Christopher Hitchens on debating religion and the elections
Author: admin // Category: wiki college
The editor of “Patrol” speaks with Christopher Hitchens after the debate with theologian Douglas Wilson at The King’s College in New York City.
The complete thing: http://www.vimeo.com/2111182
I asked: “Can somebody tell me what the ‘red flower’ means on CH’s lapel?”
The answer came quickly, user calcecini said:
“In answer to your question about CH’s lapel,it’s actually a poppy (made of plastic) worn in November in Britain as a memorial for those who have died in war (war remembrance day in on November 11th in the UK). You are given a poppy by people on the street after a donation, and that money goes to veterans charity. The tradition covers all wars, but is especially associated with WW1 1914 -18 - as the poppy grows in the area where the terrible trench wars took place.”
I checked and read that the tradition is based on the Canadian poem “In Flanders Fields”:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— John McCrae
I think we should indeed show this kind of stoicism and respect for those who protected our Freedom in the past and now against another dreadful enemy in poppy fields. I hope this catches on also in the USA and other places.
more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
Duration : 0:8:35
Tags: atheism, barack, christopher, day, debate, douglas, election, hitchens, McCain, new, obama, Palin, politics, poppy, religion, remembrance, Sarah, veterans, wilson, witchcraft, york
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I agree. Hitchens …
I agree. Hitchens current positions on social, religion and foreign policy matters are SO consistent with that of someone who thinks clearly, intellectual and practically. To say in other words, COMMON SENSE. Its funny to say that, as Smart and advanced as his stances are and the sheer nature of insight, that his views are actually very easy to understand when compared to say, that of strict Rep. or Strict Dem’s. Ones views SHOULD shift naturally between both realms. Do you agree?
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“I’ve never lived …
“I’ve never lived in USA but I can’t imagine why liberalism/conservatism is such a divider. Everyone have have both conservative and liberal values. Also, there are a lot of other axis in politics.”
I’m slamming the thumbs up button a hundred times but it only counts it once unfortunately.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Could this kid look …
Could this kid look more distracted and uninterested?
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Many thanks for …
Many thanks for uploading.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Hitch is not a …
Hitch is not a conservative, neocon or any of that. His position is very clear, he’s a humanist and an anti-theist before anything else. For a long time in the Seventies and Eighties he was actually a socialist, and in some ways (philosophically at least) he still is a Marxist - in the sense he thinks dialectally.
Other than that, he’s liberal, libertarian and politically homeless. As far as I know, he has no political ties with any group or party anymore.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Alexander Cockburn, …
Alexander Cockburn, of The Nation wrote:
What a truly disgusting sack of Hitchens is [— a] guy who called Sid Blumenthal one of his best friends and then tried to have him thrown into prison for perjury; a guy who waited til his friend Edward Said was on death bed before attacking him in the Atlantic Monthly; a guy who knows perfectly well the role Israel plays in U.S. policy but who does not scruple to flail Cindy Sheehan as an Anti-Semite because, she dared mention the word Israel.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“I can’t imagine …
“I can’t imagine why liberalism/conservatism is such a divider.”
In this case I was using conservative as shorthand. You are right about people’s values being mixed but the whole game of politics is that certain issues are used to divide. In the US they are called ‘wedge issues’ & are used to impassion voters on a few relatively meaningless issues.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
It was a good …
It was a good interview none the less.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“Thanks for the …
“Thanks for the link.”
It’s okey.
“For all his conservative ideals, pro-life, is not one I have seen him go on record for.”
I’ve never lived in USA but I can’t imagine why liberalism/conservatism is such a divider. Everyone have have both conservative and liberal values. Also, there are a lot of other axis in politics.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Thanks for the link …
Thanks for the link. He was slightly obtuse in his answer but definately ‘pro-life’
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
or search “Hitchens …
or search “Hitchens Prolife” on youtube
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
watch?v=UcYv9hAkenI
watch?v=UcYv9hAkenI
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“I am sure that …
“I am sure that Hitchens have said that he is “pro-life”, so to speak.”
Can you point to anything confirming this. For all his conservative ideals, pro-life, is not one I have seen him go on record for. And in fact I SEEM to remember hearing him in the 90’s saying the exact opposite (on PI I think). But I can’t remember for sure. What do you have?
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
If I may, the …
If I may, the wearing of the poppy is fairly common in Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia for Remembrance Day (11th November, last day of WWI)
The tradition is not based on the Canadian poem, but on the fields where the fallen soldiers are buried.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
lol! Looking away …
lol! Looking away constanly…
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
It is the same day …
It is the same day in Canada, we actually fought together.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“Extraordinary… …
“Extraordinary…what an insult.”
Instantly summing up any thinking person’s feeling to ALL politicians (particularly in the USA) professing their “faith” in the public square.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I believe he saying …
I believe he saying” what an insult”
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
what does he say at …
what does he say at 5:39 after ‘extraordinary’?
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Damn. You owned …
Damn. You owned Promatheos!
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“He wants to murder …
“He wants to murder the most innocent”
Blasphemy! They are born into sin by being born nude! Let them children die! Just kidding
I am sure that Hitchens have said that he is “pro-life”, so to speak. I would not say that it is wise to base ones choice president solely upon such a trivial point.
Before birth the intelligence of a fetus is about the same as any animal who we are happily slaughtering all day long.
“Hitchens you need to wake up”
I am pretty sure that Hitchens is not sleeping
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I think he meant …
I think he meant that it would be an insult to the average American that a person who believes in witch craft could be consider someone worthy of reasonable decisions and clear thinking that would be required as a Vice President of the United States.
This is simply my view on that phrase.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
At 5:25 what does …
At 5:25 what does Hitchens mean with “What an insult?”. What does he mean is an insult to whom?
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Yeah, was thinking …
Yeah, was thinking the same thing. It was like watching an uncomfortable, bored, uninterested kid with attention attention deficit disorder. It looked like he “zoned out” every time Christopher was talking.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Thank you.
Thank you.