Growing up with a red diaper mother, I learned at a very young age that politics was center stage in shopping. Grapes were absolutely forbidden in our home, as were GE products and Nestlé. My parents could participate in such boycotts relatively risk free—with the exception of my nagging whine that they just be “normal.”

At 4:00 p.m. the phone rang. It was the Army recruiter, Sergeant Preto. “We’re a block away. We looked at a map and found your apartment, so we’ll just come by.”