The American Spectator : Doug Payne Always Made My Day

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Doug Payne Always Made My Day

By Roger Kaplan on 8.25.09 @ 6:06AM

He was a fearless leader in the permanent fight between tyranny and liberty.

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When he came to the broken down school not too far from Yankee Stadium to talk to our journalism class, he asked the kids why they wanted to write, what they wanted to write about, what they thought it might involve to find out facts and report them, and what, too, they knew about their own origins. Most of them, or their parents, were from countries Doug knew, of course -- he could even tell from their accents and their idioms, in either English or Spanish, which cities or regions they came from. He told them stories of his adventures in their "back home" places. He told them he loved the work he did, but it was not easy -- maybe they were better off finding something to do up here, in da Bronx or the great city downtown. Either way, they'd do well to learn to read and write.

We met with some of my colleagues after, and the one he liked best was a burly security and attendance A.P., a football-player-sized man whose entire life was dedicated to keeping kids in school who were tempted every day to stay on the streets. Doug learned as much from a half hour spent talking to him as I would from months of watching the system work, or fail, on a daily basis. As to the kids, they often asked me when Doug would come back for another "lecture" -- some lecture, since he had done most of the listening. He had other things to do, I told him, but he thought about them. He sent them a little piece about the school as he had seen it, which he wrote for the issue of the newspaper they put together that spring. It was a nice piece, too, full of observations about what we were doing in the Bronx, and I wish I could quote from it, but unfortunately I haven't got a copy.

Doug died last month after a spirited, stoical, courageous battle with lung cancer. I know it is sentimental to say this, but we are poorer, weaker, more vulnerable for this loss.

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topics:
Anti-Communism, Douglas Payne, Freedom House

About the Author

Roger Kaplan is a writer in Washington, D.C.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (2) | Leave a comment

Pei Chuan Koay| 8.27.09 @ 8:10PM

Dear Roger:

I'm going to split hairs that need splitting. Doug Payne was indeed from the democratic left. He took a dim view of communism, to be sure, but parted ways with Social Democrats USA many moons ago. The mostly defunct Social Democrats USA have drifted toward the purgatory of middledom, leaving behind their socialist roots of asserting the rights of the union man and the down-trodden and losing their membership with SI, that is, the global body of Socialist International in London.

It's worth noting that Doug did, however, spend a considerable amount of time and effort furthering his pro-democratic beliefs with SI. So it's with a certain amount of smirk and irony that I post their website onto the virtual pages of The American Spectator (www.socialistinternational.org), if only because they have some kind words to say about their fellow traveler Doug and, more importantly, to further distinguish the enigmatic Doug Payne from mere social democrats of the American variety.

As to clues to Doug's political groundings, he once told me that he was, "an extreme centrist," borrowing a phrase from the late Mexican anti-communist critic and writer Octavio Paz.
Doug was someone who could not be easily categorized, but leaned leftward in his later years—-especially with issues such as global climate change and economic globalization. His commitment to democratic and socialist principles along with his dogged determination for a capturing the larger truth—with all its nuances—earned him the admiration, and perhaps, the exasperation of many from across the political spectrum. P.J. O'Rourke, Ken Silverstein and Paul Berman come to mind. It's no small feat that Doug has at various times found his voice in Dissent, Harper's, the National Interest, the New Republic, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

But your broader point that he was a man of principle, decency and compassion remain true. He will be greatly missed.

From the loyal deputy of your loyal deputy,

Pei Chuan Koay
Yerevan, Armenia