Pages

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Muhammad Ali



On April 28, 1967, with the United States at war in Vietnam, Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces, saying “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong.” On June 20, 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and banned from boxing for three years. He stayed out of prison as his case was appealed…. On June 28 [1971], the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction for evading the draft.

I didn't want to submit to the army and then, on the day of judgment, have God say to me, 'Why did you do that?' This life is a trial, and you realize that what you do is going to be written down for Judgment Day.

My conscience won't let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger, they never lynched me, they didn't put no dogs on me, they didn't rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. ... Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.

There are many things to remember regarding the legacy of Muhammad Ali – not always agreeable to all.  However, for this, I consider him a champion.

3 comments:

  1. A truly great man. And the only white media figure to stand up for him was, of all people, Howard Cosell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He tinkled in the eyes of the establishment at every turn. We look at Donald Trump as a wonderful novelty for what he says - yet what Trump says might be 5% of Ali. It shows how far - in many ways - society has fallen.

      Delete
  2. Ali was a hero for standing up to Leviathan. He defied the United States Government. That took courage - far more courage than it takes to don Caesar's uniform and murder little boys and girls.

    It is fitting that Ali passed twenty-seven years to the day that the world witnessed another hero in action - the kid in front of the tank in Tianemen Square.

    Anon Lawyer

    ReplyDelete