ALI

[jetermacaw]

I had the pleasure of visiting the 5th St Gym in Miami several times in 1971 to watch Ali train before the 1st. Frazier fight, we went so many times they stopped charging us. Ali use to say my white boys from New Jersey when he saw us. I cried the night he lost to Frazier and I cried today. RIP Champ.

[billryan]

One of the most influential people of our time.
Rest in Peace.

[olds442jetaway]

Ditto BR. As teens, we all tried without much success I must admit to imitate Ali's Out Boxing technique and footwork in the amateur ring. Followed his every fight and studied them over and over. Also admired his wit and some of the poems were quite funny and of course right on target.

[FAA]

Great story, JM. Look for The Bleeder starring Liev Schreiber in theaters later this year. A relative plays Angelo Dundee. The props department never supplied the necessary eyeglasses. It was produced by the star on a shoestring. 

[Chicagoan]

I liked him until he dodged the draft.

[WhitneyReed]

I liked him until he dodged the draft.

Just like Trump and Cheney! Except that Ali stood up for what he believed in instead of taking the cowards way out. And then of course there's the fact that George W. Bush went AWOL from his cushy Alabama National Guard gig that he used to avoid going to war.

[DaBurglar]

[QUOTE=Chicagoan] I liked him until he dodged the draft.

Just like Trump and Cheney! Except that Ali stood up for what he believed in instead of taking the cowards way out. And then of course there's the fact that George W. Bush went AWOL from his cushy Alabama National Guard gig that he used to avoid going to war.[/QUOTE]+1    I find it both amusing, as well as annoying, the actual choices made by many so-called Republican Conservatives who are career politicians when it comes to military service (Republican Conservatives who by definition are supposedly "More patriotic than everyone else", "Lovers of America", "Pro military", "Pro Defense",, etc etc) In 2004, I found it amusing (and again, annoying) that GW Bush was somehow able to portray a more "Strong" image regarding military affairs/service/issues etc in the wake of his pathetic and ridiculous Iraq/Middle east policies and strategy (highlighted of course by his "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" party on an aircraft carrier in mid-2003 and then a year later, in the heat of the campaign, the supposedly "done" Iraq war was in full blown swing.....against John Kerry, a decorated actual Vietnam Combat veteran.   It illustrated to me at the time the power of smear campaigns and the real, total ignorance of much of Middle class America.Cheney, total arrogant, hypocritical coward.   Newt Gingrich.....worst of them all;  Newt was born in 1943, which made him just able to begin College right about the time Vietnam was just beginning......Good Ol' Boy Newt, famous for his "WAR on Welfare" during the mid 1990s, was able to avoid the War in Vietnam and the Draft it inspired through deferments.    No wonder Bob Dole, republican presidential nominee in 1996 and WWII veteran who lost an arm, couldn't stand Newt Gingrich in the 1990s and later endorsed Romney in 2012 claiming Gingrich would hand Obama a landslide (please note also, that Dole's recent assertion that Trump should select Gingrich as his VP is NOT a positive thing lol).....FYI, Bob Dole was (and still is) a republican I heartily admire, who was able to argue and support conservative ideals without abandoning decency, compassion and common sense....so was his 1996 running mate, the LATE jack Kemp!

[notes1]

dems JFK started the American involvement in Vietnam, LBJ escalated it and a rep, Nixon, ended the war.

neither Clinton nor Obama have any military experience and both have had to make the terrible decision to send troops into conflict.