It was a punishment not merely of a man, but of an idea—that one could be both an American and refuse injustice, Black and unafraid, champion and dissenter.

Ali:

"Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?"
2/5
Video: Muhammad Ali on why he REFUSED to serve in Vietnam.
https://youtube.com/shorts/0IHp5Yng-1o?si=mNRCt5Dp0ULhT6J6

@Deglassco I learned a lot about the history of the Vietnam War watching Turning Point: Vietnam on Netflix.

There was a big segment on Ali's defiance as more and more young Americans, eventually mainly Black Americans that did not qualify for deferments, were drafted into the service.

The final episode drew parallels between the messy fall of Saigon and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. One was a clear loss, maybe the second was as well.