citizenschallenge.pm - 07 January 2012 04:50 PM
gary100 - 07 January 2012 12:37 PM
Triangulations of Christopher Hitchens
Sam Husseini | Consortium News | Op-Ed
http://www.truth-out.org/triangulations-christopher-hitchens/1325616542
To borrow from the theme of the first couple paragraphs of this essay, reading about the man made me feel like vomiting. I will be forever flabbergasted that any thinking people {except for the profiteers of course} can look at USA’s actions after 9/11 as anything but a complete victory for bin Laden’s wildest hopes and dreams… and an utter disaster for America and the world.
“Hitchens himself in his final months would say that if he were to embrace religion in his final days that he’d hoped people wouldn’t take it seriously, since it wouldn’t really be “him.” It seemed an incredible thing to say, to forestall one’s own betrayal of one’s alleged principles.”
{Sounds like a pretty hollow person - more concerned with selling books and himself than with any sincere intellectual journey}
“Having pro-war Hitchens and Tony Blair debate the existence of God was like two draconian priests debating the number of angels on the head of a needle.” laugh icon
{...}
“Hitchens denied that he was a neo-con, but he did what so-called neo-cons do — and what the left and progressives allow them to do: Use the limitations of progressive criticism — the frequent lack of radicalism — to argue for rightwing policies. As such, the mindset is to pretend to rigorously police everyone — but themselves — to such a degree that they end up violating first principles.”
{...}
“He was a “contrarian” and “skeptic” who embraced the basic precepts of Empire. He scrutinized his opponents’ eyes for specks while he ignored the gleaming of cruise missiles in his own.”
{...}
a worthy closing paragraph:
“I was saying that real journalism is to hold accountable those who deceive because the deceptions do matter and should be studiously analyzed, for they are the lasting legacy of those who deceive for war, no matter how circular their route or reasoning. And it does make sense to purify one’s hatred, not of persons as Hitchens seemed to intend, but of the stench of lies from whatever quarter.”
-one, Hitchens said if his drug addled mind embraces stupid superstition at the moment of death you shouldn’t take him seriously. That seems sincere. His pro-war attitude in Iraq stems from the fact as a journalist he saw first-hand Saddam butcher Kurds. He wanted Saddam out since the 90s. The war in Afghanistan was to throw out religious fanatics. I dont agree with everything he said, but atheists are like cats, they have no leaders, they follow their mind. What is a neo-con btw. Can one support gay marriage, social medicine, as well as believe invading countries under specific circumstances. His views are difficult to define, and seem to follow no ideological standpoint from my view. He made speaking your mind, and unpopular views, sexy and popular. You can oppose the ideas, but the world is most certainly a better place with him existing. I love how he went on Fox News and slammed Jerry Falwell. “I do not love my enemies, my enemies are theocratic fascists and I want to see them destroyed”. He hates the governments in the middle east, where atheists can legally be killed by their family(and are). I know an Egyptian girl who told her little sister she was an agnostic, she received a viscous beating from her father before being disowned. She lost her job, and her place in university in Egypt, as her father got a refund for tuition and called her boss to tell him. She’s one of the lucky ones because she knew a well-to free-thinking arab atheist in the UK who married her. Most stories dont have happy endings. The sad fact is, if I feel that I have the Divine Right of God to tell you how you must live your life and that I must indoctrinate your children, the only sane response is the sword.
A new member of the forum, and another unrepentant pro-war atheist.
