By Florida Bill
A young lieutenant is sent by his country to Afghanistan. During patrol in mountainous territory in which Americans on similar patrols have been set upon and slaughtered by hostile forces, he observes three military-aged men on a motorcycle who he presumes to be potential Taliban intending to harm Americans.
The area being patroled was riddled with land mines and on "high alert" because of hostilities raging in that part of the Kandahar province, near Panzai. The approaching trio on the cycle did not stop or retreat when warning shots were fired, and instead, continued in the direction of the platoon and its nine men.
The lieutenant had been cautioned by superiors to be on guard for suicide bombers, for such incidents are common. In a radio communication he had been informed of motorcycle riders in an area frequented by the Taliban. Everyone was on edge. The Taliban enemy cannot be identified by uniform and often are indistinguishable from Afghans who reside peacefully in villages. To the lieutenant, danger to his platoon, even death, appeared all too imminent. Pondering the situation was not an option.
At that point, Lt. Clint Lorance, 28, ordered soldiers in his command to "engage" the enemy. The decision was split second as is required of commanding officers in hostile situations. The order was carried out and two of the three men were fatally shot, and the third was captured. It was later determined that the men shot were not armed.
The incident occurred on July 2, 2012. Twelve months later, the young officer who had been a soldier since he enlisted after high school, stood before a general court marshal and was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years, later lowered to 19 years, in a military prison. Soldiers in his command were given immunity from any prosecution and testified that their lieutenant, known to them for only a few days, acted recklessly and considered Afghans in general as America's enemies.
In the days leading up to Lorance taking command, the platoon had sustained four casualties and among the wounded was Lorence's predecessor who was hit by shrapnel in his abdomen, limbs, eyes and face from a hidden explosive. There is something wrong here. Lorance believes in his innocence as does his mother, Anna, and hundreds of thousands of Americans who are demanding a retrial and or clemency.
Lt. Lorance is incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He lives his days and nights, believing that his judgment on that day in Afghanistan, was the right one. Is Lt. Lorance a hero who made a split second, life-or-death decision out of concern for the safety of his platoon? Was his judgment faulty, and if it was, is the lengthy imprisonment of this dedicated officer during time of war the proper adjudication. Was that fair?
Fort Leavenworth is a high security facility housing confessed killers and other felons. In another cell on the same compound, is former army Major Nidal Hasan who shot and killed 13 fellow soldiers and wounded more than 30 others, in an assembly in Fort Hood Texas in 2009. Hasan committed the assassinations in the name of Islam, and for his terrorism has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Execution awaits rulings on his mandatory appeals. Hasan has acknowledged his guilt and has requested that the death sentence be carried out. Hasan, who has been in communication by letter with ISIS commanders, views himself as a martyr carrying out the will of Allah.
Hasan's planned slaughter of fellow soldiers outraged a nation of Americans, and he was in custody of the military, with a presumption of innocence, for four years before his trial. In that period he received food and medical care and drew his salary of an estimated $300,000. His conviction was in 2014.
Lt. Lorance, 28, was given command of his platoon just four days before the incident for which he has been imprisoned. The officer he replaced had been seriously wounded in attacks by the Taliban. Lorance had been a soldier for 10 years, joining the army upon graduation from high school. As part of the military, he attended college, graduated with a bachelor's degree and became an officer. He planned a career in the military, proud of his country and of being an American.
Petitions seeking the release of Lt. Lorance are being circulated and his attorneys have recently delivered an official request to the White House asking President Obama for a pardon. Mrs. Lorance, the lieutenant's mother, and former Florida Congressman Allan West, who has served with the military in both Iraq and Afghanistan, have also been active in seeking support for the imprisoned soldier.
It is incredible that Obama does not recognize the injustice accorded this American soldier. He himself has never served in the military and he has never demonstrated any real concern for America's military and for the men and women who wear a uniform. Yet, he reached out to bring home Army Sgt. Beau Bergdahl who had allegedly deserted his unit in the mountains of Afghanistan and then either surrendered willingly or was captured by the Taliban where he remained in captivity for four years.
To bring that soldier home, President Obama negotiated with terrorists and acted in violation of existing laws. He did so by releasing five known terrorists who were being held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl. He announced that Sgt. Bergdahl was returning home at a Rose Garden ceremony at which the soldier's father, who had grown a full, Taliban style beard and had learned the language used by the Taliban, stood with the President, and said that he was thankful to the merciful Allah.
The following day, Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, announced that Sgt. Bergdahl had served his country "with honor and distinction," The NSA chief lied head on to the Ameican people while speaking on network television and her comments, reportedly, had been approved in advance by President Obama. Presently, Bergdahl is held in a military prison awaiting trial at a general court marshal, charged with desertion and giving aid to the enemy.
Obama continues to pardon drug users and other felons from federal prisons with questionable justification. When an American marine was arrested by Mexican police for making a wrong turn and then subjected to harassing conditions and held for 214 days in a jail, President Obama was nowhere to be found. Now, with the fate of Lt. Lorance open to question, Commander-in-Chief Obama remains on the sidelines, silent and apparently unconcerned.
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By Florida Bill
It is an understatement to say that the United States is the most magnanimous nation on planet earth. Its great arms and largess extend to 142 countries, touching 76 per cent of the world.
Annually, it writes checks totaling $35 billion in foreign aid and it does all this despite being saddled with a national debt of $19 trillion dollars. That generosity goes out, compliments of America's taxpayers. Eighty six per cent of the money goes to nations in the Middle East and Africa.
It is difficult to get your mind around the enormity of the $35 billion being doled out by the United States. In raw numbers, a billion dollars is 1,000 millions. So the aid which is distributed to other nations, big and small, amounts to thirty-five thousand million dollars each year.
If you consider that there are 306 million Americans living in some 30,000 cities, towns and villages inside 50 states, you might wonder how come some of those billions are not used to improve homegrown infrastructure; to pave roads and to repair tottering bridges as federal projects. Use a few billions to make life a little easier for the poverty-stricken--imagine the jobs that could be created.
With Donald Trump as the President, he should be able to find a measly $10 billion for the wall he talks about, assuming, of course, that the tab for the wall is not picked up by the Mexican government. Any spill over can be applied to the debt.
Lots of Americans are meat and potatoes people who are careful not to let their personal spending go haywire, driving them into a black hole of debt. In view of the country's huge debt, its largess is remarkable--kind of crazy you could say. Yes, let's help those who need it, but does it make sense to allow our own house to get in disarray while printing and handing out money. America's debt increases by $32,000 each second and by two billion dollars each day. Some financial experts tell us that the USA, with its wild spending, is headed for bankruptcy.
Nineteen trillion dollars, the national red paper, makes the $35 billion in foreign aid look like peanuts. A trillion equates to one thousand (1,000) billions; so 19 trillion equates to nineteen thousand (19,000) billions. The amount is staggering, incomprehensible. One fascinating descriptive analogy of the national debt is that if you live to be 80 years old, your heart will beat about 3 billion times; And it would take 602,000 years for 19 trillion heartbeats to tick away.
The debt is what it is. But then, what is foreign aid all about, and where and to whom does the money go? It helps out a lot of needy countries and people and maybe the countries will like us in return. Kind of a quid-quo pro, you might say. The United States has an annual budget of about $4 trillion dollars. Relative to this bottom line, foreign aid constitutes less than one per cent of annual spending-- not enough to make any real difference.
The top recipients of aid in 2014 were five nations in the Middle East: Israel, $3.5 billion; Egypt, $1.5 billion; Iraq, $300 million; Jordan, $300 million; and Pakistan, $280 million. Israel is a cherished friend and America's only genuine ally in the Middle East. Over the years, Israel has received well over $100 billion dollars in aid from America and has developed the military strength to counter any attack. Egypt which has been in and out of favor, has received more than $70 billion dollars between 1948 and the present.
American foreign aid is designed to assist individual countries in two general areas: economic assistance and military assistance. The billions for Israel currently and in the past have been used primarily for military build up and protection against nations like Iran and the Palestinians who refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist and are dedicated to its destruction. For sure, America has its back.
Conservative members of Congress and Libertarians question the extent of America's foreign aid. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has said that "in our hours of need, why send billions of tax dollars to countries which hate us. I support aid to allies when it promotes American interests, like Israel; but I oppose foreign aid for countries that hate us and burn our flag. It is the wrong thing to do."
Phyllis Pomerant, a professor of public policy at Duke University observes that America is generous and there are nations with poor people that need help. Alongside other nations which give aid to other countries, she points out, the United States "has one of the lowest percentages of gross national income donated to foreign aid," indicating that the USA is in a position to do more to help those that need assistance. It is also true, analysts tell us, that only 30 per cent of USA assistance goes to the least developed countries in the world.
Yes, America is--and should be-- generous, no question about that. Yet Sen. Paul has an excellent point--no aid for countries that hate us. Remember the films of jubilation in Pakistan, men, women and children dancing in the streets, after hearing news of he 9-11 attack in New York where 2,500 Americans were killed.
But something needs to be done about the national debt which has soared by $10 trillion under President Obama.
America needs to put its own house in order and be sensible in its foreign aid programs, and it should quit doling out money it doesn't have to countries which stomp Old Glory and hate us.
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By Florida Bill
He rose from his work as a "community organizer" in Chicago to become President of the United States. His mentor was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a pastor who preached denunciation of Jews and disdain for America; and his friends included the notorious Bill Ayres who backed him in his run for public offices. Ayres was a radical opponent of the Viet Nam War and organized the underground "Weathermen," an organization which bombed the Capital building and the Pentagon in Washington in protest to the war. To this day, Ayres is classified by the FBI as a domestic terrorist.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley selected the smooth talking, Harvard educated Obama as his water boy, and then backed him in his election as a member of the Illinois legislature and then as United States Senator. You could say that Obama was "ordained" by the powerful Democratic machine of Chicago. No other organization in the country carried the clout and power of Chicago Democrats, the organization that pushed John F. Kennedy into the oval office and also backed Jimmy Carter when his prospects appeared minimal.
In 2004, as a little-known Illinois senator, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic national convention, and his style and bold passionate delivery garnered for him national attention. In his speech, he asserted, to heavy applause, that "there is not a liberal America and there is not a conservative America. There is the United States of America." Obama was articulate and pleasant looking, and the fact that he was an African American was of strong appeal to a country worn out by its long history of racial tensions. It was the beginning for Obama, a man who promised he could help America heal and remove racial animus, and who pledged to move the country forward as a strong and exceptional nation.
As a presidential candidate in 2008, he boasted to Americans of his talents and ability to speak with our enemies and to persuade them of our good will. We will offer a handshake rather than a closed fist, he said. He told of being a Christian who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ and of his belief in marriage as a union of one man and one woman. Asked when he believed that life begins, is it at conception? Obama said that because of his pay grade, he was not equipped to answer that question.
And the nation applauded as the first African American was elected President, affirming that racism and slavery days had died and were forever buried. Life-long Republican and military icon Gen. Colin Powell hailed the Obama election as "historical," and said the nation had elected the right person in these difficult times.
But America was hoodwinked. What Americans wanted and what America got were like day and night. The new President promptly demonstrated an innate disdain for all conservative values and called for the redistribution of wealth. He promoted a huge increase in spending so that national debt ballooned from the $10.6 trillion at his inauguration to nearly nearly $19 trillion in 2015. He opened up the food stamp program which now serves 47 million persons. He eviscerated America's military strength to the level of readiness which existed prior to the beginning of World War II. His comments as to race served to aggravate tensions and he blamed Caucasians and racist policemen for wrongdoing and mistreating and mishandling situations in which Black men were involved.
Obama had assured Americans that he was a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ, yet he has looked the other way at the beheading of religious persons and declined to call out radical Islam for its savagery and hate. In fact, this President has declined to even say the words "radical Islam," apparently believing that this characterization of the enemy would somehow offend his Muslim friends, many of whom are in his administration. He maintains this posture even in the face of the Islamic-inspired murders in San Bernardino, Cal., Paris and Belgium and Orlando.
Obama had been raised in Indonesia and attended a Muslim school (Madrassa) where he practiced the religion of his father and his fanatical step father. He has never explained his "conversion" to Christianity, and 50 million Americans are said to believe that Obama is more Muslim than Christian. In his travels, Obama has given credence to this belief by bowing to mullahs, and visiting mosques, one of which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He has spoken of his reverence and respect for Islam and the holy month of Ramadan. One of his closest advisers, Iranian born Valarie Jarrett, is an outspoken Muslim, as are others in his inner circle of friends. He has endorsed and promoted the appointment of a Muslim woman as a judge and she was sworn into office with her hand on the Koran.
With control of both the Senate and the House, President Obama pushed through a health care program which has been tagged "Obamacare." Not a single Republican voted in favor of the new program. The President promised Americans "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor; and if you like your health care plan which you have, you can keep that plan." Those declarations were simply not true, and Obamacare drove up the cost of health care premiums and deductibles for millions. After the bill was passed and the law went into effect, it was acknowledged by Congressmen that no one had ever read the terms of the law.
By what he has said and from decisions he has made, it is abundantly clear that he is incapable of functioning as Commander in Chief of the military forces. He has never served as a member of the military, and has never exhibited genuine respect or admiration for men and women who wear the uniform of their country. He seems to view the cuts to military air power, sea power and man power as a portal to making friends with hostile nations. Despite continued objections from members of Congress, he is forcing a reduction of defense spending at the rate of $40 billion annually through the year 2022. He has in fact eviscerated the military so dramatically that questions arise as to the country's strength in defending itself against attack and the belligerence of other nations. North Korea has developed a nuclear capability and threatens to use these weapons against the United States. In the view of world leaders, Obama is seen as weak, and unreliable in keeping his world.
Without any doubt, Israel is America's only genuine friend and ally in the Middle East. Yet, Obama's support of the Prime Minister is open to doubt as he seeks to please the theocracy of Iran, a country dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the extermination of all Jews. Iran has been designated by our state department as a supporter of terror in the world, yet Obama has allowed the lifting of all sanctions against the country, releasing to its Islamic leaders $150 billion dollars in exchange for that nation's "promise" to not go forward with the building of atomic bombs for 10 years. It was a very bad deal made in an effort to please Iran, a nation which professes its hatred of America, which it labels,"The Great Satan."
On top of the fact that the Iranian deal is itself a very bad one, it was created by Obama through an unconstitutional executive order. By the very nature of the agreement between nations, the deal qualifies as a treaty subject to consent of two thirds of the senate, as set forth in Article 2, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
Despite existing laws and the prohibition of negotiating with terrorists, Obama has released five mad dog killers from Guantanamo prison in exchange for an American soldier who deserted his unit in Afghanistan and was willingly captured by the Taliban, America's savage enemy. That soldier is currently awaiting a court marshal trial accused of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Upon the soldier's release, carried out in violation of law and despite strong opposition from members of congress, the administration's National Security Adviser, described the deserting sergeant on television as a "soldier who had served his country with honor and distinction."
He sureptitiously authorized the delivery of $400 million dollars in cash, stacked on wooden pallets, to Iran in the quiet of night and by use of a cargo plane. With acceptance of the money, Iran released four American hostages. The incident had all the markings of the prohibited payment of ransom money as a condition for the release of the hostages. Obama has said that the money was not ransom, but rather constituted payment of a debt to Iran which dated back to 1979. The facts of the transfer of money to the country's leading terrorist nation belies the statements of Obama, and further taints his trustworthiness and his legacy
He has dismissed as "workplace violence" the murder of 13 soldiers by a radicalized army major screaming "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Great) in Fort Hood Texas; and he has displayed little emotion as Americans were beheaded by Muslim fanatics. Rather than prepare a plan to defeat the ISIS terrorists, Obama called for "containment" of the radical Islamic organization which he has defined as a JV (junior varsity) group.
He continues to blame the prior administration of President George W. Bush for domestic problems, but he does nothing for Americans, including African Americans, who are worse economically than in past years. Seventy-five per cent of African American babies are born to single mothers every year, yet instead of using his office and bully pulpit to encourage and strengthen families, he praises same sex marriages and homosexual lifestyle. He has done a complete turn around on the meaning of "marriage" which he described when he ran for office in 2008 as a "union between one man and one woman."
Obama has said that he would bring about a "fundamental transformation of America," and he has certainly worked toward that end. He has made the country worse. But despite the Obama years, citizens remain optimistic that there will be better days ahead when Obama returns to Chicago's south side streets in January of 2017 and resumes his activity as a community organizer. There is hope for a new president who loves America and believes in it as an exceptional force for good in the world.
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By Florida Bill
As a gesture of good will, President Obama went to Hiroshima a few days before Memorial day. He did not step out and apologize for the bombing which killed thousands, but his body language and solemn call for a world filled with love and peace and devoid of nuclear weapons sent a signal and a hint that America should be shouldering some blame.
In somber tones, the president spoke on the very grounds of the atomic explosion which occurred on August 6, 1945, some 71 years ago. The nuclear bomb was devastating and brought death to thousands of men, women and children and pretty well leveled and destroyed an entire city. Obama is the first president of the United States to visit the city which felt the incredible power and wrath of a nuclear weapon. Surprisingly absent from his prepared remarks was mention of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which started the war and that it was the mushroom cloud which forced Japan to end the conflict.
I find it puzzling that Obama chose the Friday before Memorial day to take his message to the Japanese people and to speak of the incredible peril and threat of nuclear weapons and need for a world which will solve conflict through diplomacy, rather than conflict. Thoughtful words from our President, but why pick Memorial Day.
In the United States, Memorial day is a time when American citizens wear their patriotism on their sleeves. It is a special holiday in which America honors and remembers its fallen heroes who have defended their country in time of war. In every one of the 50 states, Old Glory can be seen flying high on city buildings and on the homes and front yards of its citizens. Pastors in churches often invite veterans to rise and hear the applause of their fellow church goers. Newspapers and television anchors report stories of the courage and bravery of America's armed forces in the face of enemies bent on their destruction.
Since assuming the high office in 2008, President Obama had promised that he would visit Japan before the expiration of his presidency, which is now less than a year away. By necessity, such plans were made made well in advance of the visit and there was extensive notice to the world of the journey to Hiroshima.
Somber and deliberate, the President delivered his message to the Japanese people and to the listening world. He spoke of a day when nations will aspire for peace without war and without nuclear weapons. Scientists have split the atom, he said, and that "will require a moral revolution as well."
"That is why we come to this place," said Obama. "We stand here in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell. .... We remember all the innocents killed across the arc of that terrible war and the wars that came before and the wars that would follow." "
The empire of Japan today is a close friend and ally of the United States, and America continues, after more than 70 years since the end of the war, to station thousands of its troops in this far eastern nation. The presence of the USA in Japan is a message to other nations that America has the "back of its friend," and will be there to help if and when called upon to do so.
For America, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki a few days later brought an end to a war that it did not start and did not want, and in which it lost hundreds of thousands of its young men and women who were killed while defending their homeland. President Truman has said that the powerful bombs ended the war with Japan and actually saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of American and Japanese soldiers. If faced with a similar situation, Truman has said that he would do the same thing, and virtually everyone in America agrees with him.
Did President Obama forget to mention or did he choose not to mention that America was the target of a sneak attack at Pearl Harbor at which 2,400 servicemen were killed; and that thousands more were bayoneted, slaughtered and dehumanized by cruel Japanese soldiers during the Bataan march in the Philippines. To President Roosevelt, the beginning of the war on Dec. 7, 1941, is a day "which will live in infamy."
In his nearly eight years as Commander-in-Chief and President of the United States, Obama has shown a minimum of concern for America's fighting forces. Through his programs, he has brought about the evisceration of the military so that American forces today are behind the level of readiness which existed prior to the beginning of World War II, and America's ability to defend itself is currently being questioned by many generals and career officers. Treatment of veterans has never been an item of priority for Obama and and its importance appears to be secondary to his concern for other matters, including undocumented aliens.
The war is long over and Japan is a true friend and ally of the United States. It is regrettable that there ever was a war started by the Empire of Japan, and for which, to its credit, it has apologized. We all hope and pray that there will never be another war, and for awareness by all nations that a nuclear war would be destructive beyond belief.
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By Florida Bill
Muhammad Ali, 74, who died on June 2, 2016, was a great boxer, of that there is no question. He was an icon who was revered worldwide and and news of his death reverberated around the globe. He was the face of a champion. People from all walks of life lavished tributes on him as a boxer and a father and a humanitarian during a three hour memorial service in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Streets along the way to the service were jammed with cars and Louisville residents. Eulogies were delivered by family members, friends and clergymen. Also prominent politicians such as former President Bill Clinton and Utah's Mormon senator, Orrin Hatch joined in, as did entertainers such as Billy Crystal. All in all, it was a spectacular farewell to "The Greatest."
During the service, speakers referenced the late fighter's court conviction for draft evasion and commended Ali for his courageous stand against racial oppression and treatment of African Americans as second class citizens, deprived of the rights due them. In parsing the eulogies and the praise of Ali, it was suggested that Ali's refusal to be inducted, as was the law of the land, was, in fact, a noble decision.
The final eulogy of the service was delivered by former President Clinton who lauded Muhammad for his skill as a boxer and for his genuineness as a witty and likeable person, and for his contributions to America.
Like Ali, Clinton had avoided the draft in the 1960s, and is on record as having written that he "loathed"the military. He clearly endorsed the late boxer's disparagement of the call to arms during an unpopular war.
Amid all the fanfare at his memorial, it appears history will ignore that other Ali, the one who saw love of country and patriotism as a contradiction because of injustices to Black Americans.
Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, began boxing in high school and in 1960 won a gold medal in the Olympics in Rome. In 1964, at 22 years old, he defeated Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Soon after the Liston fight, it was announced that Clay had become a member of the Nation of Islam, a Black supremacy group whose leader in Chicago, Elijah Muhammad, spoke publicly that the white man was the devil. It was Elijah who in 1967 bestowed upon Clay the Islamic name of Muhammad Ali.
In that same year Ali refused induction into the military claiming that he had no reason to go 10,000 miles to fight the Viet Cong when Blacks were being oppressed and mistreated in America.
"I ain't got no quarrel with those Viet Cong," he said. He was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his title and his license to box and sentenced to five years in prison. Instantly he became a hero to the counter culture which opposed the highly unpopular Viet Nam war, where more than 57,000 soldiers, sailors and marines were killed. He remained free pending appeal of his conviction.
In refusing induction, Ali claimed status as a conscientious objector who could not fight because his religion forbid it. He said that he was a minister of the Islamic faith. Draft officials declined to recognize Ali's request for a religious exemption. Other prominent entertainers such as Elvis Presley became soldiers, as well as some Muslims who answered the call of Uncle Sam. Muslims have served in America's conflicts in the Civil War, World War I and II, Korea and and in Viet Nam.
In 1971, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed the conviction recognizing Ali's request for conscientious objector status as valid.
He once again took on the mantle of The Greatest, when his license to box was restored and he resumed his career, retiring in 1978 after winning the heavyweight championship three times.
Ironically, the man who "floated like a butterfly" and was known for his constant chatter, lost much of his ability to move and speak during his 35-year battle with Parkinson's disease.
But he fought the disease with the same spirit and confidence with which he fought in the ring. Though mostly out of the spotlight, he remained an icon in the eyes of millions, and in fact his stature actually grew as he fought the disabling disease. He was the recipient of many awards and tributes and had been selected to light the fire at the Olympic games in 1995. Was Ali the best boxer, ever? In many ways he was the "greatest"as he referred to himself. He combined great pugilistic skill with an extraordinarily outgoing personality, coupled with compassion and concern for others, particularly those who had little. He was always eager to help those in need financially and in other ways.
In retrospect, it is most likely true that our country's involvement in Viet Nam was a mistake. But it happened, and thousands of young men and women were drafted and went to war for their country with a great number killed in action.
To this day, many Americans decline to forgive Ali for his rebellion against a nation that asked him for his help. His legacy is that he was a great boxer, maybe even the greatest of all time. But his refusal to fight for America, undoubtedly the only country in the world where a poor Black kid named Cassius Clay could grow up to become The Greatest, will always be part of history. He was a great boxer, beloved and respected by millions. But, an American hero, never.
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