Muhammad Ali will attend the Democratic Party Convention

[malaise]

on the night Obama speaks. He says he wants to be there for this historic occasion.

[HughMoran]

1. He should help attract attention to the convention

I'm glad he's decided to do this. :D

[cobalt1999]

32. He's got star power.

I may not hold him in as high esteem as others here, but he's definitely got that elusive "IT" that makes someone the center of attention.

Good for him, good for Obama to get him there.

[panader0]

2. He will be a big draw.

[stray cat]

3. I'm glad he will be there

[Beregond2]

4. I love that man so much.

[malaise]

7. The world loves him

The results of this poll were published two days ago.
http://living.oneindia.in/insync/2008/muhammad-ali-greatest-sportsman-ever-210808.html

Retired American boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been voted as The Greatest Sportsman Ever.

The polling was carried out by Internet market research company www.onepoll.com on August 19.

"Ali is a worthy winner. He is a true legend, loved by everyone who knows anything about sport," the Daily Star quoted John Sewell, from the company, as saying.

"His charm, wit and sheer talent wowed sports fans for years," Sewell added.

The 66-year-old boxing champ had won the Olympic gold in 1960 and taken the world heavyweight title in 1964.

[jobycom]

5. That trumps anyone the Republicans can find.

[ribrepin]

15. Well, maybe the beach volleyball team will show up

Kerry Walsh and Misty May...they can give McCain a slap on the ass for good luck.

[Mabus]

6. the thought of Ali being there brings a tear of joy to my heart

Ali has been one of my heroes since I was a little kid. I'm glad to know he will be there.

[malaise]

8. The fact that Ali has stayed away from party politics most of his life

and that McWar will be pissed brings much pleasure. I adore Ali. I actually met him way back when and was tempted to tear off my clothes (joke). :D Damn he is a great man!!

[fla nocount]

10. He did make a political statement by refusing the draft...

and stating, "I ain't got no truck with those Vietnamese". I was 9-10 years old and the child of career navy man and thought it both funny and insightful.

[malaise]

16. That was one of the greatest political statements ever

but note I said party politics.

[2KS2KHonda]

11. I had breakfast with him (well, his table) at the Atlanta Regency

in...1971?...I think it was...when he still had his wits about him. I traded him some kind of bread, maybe it was an English muffin...for some bacon he had on his plate and didn't want. I thought it was odd but it probably had something to do with his affectation for Islam which I wasn't aware of then. I still think he was an idiot for doing that but he was a nice guy. :-)

[malaise]

17. Now that is sweet

I just shook his hand, but I was giddy as a fool. :D
Muslims do not eat pork.

[H2O Man]

19. I took a limo

ride with him the day before his second Frazier fight.

[malaise]

21. Wow that must have been an experience

Lucky you :hi:

[H2O Man]

18. Ali still has

"his wits" about him. He has a condition that effects his body, but his mind is as clear as can be. He authored a wonderful book in 2004, "The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey." It is the work of a highly intelligent, thoughtful man.

[Serial Mom]

31. FYI, he STILL has his wits about him!

He has Parkinson's - he has trouble communicating, talking and walking!

http://www.pdf.org/AboutPD/
Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder that is chronic and progressive, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time.
Parkinson's disease can also cause several different symptoms. The specific group of symptoms that an individual experiences varies from person to person. Some of the most common symptoms of Parkinson's disease are:

tremor of the hands, arms, legs, jaw and face
rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk
bradykinesia or slowness of movement
postural instability or impaired balance and coordination

Please educate yourself - nowhere does it say you lose your "wits"!

[2KS2KHonda]

39. I didn't know what was wrong with him, was just going by a brief glimpse of him on tv

a few years ago that gave me that impression. Other than that I hadn't heard of or thought about him in ~35 years until I happened on this thread.

[H2O Man]

20. Here is a nice picture

of Ali, John, and Yoko at President Jimmy Carter's inaugural gala:



(I have a thread on DU:GD-P titled "Ali" that you might enjoy.)

[malaise]

22. Thanks H2O

So he was involved in 'party politics' in the good old days.

Will Carter be at the Convention?

[madokie]

24. I'm hoping President Carter will

That is a man I truly love

[malaise]

26. Well you know my love for Jimmy Carter

He's the only US President whose hand I shook. The Carter Center led Election Observer teams here in Jamaica.

[madokie]

34. I would love to have the memory of that

He was and is the most honest to goodness person who has ever set in our oval office. Yes President Jimmy Carter is what I consider a Great, Giant of a Man.

Edit: Changed great to giant of a

[Mabus]

27. My mom met Ali

on a red-eye flight to Chicago back in the early-70's. There weren't many people on the plane and it wasn't long before she was talking to Ali. Of all things, they talked about kids and traded stories about the goofy and marvelous things kids do. She came home with eight autographs, one for each of us kids (mom had two more later).

[malaise]

29. That must have been special

Treasure those autographs.

[Mabus]

35. LOL

They are all somewhere in my dad's house. For some reason my parents decided to start a tradition. Whenever one of us kids was between 22 and 24 months old our parents took us to have our picture taken in our tribal regalia. The pictures have identical frames and six of them are lined up along one wall and the remaining four are on the opposite wall. Over the years my parents have stuck things in the frames and when those got full they resorted to taping envelopes to the bottom of the frames. The envelopes have stuff like diplomas, certificates/awards and newspaper clippings. Ali's autographs were stuck in the bottom of each frame until a few years ago when my dad hid them. My older sister is a meth addict and my dad hid the autographs so she wouldn't sell them. He hopes that he will find them again someday.

[Hawkeye-X]

40. I had the good fortune to meet him at Midway Airport

My father pointed him out and he was on the phone and he still gave me an autograph.

It was a memory I won't forget. This was in the late 80s. Pre-Parkinson's.

[Mabus]

41. The degrees of separation

are not that great. In same ways I'm glad I didn't meet him. I would have done or said something to embarrass myself. I have an uncanny knack of doing stuff like that.

Heck, even in his Parkinson years he still gets major ass.

[KharmaTrain]

9. I'd Love To See Henry Aaron There As Well

I've read he's a supported Obama in the Georgia primary. I expect Oprah will be there as well.

It'd be wonderful to show the progress that has occured in the past 40 years.

It'll be a big contrast to the lilly white RNC "lovefest" where the only blacks will be parking cars and doing bad disco dances between "speeches".

:hi:

[ConsAreLiars]

12. I never really even understood the "who's your hero?" type of question until

recently I realized that, when I was growing up and there was this golden glove contender around my age getting a little PR on the local TV. Rather than the usual sports noise and stupidity, there was this brilliant, self-assured, extraordinarily capable, beautiful talented individual. At the time the idea that a young black man would have and express that kind of self confidence and be allowed to appear on the TV was a novelty, but he was a a local champion.

Over the years, I watched his career and rooted for him. He never disappointed, and my admiration grew. His refusal to participate in a war of aggression was the point at which I saw him as not just admirable, but truly a great person. A hero, and not just a story book thing, but someone I sort of have known through my whole life. A hero, a personal hero to me.

[barack the house]

13. This is a good move it shows out reach to muslims but highlights some of them are popular americans.

[bridgit]

14. Ali is a *great* man, they tried but republicans could not touch him...

[madokie]

23. I've loved him ever since he took a stand against the killing of Vietnamese

He was a much braver sole than me

[malaise]

25. For me he was the definition of a man with convictions

That he's still winning polls as the greatest athlete ever says it all, although I maintain he was way more than a great athlete - he was confident, self-assured and willing to show that 'might is not right'.
I love Muhammad Ali.

[HughBeaumont]

28. Ali: the nickname says it all.

A great humanitarian and an iconic figure.

[H2O Man]

30. Here is a story

from Ali's book (The Soul of a Butterfly) that I think you will like:

"I had wanted to meet the Dalai Lama for a long time. He is a sweet and humble man who works tirelessly for peace. As an exiled spiritual leader and outspoken advocate for the Tibetan people, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He has made a tremedous difference in the way the world understands peaceful movements for self-determination.

"We finally met in 2003 at an interfaith temple just outside Bloomington, Indiana. .... Leaders from sixteen religions and denominations were there to speak. The Dalai Lama wanted to impress upon everyone that 'all religions have the same potential and capacity to serve humanity.' He stressed that religious teachings should be a part of our daily lives. I understand that there are many paths to God, and I believe Islam is the correct path for me. Like the Dalai Lama, I respect people of different religious beliefs and agree that spirituality should be a central focus of our daily lives. Spirituality helps us achieve self-discipline, forgiveness, and love, which are so essential to a peaceful existence in living among others. ...

"I was grateful for the time I had with the Dalai Lama. I have come to understand that there are those who believe in God and those who make God a reality.The Dalai Lama is among those who manifest God in the journey of their everyday lives. Before leaving, I thought about how I would say goodbye, but then I realized that there are no right words. So I parted from him the only way I knew how -- with a hug and smile. It felt just right."
(pages 198-201)

[malaise]

33. I'm ordering that book today

Thanks.

[Mabus]

36. Damn it!

I just ordered a bunch of books. Now I've got to order one more. Thanks for the passage.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

37. Muhammad Ali is a great man and a great

American. :patriot: It is wonderful that he wants to be there for Barack's acceptance speech!

[bushmeister0]

38. I don't know . . . Ali . . . Ali. . . . sounds kind of Islamofascist to me.

Does he do his terrorist fist bumps with his gloves on or off these days? (Sarcasm)