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 Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Politics of the Diamond
There has been a bit of hoopla in the media about an attendance crisis in MLB. The Big Lead has done some investigating. Turns out that if your front office makes an effort to put a good team on the field consistently, fans show up to games. How erratic! [The Big Lead]
The Arcade Fire won the Grammy for Album of the Year this year. Here is a video of them singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” at Wrigley Field. [Deadspin]
Another link cross-pollinating WWG topics is this: a very interesting read about Jeremy Guthrie of the Baltimore Orioles and many other members of the Latter Day Saints faith in Major League Baseball. [Desert News]
Major League Baseball has released their All-Star ballot. Be sure to fill it out! [mlb.com]
As a Cardinals fan, I hate it when the Cubs do well. And that means I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two years being mad at Starlin Castro, the Cub’s young and promising shortstop. Although this article’s title may be a bit racist, the content is very interesting–its about Starlin and his climb to the majors from his Dominican roots. [Yahoo!]
By Lisa Miller, on Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Behind every man is a good woman.
And behind every good woman is a great woman.
In 1975 when Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, and Lorraine Newman were the feminine faces of Saturday Night Live, the late great John Belushi made it his mission to sabotage their success.
No kidding.
John Belushi and Jane Curtin
Jane Curtin said as much on Oprah Winfrey’s April 14 tribute to SNL. According to Curtin, Belushi apparently believed that “women were fundamentally not funny; and if a woman had written a piece for John, he wouldn’t read it during rehearsal, he’d whisper it.”
She went on to explain that this type of disrespect wasn’t at all an unusual feature of the workplace experience in the 70’s. A working comedienne (terrifically talented at that) in New York, on the most exciting new show on television, and Jane Curtin, as a self-employed woman — “could not even get a credit card.”
Why bring this up now?
Because I thought of this super good title while walking the dog three days ago. And I decided this piece can’t be about my life as an RP spouse as I had originally planned. That’s because watching Tina Fey sit with Curtin on Oprah’s famous couch illustrated how far women have come in 36 years. And that was deeply inspiring.
Today, Tina Fey is lauded as one of the most brilliant entertainers in T.V, and she is indeed a woman with a credit card — as well as loads of respect. Here’s what Oprah says:
“Tina Fey is the creator, writer, and star of 30 Rock — and former head writer of SNL — she is one of the smartest women on our planet right now.”
I wonder if she’s the smartest woman on all of the planets. She might be, and do you wonder too how she got to be so all that?
Fey said simply, “I was 5 when the show started, and I studied it all the time.” There it is, nourished by the brilliance of women before her, Fey now stands on the shoulders of those who blazed the trail. (For the purpose of this spiffy blog article, I wish she’d have been more specific in that sound bite about emulating women in particular. But maybe that’s exactly what she meant, eh?)
Anyway, it was a powerful statement when she said later about her own trail-blazing time on SNL that “the more women in the room to laugh at pieces written by women, the more everyone would agree to put it in the show.”
While the scary, loathsome dynamics of middle school girls might lead us to believe that girls will always and forever scratch each others’ eyes out, most adult women have each other’s backs. There is no doubt that we help one another in ways that make us cry with gratitude.
Consider all the stories of women all over the world: WomenforWomen.org, which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives; United Prosperity, which guarantees loans to female entrepreneurs in developing countries; the nameless thousands of women volunteers who stand on call in the middle of the night at rape crisis centers across the world; or the women in your own family and in my family who say to each other, “I know your heart is breaking, and I know you will get through it because I did.”
Click on Tina to review and/or purchase
Whether we realize and appreciate them or not, new generations build on the successes of their ancestors. It’s why the indigenous people pray that their current actions be “for the good of the children and the children’s children.” And it’s why Tina Fey can now be queen of comedy in an industry that is still predominately male.
I plan to read her new book, Bossypants, this weekend by the way. In it are many stories of her road to empowerment, success, and hilarity. Can’t wait.
And because I’m always looking for fantastic role models for my girls, they are each getting a copy.
Now it’s your turn: Whether you are female or male, tell a brief story below about the awesomeness of a woman in your life.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Iraq recovers from its war-torn past… by becoming a tourist destination? [GQ]
You think you’re paying a lot for gas? At least you don’t live in Chicago (sorry, Windy City residents!). [Huffington Post]
Over the past 33 years, Dick Hoyt has pushed, pulled and carried his disabled son, Rick, through more than 1,000 road races and triathlons, including 28 Boston Marathons. Now, the man who gave million of Americans hope for the future is finally letting go. [Sports Illustrated]
Brian Williams revives his career while network newscasts have worse ratings than ever by getting in touch with his inner comedian. [New York Magazine]
Give yourself an energy boost for the last part of your day by enjoying two minutes of relaxation. Click here for the soothing sounds of the ocean.
By Loranne Ausley, on Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
My name is Loranne Ausley and I am a recovering politician. At least that’s what they tell me… I am not sure I have actually recovered yet, but you can decide.
Let me start out by saying that I never have liked to be called a “politician.” I have always preferred the term “public servant.” Whatever you want to call it the truth is that I come by it honestly. As a 6th generation Floridian, I was at least the 4th generation to serve our state in some capacity. After 8 years in the Florida House of Representatives, term limits sent me on my way, but I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel quite yet. Even after a tough statewide campaign in 2010, I’m still not sure I am ready to throw it in. In all honesty, I am truly struggling with how to “create meaning in my post political life.” I am hoping that this exercise will help.
Dog Island, Florida
So I started out by reading Tom Allen’s post about his “Blissful Recovery” and found myself thinking… that should be me. Consider the following: I am writing this from one of the most beautiful places in the world, Dog Island Florida where I am celebrating 11 years of marriage to a wonderful, smart and supportive husband who I love very much. We have a happy healthy 8 year old son who is an all around great kid and amazing superstar drummer even though he was never expected to make it out of the hospital after his premature birth at 22 weeks weighing just over a pound. I had the privilege of serving 8 great years in the legislature, took a gamble and ran statewide. Anyone watching will tell you it was a smart, scrappy campaign, but it was 2010…I was a Democrat… in Florida. We lost, but ran a good campaign, maintained civility in the process, raised over $ 2 million and got almost 2 million votes… no regrets.
Anyone who is looking at my life from outside would say that my life is blissful, or that I am pretty ungrateful if I claim otherwise. By all accounts, I am living the life… I am a “stay-at-home mom” which means I finally have time to do all those things I have put off.
Here I sit on a remote barrier island on a gorgeous day surrounded by the people that I love… WHY AM I NOT BLISSFUL?!?
For starters, it is past the halfway point of the legislative session and I am watching from afar as all of the things I care about are dismantled. I run into public employees and police officers at the grocery store who are terrified about changes in their pensions. I run into children’s advocates at church who are dismayed about savage cuts to children’s services, and every day at my son’s elementary school I am stopped in the halls by a teacher or a parent with grave concerns about what is really happening and how it is going to affect our kids.
I found some solace in Lisa Borders’ post and tried to take to heart her realization that we don’t have to be players on the field to impact the outcomes. As much as we laugh about the lack of normalcy amongst “our types” and our addiction to crowds and the sound of our own voices and the applause that follows, in all seriousness we entered this arena because we care about our communities, our states and our nation, and we are committed to be the dynamic force of change that we want to see. Let’s face it – we all believe that it is our responsibility to leave this place better than we found it and ultimately that is why we are here… The other stuff is the icing on top.
So maybe this is why I can’t quite yet describe my recovery as blissful… I haven’t yet figured out how to make an impact from this side of the fence.
So I hope that Tom Allen is right that while some of us may be recovering from our losses, that none of us are recovering from politics/public service. And I hope that someone out there can help me make the transition… stay tuned!
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET
Wednesday at The Recovering Politician we will continue this week’s theme of featuring outstanding women and their stories of political recovery.
Tomorrow morning, we will feature a former state legislator who ran last year for statewide office, and got caught in the GOP tsunami that struck the entire country. In her candid essay, she reveals her mixed feelings about her current status as a recovering politician, and shares her current state of mind about her future.
Speaking of outstanding women, Mrs. RP will make a return visit to discuss the vital role women mentors and leaders can play in the lives of other women. I think you will find the piece both informative as well as a call to arms to ensure that all of our daughters (and granddaughters) seek stong women role models in their lives.
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Film
Kevin Smith, who directed films such as Chasing Amy, Clerks, Dogma, and Mallrats (and the guy who played Silent Bob in all those films), made a splash by opting to self-promote and distribute his new horror film, Red State. The gamble paid off for him, as the film has already turned a profit. [Film Junk]
Theater chain AMC has shown several films in theaters in anticipation of their Blu-Ray release dates. They are doing it again, but this time, for all 3 extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I wish we had an AMC in my town. [/Film]
Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Winter’s Bone has been cast in the upcoming adaptation of the Young Adult book series Hunger Games. It looks interesting. [The Movie Blog]
The film Bang Bang Club is about South African journalists who risked their lives to cover the final days of apartheid in their country. It is in limited release in the United States. CNN has an interesting piece about how hard it is to make a film about difficult stories. NPR had an interview with the subjects of the film a few days ago. [CNN] [NPR]
Morgan Spurlock’s most recent project Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, which tackles advertising culture, has convinced the town of Altoona, PA, to rename itself after the film for 60 days. [City News]
Renting streams of films has become popular, with companies such as Apple iTunes and Amazon offering services. Now, online video giant YouTube is getting in on some of the action. It seems like YouTube doesn’t quite have the catalog wrapped up like Apple does, but they appear to be working on it. [The Independent]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 2:30 PM ET
Time Magazine remembers Tim Hetherington, a brave photojournalist killed in Libya. [Time]
Is the New York Times missing diversity in its choice of expert commentators? [Good Magazine]
Oh, the wonders of modern technology. See panoramic views of London and trace the processional route William and Kate will take on their wedding day with CNN’s interactive site. [CNN]
America’s favorite news anchor, Katie Couric, opens up to Newsweek on the highs and lows of her long career and her plans for the future. [Newsweek]
How are Mac and PC users different? According to the folks at Mashable, your computer says a lot more about you than you might think. [Mashable]
Need more evidence that golf is a cruel, evil game? Watch these playoff shots in Sunday’s Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. It wasn’t only the tournament that was on the line—it was also the number one spot in the world. [ESPN]
And in the “does America have to dominate every sport?” category, is it really that terrible that 16 of the top 25 golfers in the world ranking “are non-Americans”? Does that fact alone, dear readers, dampen your enthusiasm for following the game? LET US KNOW! [Gene Wojciechowski]
Check out this dead-on spoof of the English and English sport from the Netherlands. If you’ve never understood (or wanted to understand) Cricket, have a soft spot in your heart for the Brits and love Monty Python, this is for you. [Jiskefet]
As we all know, there’s been an epidemic of below the belt punches and vicious upper-cuts inside the beltway over the last couple of decades. Unfortunately, the results are not always as entertaining as these. [YouTube]
The recent attention to local and national politicians’ racial gaffes reminds me of my own.
As readers may be aware, politicians have lately dredged up one of the ugliest aspects of our nation’s history: slavery and the subsequent century of brutality and discrimination. Haley Barbour has often tripped himself up, beginning with his 1982 watermelon comment. More recently he’s praised the ignominious Citizens Councils and declined to condemn a proposal to venerate Confederate war hero and founding KKK Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest with an honorary license plate.
Former Virginia Sen. George Allen of “macaca” fame had another recent gaffe, where he twice (erroneously) assumed that a tall black reporter was an athlete. Even the ever-poised Alex Trebek may have slipped up.
Closer to home in St. Louis were the comments of State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, who compared the black state legislators opposing her on a bill – that is to say, all of them – to “house slaves.”
***
I spent years walking a racial tightrope in city politics. I represented a district that was roughly 55% black, 6% Asian, 5% Bosnian, and 4% Latino. Since it was also estimated to be 15% gay, the percentage of straight white males like me was likely in the single digits.
Not that I minded. I actually found it exhilarating. At first.
See, I’d grown up in a mostly white, middle-class suburb, but about 10% of my graduating class was comprised of black kids bused from the city as part of a school desegregation program. By my senior year, they comprised most of the basketball team, and as point guard, it was my job to lead the team.
My co-captain once told me that when he came out to our school freshman year, he was three years behind us academically. That pissed me off. It also made me want to learn more about the history behind the inequity. So at UNC-Chapel Hill, I majored in African-American Studies.
Conservatives like to invoke the guilty white liberal. I wasn’t guilty as much as obsessed. I wanted to immerse myself in the city’s black community and help black kids get to college.
So I came home from UNC and worked in the city public schools. Frustrated at the system’s dysfunction, I co-founded a charter school whose enrollment was 99% black. I served on the boards of non-profits focused on racial justice and black uplift. I coached basketball for a decade at a boys club where the only white people I saw were the occasional white refs. I taught ACT prep courses for black high school players in danger of becoming Prop 48 casualties. And when I played, it was with strangers in one of the small parks that dotted the corners of the city’s North Side, where the competition was fierce.
The point is, when I jumped in the race for Missouri’s 4th Senatorial District, I felt at least as comfortable around black people as I did around white people.
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Fashion
If you wear high-heels frequently, then you may suffer from high-heel syndrome. And no, I am not making this up – there is even a study to back it up! [The Beauty Shop]
In news you should care about: Tyra Banks likes to chew on stilettos. Check out the video: [NY Magazine]
Singapore was the newest fashion capital a couple weeks ago. The city of Memphis now claims that title as the Memphis Grizzlies FINALLY won their first playoff game at home. Will you be sporting a grizzly? [MyFox]
Want to dress like Lady Gaga mixed with Johnny Weir? Check out Johnny’s newest line: [SHEfinds]
A fragrance that will have you smelling like fresh laundry every single day WITHOUT having to wash clothes. Yay or nay? [Style.com]
In case you didn’t know, trashion is the new fashion! [CNN]
Blog this!
