Posted: 3/14/2014 8:29:52 PM EDT
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I dislike C. Hitchens but this interview shows that Hitchens has studied G. Orwell and A. Hayek.
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2009/08/hitchens_on_orw.html |
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Hitchens may have been a hardcore Lefty, but he was an honest one. He would call out anyone, even those on his side, when they were full of shit. I'll take someone who is sincere and knowledgable over a party hack. We fundamentally disagreed on economics, but he was not disagreeable. He was a pleasure to talk to, and I think the political world suffered greatly with his passing. He was a rare figure, and a sorely needed bogeyman for both sides. And the man could drink you under the table. I've never seen someone drink that much alcohol and still function. His poison of choice was Maker's when we met.
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Quoted:
Hitchens may have been a hardcore Lefty, but he was an honest one. He would call out anyone, even those on his side, when they were full of shit. I'll take someone who is sincere and knowledgable over a party hack. We fundamentally disagreed on economics, but he was not disagreeable. He was a pleasure to talk to, and I think the political world suffered greatly with his passing. He was a rare figure, and a sorely needed bogeyman for both sides. And the man could drink you under the table. I've never seen someone drink that much alcohol and still function. His poison of choice was Maker's when we met. He was one of the few liberals I have respect for. |
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He would sound like a flaming liberal one day and a hard core conservative on another. Died way too young. Yes. I seldom agreed with his point of view, but he was extremely intelligent and it's a loss for us all that he passed too soon. I always enjoyed seeing him debate religious belief even though I mostly discounted his argument. |
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Quoted:
Hitchens may have been a hardcore Lefty, but he was an honest one. He would call out anyone, even those on his side, when they were full of shit. I'll take someone who is sincere and knowledgable over a party hack. We fundamentally disagreed on economics, but he was not disagreeable. He was a pleasure to talk to, and I think the political world suffered greatly with his passing. He was a rare figure, and a sorely needed bogeyman for both sides. And the man could drink you under the table. I've never seen someone drink that much alcohol and still function. His poison of choice was Maker's when we met. I must amend my claim of dislike. I disliked many of the positions he took. I don't recall disliking the man himself. Truthfully, in all his public utterances I found him to be a refreshingly intellectually honest speaker and thinker. I admit I felt badly for him upon his terminal diagnosis. An honest man with an exceptionally good brain should live to a great old age. |
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Hitchens on LENIN!!!
Lenin's Russia was an attempt to start from scratch. The war had already pre-destroyed a lot of the old order for him. It had destroyed the Czarist army for example, turned it into a rabble, which the strongest element, the strongest element were mutineers who already supported the Bolshevik party. It had crucially undermined the autocracy, the Romanov dynasty. And I think it had very much discredited the Russian Orthodox Church, for which he had a particular dislike. But he was very willing to finish those jobs, all three of them, to wipe out the Romanov family, to rebuild the army, and under Trotsky's leadership of the Red Army, and to seize the opportunity to confiscate church property and to dissolve, as far as possible, the influence of the church.
One of Lenin's great achievements, in my opinion, is to create a secular Russia. The power of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was an absolute warren of backwardness and evil and superstition, is probably never going to recover from what he did to it. Never ceases to amaze me how so-called 'conservatives' and 'libertarians' can lionize this Trotskyite drunkard. 
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He would sound like a flaming liberal one day and a hard core conservative on another. Died way too young. He could have used his talent for good. Too bad. BTW, he died right on time. He could have kicked it before his scurrilous attacks on Mother Theresa but better late than never. |
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I remember an intervew after his diagnosi was considered terminal, and I can't quite quote it, but close, after mentioning cigars and booze and hard living and somthing akin to "burning the candle at both ends" he said "Yes, and it made a beautifull light"
I don't know how close that is, but it's close enough for me. Never forget the thought. Never will. I miss him. Have not yet read enough of him. Running out of time too. |
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Quoted: Hitchens may have been a hardcore Lefty, but he was an honest one. He would call out anyone, even those on his side, when they were full of shit. I'll take someone who is sincere and knowledgable over a party hack. We fundamentally disagreed on economics, but he was not disagreeable. He was a pleasure to talk to, and I think the political world suffered greatly with his passing. He was a rare figure, and a sorely needed bogeyman for both sides. And the man could drink you under the table. I've never seen someone drink that much alcohol and still function. His poison of choice was Maker's when we met. |
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Quoted:
Hitchens on LENIN!!! Never ceases to amaze me how so-called 'conservatives' and 'libertarians' can lionize this Trotskyite drunkard.
He could have kicked it before his scurrilous attacks on Mother Theresa but better late than never. Quoted:
Hitchens on LENIN!!! Lenin's Russia was an attempt to start from scratch. The war had already pre-destroyed a lot of the old order for him. It had destroyed the Czarist army for example, turned it into a rabble, which the strongest element, the strongest element were mutineers who already supported the Bolshevik party. It had crucially undermined the autocracy, the Romanov dynasty. And I think it had very much discredited the Russian Orthodox Church, for which he had a particular dislike. But he was very willing to finish those jobs, all three of them, to wipe out the Romanov family, to rebuild the army, and under Trotsky's leadership of the Red Army, and to seize the opportunity to confiscate church property and to dissolve, as far as possible, the influence of the church.
One of Lenin's great achievements, in my opinion, is to create a secular Russia. The power of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was an absolute warren of backwardness and evil and superstition, is probably never going to recover from what he did to it. Never ceases to amaze me how so-called 'conservatives' and 'libertarians' can lionize this Trotskyite drunkard.
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He would sound like a flaming liberal one day and a hard core conservative on another. Died way too young. He could have used his talent for good. Too bad. BTW, he died right on time. He could have kicked it before his scurrilous attacks on Mother Theresa but better late than never. +1 |