“All right,” I said, securely put in my place.

“Well, as you can see,” he said, pointing to photographs on the walls of himself and famous black political figures, “I’ve represented the spectrum from Malcolm to Rap to Huey… So the only thing I want to be sure of is: Are you prepared to go to jail?”

“Well, I don’t want to, but if it comes to that, I will.”

“If it comes to that!” he said incredulously. “Look, why don’t you tell me the grounds on which you refused induction, because if your position is really an attack on the system, you can forget about any hope of getting off.”

“Well, I filed for conscientious-objector status on the grounds that an analysis of America shows that the armed forces are an instrument used to extend the American empire.”

“Ahhh, I like that!” he said, leaning back in his swivel chair. “Most of the C.O. cases I’ve come across have been strictly on moral grounds. But yours has broader political implications. It even parallels an argument I’ve been developing. Your case could be the opportunity I’ve been waiting for to launch my thesis.”

“How much time do you think I’ll get?” I asked.

“Time? Oh, well, depending on how strong my attack on the entire American socioeconomic system is, you could luck out and get the whole five years.”

“Luck out?”

“That’s right. You see, the political capital gained from being a political prisoner is proportional to the severity of the sentence. Human beings are creatures of extremes and are not given to sympathizing with anyone who has not been given the maximum punishment. Most people will indulge any excess. Whether it’s luxury or degradation doesn’t make any difference. It all runs together. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, longevity has its place if the sentence you receive is harsh enough to make a political point…

“But let me get to the real business and explain to you the line of argument I’m developing that relates to your case.” He searched frantically through the piles of papers on his desk. “Ahhh, here we are,” he said, holding a legal-size pad in front of him and leaning into his presentation. “Now, my position is based on a reinterpretation of the rule of law which says a citizen must accept the result of a decision rendered against him, even if he considers it immoral. It’s my position that the rule of law represents the interests of a privileged class, which means that not only blacks but most Americans have never been involved in the process of codifying the rules for their security. Concomitantly, the most heinous crimes by America against its own citizens are not represented by laws…