- Joined
- Dec 19, 2008
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An interesting read. Some tidbits:
I remember after 911 he and Sullivan sitting down with Lamb on CSPAN... he's been a thorn in the side of his pals, and I thank him for sharing his opinion. I don't agree with everything, but much.
It reminds me of the following in many ways:
.
Along the way, he says, "I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness. Amazing. My conservative friends look at me and say, 'Welcome to the club. What took you so long?' Well that's what it took and I think it's worth recording."
Hitchens genuinely believes radical or jihadist Islam to be an existential threat to civilisation. First because it is a pronounced enemy of free speech and social liberty and has succeeded in intimidating and silencing civilians across "an extraordinary number of countries in Europe" and the rest of the world. And second, he says, "because it has potential access to weapons of mass destruction."...
"I was at a Hezbollah rally in Beirut about two and a half years ago," he says. "Very striking. Everyone should go. But of the many things that impressed me about it, having the mushroom cloud as the party flag in an election campaign...
"The best one can do is say that we've given the Iraqis the chance to produce a constitution, independent courts and a free press....
"I said that Bush [senior] may have used the rhetoric of anti-fascism but he didn't mean it. And then I said, yeah, but what if he had meant it? Would I therefore be obliged by my own argument to be in favour? The answer was 'yes'. And then I said, well what do you care how they argue? You should be arguing it yourself. And I found I couldn't get out of that."
Christopher Hitchens: 'You have to choose your future regrets' | interview | Books | The Observer
I remember after 911 he and Sullivan sitting down with Lamb on CSPAN... he's been a thorn in the side of his pals, and I thank him for sharing his opinion. I don't agree with everything, but much.
It reminds me of the following in many ways:
.
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