center, especially in the GOP electorate. The hard reality for Romney: Gerald Ford is the last candidate who won a nomination with his party opposed to major chunks of his record and that did not end well.
(2) Is there a “silent majority” in the Republican Party? Jon Huntsman and to a degree, Mitch Daniels, think there is and that it is very different from the cultural conservative base that the term was coined to describe. The reason that Huntsman conceives that a social moderate who served in the Obama Administration can win, and the reason that Daniels call for a “truce” on abortion and gay rights, is that in their estimation there is a sleeping center in the Republican Party that distrusts the “culture wars”. There is limited circumstantial evidence for the premise: national polls for the better part of a decade have shown unexpected Republican sympathies for abortion rights and gay rights. But primaries and early caucuses contain more than their share of evangelical leaning conservatives who remain embracing of a traditional moral agenda.
Read the rest of… Artur Davis: Handicapping the Republican Primary
Thursday is a big day at The Recovering Politician.
Contributing RP and former U.S. Congressman Artur Davis leads off with an expert’s view of the machinations within the GOP presidential primary field. Davis makes some incisive observations from the perspective of someone who has run — and won — elections at the federal level.
At lunchtime, tune in to part two of the RP’s Home Energy Efficiency Rehab: The Electric Efficiency Boogaloo. After this series, and its helpful links to loan and rebate programs available in your area, you will be primed to save your family a whole heap of money.
We also will feature more musings from contributing RP Jeff Smith, who will share his thoughts on the ongoing budget debates in Washington, and specifically, the impact of the departure of Oklahoma’s junior U.S. Senator, Tom Coburn, from the “Gang of Six.”
And of course, much, much more. All for the low price of…nothing.
Apparently Purchase College in New York allowed it students to name a newly built dormitory. Would you like to know what they ended up with? Sure you would. [Purchase.edu]
Our own Recovering Politician could make good use of an invention such as this! (Potentially funnier if you have seen him whip out his iPad in person) [picture]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed May 18, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
After last year’s season of flops, network TV channels plan to strive for fresh, original programming. If they’re realize serious about shows with dinosaurs, fairy tale creatures and large-scale Broadway musical numbers, maybe they’re not kidding. [NY Times]
One of the world’s most controversial industries, coal mining, is trying to become popular with a new demographic: children. [Time]
The touching story of a gripping photo that came to represent the Freedom Riders and the civil rights movement: [CNN]
A Long Beach College professor reports that drinking beer and philosophy may go hand in hand. [Huffington Post]
Slate looks at the declining state of one of America’s fattiest fast food chains, Sbarro. Will baked ziti and pizza the size of your head still have a future in American shopping malls? [Slate]
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