Benjamin Franklin is famously quoted as saying, at the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, that Americans had adopted "a Republic, if you can keep it." It took almost 230 years, but we are doing our best to throw our Republic away.
In November 2016, America might elect as president Hillary Clinton, the wife of an impeached and disbarred former president, who herself is under FBI investigation. Alternatively, we might select Donald Trump, whose notion of presidential comportment is to lead a campaign rally in racist sneering at the federal judge overseeing a fraud lawsuit against him.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville and the rest of the world said goodbye to The Greatest on Friday, showering affection on Muhammad Ali during a fist-pumping funeral procession through the streets of his hometown, followed by a star-studded memorial service where he was eulogized as a wildly charismatic breaker of racial barriers.
"He was a tremendous bolt of lightning, created by Mother Nature out of thin air, a fantastic combination of power and beauty," comedian Billy Crystal said in an address that had the crowd of about 15,000 laughing at nearly every turn.
