Andre Carson: “I rise today almost 1 week after the 34th anniversary of Muhammad Ali's conviction for draft evasion. Muhammad Ali sits…”

“I rise today almost 1 week after the 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.”