In the Spanish of the American Southwest a palito is a piece of kindling wood that ignites the larger logs. What is that palito that sparks a passive citizen to become an activist? We are all products of many influences. One big factor for AR's founder and Executive Driector David Barsamian was his uncle Sarkis Hagopian. He wasn't really David's uncle but since he was from David's mother's village David called him that. Uncle Sarkis was barely educated. Most of his family was wiped out in the Armenian Genocide. He was a tailor in East Orange, NJ. He used to come over to the Barsamian's East 87th St railroad walkup apartment in New York on Sundays. David was just a kid but he was very impressed with his uncle's outspoken political views. Uncle Sarkis hated McCarthy, Nixon and the other right-wingers of the '50s. So, in a way, he became David's palito.

Michael Parenti is one of this country's foremost independent political analysts. He has taught at major colleges and universities in the US and abroad. He is the author of numerous books including Against Empire and the highly acclaimed The Assassination of Julius Caesar. His latest book is Superpatriotism.