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Muhammad Ali and the draft
Abolish Selective Service!
Today (January 17, 2023) would be the 81st birthday of former boxing heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali.
During the Vietnam War, which had a military draft, Ali applied for conscientious objector status. His request was denied. In 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the army and was arrested. Evading the draft is a felony and he was convicted. Ali was also stripped of his championship titles and boxing licenses by state commissioning boards for over three years. (Ali was free on appeal during this time.) The Supreme Court reversed his conviction in 1971 (Clay v. United States) because no reason was given as to why Ali was refused conscientious objector status.
Ali lost the prime athletic years of his mid-to-late twenties, but he returned to the ring and was able to become champion on two more occasions.
The United States doesn’t have an active military draft, but mandatory Selective Service registration subjects men to the possibility. There could be another young man in the future who faces Ali’s predicament. The Selective Service website says,
If required to register with Selective Service, failure to register is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply…
