Dear editor:
With freedom of speech comes the responsibility to be factual less we lean too closely toward propaganda. In a letter to this paper, dated July 11, 2018, Mr. Ted Burhenn seemed to imply that "Cassius Clay" was a draft dodger. One of Mr. Burhenn's points seemed to be correcting the record that African-Americans were not afforded deferments. Responding to a recent contributor, Mr. Burhenn states, "Perhaps he forgot about Cassius Clay, who got a deferment on the basis of being a conscientious objector in order to continue his career beating the brains out of people in the ring."
Actually, Muhammad Ali, formerly known as "Cassius Clay," did not receive a deferment. He applied for conscientious objector status, in 1966, for which he was promptly denied. He was arrested, found guilty of draft evasion, stripped of all of his titles and had his license to box revoked. After losing peak performing years, his conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.
Beverly Logan
Hot Springs
Editorial on 07/14/2018