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Merged Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)

“Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the 'transcendent' and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don't be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Picture all experts as if they were mammals. Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Suspect your own motives, and all excuses. Do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you.”

RIP. The world is a better place. Thanks.
 
Belz... said:
It's interesting how easy it is to spot heartless people on this forum.
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Ha ha! I don't think Hitchens would have much sympathy for sentimental superstitions about respecting the dead or airbrushing corpses.

“It is a shame that there isn’t a hell for him to go to. We have been rid of an extremely dangerous demagogue who lived by hatred of others and prejudice.” - Hitchens, on the death of Jerry Falwell.

Hitchens' propagandizing contributed to the death, mutilation, dislocation and traumatization of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children. To his mind, all this was justified by the removal of one man. The old Trotskyist did indeed die with blood on his hands.
 
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JihadJane said:
Ha ha! I don't think Hitchens would have much sympathy for sentimental superstitions about respecting the dead or airbrushing corpses.

“It is a shame that there isn’t a hell for him to go to. We have been rid of an extremely dangerous demagogue who lived by hatred of others and prejudice.” - Hitchens, on the death of Jerry Falwell.

Hitchens' propagandizing contributed to the death, mutilation, dislocation and traumatization of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children. To his mind, all this was justified by the removal of one man. The old Trotskyist did indeed die with blood on his hands.
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And you say this, I suppose because you know more than he did about the goings on in Washington, London and Iraq at the time?

ETA: and in the past?
 
MaGZ said:
I heard--I think it was on an old interview of his on C-SPAN--that he had a Jewish grandmother from the Ukraine. Can anyone confirm this?
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I don't remember where but I read that his brother thought this was rubbish.

MaGZ said:
Please explain
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The article I linked to, above, discusses the roots of his dramatic, post 9/11, political realignment and his dogged support for the Iraq war atrocity which destroyed his reputation in the eyes of many former admirers. It seems that it was his overwhelming desire to make a heroic stand against evil that tripped him up.

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Krikkiter said:
And you say this, I suppose because you know more than he did about the goings on in Washington, London and Iraq at the time?

ETA: and in the past?
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Please flesh out this crude personalization with some content. Thanks.

Do you consider speaking ill of the dead to be an indication of heartlessness?
 
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JihadJane said:
I don't remember where but I read that his brother thought this was rubbish.




The article I linked to, above, discusses the roots of his dramatic, post 9/11, political realignment and his dogged support for the Iraq war atrocity which destroyed his reputation in the eyes of many former admirers. It seems that it was his overwhelming desire to make a heroic stand against evil that tripped him up.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Please flesh out this crude personalization with some content. Thanks.

Do you consider speaking ill of the dead to be an indication of heartlessness?
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I asked a simple question and this is your response.
 
Krikkiter said:
I asked a simple question and this is your response.
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It was a fair response to your crude content-free personalization. Your "simple question" came across as purely rhetorical with nothing substantial in it that I could respond to. That's why I requested some detail.

What special knowledge did Hitchens have "about the goings on in Washington, London and Iraq at the time"?



Krikkiter said:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/22/christopher-hitchens-decca-aitkenhead

Pulp.
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Knee-jerk.

It is an intimate and revealing interview.

How much of it did you read?
 
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JihadJane said:
It was a fair response to your crude content-free personalization. Your "simple question" came across as purely rhetorical with nothing substantial in it that I could respond to. That's why I requested some detail.

What special knowledge did Hitchens have "about the goings on in Washington, London and Iraq at the time"?
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I asked you first. Do you know more than Hitchens did about the political goings on in Washington, London and Iraq at the time? You haven't answered yet and I doubt that you can.


JihadJane said:
Knee-jerk.

It is an intimate and revealing interview.

How much of it did you read?
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I bet the interviewer wishes it was.
 
JihadJane said:
Hitchens' propagandizing contributed to the death, mutilation, dislocation and traumatization of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children. To his mind, all this was justified by the removal of one man.
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That one man caused death, mutilation, dislocation and trauma of millions of Iraqi and Kurdish men, women and children. But you didn't care, because that man was a socialist.
 
JihadJane said:
Hitchens' propagandizing contributed to the death, mutilation, dislocation and traumatization of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children. To his mind, all this was justified by the removal of one man. The old Trotskyist did indeed die with blood on his hands.
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This is a ridiculous contention. Hitch may have been a demi-god (ironically) in skeptic, freethinker and atheist circles. I do not know of anyone who had any say over the execution of the war who was swayed by Christopher's "conversion". I was upset by it, too. But I doubt that anyone in Whitehall St., Pennsylvania Avenue, Alexandria or Langley listened to him.

I'll stand corrected if someone can show me a government (either one) white paper citing his information or rhetoric, but I just don't think that such exists.
 
Foolmewunz said:
This is a ridiculous contention. Hitch may have been a demi-god (ironically) in skeptic, freethinker and atheist circles. I do not know of anyone who had any say over the execution of the war who was swayed by Christopher's "conversion". I was upset by it, too. But I doubt that anyone in Whitehall St., Pennsylvania Avenue, Alexandria or Langley listened to him.

I'll stand corrected if someone can show me a government (either one) white paper citing his information or rhetoric, but I just don't think that such exists.
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And since you bring it up (rather than the op), yes I was confused, to say the least about what he had to say re: the Iraq war. But I am certain, knowing the company he kept, the secrets he must have known and his compulsive interest in politics that he knew more about the whole thing than anyone posting on this forum.

That doesn't mean that I necessarily agree with what he had to say. What it does mean though, is that I am more than likely less informed than he was.
 
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Edited for response to modded post.
 
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The world has lost a brilliant and independent mind.

"It is appointed once for man to die, then judgment."
 
RandFan said:
No. Just very famous in the atheist community.
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Never say never. He could've been an incognito member. (Not that I'd want to know. It's probablu rules against outing and I want to keep the magic. :P)
Milbrandt said:
Hitchens' life is over, that really is the end
He knew that like no other and he never would pretend
That when his body'd perish, his soul would then go on
His soul was just the product of his brain and now it's gone
I'll miss the guy and though real soon his body may be rotten
His legacy, that's sure as hell, will never be forgotten

Enjoying a bottle of black label in his honour right now.
That may sound superstitious, but it tastes pretty good.
Cheers Christopher!
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Solemn and nice.
The Fallen Serpent said:
The Onion is a news comedy website. Basically the non-article was a compliment to Hitchens' great reasoning, debate and writing skills while insulting those who may seek to tear apart Hitchens' arguement after his death.
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I know. But are you sure it isn't some kind of subscription required? Because if not, they've perfected the truly laconic comedy:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/equestrian-instinctively-feels-deep-meaningless-co,26862/
http://www.theonion.com/articles/least-corrupt-politician-in-illinois-history-sente,26835/
http://www.theonion.com/articles/nasa-acquires-moon-for-kennedy-space-center-exhibi,26800/
:-S
 
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