CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS on The DEATH of JERRY FALWELL-CNN 360

[meegbear]

Run time: 04:52 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAPaEMwyKU   Posted on YouTube: May 16, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 16, 2007 By DU Member: meegbear Views on DU: 3850

 
Chris calls Jerry out.

[april]

1. Well he did say it all /hats off good chap nm

[CottonBear]

2. I just watched the clip. Hitchens is brilliant (and dead sober for once.)

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/05/christopher-hitchens-anderson-cooper-jerry-falwell.php

[yellerpup]

3. Well done by Christopher.

I could not find anything false in what he said. This should be Falwell's eulogy because it sums him up so well.

[Gregorian]

4. Oh no! I agree with the Hitch! It must be a MIRACLE.

Good for him. I never thought I'd be able to listen to him, let alone agree.

[heliarc]

8. What do you mean?

He wrote Trial of Henry Kissinger, and is a leading Orwell Scholar. The man for all his more recent faults is a democrat at the very least and one of the few real scholars in the discourse with any sense of social and democratic justice. If anything his adventurous infiltration of the American right is a clear attempt to introduce real criticism of religious opportunism to the debate... It was the only reason he supported the war in Afghanistan, and in many ways he was right about opposing religious extremism in Afghanistan. Sufis and women were getting stoned to death and musical instruments were being rounded up and destroyed. His intentions have always been to protect freedom and democracy from Fascism. Disagree with him on occasion, but his body of work is on our side.

[Gregorian]

13. I often find myself wanting to kick my tv when he's on.

But you know, I agree with you. He's a brilliant man. His arguments are often backed up by vast references. Maybe it's that he seems drunk during most of his interviews that I have a hard time even understanding him. Maybe that's because I myself am shallow and inexperienced. After all, I am. But I'm trying. I should probably post less and listen more. But Hitchins seems to embody something that is anything but liberal. That's just my own personal detector going off.

[heliarc]

35. That's ok.

But it's too bad that you think so. If anything Hitchens embodies a very, very liberal (or at least progressive) tradition that goes back to the Frankfurt school, and his work is almost always from a socialist perspective. Certainly more left than most Democrats, but nonetheless certainly a champion of social justice.

[Dr.Phool]

15. One of the few times I've agreed with Snitchens myself!

:toast:

[heliarc]

26. You don't agree with him about Kissinger?

Or about the Taliban? What about Orwell, or about the legacy of Social Welfare in protecting civilization. He's quite a liberal. Hot headed and curmudgeonly, but certainly a liberal. Never mind his contrarian position on the war on terrorism.

[MrPrax]

5. Don't praise him too much...

it'll just go to his head.

Ironically I was reading earlier a James Wolcott's excellent piece called "The YouTube Election" where he sarcastically quotes Hitchens own words from a recent column:

I have just been sent a link to an Internet site that shows me delivering a speech some years ago. This is my quite unsolicited introduction to the now-inescapable phenomenon of YouTube. It comes with another link, enabling me to see other movies of myself all over the place. What's "You" about this? It's a MeTube, for me. — Christopher Hitchens, Slate, April 9, 2007.

Sure Hitch ... your a real web star...

[Taverner]

10. True, just because he's correct on some things doesn't mean he's good

[heliarc]

27. Sounds like a smart observation to me.

The countless videos on Youtube that are just for self-promotion and have no value beyond an inner circle of fans speaks to the "me" ness of the medium. Sounds like he was making a joke and pointing to his own megalomania while commenting on You Tube itself.

Hitchens' body of work is predominantly liberal and rabidly intellectually and rigorous to the extreme. He supported the war on terrorism in strategy only, and has no love for this administration. His interest was to topple the Taliban, which were destroying the personal freedoms of women and intellectuals across Afghanistan. When the war turned to Iraq he made the point that Saddam was a tyrant, but has no love for Rumsfeld and the way the war was conducted. For liberals to simply disown him for his contrarian positions on fighting what he believes is religious fascism in the middle east is patently fickle and silly.

[DURHAM D]

6. Wow. I wish all of the "moral high grounders" here at the DU

who want the Falwell slams to stop "out of respect for the dead" would watch this and think about it.

Thanks for posting - I knew Hitchens had made some comments on CNN yesterday but did not have time to look for same. I love DU - everything I want or need to know shows up here sooner, rather than later.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Wow. Hitchens in one of his rare sober performances.

[FourScore]

9. Never thought I'd recommend a video with Hitchens on it!

But I just did!

[heliarc]

28. Why not?

Hitchens is a socialist, and a champion of social welfare, George Orwell, the case against Henry Kissinger's genocidal policies in Southeast Asia, and his reasons for supporting a war on terror involve resisting religious fascism and genocide.

Sounds like an ally to me.

[lumpy]

11. Hitchens hits the nail on the head.

Why wasn't Falwell raptured? He must not have been 'one of the chosen'.

[The Sushi Bandit]

12. K&R

[Catherine Vincent]

14. "Pick pockets and frauds"

Hitchens was definitely right about these guys. But he's not right on everything. I still can't stand the drunken bastid!

[Hamlette]

16. k&r

I'm still not going to forgive him for his stand on Iraq or abortion.

[BootinUp]

17. Geez, I might have to buy his book. That rant was so on target. n/t

[heliarc]

29. You should buy...

The Trial of Henry Kissinger, and Why Orwell Matters, and Thomas Paine's the Rights of Man: Books that Changed the World. In fact read them all. Hitchens' arguments about Bill and Hillary and even Mother Theresa are compelling and show deep understanding from a perspective that champions social welfare and true liberal ideals.

[BootinUp]

30. What does he say

about Bill and Hillary and which book is that in?

[heliarc]

32. The book is...

No one left to lie to: The values of the worst family

The most substantive premise of the book attacks the Al-Shifa attack and argues that it constitutes a war crime.

There is also a discussion of Clinton's carelessness while under oath and his disregard for his family via adultery and sexual misadventure.

Keep in mind that Hitchens is not a Party Hack. He is a critic, and a good one at that.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1859842844/sr=8-8/qid=1179645288/ref=cm_cr_dp_pt/103-8549526-6659819?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1179645288&sr=8-8#customerReviews

[BrklynLiberal]

18. I am also stunned at how much I agree with Hitchens. He was acid sharp and right on the money.

I hope he gets to repeat this over and over, on more media outlets, until perhaps, more people will be willing to shout out "THE EMPEROR IS NAKED!!"

[spindrifter]

19. Brilliant!

[and-justice-for-all]

20. Hitch let'em have it!! I love it and the book!!

[Tekla West]

21. When you are right, you are right

Spot on, a solid look at the evil Fallwell did.

[cfsteak]

22. Last night he was on Fox with Ralph Reed

Every time Reed started to talk Hitchens would allude to Abramoff, Reed and Hannity's face would shrivel, fun stuff

[meegbear]

23. Part of the exchange has been posted by jefferson_dem ...

good stuff. And ... :party: WELCOME TO DU!! :party:

[zanne]

24. The enemy of my enemy...

Isn't necessarily my friend.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

25. I usually can't stand him

I had an english professor who was literally dripping wet for the guy and we had to read his crap practically every week for the entire semester, but that was great.

[heliarc]

33. his "crap"

Is some of the most scathing and compelling criticism of Henry Kissinger, Clinton, Bush, and Blair around. He is responsible for widening the discussion of Kissinger's war crimes. That alone makes him an ally. I'm not so sure I understand why you dislike him so much.

[butterfly77]

31. I enjoyed this Hannity acting as thou he was outraged...

Now,I want to see a match between Hitchens and O'lielly :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[SunDrop23]

34. Excellent! Thanks for posting it!

[cynthia]

36. "I doubt that he could read any long book"

He's great!