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 Jonathan Miller, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET
We will lead off hump day with the introduction of our fifth recovering politician. He was a young, rising U.S. Congressman, who tried and failed to make the leap to the Governor’s office in his home state. He now is a widely respected practicing attorney.
Rather than follow the pattern of previous contributing RPs, this former official will share with you a new book that has inspired and entertained him. And if you enjoy historical fiction, you’ll love the book as well.
The race is officially on. Less than 26 years before the filing deadline, we now have two slates running for Governor in 2037. You may have caught the RP’s announcement earlier today that he was running with 17-year-old John Y. Brown, IV as his running mate. Now read contributing RP John Y. Brown, III‘s statement in response:
Although we were hoping to keep our plans under wraps until 2036, it looks like [The RP] and Johnny have smoked out Emily’s ([The RP’s] daughter Emily, that is) and my plan to launch our campaign for Gov and Lt Gov (I’m running as #2….given I’ll be 74). We, too, were confused about the election calendar and were hoping to run in 2037-so that actually works out well and, given it’s not an official election year will likely discourage other tickets from running that year. I suspected Johnny’s issue of furloughed school days will play well with the younger set….although Emily and I view it as pandering to the youth vote. We will counter that platform with something that involves deficit reduction and job creation and tie it to something that is pro-puppies (Emily thinks this is important and I suspect puppies will poll well in 2037). Game on!
Thoughts? Do you have a favorite ticket? Other ideas for candidates? Did you read Brown’s column about political addiction yesterday and are jonesing to jump in the race yourself?
Please use the comment section below to make any statements, announcements, etc.:
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 3:30 PM ET
The Politics of Tunes
Eric Clapton’s greatest album of all time–Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos–recently received a remaster. It’s fantastic. [Layla]
The RP himself confessed his love for Adele a few days ago. Her disc, 21, has been burning up the charts. It’s also really good. [Rumor Has It]
Radiohead dropped an album a few weeks ago. It’s always worth it to check it out when that happens–they did write Kid A and OK Computer once upon a time. Radiohead is one of the most political bands still releasing music. You won’t find their albums on popular services–they self release everything. [Morning Mr. Magpie]
The Foo Fighters are one of my favorite bands of all time. While I really enjoyed Dave Grohl’s side project Them Crooked Vultures, it is good to see him back in action with his greatest band (yeah, I said that). [Rope]
Wiz Khalifa, who you may know from the song Black and Yellow released an album last week. I’m not sold on it, but its super popular. [Roll Up]
Britney Spears’ new album, Femme Fatale, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. She’s back! The album is more dance-y than she has ever been before. I like it pretty well. [Hold It Against Me]
OK Go, the band that makes incredible music videos and pretty good alt rock music, recently released an album called The Greatest Song I Ever Heard to go with Morgan Spurlock’s documentary The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. [The Greatest Song I Ever Heard]
Steve Martin released a bluegrass album with the Steep Canyon Rangers called Rare Bird Alert. There is a hilarious song on there about being an atheist and not having any songs to sing. As a Baptist, this is not a problem I have ever faced. I still find the song really funny. [Atheists Ain’t Got No Songs – Live at Bonnaroo]
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
This past weekend, the RP showed up as a guest on “Kentucky Newsmakers,” the long running talk show hosted by living legend Bill Bryant. The RP waxed nostalgically about his career in politics and shared his vision for The Recovering Politician.
Inadvertently, he also made some news when Bryant asked him about his political future: The RP announced his bid for Governor in 2037, with running mate, John Y. Brown, IV, the 17-year-old son of contributing RP John Y. Brown, III. Watch the interview below (The RP’s stunning announcement comes about 12 minutes in):
While Bryant accurately noted in the interview that 2037 is not an election year, the RP neglected to respond that his ticket’s top policy goal is to amend the state constituion to hold a gubernatorial election in 2037.
Plank 3, devised by Lt. Governor candidate Brown, is to implement voluntary furloughs, up to 30 days, for high school students: Brown explained, “In these tough economic times, it is important for all of us to share some of the sacrifice.”
Stay tuned to RPTV for all of the latest news on the 2037 campaign…
Much has been (and will continue to be) written about this year’s Masters—especially the spectacular battle to the finish and Rory’s agonizing implosion on Sunday. This piece from Golf magazine (normally less hyperbolic than many sports magazines and websites) caught the attention of the RP because news of Tiger Woods’ death may be greatly exaggerated. Check out, in particular, the comments following the article. Coarse dialogue is no more unusual in sport than in politics, but the author may have gone a little overboard on this one. [Golf]
Again, sometimes the comments that follow “news” items on websites are far more telling than the story itself. Should we expect equal access for reporters to a men’s locker room in a country club whose membership is open only to men? What do you think? Let us know! [CNN]
Alright, we all want to stay fit of mind and body—and for good reason. As Lord Perceval said, “The physically fit can enjoy their vices.” This is a sport that involves swings and queens—and you’ve probably never heard of it. But talk about cross-training! [Krulwich Wonders]
You would think that competitive sport between two countries that have been near the brink of nuclear war more than once could get pretty ugly. After a brief search by the RP, however, this was about as uncivil as it got—and it was big news! If only Kashmir could be as easily defused. [YouTube]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Politics of the Media
Legendary CNN sportscaster Nick Charles is fighting terminal bladder cancer with strength and courage. In this story, Charles reflects on his successful career and prepares goodbye videos for his young daughter. [CNN]
In its 20 years, Comedy Central has transformed from a late-night last resort channel to a legitimate news source and a staple of all cable TV packages. The New York Times celebrates Comedy Central’s life and its future. [New York Times]
A studio in Taiwan creates animations of the day’s top news stories. What’s next, talking animals as TV anchors? [Time]
Get ready, little monsters. On May 17, Lady Gaga will be guest-editor-in-chief of Metro, one of the world’s largest newspapers. [Poynter Institute]
What would happen to the world without Google? [Soshable]
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Fashion
Forever tragic or forever young? Forever 21 is now selling your daughters’ next prom dresses: [Huffington Post]
Plan on traveling to the fashion capital of the world? You won’t be booking a flight to Paris or Milan – try Singapore: [Channel News Asia]
When planning to buy your next pair of heels, try a high-heeled pair of Crocs or wedge heels by Ugg. They are sure to turn heads, literally: [SHEfinds]
Who knew you could buy pineapples, toothpaste, and a one million dollar ring at Costco? [Time]
Country chic kilts for charity – try saying that four times! Check it out: [NY Daily News]
Want to dress up your iPad? You and your iPad can now wear matching outfits with the latest designer cases: [SHEfinds]
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Of course, politicians are not the only victims of sensationalist journalism — entertainment celebrities have it far, far worse.
Take Ashley Judd’s new book. (Seriously: Take it — there’s a link to buy below.)
If you’d believe the breathless coverage, the memoir is just another celebrity tell-all, a lead-in to a sobbing appearance on Oprah’s coach.
In fact, All That is Bitter and Sweet is an important book: a sobering diary of Judd’s humanitarian work in some of the very poorest areas of the globe. It is far moreThree Cups of Teathan anything resembling Mommy Dearest.
In this exclusive RPTV podcast interview, Judd discusses her journeys, advises all of us on how to get involved in supporting her critical causes, and, of course, discusses Kentucky basketball.
You can download the RPTV podcast by clicking here, or on Ashley’s picture above.
I encourage you to buy Ashley’s book, and check out the important charitable organizations that she discusses in the interview. Links to all can be found below:
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Apr 11, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET
Tomorrow morning, at 8:30 AM, RPTV presents 15 Minutes of Fame with an A-list movie star.
Like the RP, she is a Kentucky native and huge Wildcat basketball fan, a Harvard graduate, an environmental activist, and married to an international beauty. (Mrs. RP was born in Canada.)
Unlike the RP, she is an internationally renowned, award-winning star of stage and screen; she’s an author of a moving new book on her global humanitarian work; and she gets really, really good seats to UK basketball games.
Need another hint? Her name rhymes with Bashley Fudd.
The RP also will share some stunning news about his political future.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Apr 11, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
Has the iPad already won the tablet war? CNET looks at the recent history of the iPod and the mp3 wars for the answer. [CNET]
Do you enjoy mobile gaming on a smartphone or similar device? Of course you do. But we all hate those banner ads and pop-up ads. However, good news is on the way. Recent mobile start-up Kiip is proposing a revolutionary way of advertising within mobile games. [TechCrunch]
Apparently, there is a creepy (albeit cool) walking table that could soon be scooting around a home near you. That’s pretty much it, a walking table. Check it out. [Gizmodo]
The House of Representatives recently voted to undo the newly established Net Neutrality rules. However, there is little to no chance this passes through the Senate, and even if it did, President Obama is likely to veto it. So, there’s that. [Wired]
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