Christopher Hitchens has an article up at Vanity Fair called "Don't Mess With Wisconsin" in which he looks at our fair state in light of the ongoing protests over Governor Walker's attempts at union busting and assuming more executive authority.
In it he talks about meeting Madison organizer and activist Clarence Kailin.
On one occasion I remember getting into conversation with a fit and wiry old man in a plaid shirt, who had bought one of my books and stayed around to make a few dialectical points. It emerged that he had been a volunteer in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. I was immediately embarrassed at having taken his money, and asked the staff to void out his credit card payment and charge it to me. In a Madison bookstore it didn’t take any time to explain why a fighter for Republican Spain didn’t have to buy his own book—or, subsequently, his own drinks. In fact, I think the shop ended up paying for the whole treat out of its own emaciated budget.
Ah yes, the plaid. I think he wore a plaid shirt every time I saw him whether it was a public event with John Nichols gushing over him or at family gatherings.
No comments:
Post a Comment