,
15 tweets,
8 min read
Read on Twitter
1/ Are there principles greater in life than your own net worth or professional success? What are you willing to sacrifice to uphold them?look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali… 
3/ In 1960, Muhammad Ali turned 18. Ali registered for the draft. He won the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing competition at the Rome Summer Olympics. Ali bought his parents a pink cadillac with winnings from his first prize fight. look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
4/"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
"I am the greatest."
"I’m No 1. After me, it don’t matter."
"It's not bragging if you can back it up."look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
"I am the greatest."
"I’m No 1. After me, it don’t matter."
"It's not bragging if you can back it up."look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
5/ But it all changed in 1967. In Houston in June, Ali refused to be drafted into the U.S. military, claiming that the war in Vietnam was wrong and violated his religious principles. And Ali was suddenly ejected from the world of professional boxing.look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
6/Ali was convicted of draft evasion and given a five-year prison sentence. Though the appeals process kept him out of jail, Ali was unable to obtain a license to box in any state for the next three and a half years — his prime years as a fighter.look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
7/ By 1967, the U.S. had 485,600 troops serving in Vietnam. 11,153 troops would be killed in action that year and 109,527 would be wounded. Another 228,263 men would be drafted. look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
8/All men between the ages of 18 and 26 were vulnerable to being drafted. They tried to plan for life as an adult with this heavy burden of uncertainty hanging over them. And television news was bringing the Vietnam war into every living room every night.look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
9/Ali said, “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
10/But he was unrelenting in upholding his religious beliefs and unwavering in his loud, public opposition to the war. And although many were angered by his views, many more were mobilized. look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
11/ To raise money to support his family during his boxing exile, Ali toured college campuses giving lectures. He mobilized white kids and black kids. He became a legend. He was unwavering at a time when the gov't seemed untrustworthy.look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
12/ When Ali's legal battles ended and he returned to the ring, it was his "Second Coming." He won his fight, went on to reclaim his title from Frazier, and won awards from 2 US presidents. I love this guy.look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
13/ In a time of moral vacuousness, Ali shines a bright light. Here is courage. Here is leadership. Here is inspiration for our young people. This is who we were and who we need to be again. look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
14/ These are the questions to ask of our leaders: What do you stand for? Are there moral lines which you will not cross?Are there principles greater in life than your own net worth or professional success? What are you willing to sacrifice to uphold them?look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
end/ Please read and share our report. It would please me to no end if you would subscribe to our reports and become a regular reader.
[And thanks to those of you who have already done so.]look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
[And thanks to those of you who have already done so.]look.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali…
