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| The Biden curse strikes again. |
Born Cassius Clay (after his parents rejected the name Pontius Play-doh), Ali bravely outed himself as a pugilist at a time when a heavily-segregated society did not even accept the idea that pugilists deserved their own bathrooms. He later blazed a trail through the world of heavyweight boxing, his record marred only by the brutal beating he gave the gentle inventor of the George Foreman grill.
Over the years, Muhammad Ali came to be known as much for his whimsical eloquence as his thundering fists, coining such unforgettable phrases as "I'm the Greatest," "Hell no, I'm not going to Vietnam," and "Float like a butterfly, Sting like Paul Newman and Robert Redford."
In all seriousness, Ali was a true cultural icon in a time when celebrity was actually predicated on achievement. He was both larger than life and all too human in his failings (politically, we agreed with him on very little). That being said, he was one of a kind and will be missed.
BONUS: PICK OF THE LIBERAL
Tomorrow, voters in California's Democratic primary face the toughest choice since "defecate or go blind" - specifically, whether to vote for Hillary "What Does It Matter" Clinton or Bernie "Want To Feel This?" Sanders. Oddly, this is considered a surplus of political riches in California.
Both candidates are considered to be so perfect and so evenly matched that experts say the race will be decided by a tiny percentage of Progressive voters who are torn between wanting a candidate with a demonstrable history of pap smears versus one who assures four years of Larry David appearances on Saturday Night Live.
The calif primary? Lord save us, the msm will be salivating and prognosticating all day tomorrow and deep into the week. This is the media's triple crown, their super bowl and world series all rolled into one.
ReplyDeleteWell all the gorillas will be off the front page, the boxing one and the kid dragging one.
Trump could set don kings hair on fire and it still will not make front page news.
No, tomorrow liberals will be forever split and may just riot for no reason whatsoever. Friendships will be irreparably damaged and what liberals call marriage will be ended for many tomorrow.
Avoid direct eye contact with liberals all day tues unless you know their candidate won.
Otherwise they are free to assault you and somehow they will be given a pass because it's Donald Trump's fault.
Maybe by mid week it will be safe again.
ReplyDelete"What difference does it make?"
And don't forget; un-legal aliens will be voting too in California. I do hope & prey (sic) that the poo-lice in San Hosay can protect all the libs from those ruffian Trump voters. And I'm not going to say anything about the nice mayor of SJ, mister milquetoast......
ReplyDeleteMa Barker versus the reincarnation of Hugo Chavez. Absolutely perfect for California. I can see their dilemma.
ReplyDeleteSince Ali died here in Arizona, I imagine neither Clinton nor Sanders will be allowed to get his vote in the California Primary. Oh well, I'm sure he will be voting Democrat in November.
ReplyDelete23 years ago my son went to Berea College in Berea Kentucky. Berea is right down the road from Louisville, KY. It's a nice quite college town and Daniel Boone used to hang out there. Berea College was started by John Fee. Fee believed that all people should have access to education regardless of race or gender. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gregg_Fee
ReplyDeleteHe asked a wealthy land owner if he would donate land for a college. The land owner was an abolitionist and gave land and more for the college. The land owner's name was Cassius Clay. And now you know the rest of the story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassius_Marcellus_Clay_(politician)
I find it interesting that "all those white folks" hate black folks............ 'Nuff said.
I'm reminded of a quote I once heard about Ali (don'the recall who said it tho): "He scared the shuttle outta' your parents, especially if they were black!"
ReplyDeleteTrue words, that.
The "Louisville Lip" could dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but all those head shoots that did land finally took its toll, don't you see?
ReplyDeleteCassius Clay (Saw him fight him when he used his REAL name) became a muslim because 'colored' people were told "It's an AFRICAN religion". He then rejected his "slave name" to adopt the more famous one.
ReplyDeleteFACTS THEY REFUSE TO FACE: 1. It's an ARABIAN religion that spread to Sub-Saharan Africa by invasion and the slave trade. 2. Muslims were and still are the biggest slave traders in history.
But we're not supposed to know that.
@REM1875- I, too, am dreading the news cycles today and tomorrow, which will all be about Hillary and Bernie despite the fact that we know Hillary will be the nominee. I'm tired of all the chin music.
ReplyDelete@chef621- Truer words were never spoken.
@Fred Ciampi- I'm still not a Trump enthusiast, but I'm getting pretty sick of seeing what looks like "stand down" orders from the police and politicians when it comes to rioters (protesters my ass) being allowed to attack Trump supporters. The more these officials show an unwillingness to protect the citizenry and the first amendment, the closer Trump gets to the White House.
@TrickyRicky- No matter how they vote, they'll always feel regret about the one that got away.
@Geoff King- I think that's a pretty safe bet.
@Fred Ciampi- Fascinating story and one I hadn't known. Interesting that the "slave name" Ali eventually rejected was intended to honor an abolitionist.
@Flyboy- Ali was no shrinking violet and had a talent for shaking things up.
@Walter1694cir- I don't know how much Ali's Parkinson's Disease was related to all those punches to the head, but I don't think "punch drunk" would be in the lexicon if there were no relationship at all. Sad that he had to cope with that illness for so many years.
@KHarn- Truth be told, I was a little rougher on Muhammad Ali in the first draft of today's commentary owing to his significant role in advancing Islam in our country. But I decided to ease up; it was a different world back then and there were real reasons for Ali and others to embrace beliefs which inspired black pride during the days when segregation was genuinely a national sin.
Mind you, that's sure as hell not an endorsement of Islam from me. Just a little perspective borne of age...
I was also impressed at the time with Ali's simple statement, "I don't have anything against those Viet Cong." Didn't know him well then; but later it became clear he was earnest in his personal beliefs and paid the legal price.
ReplyDeleteSince WW2 USA needs to reconsider its view & approach to war. If it's important enough to fight; it's important enough for everyone to engage and to win. Otherwise find ways to work around the problem. So: IS it important enough to fight? We surely had a few that were not; but they're good for business & politics. Right now we have developing situations that probably are; but we're not smart nor effective. We may send military with limited Rules of Engagement; use expensive weaponry to take out old trucks when they should be hitting expensive installations & safe havens; & highly controversial attack drones; but the leaders are fully safe & will never answer for their roles. And the problems are growing.
Apparently, I've always been in the minority in noting the irony that a man who gained his fame and fortune for his skills at beating other men to near-unconsciousness would then be able to credibly claim "conscientious objector" status. But the '60s did demark the transition to our current post-modern era; where logic and reason are subservient to emotion.
ReplyDeleteHe also deserves credit for fully understanding that sports really is part of the entertainment and marketing industries, and he was entertaining. He was more than a boxer; he was a "brand".
He was also a high-profile Muslim in an age when Islam was at best a curiosity to most in the west, and when one could still get away with calling it a "religion of peace". It's a shame that changed too. A supposedly racist America loved Ali, the black Muslim.
California: Don't laugh. We're just one tech-bust away from being forced to bail out the Progressive left coast. So at this point, what difference does it make?
In those years of clay/ali, I had a good friend who had boxed Golden Gloves. He was good enough to have advanced to the finals in Chicago. When Ali was stripped of his title because of his stance on several items, among them being a c.o. , my friend commented. He said you can't take a boxing title away by signing a piece of paper. You can only take it by climbing into the ring and engaging in hand to hand combat.
ReplyDeleteHE WAS JUST A DRAFT DODGING MUSLIM AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED..............
ReplyDeleteMy friend Joe Kell just coined a slogan for the election:
ReplyDelete"I have serious doubts about Trump. I have no doubts about Hillary. I'm voting for Trump."
As always, LL's profundity leaves me breathless. More please.
ReplyDeleteHer politics set aside, Lefty is a cute hoot. She'd be a fun drinking buddy for a while. Three quick panels and she leaves is very endearing.
ReplyDeleteAnd just in case we don't waste enough money, have a look at what the US MINT will be doing soon
ReplyDeletehttp://www.coinnews.net/2016/06/07/obama-medals-palladium-eagles-and-breast-cancer-coins-among-ccac-topics/
George G -- I like looking at the coins from the mint, but it irritates the heck out of me when they give it a face value waaaaay below the coin's cost and actual bullion value.
ReplyDeleteFor example on this one, they have the "gold Mercury dime" which is 1/10 of an ounce, IIRC. At this moment, 1/10 oz gold is just shy of 125 bucks. Although I realize the value of gold vis-a-vis the dollar fluctuates, I wish they wouldn't call it a "dime."