Happy 65th Birthday to one of the Greatest US War Resisters- Muhammad Ali

History proved you were right, and Lyndon Johnson was wrong!


Muhammaad Ali was among the first African Americans to refuse to fight in the Vietnam War. In 1967, the nation's top African-American athletes gathered for a meeting of the Negro Industrial and Economic Union to hear Ali's reasons for rejecting the Vietnam war draft. These athletes endorsed and supported Ali's decision and rallied to his defense.

Front row: Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul Jabar (formerly Lew Alcindor).

Now we work to support our present day military War resisters:

Lt. Watada is one of the first commissioned officers to publicly refuse deployment to Bush's Illegal War in Iraq.

See more here:
Courage to Resist
Real Heroes of the Iraq War at TomJoad.org

it's a cliche, but he is an American original.

And he's still on point....

Check the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6suBw1O5GNo

to watch the ESPN Classic all-day tribute to The Greatest on his birthday yesterday. It brought back a lot of great memories for me. I was at ringside in the Garden for his second fight with Smoking Joe Frazier. Ali also was one of my friend Rubin Carter's most dedicated supporters. I remember a line Ali sent along, through Rubin, back in 1974:

"Wars on nations change maps; war on poverty maps change."

hardly anyone can name a heavyweight champion that holds that title today (there are several). And the only ESPN special you mention is more widely seen than any contemparary boxing match. When he left, much of the sport died with him.

Most folks couldn't give a lesser damn after Mike "the Masticator" Tyson...

Shame that we may never see another Sugar Ray, Ali, Dempsey, Marciano, etc...

this year, the heavyweight division will be more focused. By early 2008, there will be an actual Heavyweight Champion. Right now, there are only paper champions. (I had posted an essay on DU:Sports a while back about the WBA tournament when Ali had the draft trouble, as that period was not unlike today.)

Years ago, Rubin authored an article, "What Ali Means to Black People ... And All People" for a magazine, shortly after Muhammad had recaptured his crown from George Foreman. I re-read the article yesterday. I'll quote the ending:

"...only after hard and sometimes bitter conflict with the many injustices that pollute this world .... comes peace. Muhammad Ali means Constant Struggle! But that's what America is all about. Is it not?"