Rip Mohammed Ali...

He Floated like butterfly and stung like a bee...


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/sp...time-dead-74-n584776

It's hard to wish him well. I can remember registering for the draft, about the same time he decided he did not have any obligation to this country.

I remember thinking, a few years later, when my older brother and I were both serving in Vietnam together; what made him so special.

It was sad, though, to see him in later years, when all those blows to the head had robbed him of much of his cognitive abilities.

In the end, I hope he made peace with God...

He applied (several times) for CO status, which was denied. His refusal to serve was based on what appears to be, in history's rear view mirror, sincere beliefs. He chose a possible 5 years in jail, willingly, instead of induction. Again, in histories, rear view mirror, his whole basis for objecting to the VN seems to have been validated. "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong....they never called me nigger." His denied classification as a CO was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1971.

Nearly all of the over 9 million men on active duty during some part of the VN war, and nearly all of the over 2 million who served in theater, did so honorably in the service of our country. The country, just like in some of our latest efforts, did not represent them honorably, and wasted thousands of lives for little or nothing.

I see both sides of the story.
ISS served honorably and I understand his point of view--he served to protect America, including those who rerused to go.
I understand Ali's side of the story, too, but it is hard for me to fathom someone who won't serve the country that allowed him fame and unmeasured fortune.
Cal

quote:

I understand Ali's side of the story, too, but it is hard for me to fathom someone who won't serve the country that allowed him fame and unmeasured fortune.

It didn't "allow" him anything. He earned every cent of it.

Damn, GG I have to agree with both of your last two posts on this thread. I still see him standing on the "stage" in Atlanta lighting the Olympic flame, his left hand shaking like a leaf. I hope he knew what was going on.
Peter

Love boxing. Was never a fan of Ali, largely because of his politics and his mouth.

That said, I did feel for him as his health declined, but then he seemed to become a bit more humble then as well.

Bad health,brain damage + old age have a way of bring on some semblance of humility.RIP just the same.

Just for the record, according to his Doctors, and his actions, his bodily functions were impaired by Parkinson's, as was his ability to communicate clearly, but his mind was not impaired.

I think his actions after during and after his boxing career speak as much or more about the man than words, good or mean, can say. I didn't know this about him, but I read this while researching his career.

He was watching TV in 1973 and saw a report about how a Jewish Old Age Center was being closed for lack of money to support it along with mortgage problems. He immediately got in his car, drove over, checked it out and wrote 2 checks, each for 200K, saying, "Cash the first one now, and hold the second one for four days. I have to go transfer some money to make it good."

He had a lot more money than I do, but if I was in his shoes financially, I doubt I would have done that. IMO that makes him a better man.