[Peace-discuss] I'm embarrassed...

[Morton K.Brussel]

Carl,

I believe Hitchens' apostasy, as you put it, does not have such simple 
roots as you portray. He doesn't, for example, fulminate much against 
the "born again Bush" and his born again allies as you might expect.

Also, your humanists are not so uniform as you seem to suggest. You 
might consult publications such as "Free Inquiry" or "The Humanist". 
You will find there quite a variety of views, including some from the 
religious traditions. You will also find varying political opinions, 
the latter publication being quite a bit more to the left, opposing 
Israeli policies and the various U.S. wars, than the former (to which 
Hitchens regularly contributes).

As for Cockburn, what he writes here is pure bombastic rhetoric, devoid 
of serious content.

mkb



On Dec 4, 2004, at 11:25 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

> …Hitchens' reasons I think were finally
> theological.  His rabid support for the "war on terror" comes from his
> notion that the enemy is "Islamic theocracy" -- a slightly peculiar 
> way of
> putting it, but then for him 9/11 was "clerical aggression" -- 
> indicating
> his opinion that the source of al-Qaida's crimes is a belief in God.  
> He
> has for year written for "humanist" (i.e., anti-religious) 
> publications.
> Even his critique of Israel, which you mention, is based (mistakenly I
> think) on his view of Israel as a theocracy.  (I once started an 
> article
> on him with the title "Little Christopher and Big God" -- from Anthony
> Burgess' wonderful autobiography, "Little Wilson and Big God.")
>
> Never, ever, would you find from Hitchens anything like this recent
> paragraph from his former friend Alex Cockburn, commenting on the post-
> election divisions in the US:
>
> "Even though the highest reading on any chart of intolerance is that
> nourished towards Christians by secular liberals (after all, Christians
> believe in forgiveness and the possibility of redemption) I suppose 
> we'll
> have to put up with much earnest journalism from sensitive liberal 
> writers
> driving into the Christian heartland to inspect and commune with the
> natives. I read one patronizing prospectus from a Californian 
> free-lancer
> that sounded like an application by an anthropologist in 1925 for 
> funding
> to inspect an African tribe."