HITCHENS: But, to what I think is the hidden agenda of the question: 'Is George Bush on a Christian crusade in Iraq and Afghanistan?' Obviously not, obviously not. Anyone who's studied what's happening in either of those countries now knows that the whole of American policy -- and by the way a lot of your own future, ladies and gentlemen -- is staked on the hope that federal secular democrats can emerge from this terrible combat. We can protect them and offer them help while they do so. We know that they're there, that we are -- I've met them, I love them, they're our friends. Every member of the 82nd Airborne Division could be a snake-handling congregationalist, for all I know, but these men and women, though you sneer and jeer at them, and snigger when you hear applause and excuses for suicide bombers -- and you have to live with the shame of having done that -- these people are guarding you while you sleep, whether you know it or not. And they're also creating space for secularism to emerge, and you better hope that they are successful.CHRIS HEDGES: I feel like I should be reading Kipling's White Man's Burden.
Audience: Laughter.
HITCHENS: What you mean is you wish you had read it.
Videos at the link.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens
If you stop by LGF this morning you can read all about how Lefties in the UK want England to become an Islamic state.
Here's there line of reasoning: Christianity (religion and Judeo-Christian values=liberty, capitalism) is bad and must be eliminated and erased from memory at all costs, but Islam (the poor oppressed masses of Phakestinians=medieval backwards ways)is GOOD.
Hey Lefty....YOUR HEAD GOES FIRST TO THE CHOPPING BLOCK, you dumbass morons.
Hitchens can be a real jerk at times (he has a distressing habit of writing nasty things about people within a week after their deaths), but he's right on here, and, as always, superbly expressed.
As Orwell put it -- I sleep peacefully at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on my behalf.
Shh! Violence is a no-no in Canada. Bad, bad DrD!
slam-dunk
I've said it many times: Hitchens is just fabulous on the war -- well reasoned and expressed powerfully. But on topics of religion, he engages in endless reductionisms, ultimately undermining his argument.
But good show here Hitch, God bless you ;)
Hunter S. Thompson got his Doctorate (in 'Religion'-of course), from a mail-order divinity mill in the U.S.
And of course- the war in the middle east is a religious war. We have the 'Axis of Evil' on one side, and the 'Great Satan' on the opposite bench.
(And wars are still the best form of population control that we have- so: don't knock it.)
Hitchens is one cool cat. Have liked him for over 15 years. I used to read him in The Nation magazine, which is an act of pure devotion if you have ever tried to read that piece of garbage. Uncompromising and well researched at every turn.
If this were a pissin' match Hedges would be matching huis squirt gun against a fire hose.
Must suck to be Hedges
Posted by: davie at June 7, 2007 4:15 PM
"the middle east is a religious war. We have the 'Axis of Evil' on one side..."
Does this mean that if religion did not exist, there would be nothing that could be classified and opposed as evil?
And our media has to live with their excusing of suicide murder, for which their is no excuse - just ask the peace movement about use of violence, right?
Hitchens is right on 100% Even on the topic of religion, but let's not hijack this thread. :) Great post.
The left has supported and made excuses for every bloodthirsty killer. They even supported the Nazis when they had their pact with Stalin and even went so far as to attempt to sabatage the Allies war effort through strikes as well as violence at munitions factories.
They excused Stalin and that NYT journalist (duranty?) was in the USSR while Stalin was killing people (including starving the Ukrain) and acted as Stalin's propaganda mouthpeace. He got the Pulitzer and the NYT is still proud of it - even after knowing the truth.
The left are vermin scum with no decency, no morals, no regard for anyone but their own narcisism and hatred. It's not a surprise that they excuse the terrorist's depravity - they're a part of it.
What I love about Hitchens is that he gives men like Hedges and Bill Maher the respect they deserve - which coincidentally is none.
Where is the Canadian Hitchens? I wish we had someone like him to go on Strombolopo... - to go on the CBC to give the audience the finger and point out their bigotry and idiocy.
I think people are wrong to say that he's reductionist or unfair or needlessly disrespectful when debating religion. If you heard the debate on the Hugh Hewitt show, he was respectful to both Hewitt and Roberts.
LOL....cannot imagine Strombo interviewing Hitchens. Strombo interviews are relatively lengthy.....but I would definitely think my tax money was well spent on the CBC if strombo would agree to do a 30 minute interview with Hitch live and to make one of his first questions about why he, Strombo, thinks America is bad....
Liberal leaning people want to see US failure and withdrawl from Iraq simply because it would look bad on George Bush. But that's because they're too stupid to have thought through their nasty sentiments. Nuclear war could easily come to the middle east if it all falls to the fascists.
Christopher Hitchen's said he probably would sign the Euston Manifesto, but that if he did so it would be the most conservative document that he had ever signed. As of today Hitchen's name is not in the manifesto's list of signatories.
Canada's Terry Glavin is on that list and has explained in detail why he signed it.
http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2006/06/euston_in_canad.html
Robert said: "Where is the Canadian Hitchens?"
Mark Steyn?
Yet another lesson that if you are going to go toe to toe with Hitchens then you best have your ducks in a row and quacking in unison.
RM.. there can be no Canadian Hitchens, IMO. Don't get me wrong, I love reading Steyn's stuff, but I think that Canada is not a culture in which someone such as Hitchens could get any airtime, nor would any Canadian publication of any large circulation want to publish him (I include WS in this). If there was a Canadian Hitchens, he would end up being like Mark Steyn but more so (known better outside of Canada than in).
What do liberals know about anything religious you know how they are so agsinst christians
The tone of these words sounded familiar... then I remembered a quote from A Few Good Men:
"You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to."
Unfortunately, this original sneer is more true today than we realize...
Unfortunately Andrew, in this scene, Jack Nicholson's character was justifying a clearly illegal act. If not taken in context of movie, though, it is both beautifully written and relevant to those who sit in air conditioned officers, opining if our soldiers are war criminals. Like Jack Layton, who, as far as I know, has never gone to Afghan, never talked to troops, and never supported military action of any kind anytime, except to talk about route causes when Islamists slaughter and terrorize their own people, then set their sights on us. Jack and his ilk would pea their pants if they met an AQ terrorist.