Martial Arts Politicians

[GeneChing]

Hopefully, this thread will grow over time...

President Patil Advises Girls to Take up Martial Arts (http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=120966)
Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Nov 3: President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil has suggested martial arts be taught to girls. The self defence martial arts are a means for self protection against the rising crime against women, she opined.

The President was guest of honour during the quasquicentennial celebration of Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow on Wednesday. The IT College, which is celebrating its 125th year of foundation was founded in July 1886 and was earlier called as Lucknow’ Women College. A postage stamp on the college was also increased on the occasion.

The President also mentioned that girls should be taught judo and karate for their self protection which is always the best protection and a medium of self defence.

She also expressed deep concern over rising number of crime against women in the country and asked the authorities to pay attention towards this trend. She stated that families are concerned over the safety of female members.

She also quoted the example of Rajasthan which she stated that during her governorship, females were given 33 percent reservation in police force and they have now emerged as protectors. The President during her speech also hinted at women empowerment and gender equality and advocated full partnership of women in all activities.

"There are two sides, women in India have attained success in all spheres of life like scaling peaks of Himalayas and top corporate posts, still there are malpractices of female foeticides and dowry," she said. President Patil also urged teh colleges to provide education and inculcate social values for developing a person in a responsible citizen.

[AJM]

Outstanding!

[GeneChing]

This is so great, it deserves a new thread from me. Hopefully more politicians will step up and follow suite. :D

Posted on Wednesday, 05.15.13
HIALEAH/MIAMI LAKES
Hialeah, Miami Lakes mayors to duke it out in ‘mixed martial arts’ bout (http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/15/3398841/hialeah-miami-lakes-mayors-to.html)

http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2013/05/15/13/19/17Eo81.Em.56.jpeg
Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi, left, and Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez pose in front of Milander Park in Hialeah on Apri 25. The pair will fight in a mixed martial arts match for charity later this summer. ROBERTO KOLTUN / EL NUEVO HERALD

A couple of South Florida city leaders fighting wouldn’t be unusual, but two Northwest Miami-Dade mayors are taking it to a new extreme — with a real “mixed martial arts” match in front of an audience.

Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez and Michael Pizzi, mayor of neighboring Miami Lakes, say they will take to the ring, or in this case an octagon, this summer. They say it’s all for charity, but that doesn’t stop them from trash-talking.

“He will last 30 seconds,” boasted Pizzi, 50. “I will knock him out, but I am going to catch him and lay him on the ground so he doesn’t get too badly embarrassed in front of his colleagues.”

They have not yet set a date, but the fight will take place on Hernandez’s turf, in Hialeah’s Milander Auditorium, on an unannounced date. Money raised from the brawl will go towards children’s programs in each of the cities.

Pizzi’s share will go towards the city’s youth center, which is slated to open by the end of the year. He said he wants to put money toward activities such as dance classes, martial arts classes and scholarships.

Hernandez, 52, is considering Best Buddies as one of his charities, and is still weighing other options.

Pizzi said he and Hernandez came up with the idea over dinner at Shula’s Steakhouse a few weeks ago.

“This is what happens when two middle-aged men meet and have dinner and talk about who was tougher in their childhoods,” Pizzi said

During that story swap session Pizzi, who hails from Brooklyn, told Hernandez he was known as the “Brooklyn Brawler.”

Pizzi earned that nickname after he won some 25 street fights and boxing matches in a row as a teenager.

“At heart I am a middle-class street kid,” Pizzi said. “In my neighborhood, I used to box at the YMCA and I used to get into two or three fights on the way to school. I came from a tough neighborhood.”

Hernandez has been involved with martial arts since he was a teen.

He calls this fight a contest between “the street bully versus the trained athlete.”

Pizzi said he expects the fight to generate at least $100,000. .

Hernandez said has already had locals contact him to contribute.

“I’ve had plenty of calls from people wanting to buy front-row seats,” he said.

Hernandez said they hope to make the mayoral throwdown an exhibition match on a slate of professional mixed martial arts fights.

Although the fight is weeks or months away, both mayors already have come out swinging, albeit verbally.

“We’re going to have a weigh-in downstairs in the chambers and we’ll probably get into a fight at the weigh-in,” Pizzi said. “This will be really great.”

Hernandez said he won’t add on to his normal training routine. He works out with his 13-year-old son, who studies Brazilian jujitsu.

“I’m going to train as hard as it takes to beat Mayor Pizzi,” he laughed. “And that’s not a lot of training. I might have to pull back to make it a fair fight.”

Hernandez is coming into the fight at 5 feet 10 inches and 193 pounds, while Pizzi is 5 feet 9 inches and 205 pounds. But Pizzi said he already has started a strict diet to get into fighting shape.

“I am down to only one beer on Saturday and I only eat pizza three times a week for dinner,” said Pizzi, adding he tries to fit work-outs into his schedule. “I have lost a couple of ounces.”

Hernandez said he’s concerned about Pizzi’s training routine.

“If he is cutting back on beer and pizza, then he’s serious.”

[GeneChing]

This thread (well, one post actually) was originally titled MMA Politicians. I'm changing the title to Martial Arts Politicians to make it more general and hopefully develop more of a list over time. We shall see...


Martial arts expert sworn in as Mongolian president (http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/martial-arts-expert-sworn-in-as-mongolian-president)
Monday, July 10, 2017 - 19:02

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/680x453/public/image/2017/07/10/73a-ns-Khaltmaa%20Battulga%20-100717.jpg?itok=j3-Hgzug=
Mongolian businessman and martial arts expert Khaltmaa Battulga was sworn in as president Monday, vowing to revive the flagging economy and pursue relations with countries outside its giant neighbours Russia and China. PHOTO: REUTERS

[ULAN BATOR] Mongolian businessman and martial arts expert Khaltmaa Battulga was sworn in as president Monday, vowing to revive the flagging economy and pursue relations with countries outside its giant neighbours Russia and China.

Mr Battulga inherits a US$5.5 billion International Monetary Fund-led bailout intended to stabilise the economy of the debt-laden country and lessen its dependence on China, which purchases 80 per cent of Mongolia's exports.

In his inauguration speech, Mr Battulga pledged to "stand for equally beneficial foreign relations" and to pay "special attention to the 'third neighbour policy'" - a push toward strengthening Mongolia's partnerships with the US, Japan, Germany and other countries beyond its two powerful neighbours.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) candidate, who was elected with 50.6 per cent of the vote in a runoff last Friday, said he wanted to kickstart the economy, end poverty and boost the manufacturing sector.

The billionaire property tycoon and world champion in the Soviet martial art Sambo ran a populist campaign that was linked to simmering anti-China sentiments.

At one rally last month, Battulga supporters accused anti-Battulga protesters of being "mixed Chinese", and a video circulated on social media purporting that opponent and parliament speaker Mieygombo Enkhbold of the ruling Mongolian People's Party (MPP) has Chinese ancestry.

The Chinese foreign ministry noted this element of the campaigns on Monday while congratulating the new president on his election victory.

"During the election, certain politicians made some untrue and irresponsible remarks," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during a regular press briefing.

"We express concerns about this." Mr Battulga also promised to "fight against the selling of public service positions," which Mt Enkhbold and other MPP officials had been accused of doing.

Mr Battulga replaces Tsakhia Elbegdorj, also of the DP, after the outgoing president served the maximum two four-year terms.

AFP

[GeneChing]

I decided to merge our 'Politicians endorsing martial arts' thread with our 'Martial Arts Politicians' thread. They are actually two different topics but neither was doing very well. Someday, I'll go back and copy the politicians out of the Celebrities studying martial arts? thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?41233-Celebrities-studying-martial-arts) to fill this one out a little more.


Mongolia’s president, a former martial-arts champion, wrestles with some major problems (http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/17/mongolias-president-a-former-martial-arts-champion/)
UPDATED: Sun., June 17, 2018, 9:46 p.m.

https://media.spokesman.com/photos/2018/06/17/mongolia-22845c1a-7240-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_t1170.jpg?e2225bc5c1a75a1036ca3021fec ba2b47792abfe
Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga lifts weights at a gym in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on May 26, 2018. (Giulia Marchi / Washington Post)
By Simon Denyer
Washington Post

ARVAIKHEER, Mongolia – On the vast Mongolian steppe, birthplace of Genghis Khan, a strong man has arisen. Literally. Mongolia’s President Khaltmaa Battulga is a former world martial arts champion who still trains regularly, a friend of Russia’s Vladimir Putin and a business tycoon with a tough-guy image.

He is also a nationalist and something of a populist. Battulga swept into office last year by casting himself as a Trump-like outsider, a champion of the poor taking on a corrupt and self-serving political elite.

Like the U.S. president, this is a man who says he always wins, whose campaign motto was “Mongolia will win.” But he is now wrestling with the challenge of his life.

Mongolians overthrew an authoritarian communist regime in 1990 in a peaceful democratic revolution. Nearly three decades of democracy have fostered progress but also glaring inequality, leaving nearly 30 percent of the population in poverty. Corruption is rampant, the dark side of the country’s huge reserves of copper, coal and gold.

“I asked before the election and I am still asking,” the gruff-voiced Battulga told a town hall meeting in Arvaikheer in central Mongolia last month. “Why are the people of a country so rich in resources still so poor?”

Battulga, 55, rose from poverty to the country’s highest post, leapfrogging from a sambo wrestling world championship to a successful business career, but his power as president is limited – parliament and the prime minister’s job are in the hands of a rival political party. Battulga has an important role in setting foreign policy, but his ambitions are much grander.

For the past three months, he has been touring Mongolia, holding town hall meetings in every one of the nation’s 21 provinces, asking for popular support in his battle to improve the way his country is governed.

“Do you get the feeling the president we chose is on his own?” he asked hundreds of people packed into a theater here. “It is time to start talking about president plus who? President plus the people, working together.”

Luvsandendev Sumati, director of the independent Sant Maral polling organization, underscores the parallels between the most recent Mongolian and U.S. presidential elections.

After the dirtiest presidential contest in Mongolia’s history, he said, many people stayed away or cast blank ballots in protest. In the end, though, Battulga’s anti-establishment status outweighed questions about his business record and past corruption allegations.

“The poor decided he is their president, and once people decide that, they forgive you everything,” Sumati said. “Anti-establishment politicians are taking over the globe. Why should Mongolia be any different?”

This is the most sparsely populated country in the world, the size of Texas, California and Montana combined but home to just 3 million people, living in the giant shadows of Russia to the north and China to the south. Culturally, it remains closer to its northern neighbor, but economically it is dependent on its booming southern neighbor, with more than 80 percent of its exports flowing there.

Distrust of China runs high here, however, and Battulga exploited that to portray himself as a pro-Moscow, anti-Beijing candidate during the campaign. As president, though, he takes a more pragmatic approach, saying that Mongolia should be friends with both countries while “re-balancing” to reduce China’s trade dominance.

A former president of Mongolia’s judo association, he shares a love of wrestling, and a friendship, with Putin.

“Because we both practiced judo, it is easier for us to communicate,” he said in an interview, noting that Putin is also “president of a country that has been our neighbor for thousands of years.”

But Battulga wants American support, too. In 1990, then-Secretary of States James Baker III pledged that the United States would be the “third neighbor” to the newly democratic Mongolia, a pledge repeated when President George W. Bush visited in 2005. More recently, another secretary of state, John Kerry, praised Mongolia as an “oasis of democracy” between Russia and China.

Yet U.S. defense and security ties with Mongolia are much stronger than economic ties, which account for less than 2 percent of Mongolian trade.

“The praises of the United States that Mongolia is ‘an oasis of democracy’ or ‘model of democracy’ have not brought any substantial contribution to the economy,” Battulga wrote in a letter to President Donald Trump in December. “Discouraged by this fact, ordinary citizens of Mongolia are losing confidence in democracy and doubting the choice of democratic path.”

Battulga asked for improved access for Mongolian textile exports to the United States. Trump replied that he would be delighted to explore ways to boost trade in a “fair and equitable manner,” according to the Mongolian presidential office.

UPDATED: JUNE 17, 2018, 9:46 P.M.

[GeneChing]

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018 / 12:15 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
U.S. MMA fighter Jeff Monson elected to local council in Russia (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-monson/u-s-mma-fighter-jeff-monson-elected-to-local-council-in-russia-idUSKCN1LQ2EV)
2 MIN READ

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. mixed martial arts fighter Jeffrey Monson, granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin in May, was elected on Sunday to the council of deputies of a small city just outside Moscow, official election results showed on Monday.

http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20180910&t=2&i=1302951438&r=LYNXNPEE891GF
FILE PHOTO: American mixed martial arts fighter Jeff Monson attends a news conference in St. Petersburg, Russia October 17, 2013. Interpress/Andrei Pronin via REUTERS
Monson, 47, a tattooed cage fighter known as The Snowman, registered in June to run for a seat on the council of Krasnogorsk, northwest of Moscow, where election documents say he now works as a coach in a sports club.

On the website of Moscow region’s election commission, Monson is listed as fourth on the ruling United Russia party’s list of candidates for the Krasnogorsk city council.

http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20180910&t=2&i=1302951439&r=LYNXNPEE891GH
FILE PHOTO: A man casts his ballot during mayor election at a polling station in Moscow, Russia September 9, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
United Russia won 47.9 percent of this vote, automatically securing a seat for the MMA fighter, who was born in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

Writing on social media, Monson, who has previously cultivated ties to the Russian Communist Party, said he ran as an independent.

“I was invited by United Russia party to run but I am independent. Unfortunately I learned there are no communists in Communist party in Russia,” Monson said on Monday.

Monson, a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy, said in January 2016 he was applying for Russian citizenship because he had felt a solidarity with the Russian people since he first visited their country in 2011.

“I have big plans for work with children, am preparing various projects, including projects focused on promoting healthy lifestyles,” Monson was cited as saying on election day by the local division of the United Russia party.

“Everything I do in Krasnogorsk - it’s because I love Russia,” Monson was cited as saying.

Videos shared on Monson’s official Instagram page showed the sportsman in a Russia hockey team sweater, casting a ballot at a Krasnogorsk polling station with the help of a translator.

'...there are no communists in Communist party in Russia' WTH? :confused:

[GeneChing]

The Strange Career Of Jeff Monson, American MMA Fighter Turned Russian Politician (https://deadspin.com/the-strange-career-of-jeff-monson-american-mma-fighter-1831235041)
Karim Zidan
Yesterday 4:06pm

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Rh3_P1TI--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/xcymrdtffijokvq4vy09.jpg
Screenshot: YouTube

On September 9, 2018, American mixed martial arts fighter Jeff Monson became a government official in the Russian Federation. The former UFC title challenger, who was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin less than four months earlier, was elected to a council of deputies in the city of Krasnogorsk, just outside Moscow.

Video footage posted on Monson’s social media accounts showed the fighter strolling up to a Krasnogorsk polling station dressed in a hockey jersey, where he cast his ballot with the help of a translator. Despite his previous affiliation with the Communist Party of Russia, Monson was listed as a candidate under the country’s ruling party, United Russia.

The switch worked in Monson’s favor. United Russia won 47.9 percent of the vote, which secured a council seat for the fighter by default. Despite the language barrier between Monson, who was born in Minnesota, and his constituents, the fighter plans to push an agenda that focuses on children, families in need, unemployment, and environmental concerns facing the city. Naturally, he also plans to introduce specific sports programs for children.

“Everything I do in Krasnogorsk, I do because I love Russia,” Monson was quoted as saying following the election results on Monday.

Monson’s evolution from American muscle to Russian statesman has set his career on the strangest trajectory in combat sports. His affinity for Russia and the Russian people is hard to deny, but what’s harder to suss out at this point is is whether his political activism is legitimate and capable of making meaningful changes for his constituents, or if his political career is doomed to be remembered as nothing more than a failed PR stunt.

Long before Monson decided to become a professional fighter, he had already settled into a career as a child psychologist. After spending his early childhood in Minnesota and Germany, Monson received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois, and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). During that time, he also moonlit as an assistant wrestling coach for UMD. After graduation, Monson worked as a mental health professional for several years. He specialized in crisis evaluation, as well as child and family counseling.

“I worked with severe mentally ill patients—bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders—I really loved the job,” Monson told Deadspin during a phone interview. “I also did family counseling on the side. I really enjoyed the work but I just had this unfinished feeling in my body. Nothing could satisfy it.”

Monson had been drawn to psychology and family counseling because of his personal experiences with his own family. Monson’s father died when he was two years old, leaving the young boy to be raised by his stepfather. A military man and a disciplinarian, his stepfather made Monson’s life difficult. His hardline style of parenting strained their relationship to the point of emotional abuse. Despite what Monson now refers to as a “difficult relationship” with his stepfather, he credits him with shaping his competitive nature in sports and forming his interest in wrestling.

Monson began wrestling in high school and eventually joined the Division I team at Oregon State University. He won a Pac-10 championship for Oregon and continued wrestling for Illinois and USA Wrestling while completing his psychology degree. At the time, he did not see wrestling as a viable future for himself. This changed when he began to watch Josh Barnett and Randy Couture compete for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

“I saw them win UFC titles and I thought that if they could do that, these guys that I know, then maybe I could,” Monson explained. “So I started training. I started taking amateur fights and won them all.”

Determined to become a champion fighter, Monson accepted a spot to compete in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship in 1999. At the time, Monson was training at the American Martial Arts Centre in Washington State under the tutelage of legendary coach Matt Hume. Though a decent collegiate wrestler at the time—“good, not great,” according to Monson—he knew he had no business stepping on the mat with renowned submission specialists and world champions: “All I knew was how not to get caught in basic submissions.”

Monson got himself a passport and boarded a flight to the United Arab Emirates, his first trip outside the United States as an adult. He arrived with the intention of not embarrassing himself or his coach. Instead, he defeated four Brazilians in a row to win the 88–98 kilogram weight class. His performances were so dominant that he earned the nickname “The Snowman,” a moniker that captured his wins that weekend. Much like a snowball rolling down a hill, Monson had continued to get bigger and stronger as the tournament wore on.

After the event, Monson wandered through the desert surrounding the Abu Dhabi Combat Club in a daze. After arriving in the Gulf as an obscure fighter with limited grappling credentials, he would leave as one of the world’s top submission grapplers. In the span of two days in a distant land, he had achieved his competitive desires. When it came time to fly home, he boarded the plane with a calmness he had never experienced before.

“I felt as though if I crash now, at least my life will be complete,” he said.

Upon his return stateside, Monson began to focus on his budding career in combat sports. After trying his hand at professional mixed martial arts, he decided to give up his job as a mental health professional to maximize his potential. By 2000, Monson had compiled a 5-2 pro record and had signed with the UFC. He made his promotional debut at UFC 27, where he defeated Tim Lajcik by unanimous decision. His victory, however, was short-lived, as Monson lost to UFC legend Chuck Liddell less than three months later and parted ways with the promotion as a result. He returned two years later but was knocked out by Ricco Rodriguez.

With a less-than-stellar 7-4 record, Monson decided to gain experience on the regional circuit before trying his luck in the UFC again. He compiled 13 consecutive victories between 2003-2005, claiming heavyweight titles for CWFC, XFC, and SportFight. Upon his return to the UFC in 2006, he extended his win streak with victories against Brandon Lee Hinkle, his ADCC rival Marcio Cruz, and Anthony Perosh. His impressive 3-0 run in the UFC earned him a heavyweight title shot against Tim Sylvia.

The Sylvia vs. Monson title fight was the co-main event of UFC 65: Bad Intentions. Monson lasted all five rounds with the heavyweight champion but lost by unanimous decision. It was the last time that the Snowman would compete for the UFC.

Following his exit from the UFC, Monson was viewed as a journeyman. He spent the next 10 years—a time period that encompassed the remainder of his MMA career—competing for approximately 40 different promotions. His fights took him around the world, including countries such as France, South Korea, Ukraine, England, Switzerland, Israel, and finally, Russia. This strange career trajectory brought Monson face-to-face with notable opposition such as current UFC champion Daniel Cormier, Roy Nelson, Pedro Rizzo, and Josh Barnett.

It was during this twilight stage in Monson’s career that he came up against arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko. The bout took place at an M-1 Global event on November 2011 at the Olympic Arena in Moscow, and was attended by Vladimir Putin himself. Despite suffering a broken leg during the fight, Monson survived the entire duration of the bout, losing by unanimous decision. His performance earned the respect and admiration of Russian fight fans, and helped make him one of the most popular American fighters in Russia.

M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson will be remembered for the dramatic main event, but it was also the night where Russian MMA fans showered Putin with boos as he stepped into the ring to congratulate the fighters.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3disAx4gbJw

Though momentarily surprised, Putin regained his composure and complemented Fedor on his impressive performance before stating that Monson was endowed with the “Russian spirit.” According to Monson, Putin had more to say the following day.

“The next day in the hotel, Putin called me,” Monson told Deadspin. “I picked up the phone and the hotel staff transferred me to another line. Then someone said, ‘the next voice you’re going to hear will be Vladimir Putin.’ It was. We spoke for a few minutes. He congratulated me and said it was a good fight that showed the Russian spirit. He said he was proud of me and thanked me for performing. It was kinda cool that he did that.”


continued next post

[GeneChing]

Following his loss to Fedor, Monson began to fight more regularly in Russia. Despite a mixed resume and some poor performances, the American continued to gain popularity amongst Russian fans. He was recognized on a regular basis and was stopped for autographs on the streets. Much of that fandom was due to Monson’s public support for the Russian Federation, his outspoken criticism of the United States, and his political activism as an anarcho-communist. In 2015, Monson began seeking Russian citizenship.

In 2016, Monson penned an op-ed for Newsweek titled Why I Became a Russian Citizen, which delved into the reasons why Monson viewed himself as a man with a “Russian soul” and why he had applied for Russian citizenship. According to the UFC fighter, it was “due to my solidarity with the Russian people, something I felt when I first visited Russia in 2011. I felt deep down right away that this is my home—the one place I feel at peace with myself and my surroundings. And it was as unexpected for me as it would be for nearly any American.”

Monson concluded the op-ed with the statement: “So when people ask me why I sought Russian citizenship, it’s hard to give a concise answer. I guess it’s because I just feel Russian. Why did I accept Russian citizenship? It’s because “Ya russkiy (I’m Russian.).”

Monson would not be granted Russian citizenship until 2018, but his transition from American fighter to Russian politician had already begun. In June 2016, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) announced that Monson had become a special representative of the Communist Party’s sports club focused on international cooperation. The statement added that the UFC veteran would be “engaged in the implementation and promotion of the ideas of the Communist Party.” The partnership began with the KPRF sending Monson to the so-called People’s Republic of Luhansk (LPR), a proto-state in Eastern Ukraine, to develop a new sports program for children. The intent behind the program was to enhance the party’s image abroad. Well aware of the benefit of a good story, the KPRF jumped at the opportunity to enlist an American communist and athlete in their service.

At the time, Monson’s partnership with the KPRF was mutually beneficial. Though Monson no longer believed that traditional communism was an applicable ideology in modern Russia, he wanted to work with the KPRF to bring about “libertarian communism.” The term refers to anarchist theory that advocates the abolition of capitalism, private property, and the state—an ideology that emerged from Monson’s disenchantment with U.S. politics.

“I want to work with the [KPRF] to achieve this aim,” Monson told me following his trip to People’s Republic of Luhansk. “Today, the party is forced to preach communism in a capitalist world. Because these two forces couldn’t coexist unless one meshed with the other, certain compromises have been made.”

Several months following his initial visit to the Luhansk, Monson announced that he had accepted LPR citizenship, effectively becoming the first American to do so. Monson, who requested citizenship himself in a letter sent to the LPR president at the time, revealed that he was prepared to make “an active contribution” to the LPR. The next month, he was made an honorary citizen of the Republic of Abkhazia, a partially recognized republic in Northwestern Georgia, due to his support of “nations striving for self-determination.”

Monson’s popularity in Russia occasionally gave him opportunities outside of politics and MMA. In 2016, he was a contestant on the Russian version of Dancing With The Stars, where he danced the Rumba while dressed like a Russian aristocrat from the Tsarist empire.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FNJ9hAhBRQ

Over the next few years, Monson would grow resentful of the KPRF and eventually part ways with the second largest party in Russia. When he was elected to a legislative assembly in September, he did so as a member of Russia’s ruling party, United Russia. When asked about this switch in political affiliation, Monson said, “Unfortunately I learned there are no communists in the Communist Party in Russia.”

Monson’s switch in party affiliation from the KPRF to United Russia was a strange decision for someone who refers to himself as a libertarian communist, but it was a politically beneficial one. It was through his affiliation to the ruling party that Monson was able to secure a seat as a city councilman in Krasnogorsk (United Russia won 47.9 percent of the vote). He has since stated in various interviews in Russia that he does not represent United Russia, and plans to run as an independent in any future political campaigns, including the State Duma.

It’s also been tough to figure out exactly what sort of policies Monson plans to propose. He campaigned on a platform that primarily focused on engaging Krasnogorsk youth in martial arts programs, and when he was asked a policy question after his election he spoke vaguely about working to improve the lives of “children and families” and installing a recycling program.

Monson’s political inexperience is a problem compounded by the fact that he does not speak fluent Russian. This has not escaped the attention of his critics, which include former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko. In a recent interview, Shlemenko characterized Monson’s election as an embarrassing farce, calling the fighter a “monkey who can’t speak Russian.” To Shlemenko’s credit, it’s hard to look at Monson—a man who can’t speak Russian, just became a citizen in 2018, and performs absurd anti-U.S. propaganda skits on his state-sponsored television show, Monson TV—and not catch the whiff of a political sideshow.

Monson being welcomed into Russia’s political scene was most likely due to the country’s political parties being unable to resist the allure of trumpeting a former American citizen’s transformation into a loyal servant of Russia. Their plan may have been for Monson to be nothing more than a mascot, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Monson will play along.

Recently, Monson traveled to Balashikha, a suburb of Moscow, to speak to citizens who say that they were swindled by a housing developer who stole their investment and left them to pay mortgages on apartments that will never be built. According to Radio Free Europe, Monson addressed a crowd outside of an abandoned estate in Balashikha, promising through a translator that he’d take their concerns to the governor of Moscow and the banks collecting their mortgage payments. That appearance seems to have raised the ire of the mayor in his home province. From Radio Free Europe:


But before he had even departed, Monson later told RFE/RL, his Russian wife Zhenya had received an angry phone call from the Krasnogorsk mayor’s office. Monson should stick to his patch, he says she was told. He adds that he was summoned for a meeting with the mayor, but shrugged off the controversy.

“If they were doing their job as government officials,” he wrote in a text message. “Then this wouldn’t be an issue.”

Monson isn’t the first aging American who has used what fame he has to achieve an elevated status in Russia, but maybe there is more behind his acceptance of Russian citizenship than Roy Jones Jr.’s or Steven Seagal’s. Monson really does seem to have a respect and affinity for the Russian people, and he now permanently resides in Krasnogorsk with his wife. Vladimir Putin has made a point of collecting famous American playthings, but if Monson continues to be willing to stand up to powerful people on behalf of the citizens who elected him, he doesn’t have to be the next one in Putin’s collection.
What a strange tale. Monson may well deserve his own indie thread soon.

[GeneChing]

https://cdnfr2.img.sputniknews.com/images/103948/53/1039485335.jpg
Les révélations sur son stage de kung-fu à Shaolin coûtent cher à Brune Poirson (https://fr.sputniknews.com/france/201901071039555499-brune-poirson-stage-shaolin/)© AFP 2018 ludovic MARIN
FRANCE
14:30 07.01.2019URL courte719
Brune Poirson, la secrétaire d’État auprès du ministre de la Transition écologique a révélé avoir fait un stage de kung-fu à Shaolin, en Chine, une expérience qui l’aide au quotidien en politique. En dépit de tous les mérites d'une telle philosophie, le Net lui a montré en réponse son visage satirique…

Dans une interview accordée à Libération le 4 janvier, la secrétaire d'État auprès du ministre de la Transition écologique, Brune Poirson, a annoncé avoir fait un stage de kung-fu à Shaolin, ce qu'elle considère comme un atout dans sa carrière politique.

«Le kung-fu, c'est apprendre à faire un geste parfait en totale harmonie avec son esprit. Et l'autodéfense en politique, ça peut servir, surtout contre la misogynie et l'arrogance technocratique», conclut-elle.

Cette expérience lui a permis de perdre «neuf kilos» plaisante-t-elle, mais lui a surtout appris «l'endurance et la rigueur».

Cette interview n'est pas passée inaperçue du grand public d'Internet. De nombreux internautes n'ont pas manqué l'occasion de plaisanter:

Auparavant, Mme Poirson avait découvert une photo d'elle sur un profil de l'application de rencontres Tinder et annoncé via Twitter qu'elle allait «engager une procédure judiciaire» pour usurpation d'identité.

googtrans (I didn't copy&paste all the comments)

Revelations about his kung fu training at Shaolin are expensive at Brune Poirson © AFP 2018 MARINE ludovic
LA FRANCE
14:30 07.01.2019Short URL719
Brown Poirson, the Secretary of State for the Minister of Ecological Transition, said she did a kung fu internship in Shaolin, China, an experience that helps her on a daily basis in politics. Despite all the merits of such a philosophy, the Net has shown him in response his satirical face ...

In an interview with Libération on Jan. 4, Secretary of State for the Minister of Environmental Transition, Brune Poirson, announced she had done a kung fu training in Shaolin, which she sees as an asset in her career. policy.

"Kung-fu is learning to make a perfect gesture in total harmony with one's mind. And self-defense in politics can be useful, especially against misogyny and technocratic arrogance, "she concludes.

This experience allowed her to lose "nine kilos" she jokes, but mostly taught her "endurance and rigor".

This interview did not go unnoticed by the general public of the Internet. Many Internet users have not missed the opportunity to joke:

Previously, Ms. Poirson had discovered a picture of her on a Tinder dating app profile and announced via Twitter that she was going to "sue" for impersonation.


THREADS:
Martial Arts Politicians (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)
Shaolin Journeys (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49520-Shaolin-Journeys)

[GeneChing]

US President Teddy Roosevelt Trained Jiu-Jitsu & Judo (https://judogami.com/blogs/olympic-judo/us-president-teddy-roosevelt-trained-jiu-jitsu-judo)
Posted by Diego Rodriguez on November 21, 2019

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2295/5317/articles/how-teddy-roosevelt-saved-footballs-featured-photo_1944x3456.jpg?v=1574368706
US President Teddy Roosevelt Trained Jiu-Jitsu & Judo

Yama****a Yoshiaki taught Teddy Roosevelt Judo and Ju Jutsu

Theodore Roosevelt trained the same type of old style Judo & Jiu-Jitsu that the first Gracies learned in Brazil from Mitsuyo Maeda (who was passing by The USA on his way to Japan) back in the early days. He was taught by Yama****a Yoshiaki, the pioneer of Judo in The US, and a direct student of Jigaro Kano. President Roosevelt trained jiu-jitsu to lose 20 pounds prior to an election.

Below is an extract from “Professor Yama****a Goes to Washington”:

“during March and April 1904, Roosevelt practiced judo three afternoons a week, using a ground floor office in the White House as his workout space. Then, for the rest of the summer, he practiced occasionally. He stopped training during the elections, and there is no record showing that he resumed his studies afterward.

The President’s training partners included his sons, his private secretary, the Japanese naval attache, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and Secretary of the Interior Gifford Pinchot. When these people were unavailable, then Roosevelt tried his tricks on husky young visitors.”

Yama****a went to the White House to meet President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt practiced wrestling and boxing while in the White House, and he had received jujutsu jackets from William Sturgis Bigelow and jujutsu lessons from J. J. O’Brien, a Philadelphia police officer who had studied jujutsu while living in Nagasaki. Roosevelt was impressed with Yama****a’s skill, and during March and April 1904, Yama****a gave judo lessons to the President and interested family and staff in a room at the White House. Subsequently, at other locations, Yama****a and his wife Fude gave lessons to prominent American women, to include Martha Blow Wadsworth (sister of Kindergarten pioneer Susan Blow), Hallie Elkins (wife of Senator Stephen Benton Elkins), and Grace Davis Lee (Hallie Elkins’ sister), and their children.

Yo****sugu (Yoshiaki) Yama****a, Jigoro Kano, Kermit Roosevelt, and Fude Yama****a in Japan, mid-1920s

In a letter from the White House from Theodore Roosevelt to his son Kermit dated Febuary 24, 1905.

“………I still box with Grant, who has now become the champion middleweight wrestler of the United States. Yesterday afternoon we had Professor Yama****a up here to wrestle with Grant. It was very interesting, but of course jiu jitsu and our wrestling are so far apart that is it difficult to make any comparison between them. Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as conventional as those of tennis, while jiu jitsu is really meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary. In consequence, Grant did not know what to do except to put Yama****a on his back, and Yama****a was perfectly content to be on his back. Inside of a minute Yama****a had choked Grant, and inside two minutes more he got an elbow hold on him that would have enabled him to break his arm; so that there is no question but that he could have put Grant out. So far this made it evident that the jiu jitsu man could handle the ordinary wrestler. But Grant, in the actual wrestling and throwing was about as good as the Japanese and he was so much stronger that he evidently hurt and wore out the Japanese. With a little practice in the art I am sure that one of our big wrestlers or boxers, simply because of his greatly superior strength, would be able to kill any of those Japanese, who though very good men for their inches and pounds are altogether too small to hold their own against big, powerful, quick men who are as well trained.”

I'm trying to imagine any recent president that might have trained...:o

[GeneChing]

It's the Year of the Woman - again. And there's ‘no other option' for these women running for Congress (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/12/11/election-2020-record-women-candidates-running-congress-republicans/2631549001/)
Lindsay Schnell
USA TODAY

Emily Weber was driving to the grocery store on Nov. 9, 2016, the day after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, when a man abruptly pulled out in front of her and rolled down his window.

“Go back to where you came from, China doll!” he screamed at Weber. His comment startled her. Then itwoke her up.

“That was my moment of realization — I have to get more involved, right now,” she recalls.

Soon, she found herself volunteering for Sharice Davids, the young LGBTQ woman and former MMA fighter running in the Kansas 3rd District, who was trying to flip the district from red to blue and become the first Native American woman elected to Congress in the process.

When Davids ascended to the House of Representatives, an elated Weber couldn’t help but feel like she’d won, too.

“In some ways, Sharice is like me," says Weber, a 37-year-old South Korea native who was adopted as a baby and grew up in Colwich, a predominantly white town in rural Kansas. "I’m not gay and I’m not Native, but seeing somebody who you don’t often see run — and seeing her not just run, but win — that was amazing to be a part of."

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/07/USAT/d8014911-1277-4cf5-be17-0d95bed2db5c-AXX_Sharice_Davids.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Democratic House candidate Sharice Davids gives a victory speech in Olathe, Kansas, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, after defeating Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District.

A thought crept into Weber’s mind — if Davids can run and win, maybe Weber could, too.

Now, she's going to find out. Weber, who works for a financial firm, has been knocking on doors and talking to voters in Missouri’s 24th District in her bid to become the first Asian American woman elected to the Missouri State House.

The 2018 election was hailed as “Year of the Woman” as women ran for office and voted in record numbers, many of them Democrats furious about the election of President Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.

Approaching 2020, that wave doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Besides the four women currently running for president, 2020 will be highlighted in particular by two types of female candidates: There’s women who ran previously, lost and opted to immediately get back in the mix — a decidedly male way of thinking, according to political strategists — and there are women like Weber, who never imagined they’d run for office until they saw a woman like them, with a similar story, capture a seat and open the door for someone else.

“This is so much larger than a political reaction,” says Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List, an organization that recruits, trains and endorses female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights. Since early 2017, more than 50,000 women have reached out to EMILY’s List to ask for help running for office.

“That’s a cultural change,” Schriock says. “So many women are saying, ‘I need to serve, I have something to offer, I can do this’ … that’s not gonna go away when Trump’s out of office.”

Female candidates don’t consider themselves a novelty, either.

In 2018, Gina Ortiz Jones, an Iraq War veteran who served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force, lost a Congressional race in the Texas 23rd District — which stretches across southwestern Texas from San Antonio to near El Paso — by just 926 votes.

Almost immediately after conceding, Jones knew she’d run again. Her path got easier when Rep. Will Hurd, who narrowly defeated Jones in 2018, announced his retirement Aug. 1.

If elected, Jones, who served under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” would become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Texas.

"Frankly, I’m surprised when people are surprised by this,” says Jones of the surge of women running again in 2020. “Because you can’t be surprised when the most vulnerable people, who have the most to lose, raise their hand and say, ‘Hey, I have something to say about that.’

“Our voices need to be at the table. There’s no other option than continuing to fight.”

More Republican women running, too

Jessica Taylor wants to make something clear: It’s not accurate to say the 35-year-old mother of three from Prattville, Alabama, was inspired to run for Congress by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the self-described Democratic socialist who’s become a lightning rod for conservatives around the country.

In her announcement video for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional district, Taylor, drawing on her high school basketball-playing roots, tells voters that “Conservatives like us need a squad of our own,” a direct nod to the four progressive congresswomen who have become some of the most visible Democrats in the U.S. and includes Ocasio-Cortez, who’s from New York City's Bronx borough. Taylor ends her video by saying, “So, Alabama, put me in the game,” before rattling in a no-look, behind-the-head shot.

The wave of women in 2018 “was inspiring,” Taylor concedes. “But we didn’t see female conservatives being represented.”

From Taylor’s perspective, that wasn’t OK. And she saw an obvious solution.

“Women,” says the small business owner, “solve problems.”

Taylor is one of seven Republicans vying for the seat, which is currently held by Republican Martha Roby, who announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection.

According to the Center for American Women and Politics, Taylor is one of 170 female Republicans who have either filed or are considered strong potential candidates for the House of Representatives. Two years ago at this time, ahead of the 2018 cycle, that number was just 67.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/12/10/USAT/e08a1e0a-8f6f-4eb5-b16d-69d7c69575cf-WomenRunningForOffice.png

“The numbers we saw in 2018 were very lopsided,” says Debbie Walsh, director for the Center for American Women and Politics. “I think we could see, in the next cycle or two in the U.S. House and in state legislatures, that women could make up 50 percent of the caucus. But that is so far from where we are on the Republican side.”

She pointed out that despite 2018’s surge, women still make up less than 25 percent of Congress — and the majority of that is Democrats. Of the 126 women in Congress, only 21 are Republicans. In 2018, women candidates in particular were crucial to delivering Democrats the House of Representatives.

“It’s not as though we’ve achieved political parity,” Walsh says.

Still, she recognizes the progress being made, especially on the conservative side. In some races, multiple Republican women will run against each other in primaries.

No conservative organization or PAC equals the political muscle of EMILY’s List, a force on the progressive side with substantial money and resources that helped Democrats take back the House of Representatives in 2018.

But there’s a growing movement on the conservative side.

Maggie’s List, a PAC focused on electing anti-abortion conservative women, has been around for almost a decade. Winning 4 Women, a PAC dedicated to supporting free-market conservative women for federal office, started two years ago. And in January, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican representing the New York 21st District, launched E-PAC, which aims to “engage, empower, elevate and elect Republican women in Congress.”

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/12/10/USAT/6f2f314a-c981-44f7-bef9-920805afdad5-Elise_S_.JPG?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who's been visible during the impeachment hearings, launched a PAC in January dedicated to electing Republican women. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ORG XMIT: DCAH483

Walsh, the director of the Center of American Women and Politics, sees a lot of potential for Republican women in 2020.

“There’s more room for growth on the Republican side than on the Democratic side because there’s so many seats that flipped from red to blue,” she says. “Those seats are vulnerable and Republicans are going to try to take advantage of that vulnerability. If they’re smart, they’ll run a lot of women in those seats.”

Consider this opinion:Are most women who run for president unlikable? Asking is sexist, yet many voters agree.

'I am not a quitter'

Those vulnerable districts include the California 39th District, a decades-long Republican stronghold in Orange County that went blue in 2018 in a race that went down to the wire.

Young Kim, a 57-year-old Republican immigrant from South Korea, was so confident she’d maintain her slim lead against Democrat Gil Cisneros that she attended freshman orientation in D.C. in late November 2016. (She was just one of two Republican women there; the other was Carol Miller from the West Virginia 3rd District.)

But after every vote was tallied, Kim found out she’d lost. Cisneros had won the district with just 51.6 percent of the vote.

Young says she’s tired of watching the left characterizing Republicans as the party of old, white (and often wealthy) men. She’s trying to rebrand the “grand old party” to the “grand opportunity party.”

As for why she decided to run again, Young says simply and directly, “I am not a quitter.” If elected, she’ll be the first Korean American in Congress.

In this Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, photo Young Kim, is pictured outside her campaign office in Yorba Linda during her run for a U.S. House seat in the 39th District in California. She lost and is now running again to win the seat in 2020 and become the first Korean American woman elected to Congress.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/12/10/USAT/34defb45-38ec-47d4-aa50-d5cf1a1d95cf-YoungKim.JPG?width=660&height=516&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

There are so many women like Young running again in 2020, in fact, that the Center of American Women and Politics is tracking them as “rebound candidates." It’s the first time they’ve collected that data set. They’ve identified 79 so far, with Ortiz Jones’ Texas seat considered one of the best Democratic pick-up opportunities in the country.

“There’s been a lot of conversations in the past about how women will lose, then they’ll move on and do something else, whereas a man often thinks, ‘Oh, they just need another opportunity to vote for me,’” says Walsh, the Center’s director since 2001. “I think these are very encouraging numbers.”

In 2018, two political ads went viral from Democratic female candidates: MJ Hegar’s “Doors” and Amy McGrath’s “Told Me” video.

McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot running in the Kentucky 6th District, and Hegar, a former Air Force pilot running in the Texas 31st District, both lost their races to Republican incumbents by about three percent.

Now, both are running for the U.S. Senate. McGrath is trying to unseat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was elected in 1984, while Hegar is trying to beat incumbent John Cornyn.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/12/10/USAT/770677bc-18e2-4193-8d86-680517b0e412-AP_McGrath_Democrats.JPG?width=660&height=522&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
After losing her 2018 congressional race, Kentucky Democratic Amy McGrath, is running again in 2020, this time for U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) ORG XMIT: KYTE102

For Hegar, it's about defining loss differently than others. Yes, her opponent, John Carter, got more votes than her in the 2018 race. But he only beat her by 2.9%; his margin of victory in his previous race had been 32 points.

"That sure didn't feel like a loss," Hegar says. "It was not a gut punch."

But she acknowledges this time around, there will be no moral victories. Her race in 2018 proved Texas is winnable for Democrats, and she’s holding herself to that standard in 2020.

Strategists say that shift is generational.

Amanda Renteria has spent almost her entire career in politics, serving behind the scenes (national political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid and chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California) and out front (failed bids in both the California 21st District and in the 2018 California gubernatorial race). Now she’s interim president at Emerge, an organization that teaches Democratic women how to run for office — and she’s not surprised so many women are running again after losing in 2018.

“There’s often been this underlying sentiment for women as they run where they’re wondering if they belong,” Renteria says. “Now you’re seeing a different conversation. Now we know we belong at the table.”

Thousands of women running for, and winning, political offices is only the beginning of the story, Renteria says.

“We’re in Chapter 2,” she says. “Chapter 3 is gonna be actual policies being enacted that women will lead the charge on, like paid family leave.”

To Renteria, the first Latina chief of staff in Senate history, it’s not just about watching women who look like you run and win — it’s about the network that those women create, and the electorate they build.

Rhodesia Ransom is living proof of that.

Ransom, a 45-year-old nonprofit director, is running for San Joaquin County Supervisor in the Bay Area of California, a seat she lost by just 2% in 2014. Since 2016, she’s been serving on her local city council. But she wants more — namely, to be the first African-American on the San Joaquin board of supervisors.

Members of the black community, Ransom says, know they’re capable of anything because “we already grew up beating the odds.” But when she saw Jayne Williams, another black woman, run for Oakland city attorney, she says it opened her mind.

Now, she sees women running all over the country, on both sides of the aisle, in majority-minority communities and majority-white communities.

“When you run as a woman, it’s not about fighting inner voices of doubt,” Ransom says. “It’s about fighting other people’s stereotypes of old, white men being the only acceptable form of representation.

“We have to figure out how to normalize lots of women running. We just have to get it done — and we’re going to.”

This article is about something totally different but it popped on my martial arts newsfeed.

[GeneChing]

US Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang: “Police Officers Should Be BJJ Purple Belts” (https://www.bjjee.com/bjj-news/us-presidential-candidate-andrew-yang-police-officers-should-be-bjj-purple-belts/)
SEP 11, 2019

https://www.bjjee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/andrew-yang-jiu-jitsu.jpg

2020 USA Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang is young and hip. He recently shared the following on the social media:

https://i.redd.it/zf1ogi72mov21.jpg

Presidential Candidate Andy Yang Suggests All Police Be BJJ Purple Belts:

What many don’t realize is that jiu jitsu has a history with american presidents having been a significant part of Teddy Roosvelt’s life
Below is an extract from “Professor Yama****a Goes to Washington”:


“during March and April 1904, Roosevelt practiced judo three afternoons a week, using a ground floor office in the White House as his workout space. Then, for the rest of the summer, he practiced occasionally. He stopped training during the elections, and there is no record showing that he resumed his studies afterward.
The President’s training partners included his sons, his private secretary, the Japanese naval attache, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and Secretary of the Interior Gifford Pinchot. When these people were unavailable, then Roosevelt tried his tricks on husky young visitors.”


https://www.bjjee.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/jiu-jitsu.jpg

Yama****a went to the White House to meet President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt practiced wrestling and boxing while in the White House, and he had received jujutsu jackets from William Sturgis Bigelow and jujutsu lessons from J. J. O’Brien, a Philadelphia police officer who had studied jujutsu while living in Nagasaki. Roosevelt was impressed with Yama****a’s skill, and during March and April 1904, Yama****a gave judo lessons to the President and interested family and staff in a room at the White House.

mid-1920s

In a letter from the White House from Theodore Roosevelt to his son Kermit dated Febuary 24, 1905.


https://www.bjjee.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/RooseveltBJJ1-288x372.jpg“………I still box with Grant, who has now become the champion middleweight wrestler of the United States. Yesterday afternoon we had Professor Yama****a up here to wrestle with Grant. It was very interesting, but of course jiu jitsu and our wrestling are so far apart that is it difficult to make any comparison between them. Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as conventional as those of tennis, while jiu jitsu is really meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary. In consequence, Grant did not know what to do except to put Yama****a on his back, and Yama****a was perfectly content to be on his back. Inside of a minute Yama****a had choked Grant, and inside two minutes more he got an elbow hold on him that would have enabled him to break his arm; so that there is no question but that he could have put Grant out. So far this made it evident that the jiu jitsu man could handle the ordinary wrestler. But Grant, in the actual wrestling and throwing was about as good as the Japanese and he was so much stronger that he evidently hurt and wore out the Japanese. With a little practice in the art I am sure that one of our big wrestlers or boxers, simply because of his greatly superior strength, would be able to kill any of those Japanese, who though very good men for their inches and pounds are altogether too small to hold their own against big, powerful, quick men who are as well trained.”

THREADS
Martial Arts Politicians (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)
For Brazilian Jujitsu Practitioners (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?5954-For-Brazilian-Jujitsu-Practitioners)

[Jimbo]

I thought the "sleeper hold" (rear naked choke) was made illegal for cops to use(?).

[GeneChing]

But I do know this. If I'm packing a firearm and a baton, ain't no way it would go to grappling. ;)

[GeneChing]

https://media.musclegrid.io/notkarate.com/uploads/2020/02/12204536/Abraham-Lincoln-wrestling-Jack-Armstrong.jpg

February 12, 2020
5 Presidents Who Studied Martial Arts (https://www.notkarate.com/5-presidents-who-studied-martial-arts/?fbclid=IwAR3OQraergomJJbr7P7A3uc0bHhK01nMGEGoSNAi LAuzmlJ0-L76jnqDj8M)

The term “Martial Arts” is a relatively broad expression that encompasses a variety of different disciplines. Typically, when we hear the words martial arts, the first ideas that come to mind are one or more of the techniques that have developed in Asian countries.
However, the martial arts are comprised of most types of fighting techniques that focus on hand-to-hand combat and can come from any country. For example, Savate comes from France, Back Hold Wrestling comes from Scotland, Capoeira comes from Africa by way of Brazil, and Skillz was developed right here in the United States.

While modern views on martial arts include smiling kids learning cool moves, many programs also offer adult training. Not only have your friends and neighbors been taking advantage of the benefits of adult martial arts, but many world leaders are also involved in the practice.

Historically, there have been a number of Commanders-in-Chief who have studied at least one of the martial arts. Most often, wrestling has been the discipline of choice, but there have been a few who have gone with disciplines that originated in Asia.

George Washington’s Defense Against Bullies – Wrestling

https://media.musclegrid.io/notkarate.com/uploads/2020/02/12204804/George-Washington-Corai%CC%81ocht.jpeg

Washington was not the type to take an attack lying down, not even at 15. To deal with bullying at school, He became proficient in an old Irish folk wrestling art. This art, called “collar and elbow,” (Irish: Coraíocht) involves learning a series of Kicks, Throws, Trips, Pins, Chokes, and Locks.

Abraham Lincoln – Bully Fighter

https://media.musclegrid.io/notkarate.com/uploads/2020/02/12204536/Abraham-Lincoln-wrestling-Jack-Armstrong.jpg

Long before he was president, he was known locally for his size and strength. Also skilled in collar and elbow wrestling, he was once asked by the locals in Illinois to take on the town bully. Lincoln agreed. It was no contest. Problem solved. Even after he began his political career, he would intervene if he saw a bully at work. Once, during his legislative bid, he saw one of his supporters being roughed up during his speech. He stopped speaking, tossed the guy 10-12 feet, then went back to his speech.

Ulysses S. Grant – Recreational Wrestler

https://media.musclegrid.io/notkarate.com/uploads/2020/02/12204304/Ulysses-S-Grant-Studied-Wrestling-300x201.jpg

Also a wrestler, Grant would sometimes let his form of martial arts have an effect on his work. In fact, during the famous surrender of the Confederates at Appomattox, it’s said he apologized to General Robert E. Lee for the disarray of his camp. Apparently several of the “boys” had joined Grant for an evening of wrestling the previous night.

Theodore Roosevelt Takes on Judo

https://media.musclegrid.io/notkarate.com/uploads/2020/02/12204116/teddy-roosevelt-studied-judo-300x208.jpg

Teddy Roosevelt took up demanding exercise to help treat the illnesses and asthma he suffered as a child. Known to be extremely adventurous, once during his travels he had the opportunity to see a demonstration of one of the popular martial arts, Judo. After seeing it performed, he knew he had to give it a try. He eventually achieved the rank of 3rd Brown in Judo.

Barack Obama Practiced Taekwondo

https://media.musclegrid.io/notkarate.com/uploads/2020/02/12203814/Barack-Obama-taekwondo-300x218.jpg

Barack Obama trained in Taekwondo while still in Chicago, IL when he was working as a professor and part-time state senator. His instructor was David Posner, who remembers him as a very diligent and disciplined student. President Obama eventually earned a green belt for this discipline of the martial arts. Then, in 2009, during his presidency, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak awarded him an honorary black belt during a visit to South Korea.

Is 'Bully Fightin' really a martial arts style? :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPdhr4ekiaY&feature=emb_logo

This vid is dated but I just saw it's getting replayed with her new reelection campaign.

[GeneChing]

‘Some call it a circus’: dictator’s son, boxing icon and former actor vie to lead Philippines (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/19/some-call-it-a-circus-ictators-son-boxing-icon-and-former-actor-vie-to-lead-philippines?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1)
Presidential vote is likely to be referendum on the kind of governance the public wants after almost six years of Rodrigo Duterte in power

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/145cf96f1672a9a3388cc727eb0e1178eb844ac9/0_23_3332_2000/master/3332.jpg
Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, the son of the late Philippines dictator, files his certificate of candidacy for president in Pasay city. Photograph: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent
Mon 18 Oct 2021 22.14 EDT

A dictator’s son, an actor-turned-mayor, and a champion boxer: an eclectic mix of personalities declared this month that they would compete to become the Philippine’s next president.

More than 60 million Filipinos will go to the polls to decide who should replace the populist leader Rodrigo Duterte, who is nearing the end of his six-year term limit.

“Some call it a circus, I actually call it a fiesta,” says Tony La Viña, Dean of the Ateneo School of Government. “It’s going to be very interesting, with lots of twists and turns.”

The election in May 2022 comes at a crucial time for the Philippines, which has faced one of the worst Covid outbreaks in south-east Asia and has distributed enough vaccine doses to fully protect just under a quarter of the population. The pandemic, and long, punishing lockdown restrictions, have battered the economy.

For Duterte, too, the stakes are especially high. Last month, the international criminal court (ICC) announced that it was investigating his so-called “war on drugs”, in which as many as 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed. A sympathetic successor could adopt his stance of not cooperating with the court.

According to polling by Pulse Asia, his daughter Sara Duterte is currently the frontrunner for the top job. Yet she has denied that she will join the race, and has missed the deadline to file a candidacy – unless she chooses to become a last-minute substitute, as her father did in 2016.

It is expected to be a tight race. Almost neck-and-neck for second place, according to the early polling, is former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr, namesake and son of the late dictator, Isko Moreno, a former actor and current Manila mayor, and the senator and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. Behind them, is vice-president Leni Robredo, an outspoken critic of Duterte, and Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief.

“It’s anybody’s game,” says Carmel V Abao, assistant professor in the department of political science at Ateneo de Manila University. The vote, she added, is likely to be referendum on the kind of governance the public wants after almost six years of Duterte in power.

Manny Pacquiao: the boxer
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Philippine boxing icon and Senator Manny Pacquiao Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Pacquiao is a champion boxer and national icon, with a rags-to-riches story that resonates with many. He grew up in Mindanao, one of the poorest areas of the country – and also Duterte’s stronghold. He left aged 14 as a stowaway on a boat bound for Manila, and worked in construction jobs, sending money back home, before he was spotted as a talented fighter.

Pacquiao began his political career in 2010, becoming a member of the House of Representatives and, despite a poor attendance record, a senator in 2016.

An evangelical Christian, he has said he opposes divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage. He was widely criticised for stating that people in same-sex relationships “are worse than animals”.

In the past, Pacquiao has fervently defended Duterte, even claiming the president was anointed by God. He supported Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, despite admitting using drugs himself as a teenager. He also helped remove Senator Leila De Lima from her position as chair of the Justice and Human Rights Committee. She is a critic of Duterte who was investigating killings related to anti-drugs operations who has been imprisoned on drugs charges she says are politically motivated.

Relations between Pacquiao and Duterte have since soured, however. Pacquiao has lashed out at Duterte over a recent corruption scandal and accused him of not being tough on China. He has also said he will not block the ICC’s investigation into the war on drugs.

It’s not clear if Pacquiao’s status as a boxing champion will translate into enough votes to win the top job. However, he is expected to weaken Duterte’s loyal base in Mindanao.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos: dictator’s son
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Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos with his wife, Louise (L) and his sister Imee (R). Photograph: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, known as Bongbong Marcos, is the namesake and only son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled until 1986 and plundered as much as US$10bn from the state coffers. Under martial law, which was imposed by Marcos in 1972, an estimated 34,000 people were tortured, 3,240 people were killed and 70,000 were imprisoned, according to Amnesty International.

Bongbong Marcos, however, has downplayed the abuses committed under his father.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, but reportedly did not complete the course (he was instead awarded a special diploma in social studies, according to Rappler). Then, aged 23, he was elected unopposed as the vice-governor of Ilocos Norte. The family was forced into exile after a peaceful popular revolution in 1986.

Since returning to the country, the family has sought to re-establish its presence in public life, and Bongbong Marcos has since been elected Ilocos Norte governor, a congressman and a senator. In 2016, he ran for vice-president, but lost to Leni Robredo.

The Marcos family remains incredibly powerful, and he has formidable resources at his disposal. He has built a large social media presence that allows him to target younger voters who have no memory of his father’s rule.

Marcos is an ally of Duterte, who controversially allowed his father a hero’s burial. Marcos has said that, under his leadership, the country would act as a non-signatory of the ICC. Members of the court can visit as tourists, he has said.

Leni Robredo: the vice-president and former human rights lawyer
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Philippines vice-president Leni Robredo. Photograph: Basilio Sepe/Zuma Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Vice-president Leni Robredo is a staunch critic of Duterte – including his brutal war on drugs, which she described as leading to “senseless killings”.

The daughter of a judge and an English professor, Robredo previously worked for non-government organisations providing legal assistance to marginalised groups.

It was the death of her husband, interior secretary Jesse Robredo, who was killed in a plane crash in 2012, that prompted a change in career. His death provoked an outpouring of grief and calls for her to enter politics, and she went on to win a seat in Congress in 2013.

Three years later, she beat Bongbong Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, to become vice-president. She was elected separately from Duterte and the two have had an icy relationship.

She has been an outspoken critic of Duterte’s policies – including the war on drugs, his pro-China stance and, mostly recently, his response to the pandemic. She has also warned of the risks of populist leaders and condemned the legal charges against Nobel prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa.

She has provoked the ire of Duterte and his supporters, and was removed from her position as head of an anti-drugs taskforce just weeks after her appointment.

Robredo has presented herself as the real opposition candidate, and is hoping to capitalise on what analysts have described as growing frustration with the pandemic and economy.

Isko Moreno: Manila mayor and former actor
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Manila mayor Isko Moreno Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Isko Moreno too grew up in poverty. As a child living in Tondo, one of Manila’s poorest districts, he said he helped his mother by collecting old newspapers and bottles to sell on to a rubbish dealer, and would search for leftover food at restaurants. He was talent spotted aged 18, and went on to forge a career in TV and film, adopting the screen name Isko Moreno (his real name is Francisco Domagoso). Duterte has recently sought to mock him over his past career in showbiz, likening him to “a call boy” for having posed for racy photos.

Moreno began his political career as a councillor in Manila in his early 20s, rising to become vice-mayor, and, in 2019, mayor of the capital. He is known for launching a cleanup campaign in Manila – a policy that involved removing illegal street vendors. He has criticised Duterte’s response to Covid, including the country’s harsh and drawn-out lockdowns. He has also said he will not stop the ICC from investigating Duterte’s war on drugs.

Moreno has presented himself as a “healing” candidate in an attempt to draw support from all sides of the Philippines’ polarised politics. Critics, though, have accused him of fence sitting.

Sara Duterte: Duterte’s daughterhttps://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/473898e083bb94b3d4f3dbfa06ef567a294eb4e4/1239_147_3444_2066/master/3444.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara Duterte together in 2018. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Sara Duterte has said she will not run for president, despite polling by Pulse Asia that suggests she is the frontrunner. Some have speculated that she may enter the race as a substitution and that Ronald dela Rosa, the main enforcer of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, who has filed a candidacy, could be serving as a placeholder.

The younger Duterte’s supporters have claimed she is a better version of her father. She is more organised and less impulsive, they say. She shares the same pugnacious style; she once punched a sheriff four times in the head because he disobeyed her orders. However, her rhetoric is not quite as incendiary as that of her father, who has repeatedly endorsed extra judicial killings.

She has registered her candidacy to be re-elected as mayor of Davao city. The ICC investigation will investigate killings that occurred in Davao between November 2011 and 30 June 2016 – a time period that covers her previous stint as mayor.

threads
Pacquiao%92s-Style-Takes-Inspiration-From-Bruce-Lee (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60420-Pacquiao%92s-Style-Takes-Inspiration-From-Bruce-Lee) - still need a general Pac thread...
Martial-Arts-Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)

[GeneChing]

Martial arts to the mayor's office: Robbie Picard on Sandy Bowman's Fort McMurray win (https://www.rebelnews.com/martial_arts_to_the_mayors_office)
Oil Sands Strong organizer Robbie Picard joins The Gunn Show to talk about Fort McMuarry's new mayor, former mixed martial artist and gym owner Sandy Bowman.

By Rebel News | November 08, 2021

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo recently held municipal elections and voted in a new mayor. The municipality, the second largest in Alberta in terms of size and home to Fort McMurray and the Athabasca oil sands, chose former mixed martial artist and gym owner Sandy Bowman as the new mayor.

Robbie Picard, the organizer behind Oil Sands Strong, helped Bowman run his campaign and joined last week's episode of The Gunn Show to discuss what Bowman's win means for the people of Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region.

After being involved in Bowman's campaign, Robbie told Sheila why he thinks Bowman is the perfect man for the job:


The people of Fort McMurray chose and I believe in six months time Sandy Bowman will be the best mayor Fort McMurray's ever had and arguably one of the best in the country. And I'll tell you why: because he has a good temper.

So when we were filming [an ad] and I was trying to get him to be a bit more excited in the video, I remember looking at him, [telling him] you're too monotone, you're too calm.

So, I looked at him and I said, look, I'm going to kick your ass, right? Thinking I could activate the [mixed martial artist] in him and get a reaction, and he simply looked at me, and didn't flinch, and went you couldn't kick my ass.

And at that moment I knew he'd be a good mayor because he's going to be level headed, he's going to be calm, he's not going to overreact. And yeah, we have a pro-oil, ATV-loving, MMA-fighting, barbecuing — and he also likes the arts too, and he's very funny, very good looking.

The best mayor ever.

For the full interview with Robbie Picard, and full episodes of The Gunn Show, which airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. MT, become a subscriber to RebelNews+. Interesting what qualifies as good mayoral attributes nowadays. All I see is oil lobby. ;)

[GeneChing]

Trump is awarded an honorary black belt by South Korean president of taekwondo - and pledges to wear the full martial arts suit in U.S. Congress if he makes it back to the White House (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10226435/Trump-awarded-honorary-black-belt-South-Korean-president-martial-arts-organization.html)
Donald Trump has been awarded an honorary ninth Dan Black belt
The president of World Taekwondo Headquarters, Lee Dong-seop, visited Trump at his Mar-a-lago mansion in South Florida
Trump put on a taekwondo outfit known as a dobok and posed for photos
Significant photographs from moments of his presidency could be seen on wall
On Friday, Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse on his acquittal
A Wisconsin jury found the teenager not guilty on five counts
'If that's not self defense, nothing is,' said the former president
By JAMES GORDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 21:07 EST, 21 November 2021 | UPDATED: 11:30 EST, 22 November 2021


Kukkiwon, also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, has awarded former U.S. President Donald Trump a 9th Dan Black belt - the highest level attainable by professional martial artists.

The president of Kukkiwon, Lee Dong-seop, went to visit Trump at his home in Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida this weekend to give him a taekwondo and the coveted black belt.

'I heard that the Donald Trump is highly interested in taekwondo,' Lee said.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/22/01/50795619-10226435-image-m-35_1637543930873.jpg
Former President Donald Trump received an honorary black belt and certificate at Mar-A-Lago on Friday from Kukkiwon president Lee Dong-seop

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Former President Donald Trump was pictured signing his autograph on a taekwondo outfit

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/22/01/50795625-10226435-image-a-37_1637543968273.jpg
Kukkiwon president Lee Dong-sup awarded the an Honorary 9th Dan Certificate to Trump

It's believed the visit was set up by a South Korean resident in the U.S.

Kyle Rittenhouse says he supports BLM movement and that his case had 'nothing to with race' as he slams 'prosecutorial misconduct' during his Kenosha trial: Pictured in suit and tie in Florida on eve of interview with Tucker Carlson , and other top stories from November 22, 2021.

'It is my pleasure and honor to receive this honorary certificate. Taekwondo is a great martial art for protecting oneself in these times,' Trump said.

The former president vowed that he would look to wear the taekwondo clothing in Congress should he make a return to the White House in the future.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/22/01/50795615-10226435-image-a-38_1637543988819.jpg
Other members of the Kukkiwon organization that represents taekwondo were all present

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'It is my honor to receive the Honorary Dan Certificate and I think taekwondo is magnificent martial art for self-defense,' Trump is said to have responded in a statement

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/22/14/50798043-10226435-Trump_s_awarding_at_a_ninth_Dan_means_he_shares_th e_same_rank_as-a-7_1637591506943.jpg
Trump's awarding at a ninth Dan means he shares the same rank as Russian president Vladimir Putin who was presented with a black belt and made a grandmaster of taekwondo in 2013

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/22/02/50798039-10226435-image-a-65_1637546930994.jpg
Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a training session with the Russian national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in 2019

Putin takes part in training session with Russian judo champions

Half a dozen photos could also be seen on the wall of Trump's Florida mansion including one of him shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Panmunjom as the pair met at the border in the Demilitarized Zone in June 2019.

Earlier that month, another picture showed him meeting the Queen in early June of the same year.

Also from that visit, a framed photo sees Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump pictured walking to greet the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in London. The First Lady can be seen in a bright flowing orange dress.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/22/01/50796347-10226435-image-a-47_1637544570431.jpg
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands as they meet at the border in the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, South Korea

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un shake hands in Hanoi

Another photo sees Trump, saluting a U.S. Coast Guard Change-of-Command Ceremony at the Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2018.

In another serious photo, Trump and Melania can be seen at the front door to the White House as they prepared to welcome the Colombian President and his wife in February 2019.

Central to the selection of iconic pictures is one of Trump waving as he boarded the presidential aircraft Air Force One which happened countless times during the course of his presidency.

An imitation sculpture of the iconic Mount Rushmore was could be spotted with the addition of Trump's head blended into the topography.

Trump's awarding at a ninth Dan means he shares the same rank as Russian president Vladimir Putin who was presented with a black belt and made a grandmaster of taekwondo during an official visit to South Korea in 2013.

Despite not actually practicing taekwondo himself, Putin also managed to achieve the coveted rank.

On Friday night, Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse after the teenager was found not guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of two men in racial justice protests.

The verdict divided America. As the left denounced the outcome as a miscarriage of justice, the right said Rittenhouse never should have been put on trial.

'Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being found INNOCENT of all charges,' said Trump in an emailed statement.

'It's called being found NOT GUILTY—And by the way, if that's not self defense, nothing is!'

A fundraising appeal followed.

'This trial was nothing more than a WITCH HUNT from the Radical Left,' said an email to supporters, directing them to donate to the online WinRed platform.

'They want to PUNISH law-abiding citizens, including a CHILD, like Kyle Rittenhouse, for doing nothing more than following the LAW.'

Jurors found Rittenhouse, 18, not guilty on all charges: two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide for wounding a third man, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety in protests marred by arson, rioting and looting on August 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

threads
Tae Kwon Do (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?42906-Tae-Kwon-Do)
Martial Arts Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)

[GeneChing]

...we need more of this.


2 Brazilian politicians settled a dispute over a waterpark-conservation project by fighting each other in a 3-round MMA fight (https://www.insider.com/brazilian-politicans-settle-dispute-fighting-each-other-in-mma-2021-12)
Sophia Ankel Dec 15, 2021, 3:40 AM

https://i.insider.com/61b9d0eea85c73001857059e?width=1000&format=jpeg&auto=webp
A screenshot from a livestream shows Brazilian politicians Simão Peixoto and Erineu da Silva facing off in an MMA match on Sunday, December 12, 2021. Screenshot/Facebook; Prefeito Simão Peixoto

Two Brazilian politicians in the country's Amazon region settled a dispute the old fashioned way.

Erineu da Silva and Simão Peixoto decided to settle their differences with an MMA fight on Sunday.

The pair had been feuding about a local waterpark, with da Silva calling Peixoto a "crook."

Two Brazilian politicians settled a dispute over a local waterpark project with their fists over the weekend, taking part in a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, according to multiple reports.

In September, former councillor Erineu da Silva, 45, publicly challenged Simão Peixoto, the 39-year-old conservative mayor of Amazonian town of Borba, to a fistfight, The Guardian reported.

The two men had been feuding ever since Silva had called Peixoto a "crook" over allegations that he had failed to conserve a waterpark near the Madeira River, which runs through Borba, according to The Guardian.

Peixoto eventually accepted the challenge, but said he would only fight in a proper match because he was "not a street fighter," VICE reported.

—Metrópoles (@Metropoles) December 13, 2021
"I'm not a street fighter … I'm the mayor of the municipality of Borba," the politician said on his Facebook page last month, according to The Guardian.

"[But] if he really wants to fight … we're ready to fight … I've always been a winner."

The two men eventually settled on an MMA contest, with the fight taking place as part of a longer event in the gymnasium of a local school in Borba. The match took place at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning and was live-streamed on the mayor's Facebook account.

You can see the fight below, starting from around 40 minutes into the stream:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1520699881638402

Hundreds of spectators paid to watch the event, The Guardian reported.

Video of the event shows the two politicians, in MMA shorts and gloves, aggressively kicking and punching each other, as well as clinching on the ground. The fight lasted a total of 13 minutes, according to VICE.

Peixoto was eventually declared the winner by a referee, although both men appeared in good spirits afterwards, hugging and shaking hands.

It is still unclear how, if at all, the fight will impact the waterpark dispute that instigated the brawl in the first place.

[GeneChing]

We know this guy...:eek:

January 18, 2022
10:07 PM PST
Last Updated 12 hours ago
China
Kung fu master Sin wants to run Hong Kong as leadership race looms (https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-film-producer-says-he-wants-run-become-new-city-leader-2022-01-19/)
By Jessie Pang and Twinnie Siu

3 minute readhttps://www.reuters.com/resizer/-XGrBqAXdo_mZ9IoyfQqHjkGulE=/1200x0/filters:quality(80)/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/4Q6XKA7DAZPVVCAB3D3HQXKPIM.jpg
A Chinese national flag (L) and a Hong Kong flag fly outside the Legislative Council, three days before the territory celebrates the 20th anniversary of its handover to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip


HONG KONG, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong kung fu master and film producer Checkley Sin Kwok Lam said on Wednesday he intended to run in the city's leadership race, a surprise move that comes as incumbent leader Carrie Lam has yet to confirm whether she will run for a second term.

The 65-year-old is the first person to announce their candidacy ahead of the election on March 27. Chief Executive Lam, who has presided over some of Hong Kong's most tumultuous periods in history, is due to end her term in June.

Willing candidates need the backing of a powerful "patriots-only" electoral body formed by 1,500 pro-Beijing people in Hong Kong. It was unclear whether Sin had such support.

In a YouTube video, Sin said his internet supporters convinced him to change his mind on not getting involved in politics.

"Under the new election system, I believe every capable and reliable patriot can join the new chief executive election," Sin said. "I believe that I have the ability to win."

With the election just weeks away, the silence from leader Lam and other heavyweights is unusual. Local media have speculated that potential candidates include Lam, Financial Secretary Paul Chan and former chief of the World Health Organisation, Margaret Chan. Lam has repeatedly declined to comment on whether she will run for a second term.

Sin, who produced the film Ip Man, has been an active promoter of martial arts in the city. He heads the World Wing Chun Union, which focuses on the traditional southern Chinese kung fu style which was popularised in Hong Kong by Ip Man and Bruce Lee.

Shares of National Arts Group , from which Sin resigned as chairman last July, soared more than 50% on Wednesday in their highest percentage gain since 2006. The company's market value is around HK$102 million ($13 million).

Hong Kong-born Sin has his own YouTube channel with 155,000 subscribers and posts online every few days on topics ranging from politics to the Beijing Olympics. In 2021, one of his shows focused on what he called 'Western hypocrisy' on Hong Kong.

He first started his online commentary in October 2019 at the height of Hong Kong's anti-government protests where he strongly sided with the government and the police force.

The nomination period runs from Feb 15- March 2 and candidates must get nominations from at least 188 of the 1,500 people in the election committee, according to a document from city's legislature.

($1 = 7.7917 Hong Kong dollars)

Reporting by Jessie Pang and Twinnie Siu; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Marius Zaharia and Michael Perry

threads
Martial-Arts-Politicians (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)
Ip-Man-Final-Fight (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64470-Ip-Man-Final-Fight)

[GeneChing]

Putin is no longer a Taekwondo 9th Dan, Nor a honorary president for the international Judo Federation (https://www.tkdkwan.com/2022/02/putin-is-no-longer-taekwondo-9th-dan.html)
11:06:00 AM Tkd kwan 0 Comments

Few months ago we have posted about personalities whom were awarded by Taekwondo black belts, and some of them even got very high ranks such the Russian president who was awarded the 9th Dan Taekwondo black belt by the World taekwondo president.

The Russian president was awarded the black belt by the head of the World Taekwondo Federation, Choue Chung-won, and made a grandmaster of Taekwondo during a visit to South Korea in November 2013.

After nine years, The act that Putin did caused a lot to his image, and he is no longer a 9th Dan belt.

In response to his invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has been stripped of his honorary black belt in Taekwondo.

This is not the only thing that happened to the Russian leader, Another martial art federation took an action.

'' Vladimir Putin has temporarily been suspended as the International Judo Federation’s honorary president on Sunday. The federation sited “the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine” as the reason for the suspension, per the Associated Press. ''

Sunday marks the fourth day since Russia has invaded Ukraine. Putin has a keen judoka and attended a competition at the 2012 London Olympics.

''World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance.

In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th Dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013.

In solidarity with the International Olympic Committee, no Russian or Belarusian national flags or anthems will be displayed or played at World Taekwondo events. World Taekwondo and the European Taekwondo Union will not organize or recognize Taekwondo events in Russia and Belarus.

World Taekwondo’s thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and we hope for a peaceful and immediate end to this war.''

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCtrI-lyqxzvrIitLFGXBnCT9NcFIzV0ck2LF-zJDhl-TjVkbO8x7iUy-17YTS6XICTcyA2vAgctE7lrnBUD82N-7DJxvl00RH0s31c6Zuyq894zcZks5vEk1Iwh4WmgqJhcJqoC09 _Ts4dkABfdgS3zgjaeJiti18I0eOol9katN-0CYntUKQ2L9T=s320


threads
Tae-Kwon-Do (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?42906-Tae-Kwon-Do)
Martial-Arts-Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)
Ukraine (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72272-Ukraine)

[GeneChing]

February 27, 2022
1:57 AM PST
Last Updated 3 days ago
Putin suspended as honorary president of International Judo Federation (https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/putin-suspended-honorary-president-international-judo-federation-2022-02-27/)
Reuters

1 minute read
https://www.reuters.com/resizer/ZhOSbIy8Sr1YPxubpAxwPckfPV8=/1200x0/filters:quality(80)/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/JRM2EVU3CFL2JGYOFU7ONK5FOI.jpg
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks about authorising a special military operation in Ukraine's Donbass region during a special televised address on Russian state TV, in Moscow, Russia, February 24, 2022, in this still image taken from video. Russian Pool/via REUTERS TV

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Russian president Vladimir Putin has been suspended as honorary president of the International Judo Federation (IJF), the sport's governing body announced on Sunday, because of his invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's invasion by land, air and sea on Thursday followed a declaration of war by Putin.

A judo blackbelt, the 69-year-old is a keen practitioner of the discipline and has co-authored a book titled "Judo: History, Theory, Practice".

"In light of the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of Mr Vladimir Putin's status as Honorary President and Ambassador of the International Judo Federation," the IJF said in a statement.

The IJF on Friday said it had cancelled a May 20-22 event in Russia.

"The International Judo Federation announces with regret the cancellation of the 2022 Grand Slam in Kazan, Russia," IJF President Marius Vizer said.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue

threads
Judo (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?42938-Judo)
Ukraine (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72272-Ukraine)
Martial-Arts-Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)

[GeneChing]

Pro-wrestler, politician and hostage negotiator Antonio Inoki dies at 79 (https://www.npr.org/2022/10/01/1126412128/pro-wrestler-politician-and-hostage-negotiator-antonio-inoki-dies-at-79)
October 1, 20224:01 PM ET
JULIANA KIM
https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/10/01/gettyimages-453894502-c8f5234bb52c04e9e26c21dad783dedd23cb83ad-s800-c85.webpFormer professional wrestler Antonio Inoki shouts at a press conference in Tokyo on August 21, 2014.
Yoshikazu Tsuno /AFP via Getty Images

Antonio Inoki was revered for never being afraid of a challenge — whether it was dueling heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali or negotiating the release of hostages with the Iraqi government. That's why he was often called "the fighting spirit that burns."

Inoki died at age 79 after battling a rare disease called amyloidosis, his company, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, announced on Saturday.

"His achievements, both in professional wrestling and the global community are without parallel and will never be forgotten," the professional wrestling group wrote in a statement.

Kanji "Antonio" Inoki was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1943 but spent most of his childhood in Brazil where his family relocated. There, Inoki found a passion for professional wrestling and took on the name "Antonio."

He was soon recruited by Rikidozan, one of the the most famous Japanese wrestlers of all time, and returned to Tokyo to join the Japanese Wrestling Association.

Inoki quickly became widely popular for his versatility and charisma in the ring. Years later, he went on to start his own wrestling company in 1972 called New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Inoki's reached global fame in 1976 when he faced Muhammad Ali in a rare wrestler vs. boxer match in Tokyo. The match became credited for pioneering what is known today as mixed martial arts, where a fighter is allowed to use any style of combat.

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/10/01/gettyimages-3240326-65fb10664a5bf639726e42d8c15aa131875664e2-s800-c85.webp
Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali fighting the champion Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki at Budokan Hall in Tokyo in 1976.
Keystone/Getty Images

Off the ring, Inoki was known for his attempts to forge peace and diplomacy through sports.

In 1990, Inoki was instrumental in freeing 36 Japanese hostages held in Iraq.

During his lifetime, the late wrestler also made more than 30 trips to North Korea, serving as one of Japan's few links to the authoritarian regime. Most notably, Inoki organized two large sporting extravaganza — one in 1995 and another in 2014 — held in Pyongyang to garner international attention.

The first event, known as "Collision in Korea" drew nearly 380,000 spectators and was considered the biggest-pay-per-view in pro-wrestling history.

In 1998, Inoki retired as a wrestler and in 2010, he was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame. He is technically considered WWE's first-ever Japanese world champion but that title is not yet recognized by the organization.

"Antonio Inoki was among the most respected men in sports-entertainment and a bona fide legend in his homeland," WWE wrote in a statement. "This passion for competition earned him the nickname "Moeru Toukon" amongst his peers, which translates to 'The fighting spirit that burns.'"


Muhammed-Ali-vs-Martial-Artist (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?27442-Muhammed-Ali-vs-Martial-Artist)
Martial-Arts-Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)
Professional-Wrestling (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49901-Professional-Wrestling)

[GeneChing]

Nunchucks Master From The Oranges Invents New Martial Arts System (https://patch.com/new-jersey/westorange/nunchucks-master-oranges-invents-new-martial-arts-system)
Eldridge Hawkins Jr. is the founder of Ken-Fu Nunchaku Jutsu. He's also a former New Jersey mayor – and a hall of fame martial artist.

Eric Kiefer,
Patch Staff
Verified Patch Staff Badge
Posted Thu, Dec 15, 2022 at 8:04 am ET
https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22844250/20221214/062156/styles/patch_image/public/image0___14181730259.jpg
(Photo courtesy of Eldridge Hawkins Jr.)
Eldridge Hawkins Jr. (in black), the founder of Ken-Fu Nunchaku Jutsu, demonstrates a takedown technique with the aid of student, Gage Knopf.

ORANGES, NJ — When he was crafting his new martial arts system, Eldridge Hawkins Jr. had a simple-but-tricky vision: it needed to be “realistic.” Apparently, this Essex County master of the nunchucks has nailed his target – and then some.

Recently, the North American Nunchaku Association, one of the most respected nunchaku organizations in the world, became the latest group to recognize Ken-Fu Nunchaku Jutsu as an official martial arts system.

Hawkins – the system’s founder – is a former West Orange resident who served as mayor of Orange from 2008 to 2012. He was inducted into the USA Unified Martial Arts Hall of Fame earlier this year. Read More: Ex-Mayor In The Oranges Earns Spot In Martial Arts Hall Of Fame

According to Hawkins, Ken-Fu Nunchaku Jutsu is a “complete” style that aims to combine the iconic martial arts weapon with more traditional striking techniques.

He writes:

“Specifically, this new nunchaku style fuses various elements of competition katas and swinging strikes of the American-style nunchaku system (as taught by founder Grand Master Michael Burke, 9th Dan), with the close quarter fighting of Chinese Kenpo Kung-Fu/Fusion Kenpo (as instructed by Professor Harry Baker, 10th Dan), Ed Parker’s Kenpo Nunchaku teachings, Jujitsu, and [my] own original techniques. More specifically, several of the strikes, locks, throws and more of Kenpo and Jujitsu have been augmented where appropriate to facilitate self-defense techniques utilizing the nunchaku and everyday objects in conjunction with the standard empty hand techniques.”
Because most people don’t usually walk around town with a pair of nunchaku, Hawkins’ system teaches students to strike, trap, choke or otherwise control an attacker with common items such as sticks, belts or even socks. It’s a style that’s realistic and meets national and international training standards of established martial arts organizations, he said.

Several of his peers in the martial arts have backed up his claims.

“I enjoyed the [Ken-Fu] self-defense and thought it was very useful and practical,” said Chris Pellitteri, president and founder of the North American Nunchaku Association / American Kobudo Association.

“Most nunchaku systems don’t focus on self-defense – it was refreshing to see,” Pellitteri said.

There are several other groups that have agreed with the North American Nunchaku Association on this point, including the American Style Nunchaku Federation, Independent Karate Schools of America, and the United States Martial Arts Federation.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSRisRKPs_E

Hawkins, now 42, began his martial arts career at Red Iron Dragon Karate Academy in East Orange when he was 7-years-old. He earned his first black belt in 2001 in Chinese Kenpo Kung Fu. Over the years Hawkins placed in and won several tournaments while studying different forms of martial arts, earning a master-level rank in different styles including Fusion Kenpo, U.S. Ju-Jitsu and American-style nunchaku.

The former politician, who is known to his students as Shihan E. Hawkins, is the senior international rank examiner in charge of training for the American Style Nunchaku Federation, a member of the United States Ju Jitsu Federation Senior Masters Caucus, and has recently been appointed to the role of vice president in the United States Martial Arts Federation.

Despite multiple knee surgeries, Hawkins has used teaching and his work with Ken-Fu Nunchaku Jutsu to remain active in the sport – and lifestyle – that he’s come to love. And his fellow martial artists say it’s good that he did.

“I congratulate Master Hawkins on the new Ken-Fu recognition from NANA and thank him for his ongoing contributions to the martial arts community and American Style Nunchaku Federation,” said Grand Master Michael Burke, president of the American Style Nunchaku Federation.

The Ken Fu Nunchaku Jutsu technical committee – which helps ensure the quality of training standards – includes Professor Harry Baker, 10th Dan of Baker’s Red Iron Dragon; Grand Master Michael Burke, 9th Dan; Hanshi Bruce Bethers, 9th Dan, as well as other black belts Ashanti Shakir, Rodney Armstrong, Sabu Rashidi, and Hawkins’ father, Eldridge Hawkins Sr.

See current Ken-Fu Nunchaku Jutsu system rank requirements here. Interested students or any dojo sensei interested in learning more can visit the UFC Gym, 498 Main Street in Orange, or visit the following websites: https://kenfununchaku.com or www.FusionKenpo.com.


Bad-Day-for-Wannabe-Bruce-Lees (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56216-Bad-Day-for-Wannabe-Bruce-Lees)
Martial-Arts-Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)
New-Hybrids (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50571-New-Hybrids)

[GeneChing]

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin — who has unbeaten mixed martial arts record — challenges Teamsters union boss to cage match (https://nypost.com/2023/06/26/republican-sen-markwayne-mullin-wants-union-boss-cage-match/)
By Ryan King
June 26, 2023 6:11pm Updated
0 seconds of 1 minute, 15 secondsVolume 0%


Sen. Markwayne Mullin is done with the snippy tweets.

He wants a real tussle with the boss of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Mullin (R-Okla.), who has an unbeaten mixed martial arts record to his credit, formally challenged Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien to a cage fight for charity on Monday.

“An attention-seeking union Teamster boss is trying to be punchy after our Senate hearing. Okay, I accept your challenge. MMA fight for charity of our choice,” Mullin told O’Brien on Twitter. “Sept 30th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ll give you three days to accept.”

Mullin’s challenge followed O’Brien calling him a “Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made” last week.

“In reality, just a clown & fraud,” added O’Brien, tweeting under the provocative handle “TeamsterSOB”. “Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy.”

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000013251274.jpg?resize=1024,954&quality=75&strip=all
GOP Senator, Markwayne Mullin, challenges Teamster boss, Sean O’Brien, to a fight.
Markwayne Mullin/Twitter

Both men have been trading barbs since March, when O’Brien dinged Mullin — who owns a plumbing company — during a testy Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing about unionization.

Mullin accused Teamsters of trying to intimidate his employees into unionizing and charged O’Brien was “sucking” money from worker paychecks by “forcing them to pay dues.”

After saying the senator was “out of line,” O’Brien said the Teamsters “create opportunity because we hold greedy CEOs like yourself accountable.”

“You calling me a greedy CEO?” Mullin asked.

“Oh yeah, you are,” O’Brien replied. “You want to attack my salary, I’ll attack yours …What did you make when you owned your company?”

“I kept my salary down at about $50,000 a year because I invested every penny into it,” Mullin said.

OK, all right,” said O’Brien, before restarting hostilities by asking Mullin: “You mean you hid money?

Mullin recalled that war of words last week, eliciting O’Brien’s ire.

“Hey, JohnWayne Mullin..First off, my name’s O’Brien not O’Malley. Secondly, you should get your facts straight because every time you speak in these hearings you’re full of sh*t,” O’Brien tweeted June 21. “The more you run your mouth, the more you show the American public what a moron you are.”

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000013251180.jpg?resize=1024,683&quality=75&strip=all
Labor leader Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters labor union, speaks during the Labor Notes conference.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Teamsters, which touts 1.2 million members, is among the largest labor unions on the planet and represents workers in the trucking, rail and publishing industries, among others.

Mullin previously said he would fight porn star Stormy Daniel’s disgraced former lawyer Michael Avenatti, but that never manifested. Avenatti is currently behind bars.

Mullin was elected to the House in 2012 and ascended to the Senate after winning a special election to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) last year.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000008944072.jpg?resize=1024,683&quality=75&strip=all
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing.
Getty Images
Mullin and O’Brien aren’t the only major figures to stir chatter over a public scrap via Twitter.

Last week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk taunted fellow social media titan Mark Zuckerberg into a “cage fight.” Zuckerberg, a jiu-jitsu disciple, appeared to accept.

Musk, who was peeved by Facebook’s reported plans to produce a micro-blogging Twitter alternative, has teased that his signature move will be “the walrus,” a technique meant to immobilize his enemies by sitting on top of them and doing absolutely nothing.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012786706.jpg?resize=1024,683&quality=75&strip=all
Elon Musk looks on as he speaks during his visit at the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris.
AFP via Getty Images
https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012409412-2.jpg?resize=1024,683&quality=75&strip=all
Then-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves the Elysee presidential palace, in Paris back in 2018.
AFP via Getty Images

What do you think? Be the first to comment.
Musk has admitted he has not done much training to compete with Zuckerberg, making the South African-born CEO a decided underdog.

A Teamsters rep did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zuck-v-Musk (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72542-Zuck-v-Musk)
Martial-Arts-Politicians (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65916-Martial-Arts-Politicians)

[GeneChing]

Sen. Dallas Harris is a martial arts master who co-founded Nevada’s LGBTQ+ caucus (https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/02/sen-dallas-harris-is-a-martial-arts-master-who-co-founded-nevadas-lgbtq-caucus/)
Here's why she would rather fight Nikki Haley instead of George Santos.
By Greg Owen Friday, February 23, 2024
https://abuwjaawap.cloudimg.io/v7/_lgbtqnation-assets_/assets/2024/02/dallas-harris.jpg?auto=format&auto=compress&fit=crop&gravity=smart&w=1200&h=805
Photo: Dallas Harris for Nevada
Nevada State Sen. Dallas Harris (D), 38, represents District 11 in Clark County and parts of Las Vegas.

She serves as chief majority whip in the Nevada State Senate and is one of only four out LGBTQ+ lawmakers in the legislature. She was appointed to the seat in 2018 and won a four-year term in 2020. She’s running for reelection in 2024.

Harris is a Las Vegas native and earned her JD at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. in 2005. As an attorney with Nevada’s Public Utilities Commission for several years, Harris gained experience under the hood with state government. As well, she’s a pro-bono attorney with the Adult Guardianship Project at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

Harris spoke with me from her district office in Las Vegas, in a mall southwest of the Strip. She was dressed casually in a grey crew neck sweater, where long dreads — new for Harris after years of short hair — rested around her shoulders.

LGBTQ Nation: Last May, you and another lawmaker founded the Nevada Legislature LGBTQ+ Caucus. What are three bills that you want to either see get passed or make sure they never see the light of day?

Dallas Harris: Yes. Okay, let’s start with “never see the light of day” because I think there are too many to count across the country right now in that category. So in Douglas County, that’s a county here in Nevada that’s a bit more conservative than, let’s say, some of our more populous counties, we’ve seen some attempts to limit the sports that children can play, as little as elementary school. Those are things that I want to make sure we do not see here in Nevada on a statewide level. Let’s just be like the anti-Florida. That would be great.

As far as things that I want to see get done, one thing we did last year that was awesome — but the governor, for some reason, vetoed it — was we had a bill that would take away the gun rights of folks who had committed violent hate crimes. So, you were already convicted of a violent crime, demonstrating some bias against someone, and we’re saying, we’re going to take your guns away. We’d have a cooling off period. And the governor vetoed it, so we’re gonna bring that back.

That’s Republican governor Joe Lombardo. What was his reasoning?

We can speculate. Politics, virtue signaling to his base. I think that he cares more about that than us.

What is a biennium, and had you ever heard that word before you joined the Nevada legislature?

(laughing) It is the two-year period of the Nevada legislative session, and no, why would anybody use that term?

One of your legislative priorities is education, and you’ve been instrumental in increasing funding for K-12 students in Nevada. Who has been the more formidable opponent, Republican lawmakers or parents’ rights groups?

Ooooh. Republican lawmakers, for sure. They’re the gatekeepers, right? They are the ones that have the right to vote up or down, any way they want, regardless of what I or a parents’ rights group pushes them to do. They’re the ultimate hurdle. At the end of the day, the buck stops with them for sure.

Do you think groups like Moms for Liberty or Libs of TikTok have had any influence on them?

I think they’ve done immeasurable amounts of damage to children across the country who are just discovering themselves and are now growing up in environments that could have been welcoming and open but instead are now very much closed and dark and look just like that metaphorical closet that we talked about coming out of.

You’ve talked about your interest in tech policy. The Consumer Electronics Show happens every year in Vegas in January. Did you attend this year and what’s one technology or product you were impressed by or a trend we should look out for?

I could not make time for it this year. But I’m continually impressed with the innovation that’s happening. Technology grows at an exponential rate, right? Not at a linear one. And so, next year, we’re gonna see things that we couldn’t even envision, and it just keeps getting better.

What do you think about AI?

It’s great. I mean, that’s moving, like I said, exponentially quickly. Let’s see where it settles. I think there’s good uses for it and bad uses for it, but that’s the case with just about everything. But it has the potential to do a lot.

How did you meet your wife, who is she, and who proposed to whom?

Okay, so we met at a, like a barbecue party of mutual friends of ours. I was 19 at the time, so we’ve known each other forever. She knew me when I had zero degrees, I like to say. I’ve got four now. I was like a punk kid, I’d just started college. And so, around 2017, we decided to actually date and give that a shot. We got married in 2019.

Who proposed to whom?

Technically, she proposed to me first with a ring pop in our kitchen, because she refused to wait for me to do it. But then I did a proper proposal at the HRC gala in 2019. And then we were married in August.

Was there some expectation that you were supposed to be the one to propose?

No, but I had, like, called her dad and asked for permission (laughing). We’d kind of fallen into, sadly, those kinds of like heteronormative roles, I guess, right?

That one is pretty romantic.

It’s kinda cool, though, that we both had a chance to pop the question.

What else can you share about her?

Her name is Summer Thomas-Harris, and we’ve got a 12-year-old and a two-year-old that we raised together. She is a social worker, she got her master’s degree in social work from UNLV [Univeristy of Nevada, Las Vegas], and she’s just fantastic. She’s a firebrand.

You are on the Senate Growth and Infrastructure Committee. From your seat there, what is the single most important thing the world should do to address climate change? Just one thing.

Care. I feel like it’s kind of cheating, but if people cared more, other things would happen, right? That would spur all of the other things, all the actual actions that need to be done. If I could get people to do anything, it would be to care — to look up. Like, the movie, right? So look up. Yeah, I would get people to look up.

As well as the LGBTQ+ caucus, you’re also a member of the Black Legislative Caucus. Who parties harder?

Oh, oh. I would have to say the Black Caucus probably parties harder, together. The LGBTQ caucus probably parties harder as individuals.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

You’re an athlete and a big sports fan, and there are a lot of shout-outs to teams and pics of you and your wife at games on social. What are your favorite sports to play and your favorite teams to watch, ranked?

Right okay, sports to play: definitely, tennis is number one. I am a big, big tennis player. And basketball is number two.

Sports to watch: on TV, same order, tennis, basketball, football, maybe number three. Hockey’s on the list. Maybe hockey number three, we’ll put football number four.

Now, to watch in person. Man, I really love to go to the WNBA games. You know, like being at a Las Vegas Aces game, there’s just nothing like it. So, I gotta put that experience at the top. Love going to tennis tournaments in person. That’s also a lot of fun. Baseball is probably at the bottom on both TV and in person. For some reason, that puts me to sleep.

Where were you for the Super Bowl?

At home, watching from the safety of my couch.

You are a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. Who would you rather meet in the Octagon? Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley or disgraced former Congressman George Santos?

Oh, hmmm. Haley. I think she’d put up more of a fight, be more of a challenge. Santos might tap out, you know, within seconds (laughing).

Maybe contrary to your sports addiction, you studied theatre at the Las Vegas Academy. What’s your favorite Broadway musical and why?

Rent. And that just may be a function of my age, the time in which I grew up. But Rent was huge, and my mom took me to see it live here in Las Vegas. I saw it when I went to New York on Broadway, and Joey Fatone was in it, you know, just shortly after NSYNC disbanded. And so lots of fond memories of that. I could probably do the whole thing out loud at any moment if I needed to.

I was looking at a calendar of upcoming Las Vegas concerts so I could ask you about what you’d like to see, which I’ll do.

Okay.

But not before adding that it was maybe the whitest list of musicians anyone could ever come up with: Donny Osmond, Carrie Underwood, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton, Miranda Lambert, Chicago, Bret Michaels, 311. I mean, there was literally not one Black act or artist upcoming and there were only, like two B-list Latino comedians.

Are Black people and the people who admire them just not into Vegas anymore, or did none of these hotels see Usher at the Superbowl?

Well, you know, Usher just actually finished a residency here in Las Vegas, so we had him for a decent amount of time. Maybe we’ll chalk it up to some of those African American artists are just too big to play in Las Vegas at the moment, right? We can’t hold Beyonce at a residency. I’m just kidding, we could. It’s Las Vegas. Beyonce is not ready to do a residency, but we’ll take her when she’s ready.

SZA’s coming off winning some Grammys, you know, if she wants to do a residency, I’d love to see her, too, but she’s at the peak of her career. So it’d be great to come on down and do a residency or come do a concert. We got space for them all.

There were three more artists that I didn’t mention with upcoming concert dates. And they’re all gay icons. You get two tickets to see either Madonna, Adele, or Christina Aguilera. Who do you choose?

Oh, oh, oh. Adele. I think Adele. It would be between Adele and Madonna.

By the way, on March 1, all three of those performers are going to be on stage in Vegas all at the same time. So I don’t know what’s going to happen. There could be like, a tear in the space-time continuum. Or a black hole or I don’t know what.

A break in the sound barrier.

Either/or: Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis?

Sammy Davis.

ARIA Hotel or Fontainebleau Hotel?

I haven’t been to the Fontainebleau yet. So I’ll say Fontainebleau, but only because I wanna give it a chance.

Wicked Spoon Buffet at the Cosmopolitan or Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars?

Wicked Spoon.

The New York, New York roller coaster or Stratosphere roller coaster?

Stratosphere.

Blackjack or craps?

DH: Blackjack.

Red or black?

Red.

What’s the best part of your job as state senator for Nevada’s 11th district?

Talking to people. I think a legislator, our job is to solve problems. And so I enjoy listening to people and the issues they’re having, and trying to figure out ways that we can solve them. Like, people can come and complain to me all day long. I want to hear it, and I want to be able to hash out solutions to their problems that the government can provide. The government isn’t always the answer, but sometimes just being there to listen is helpful. Even that’s a solution.
That TKD (https://martialartsmart.com/collections/shop-by-categories-martial-art-styles-tae-kwon-do) question made me laugh.