[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11890-11891]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              MUHAMMAD ALI

  (Ms. CARSON of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today almost 1 week after 
the

[[Page 11891]]

34th anniversary of Muhammad Ali's conviction for draft evasion. 
Muhammad Ali sits on anyone's short list of the greatest athletes of 
the 20th century. In fact, Time Magazine recently listed Ali among the 
top 20 heroes and icons of the 20th century.
  Perhaps Ali's greatest testament was the only fight in which he 
declined to participate. With the war in Vietnam dragging on, the draft 
call was expanded, and the heavyweight champion of the world was 
reclassified as 1A, eligible for military service.
  Ali was told the news at a training camp in Miami, and, badgered all 
day by the press, he came out with the now famous line, ``I ain't got 
no quarrel with them Viet Cong.''
  It may have been a spontaneous remark, but he stuck by his word with 
courage, conviction and stood out against the conflict in Vietnam. His 
courage to stand by his belief in the years when the war was still 
favored by the majority of Americans will stand as a testament to those 
who protested.
  I would encourage, Mr. Speaker, my colleagues in joining, along with 
the other 40 cosponsors, in awarding Muhammad Ali a Congressional Gold 
Medal. Please sign up.

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