He ought to be held up as a prime roll model for any young person seeking his own road less travelled---someone who went down a certain path because he was dedicated to his beliefs as much as John Payne, Che Guevara, La Passsionaria (Delores Ibarruri) or my own mentor, Pete Seeger.

The mistake he made was being on the side that is losing. For sure, his story will not be told by friendly biographers. I feel that is probably as it ought to be. I don't stand behind what he did. But I admire his misguided attempt to be the master of his own adventure while being true to a youthful ideal. That's what youth is for as I see it. Not for going down the wrong road (hopefully) but choices are always a bit of a crap-shoot. It's a classic tragedy---the person whose fall is ordained by his own failings and shortcomings. I doubt it'd make a very good folksong---but it might make a great opera ! And if Shakespeare was still around----and enough time went by to allow hatreds to fade and one more good story to inspire art once again...

Art Thieme