Videos for Suday: Hitchens Edition

Since the passing of Christopher Hitchens Friday, I have engulfed myself in his writings and words via YouTube, Vanity Fair, Slate, and other websites.  It is entirely way too easy to start looking up his material, and spend several hours getting lost.  Whether it is reading one of his columns or listening to him in a debate, one can feel simultaneously smarter and dumber.  Smarter, because the level of elegance and erudition he brings to the conversation.  Dumber, because of the awe-inspiring nature with which he uses his words and attacks against opponents.  One get's the feeling they could never be a match for the great Hitchens.  As a writer, I don't think I could ever match the wit, sophistication or learned-spirit that Hitchens does in his writing.  But the benchmark that he set, while ridiculously high, seems like a challengingly fun one to reach (although I will be using a thesaurus quite frequently).

I knew I wanted to use material from Hitchens for this week's video, because there is plenty of good material to use.  There is just one problem: there is too much good material out there to use.  So, I have picked a few of my favorites.  Sit back with your Sunday morning coffee (or cocktail if you prefer in the spirit of Hitch), and enjoy.

Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011

 Photo fro The Guardian

I just woke up and found out about the news.  I am very sad, but not surprised.  His health had been rapidly deteriorating since he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last year.  In more recent years, as I have come to embrace my atheism, Hitchens became a personal hero of mine.  No one spoke more about the evils of belief and theism quite like Hitch.  No one was as witty and well-written as Hitch on this subject, or most other subjects for that matter.  While I didn't always agree with him on other issues, I have always respected the passion and fearlessness he carried for his words and convictions.  Here is an excerpt from a post I wrote earlier in the year on Hitchens:

It was, of course, extremely disheartening when Hitchens announced his illness this past year.  One would think that being so close to death might make him become recluse, reconsider his non belief, and perhaps feel the need to seek out comfort in a spiritual manner.  But not Hitch.  In fact, rather than hide away from the world or turn to Jesus, he has continued to write, speak, and debate about the religious on the side of secularism and rationalism.  And he is still as good at it as anyone that is out there. 

I imagine that fans of his all over the world will be having a glass in memory of this wonderful man. I will include myself in this category.  Rest In Peace, Christopher.  We will miss you!

Tonight in Georgia . . .

Photo from Fight Back News

A grave injustice has take place. Troy Davis has been put to death by the state of Georgia.  If you don't know about the details of the Troy Davis case, read here.  What it boils down to is that there is too much evidence to suggest that he not only might not be guilty, but that he was probably innocent.

I was going to take this opportunity to write a post about the injustice of the death penalty.  I will another day.  While I have always been opposed to the death penalty, this case has energized me to become more vocal and speak out against the cruel and permanent injustice of this "punishment".  For right now, I am just sad for Troy and all of those involved in this case (including the MacPhail family).

A grave injustice has taken place in Georgia.  May the real killer of Mark Allen MacPhail face justice one day.  May the memory of Troy Davis be the beginning of the end of the death penalty in the United States.

 

Photo from http://www.examiner.com/african-american-art-in-national/savannah-talks-troy-anthony-davis-no-3-the-slain-officer-macphail

A Video for Sunday

This Sunday's video come from Christopher Hitchens at a debate on religion.  He has been battling cancer for the past year and a half.  Here, he discuses how Christians go around to hospital rooms of sick and dying patients and convert so their souls can be saved.

A Video for Sunday

With the passing of the great Elizabeth Taylor this past week, I wanted to showcase some of her talent.  Here is a scene from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, for which she earned a Best Actress Academy Award.