Awwww crap. I find myself agreeing with Hitchens. I feel icky.

[Fuzz]

COOPER: Author and outspoken atheist Christopher Hitchens is about as far from Jerry Falwell in his beliefs as one could get. Christian fundamentalists are a major target of his new book, "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." He joins me now from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Christopher, I'm not sure if you believe in heaven, but, if you do, do you think Jerry Falwell is in it?

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "VANITY FAIR": No. And I think it's a pity there isn't a hell for him to go to.

COOPER: What is it about him that brings up such vitriol?

HITCHENS: The empty life of this ugly little charlatan proves only one thing, that you can get away with the most extraordinary offenses to morality and to truth in this country if you will just get yourself called reverend. Who would, even at your network, have invited on such a little toad to tell us that the attacks of September the 11th were the result of our sinfulness and were God's punishment if they hadn't got some kind of clerical qualification?

People like that should be out in the street, shouting and hollering with a cardboard sign and selling pencils from a cup. The whole consideration of this -- of this horrible little person is offensive to very, very many of us who have some regard for truth and for morality, and who think that ethics do not require that lies be told to children by evil old men, that we're -- we're not told that people who believe like Falwell will be snatched up into heaven, where I'm glad to see he skipped the rapture, just found on the floor of his office, while the rest of us go to hell.

More at:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0705/15/acd.01.html

[malaise]

1. Same here

All religion is evil. It's the world's oldest con.

[Matsubara]

2. That disheveled wino has a nerve throwing stones.

Before and during the beginning of the illegal Iraq invasion, he dragged his bleary-eyed carcass into every cable newsroom to shill for Bush without a lick of shame. He was lying his ass off, doubtless for a payoff of some kind.

So he hated Falwell, big whoop. They both sheered on the mass murder of Iraqis. They can both go to hell.

[PassingFair]

12. I won't buy his book for that reason.

I don't know if the neocons paid him for his
dirty services though.

I suspect he really LIKES being HATED.

[notadmblnd]

3. I saw that too and I thought.... is he finally sober?

he actually made sense.

[maine_raptor]

7. Saw it too.

He LOOKED sober, problem was that he did mumble a bit and with his accent, I had trouble understanding him, but......

The "little toad" bit was great. Cooper looked like he'd swallowed something awful and ended that interview REAL fast (Hitch was still talking).

[dave_p]

4. Great to see Hitchens doing his job

"The empty life of this ugly little charlatan ... little toad ... should be out in the street, shouting and hollering with a cardboard sign ... this horrible little person ... conscious charlatan and bully and fraud"

This is classic Hitchens, not the slavish war apologist grovelling to Bush & Blair. I hope we hear more of this. His warning about "an alliance between Christian fundamentalism and Jewish fanaticism that has ruined the chances for peace in the Middle East" suggests that even he's recoiling from his grotesque neocon flirtation.

[Tyler Durden]

5. Sorry, but I want to buy Hitchens a bottle of single malt Scotch.

ANYONE who can get on national TV and say this about that pig Falwell and get away with it:

"He woke up every morning, as I say, pinching his chubby little flanks and thinking, I have got away with it again."

and

"I think he was a conscious charlatan and bully and fraud. And I think, if he read the Bible at all -- and I would doubt that he could actually read any long book of -- at all -- that he did so only in the most hucksterish, as we say, Bible-pounding way."

gets forgiven for a multitude of sins in my book.

And the saddest part of all, he's 100% right when he said this:

"Lots of people are going to die and are already leading miserable lives because of the nonsense preached by this man, and because of the absurd way that we credit anyone who can say they're a person of faith."

I have to find out whether he prefers Talisker or Laphroag.

[Fuzz]

15. Well, I kind of like Glenmorangie

;)

[60TrenchesGone]

6. Hitchens is great

Even when you don't agree with Hitchens, he's an eloquent writer and speaker...

In this case he used his gift to absolutely nail with one-thousand-percent focus one of the Christian Rights biggest deadest monsters. If the remarks come across as evil and offensive to Falwell's followers, it will only be because of the cruel sting of their accuracy.

"The whole consideration of this -- of this horrible little person is offensive to very, very many of us who have some regard for truth and for morality, and who think that ethics do not require that lies be told to children by evil old men, that we're -- we're not told that people who believe like Falwell will be snatched up into heaven, where I'm glad to see he skipped the rapture, just found on the floor of his office, while the rest of us go to hell."

I just want to applaud.

[DemBones DemBones]

8. Hitchens is no better than Falwell.

Falwell had a huge ego and a smug attitude of being better than everyone else. Hitchens has the same, though I believe he is more mean-spirited than Falwell.

Falwell at least once apologized for something outrageous he said but I don't think Hitchens has ever done so.

[PassingFair]

10. There's a big difference. Hitchens spouts opinions.

Falwell supposedly spouted "revealed truth".

You can take or leave what Hitchens says,
but MILLIONS of simpletons believed in the
"revealed truths" of Falwell.

[blondeatlast]

9. Pass the Clorox 'cause I need a shower too. He's right. nt

[OzarkDem]

11. Even a blind hog

finds an acorn once in a while.

I'm no fan of Hitchens, either, but he got it right this time.

[GeorgeGist]

13. How you can agree with someone ...

who believes that religion represents God, is probably why you feel icky.

[valerief]

14. Hitchens' rant is well-said. Now let's have another round of drinks. nt

[CatWoman]

16. LOL

I watched Hitch eviserate Falwell last night.

It was a thing of beauty.

I'm with you, Fuzz. I can't believe how much agreement there is here.

:hi:

[gratuitous]

17. Hitchens biting the hands that "watered" him?

How very strange that the drink-soaked popinjay would be so crass to a fellow-traveler on the Fascism Road. Perhaps Hitchens' vitriol is fueled because he has/had so much in common with Jerry, and the comparison makes him uncomfortable.

Yeah, that whole "Serve one another in love" bullshit has just got to be stopped because it poisons everything.