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 Rest in Peace, ComradePosted on Dec 15, 2011
Christopher Hitchens died Thursday of esophageal cancer. He was, in the words of The Washington Post, “master of the contrarian essay” and, as his home publication Vanity Fair describes him, “a wit, a charmer and a troublemaker.” Hitchens was a political iconoclast who could surprise a receptive conservative audience by addressing them as “comrades.” He infuriated the left with his support of the war in Iraq, and he irked the right with his condemnation of such conservative sacred cows as religion and the torture policies of George W. Bush. “If waterboarding does not constitute torture,” he wrote after experiencing the procedure himself, “then there is no such thing as torture.” Hitchens was, if nothing else, an impossible man to pin down. He was an original. —PZS Advertisement Previous item: A Day Late and $3 Trillion Short Next item: Bradley Manning's Pretrial Hearing Begins New and Improved CommentsWe are launching a major overhaul of our comments section. In addition to more robust spam filtering and moderation, new features include the ability to rate other comments, sort how they are displayed and respond directly via e-mail or in a thread. Unfortunately, commenters will lose their existing Truthdig identities. It's a pain, we know, but on the plus side you will now be able to log in with a plethora of options, including Google, Twitter, Facebook and Disqus accounts. Before launching this system we spent months in discussion with our top commenters. We listened to the feedback and we hope you like what we've come up with. Please direct any problems or concerns to us via our contact page. |
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By DarthMiffy, December 17, 2011 at 12:39 pm Link to this comment
Chained smoked himself into a horrible and early death. Let that be a
Report thiswarning to everyone hooked on the nicotine sticks. We are deprived of
whatever his later years, now permanently unlived, would have given us.
Alas.
By D.R. Zing, December 16, 2011 at 9:06 pm Link to this comment
Hi prisnersdilema,
Not certain . . . but I believe the quote you’re
referencing is: “The unexamined life is not worth
living,” spoken by Socrates at his trial for heresy,
which, all in all, is quite apropos for Mr Hitchens.
All the best.
Zing
Report thisBy ejreed, December 16, 2011 at 1:40 pm Link to this comment
from a C-span interview…
Report thisAuthor Christopher Hitchens on Cancer, Writing
Author and journalist Christopher Hitchens speaks
about confronting cancer, his recent memoir “Hitch-22”
and some of his other books, including “God is Not
Great.” http://www.newslook.com/videos/287173-author-
christopher-hitchens-on-cancer-writing
By Robespierre115, December 16, 2011 at 8:57 am Link to this comment
He began as a superb writer but ended as a right-wing blowhard who also helped fuel the fires of paranoid, anti-Muslim bigotry. People love the guy because he pissed on religion, but it’s not as if he said anything on the topic we didn’t already know. He was an impressive debater, but in the end he became that which he fought against: A victim of irrationality.
Report thisBy Leefeller, December 16, 2011 at 7:21 am Link to this comment
Hitchens had an uncanny ability of exposing his detractors with amusing consistency, exposing the wrongs in this world and the small minded witless who so abundantly adorn it!
Report thisBy MK77, December 16, 2011 at 5:56 am Link to this comment
He cheerled death and destruction in faraway lands, and his greatest passion was tooting his own horn.
Not the nicest of things to say when somebody passes, but then again, he himself wasn’t exactly the nicest guy in the world.
Report thisBy Norma, December 16, 2011 at 5:46 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Always provocative, often times infuriating, but ever the perspicacious observer of life, politics, and religion. I was especially offended by his support for the Iraq War, a senseless folly. But I will miss Christopher Hitchens’ voice nonetheless
Report thisbecause he challenged me to better understand my own views. His passing is a
big loss.
By prisnersdilema, December 16, 2011 at 5:45 am Link to this comment
His living voice is gone, it was both the source of his life, and the source of his agony.
It was his reason to live and to go. A troubled trouble maker, who attempted to upset
you, to stir you, from a life lived unconsciously.
And now, he’s gone, and with him one more chance to do things differently.
Who said an unexamined life is a life unlived?
Report thisBy AMeshiea, December 16, 2011 at 3:52 am Link to this comment
He squandered his gifts and fed the War on Terror.
More like good riddance.
Report thisBy loncowber, December 16, 2011 at 3:21 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
When people want to define the human race they often list things that set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. In many cases they list skyscrapers and art. One of the items that should top the list is organized debate. One of the greatest examples of this is the debate between Christopher Hitchens and Tony Blair on the topic of religion. No matter what side of the debate you are on, or if you don’t have a preference, it is human interaction on a level that defies cynicism.
Because of his advocacy of the works of George Orwell I think one of the ways to honor Hitch is to mention Orwell.
All of Orwell’s works are available for free, legitimately free, online.
Read “Homage to Catalonia”
Read “Coming up for Air”
His life is over but his influence carries on.
Report thisBy screamingpalm, December 16, 2011 at 1:26 am Link to this comment
I don’t think “Rest in Peace” would be the best choice of words to honor him with, but he will be sorely missed. My views on religion very much align with his. A tough loss at a time where rational thought is so desperately needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYaQpRZJl18&feature=player_embedded
Report thisBy Everythings Jake, December 15, 2011 at 11:14 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Hitchens was a pig. A rancorous and bilious drunk, who
Report thisturned fascistic. We should resist the impulse to lionize
(shades of Tim Russert that has delivered us the
improbably stupid Luke Russert on our nightly television).
By faith, December 15, 2011 at 10:25 pm Link to this comment
Mr. Hitchens is a great loss to all american society. Whether one agreed, or
Report thisdisagreed with his essays, it gave pause and careful consideration to the arguments
and analysis he carefully, thoughtfully presented. I am saddened by his passing.
We have lost several great ‘voices’- Mr. Hitchens and Ms. Molly Ivins.