Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King. Nelson Mandela. Now it’s time to add another name to the pantheon of civil rights heroes: liberal columnist Eric Alterman, who was arrested in New Hampshire at last night’s Democratic debate and charged with criminal trespass.
True, at first glance Alterman’s achievements don’t appear to be as heroic as his predecessors. Parks and King suffered for their efforts to desegregate the South and Mandela spent decades in prison in seeking to bring down South Africa’s apartheid regime. Alterman, by contrast, was busted while looking to cadge free drinks at a media VIP reception. But I suspect Alterman, the Gilligan of Nation cruises, will be regaling shipmates with tales of his bravery for years to come.
