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Christopher Hitchens on Life

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Educating the Ignorant
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An interesting read. Some tidbits:

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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Hitchens is and has been an idiot

Hezbollahs flag is not a mushroom cloud
hezbollah_flag.gif



One can easily identify an AK 47, only a person on mushrooms would be able to a see a mushroom cloud
 
Hitchens is one of the most interesting political commentators of our time. He got his support for the Clinton impeachment and Iraq intervention badly wrong; his critique on Sister Teresa and Henry Kissinger were dead-on. Agree with him or not, he's always an interesting and articulate voice.
 
He's on something, but I don't think it's life.

Edit: Just before I get accused of partisanship, it's a joke, an opportunistic pun, nothing more.
 
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Hitchens has remained true to many liberal values, which engenders constant vilification from fundamentalist illiberal leftists who have been hoodwinked into thinking that their solidarity with the worst Islamist filth on the planet is the ultimate sign of political correctness.

I wish there were more liberals like Hitch out there with the courage to confront this sickness that has taken over so much of the left.
 
Hitchens is and has been an idiot

Hezbollahs flag is not a mushroom cloud
hezbollah_flag.gif



One can easily identify an AK 47, only a person on mushrooms would be able to a see a mushroom cloud

the quote and context:

"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." In the end, he argues, there are no pain-free options. You have to choose which future regret you're going to have.

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 was the main one. You wouldn't want to look back and think, I wish I'd noticed that being run up. Now I can give you all the reasons that it's bombast on their part. Still, I know which regret I'd rather have."

There appear to be two main criticisms of this stance. Either people think he's a bonkers Islamophobe – though many who do were content enough to leave Muslims to their bloody fate in Bosnia – or they believe such antagonistic talk only serves to create the problem it seeks to prevent. Hitchens is contemptuous of the former, but scathing of the latter. He says that those who tell him to tread more softly believe that the price of not doing so is more violence. "Oh I see, so you're always aware when you're contesting the holders of this view of the threat that lies behind it? Would you care for their opinions if it wasn't for that? Or are you telling me you'd be reading their stuff just for the sheer pleasure of it. I don't think so. If you say that this looks like war, you're accused of liking it. Not true. Demonstrably not true."


Christopher Hitchens: 'You have to choose your future regrets' | interview | Books | The Observer
 
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:lol:

Yeah, I didn't like him very much, him being a neocon didn't endear him to me.

The fact that he is not an apologist for Islamism does not make him a neocon. His attitudes towards almost all issues we face place him quite definitely outside that which would be described as neocon, and the only people who would call him a neocon are those with an agenda to create a false dicotomy wherein one either acts as a useful idiot for Islamic totalitarianism or gets attacked with the label "neocon".
 
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The fact that he is not an apologist for Islamism does not make him a neocon. His attitudes towards almost all issues we face place him quite definitely outside that which would be described as neocon, and the only people who would call him a neocon are those with an agenda to create a false dicotomy wherein one either acts as a useful idiot for Islamic totalitarianism or gets attacked with the label "neocon".

Actually he is a neocon because he supports going into mindless wars, I could give two ****s what he thinks about Islam. He hates all religions, its the reason why I like him.
 
The neocon label is highly amusing, I'm sure the old trotskyist enjoyed it.
 
The neocon label is highly amusing, I'm sure the old trotskyist enjoyed it.

Yeah, it's pretty silly, isn't it? Good grief -- the fellow supported Ralph Nader for President.

I guess if you don't understand something at all, just throw a convenient label on it.
 
Hitchens has remained true to many liberal values, which engenders constant vilification from fundamentalist illiberal leftists who have been hoodwinked into thinking that their solidarity with the worst Islamist filth on the planet is the ultimate sign of political correctness.

I wish there were more liberals like Hitch out there with the courage to confront this sickness that has taken over so much of the left.

See, this guy thinks your average American Muslim is "the worst Islamist filth on the planet." That's what annoys liberals.
 
See, this guy thinks your average American Muslim is "the worst Islamist filth on the planet." That's what annoys liberals.

I never said that, so please desist with the personal attacks.
 
The fact that he is not an apologist for Islamism does not make him a neocon.

That doesn't make him a neocon, his support of wars do. I like speakers like Dawkins, even with their views and criticisms of Islam. Sam Harris, Stephen Fry. All non religious, all have criticised Islam and I like them fine.

I just don't like him.
 
That doesn't make him a neocon, his support of wars do. I like speakers like Dawkins, even with their views and criticisms of Islam. Sam Harris, Stephen Fry. All non religious, all have criticised Islam and I like them fine.

I just don't like him.

You simply do not know what the term neocon means.
 
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