Christopher Hitchens warns about Vladimir Putin

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These are segments from Hitch's speech "Axis of Evil" given on March 8th, 2005 at the University of Western Ontario. The speech mainly focused on the dictatorships of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. In these clips however, the Russian regime, ruled by Vladimir Putin (then, and still now), is mentioned. The similarities between these small, tribal, theocratic regimes and that of Putin's Russia is hauntingly similar. Considering this speech was also over a decade ago, Hitch's comments on Putin and Russian indignation are strikingly prophetic.

[@davidkelly6224]

Aren't we lucky that Hitch lived in a time when his wise words could be stored forever on KZbin?

[@burnallempires3595]

As long as CNN news exists, his ideas will be with us.

[@SuperWush]

Pretty far out comment, considering we also got to experience a world with him in it, whilst in this day and age.

[@jereburkholder5137]

KZbin’s days are numbered

[@chronicillz1879]

@@jereburkholder5137 what? why?

[@jereburkholder5137]

@@chronicillz1879 I mean, why not? I think it’s negligible to assume that KZbin is permanent. And everything is being stored on servers that are in the hands of a giant tech company, it’s shouldn’t be a foreign thought that they might not care about preserving it at some point

The world needs this man more than ever, what a loss.

[@douglascarlson9006]

He sold out with his decision to become a FOX commentator and push the theory that Saddam might have WMDs ... But in '87 he broke a story while writing for THE NATION that now stands as my very first shocking political revelation ... In the midst of the IRAN-CONTRA scandal, he wrote a story in which he identified Oliver North as THE key figure in orchestrating a covert "GIDO" arrangement with the Contras ... G-I-D-O: "Guns in Drugs out" ... shortly thereafter, John Kerry's report documented an entry in North's diary on July 12, 1985 in which Richard Secord told him that "14 M to finance arms came from drugs."

[@alukuhito]

He sounds too "This is how it is." We have to be careful about making our opinions sound like facts. He needs to be more humble.

[@douglascarlson9006]

@@alukuhito Definitely ... he could be a real prick!

[@artmob3027]

It seems Hitchins went full right wing in his last years. Anti religion anti dictator pro west where others are psychopathic dictators, axis of evil.

[@JoachimMoeller]

@@alukuhito “If you have an opinion, and that opinion is weak, do not consider it wisdom." ~ Euripides, Athens, 480-406 BC.

[@RobWhittlestone]

Such a loss, Christopher Hitchens' death. What a great intellect, geopolitical observer and political commentator. Thank goodness for these recordings.

[@matthewchunk3689]

I miss ol Hitchskers😿

[@sophiaherschel567]

Do not mourn his death, try to become like him

[@TechnoBoizzz]

I am thinking that today. I wonder what Christopher’s thoughts today would be. He was SO intelligent. What a great great loss for humans. But glad he existed where technology and recording has been discovered

[@louduva9849]

He didn't know a damn thing. Dumb fool.

[@earnestlycontendingforthef5332]

Now he awaits the Resurrection of both the Just and Unjust! "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:10-12 (ANIV)

[@tramlad2]

A man ahead of his time, a man sadly missed by all proper thinking people, his genius is in his honesty and brutal truth about everything. Great man

[@kadmd03]

Hopefully he will gain more acceptance and respect in death, he was certainly not given the acknowledgement he deserved in life.

[@creedlang419]

@David Smith he definitely was very one sided...

[@JohnSmith-ds7oi]

Did he ever find those WMDs in Iraq, before he died?

[@glennbateman4483]

@David Smith his brother is right wing though ,so your statement falls kind of flat

[@gtymewach9643]

@@JohnSmith-ds7oi His friend Colin Powell reassured him, so…

[@TheSunlight74]

Watching this in 2022 and wishing we had Hitch more than ever

[@siobhanmurphykiely8006]

Honestly, it’s hard to calculate his loss…

[@TheChilator]

💯

[@ManuelBasiri]

Very true.

[@Rubbafingaz1]

There's not even close to a replacement to his crown. I had hopes for the likes of Sam Harris etc. but he has the charisma of a damp rag. Can anyone recommend a replacement voice? Please do not mention his brother Peter.

[@shanemacc]

He seriously had a vision of people and systems and a way of educating that is without par

[@uralbob1]

Man, I miss this guy. What a gift he was to the world! I didn't necessarily agree with everything he said, but he forced me to think on a much higher level.

[@magneto44]

I literally had this same exact thought seconds before I saw your comment even if you disagree with someone, if their argument is well thought out and logically holds up in some sense when broken down to its core, it’s much easier to walk away with respect often today, it’s seems so many fake-intellectuals are out there with nothing but surface level arguments and fame bravado

[@coyotepeyote]

@@magneto44 most people just go along with either side of a binary propaganda machine these days

[@clarkpalace]

Who cares whether YOU agreed with everything hitchens said

[@gabbyhayes1568]

@@clarkpalace Now now, no need to be a dick mate. Lord knows the world already has enough.

[@clarkpalace]

@@gabbyhayes1568 true enough. Actually , if i dig deep in myself, my reaction to the poster “not always agreeing with hitchens” was a reaction not just to this post but to the many similar posts I also thought this poster , and others, could mean something else and thst is how they can disagree with a person but still like and/or respect that person. Good on them, if thats the case!

[@lashlarue7924]

😲 God, this guy was clairvoyant. Everything he said all these many years ago was dead-on accurate. Shit I wish he was still here.

[@bucksfan77]

He was one of the leading voices to use the U.S military to kill Muslims in Iraq because hes an anti religious bigot

[@paulsmith7579]

Yes like when he said the Iraq War was going to bring peace to the Middle East and Saddam had WMDs. Spooky!

[@madalenarodrigues7579]

Mr. Hitchens is my personal hero, he liberated me years after his death, to be a free thinker and I really have been thinking about him lately and what he would make of this whole mess.

[@fabianpatrizio2865]

but he was also an atheist (fine)...but he left no space to even conceive of there being a God...I think he knows the answer now :)

[@yt.personal.identification]

@@fabianpatrizio2865 He believed. You will never realise you are wrong, but he was right the whole time.

[@garypalmer1122]

I miss him as well and for the same reasons.

[@ThePetlowany]

@@fabianpatrizio2865 And there it is. That unmistakable, immoral flaw of character that animates the most pious Christians: their desire to see people tortured by the "loving God" simply because they do not believe as they do.

[@jussilahteenmaki3475]

@@ThePetlowany And same applies Putin regime supporters. Poor, poor religious people who really cannot see the plank in their own eye.

[@q.e.d.9112]

“This, I think is incalculably dangerous.” What a prescient note to end on. Gone but not forgotten, Chris.

[@wobby04]

Christopher

[@daviestewart1725]

Incalculably dangerous yet the US insist on provoking Russia. I'm no expert but, sadly if Ukraine was brought into NATO the US probably would immediately set up a strategic air base on Ukrainian soil.

[@firasbouhamdan9917]

@@daviestewart1725 they don't need to, they have the baltics for this.

[@daviestewart1725]

@@firasbouhamdan9917 They still wouldn't miss the opportunity to add another one or two.

[@markusd.7409]

He never wanted to be called „Chris“ just Christopher or Mr. Hitchens

[@johnjordan6032]

God I wish this man was still with us. Such eloquence, intelligence and foresight.

[@raffiki222]

Your first word is so ironic.

[@illuzzzzzion]

Why though? I mean I love Hitch but he became a spokes person for war criminals after 9/11 and while his heart was in right place, the people and foreign policy he advocated for has killed more people that the criminal divtators he is talking about here.

[@truthvenum5468]

he's full of BS in this one. So not sure wtf you're talking about given the reality of the world being exposed right now. All the wars are and were carefully planned by the west.

[@johnjordan6032]

@@raffiki222 I most definitely realized that as I was typing it but I’m sure Hitch uttered a goddamn it every now and then, doesn’t mean he converted.😉😉😘😘

[@johnjordan6032]

@@illuzzzzzion I don’t know what or whom he exactly advocated for but I can say that weak cowardly sympathizers like you always take the side of the radical jihadists and dictator czars in this case. You deserve to live under and be ruled by them like the sheep that you are.

[@GirlFriday68]

"that is what you get when you are faith based a KGB weasel and it's too late to say he's no good." RIP Hitch....

[@The_Gallowglass]

Faith based is like plant based. Neither are palatable.

[@philipmullins6235]

'' You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people , all of the time '' it is good to see that Putin didn't fool Christopher Hitchens as he got his impressions of him exactly right and history proves it . I wish Christopher was still alive so he can see how his predictions have come true .

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@philipmullins6235 Not much got by the mental might of the Hitch. He stood by his convictions too. Wish he was here still.

[@unggrabb]

@@The_Gallowglass bvp

[@Viky.A.V.]

It feels like we here in Ukraine would've gotten much of support from Mr Hitchens now... Such a brilliant man.

[@TheResilient5689]

Stay strong over there, and we in the States are behind you all the way. Slava Ukraini.

[@Viky.A.V.]

@@TheResilient5689 Heroyam slava! Thank you so much, your help is priceless, it's good to feel the world's support.

[@TheResilient5689]

@@Viky.A.V. Hope you guys push out Putin sooner or later. Crimea always was and still is yours, for starters.

[@RockstarNr7]

The innocent people, yes. The rotten war-mongering government, probably not.

[@user-qn9tm8yp5b]

Contrarian as he was, he would probably have found a way to see through the narrative of Ukraine being an absolutely angelic entity.

[@johndoe4073]

4:35 - "Coexistence with psychopathic dictatorships is, in fact, not possible. And that is a good thing." - Christopher Hitchens

[@DavidCKendall]

Yep.... that was my biggest takeaway as well.

[@GraemeMarkNI]

“…now where should we turn to for oil? I know! Saudi Arabia!” 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@rickv4473]

That's why trump was given the boot

[@tonywilson4713]

@@rickv4473 I wouldn't say that was why Trump was given the boot, but its probably part of it. I would say the main reason Trump was booted was they'd finally had enough of his crap.

[@rickv4473]

@@GraemeMarkNI how about nationalizing Our oil fields. Gas could be 2 bucks a gallon or free

[@binbag5238]

“A KGB weasel” sums it up most succinctly.

[@secondchance6603]

"Wherever the choice has had to be made between the man of reason and the madman, the world has unhesitatingly followed the madman." - Aldous Huxley

[@fuckfannyfiddlefart]

Including Hitchens who MURDERED millions of Iraqis.

[@yelyab1]

Now, the $64 question. WHY?

[@rammingspeed5217]

"mad" how?

[@IntheBush]

Thank God, because I'm comin' up.

[@IntheBush]

Btw, I got some felt-tip pens that still have a lot of ink in them, and I want to sell them to ya.

[@wherethewindrests3320]

I admit I'm *very* surprised that he was there during the Romanian '89 revolution. And hearing him say that "it was the most brutal" variant is very impressive to me. Few people realise how tragic and horrific the communist regime was in Romania. They used to say that in Russia, people were worked to death, in Romania they were just tortured to renounce their faith, because that was the "enemy". That evil had no bounds.

[@GuinessOriginal]

Yeah, cescescu and Marcos were really out there when it comes to dictators

[@nejuw]

@@GuinessOriginal imagine Marcos don bam bam very nearly became president and is very active in politics with Imelda still very much active. Along with his sister. He's matesnwith current president who served under Marcos. Never underestimate name recognition !!

[@LaoDan13]

Hi, there! I am a romanian born in 1978, so I was 11 years old when the so called revolution started. I didn't know much about it at that time but I could get a sense over the years about what people thought and still thinking today with regards to those horrific events and I'm affraid to say that mr.Hitchens didn't or couldn't grasp the entire story. Some of us still believe that in december 1989 in Romania there were some foreign secret agencies involved from the west. On one hand It was Russia that had vested interests to preserve the same ideology lets say and on the other hand it was the influence from the west wanting to help Romania in becoming a democratic country. And now the question arise, why is US involved in each country who doesn't share the same values, the same ideas?! And by the way it is NOT true we were tortured for our beliefs, it happens in the late 50's and begining of the 60's when communists came to power, they put in jail most of the elites who were against marxism and who happened to be religious lets say but it had to do more with the russian regim that it was imposed on us and their doctrines, their political system. So you see it's more like a myth. We were poor and we were uneducated, that was and still is the big tragedy (with all the help of the americans :D, no ofense!). Here is Hitchens again where his predictions were obviously wrong...kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKvOnoNpjat5jpo

[@tomwilko7841]

@@LaoDan13 do not get me wrong, i am sure the US used it's influence back in '89 but are you saying Concescu was not a 'psychopathic dictator'? The image i have of him here in the west, i'm english, is that he was hated by the romanian people, who he treated like animals and that they were for the most part happy to see him and his family fall

[@LynxSouth]

I recall a huge number of news reports of various types in the US describing how awful Ceausescu's Romania was. He was always referred to a "brutal Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu" and any defectors who were willing were interviewed for national programs and quoted in print media, as was just about anybody who visited there. As more information came out, there were more frequent reports on what was happening internally. After the revolution, there were months of horrifying, staggering reports with film and photos. People may not realize it now -- how can anyone who didn't live it truly know -- but when the information became available, Romania was indeed presented as even worse than Poland, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia, which we were more familiar with. Maybe even worse than Russia itself. As I recall, it was much rarer to be granted a visa to Romania: few people got in, next to no one got out, and that was why there was less discussion of it for so long. There just wasn't enough that was known. Some of those countries let outsiders peek around their Iron Curtain a little bit, some didn't. Romania didn't. I don't understand why you are so surprised, unless you weren't around then.

[@ashishgore0]

“Co-existing with psychopathic dictator is not desirable and that’s a good thing” . I miss Hitchens

[@edinfific2576]

@@Rob-ik3fd "Rob", you sound like a Serb who is pissed off that anyone dared even say anything against the Serb ultranationalist fascist plan of wiping out non-Serbs in any place which Serbia decided should be a part of "Greater Serbia". You don't have a problem with Serb nazis bombing the hell out of towns and cities and committing genocides, you have a problem with someone stopping them. You seem to have supreme moral values when it comes to NATO bombing Serbia's military or strategic targets, but you turn a blind eye to Serbia's intentional targetting of civilians in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, which is typical of a Serb nationalist.

[@Rob-ik3fd]

@@edinfific2576 psychologising is not an argument.

[@YodasPapa]

Possible*

[@YodasPapa]

@@Rob-ik3fd No, but it can form a part of one. If I say I don't want to work with someone and my boss asks why, I can say that I think they're a psychopath because of behaviours x,y, and z, and this would be perfectly reasonable.

[@Rob-ik3fd]

@@YodasPapa Whats that got to do with the fiat money hegemony of the united states?

[@TerryMcGearyScotland]

It’s such a pity not enough people were guided by listening to Hitch. A tragedy really. His intellect and power of communication are a huge loss.

[@lieshtmeiser5542]

Putin shouldve listened to him. The people that need to listen the most, are the least likely to.

[@Evan490BC]

@@lieshtmeiser5542 Putin didn't listen but also the West didn't listen. Or maybe we listened and looked the other way. Take Britain, for example, and especially London. It's hard to imagine that we didn't have a clue that the so-called "oligarchs" (gangsters, really) were laundering money for Putin's regime.

[@soysaucehairdye7869]

He was wrong about Iraq though. He is one of the few neocons other than David Satter that I actually enjoy listening to though.

[@TerryMcGearyScotland]

@@soysaucehairdye7869 I'll need to seek him out then.

[@thelefttechcat]

it got it terribly wrong on Iraq though.

[@earthling8585]

I wish he was here. He is a loss that cannot be measured. Although, I'm still working my way through his body of work to this day. What a gift. Thank you Mr. Hitchens. R.I.P. 💞

[@kellydalstok8900]

I wonder what Hitchens would have made of an American president who called Hezbollah “very smart”, Chinese president Xi Jinping a “very smart man”, Russian president Vladimir Putin “genius” and “savvy”, and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un a “great leader”.

[@jasstrom]

I wonder what he would think of current Britain seems to be under officially Muslim control over the woke culture or by simply making a post on social media and being arrested for it or or Boris Johnson starting the war in Ukraine or Joe Biden and the Democrats destroying America

[@jennyomalley7634]

Wonder what he would have said about USA/UK training and Arming Nazi's to fight against Russia , or the Genocide imposed on Palestinians fully backed by USA/UK, and as for leaders , if anyone was to look objectively at the bunch of clowns they call leaders , then Mr Putin would remain the only Adult in the room.

[@avengemybreath3084]

Bfd

[@0num4]

Very little, I'd wager.

[@tabularasa4492]

One has to look at leaders objectively in order to understand and fight against them. Worst thing is to underestimate your opponent. Whether saying publicly is good or bad I’m not sure in the politics of the world.

[@ThePrader]

I was an active duty US naval officer during much of the "Cold War". What most people, sadly the majority of Americans included, forget or never knew is that the cold War often got hot. I remember when an American army officer saw a Russian tank sitting empty across the wire in east Germany. He jumped the fence and climbed inside for a look at the latest Russian tech. The East German guards were alerted and they shot him, dead. I was aboard a US aircraft carrier north of Puerto Rico and the Russians would shadow our fleet movement in so-called fishing boats, crammed with tech, radars, sonars, etc. They were hostile and we knew it, and they knew we knew. We knew we were being followed by a Russian submarine, or multiple submarines. They used to fly "Bear" bombers down the entire east coast from the Arctic to Cuba and return 200 miles off our east coast, within easy range of every major city from Key West to Bangor Maine. When I reported aboard my first ship as a young Ensign, an LPH with a battalion of Marines, I was told that we could expect to survive for about 45 minutes after a war with Russia got started. Provided we were at sea. In port, we were hopeless. So yes, I was glad and relieved when the Berlin Wall came down. I still am.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

You and I may have served at the same time. I was a Navy petty officer from 1981-1989, and I remember the Russian Bears. I only actually ever saw one fly over, trailed by one of our jets, and everyone on deck gave them a proper salute! Their boats used to shadow our ship as well, and our superiors were adamant about making damned sure all trash thrown overboard was full of holes so it would sink. Otherwise, the "ghost" behind us would sort through it for intelligence. I was also overjoyed when the wall came down. In fact, it was the Soviet threat that prompted me to enlist. It also moved me to cast my very first ever presidential vote for Ronald Reagan, even though I disagreed with most of his domestic policies. Those were the days...

[@ThePrader]

@@pcbacklash_3261 We did serve at the same time. I was commissioned in 1978. I was in until 1986.I served aboard both LPH-7 the USS (79-80 )Guadalcanal and CV-62 ,USS Independence (81-82). Did some shore duty at NAS Norfolk and NAS Roosevelt Roads. So I was in under Pres.Carter and Pres. Reagan. Thank you for your service, shipmate.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

@@ThePrader I was on the USS Mullinnix (DD 944), an old Cuban-missile crisis era "tin can" until it was decommissioned, then I served aboard the USS Wainwright (CG 28) until I left for shore duty at Great Lakes. Now that I think about it, Reagan and I served at almost the exact same time. He began in January 1981. I began in February. He left office in January 1989, and so did I (re-enlisted a month early). We visited Norfolk once, but home port was Charleston, SC. Thank you as well for your service, brother!

[@ThePrader]

@@pcbacklash_3261 Incredible! Always admired the men on DD'S , CG'S, and FF'S. We never went anywhere without the entire "carrier group" along. People have little ability to "know" how much firepower we were part of. Kind of scary and comforting at the same time.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

@@ThePrader Indeed! On the few occasions when one of my ships was part of a carrier group, we even had the honor once or twice of being "man overboard" watch, just in case anyone came up missing on the carrier! :-)

[@VesperAegis]

The "victim country" line really struck with me. Same with Hitler's Germany, same with Putin's Russia. The strongman needed to restore the country to its rightful honor, taken to extremes where any external act is justified in redemption.

[@deltablaze77]

Exactly the same as "Make America Great Again" a slogan stolen and repurposed from Hitler's Germany.

[@briopalumpus8676]

@@deltablaze77 didnt know that

[@tr3vk4m]

@@deltablaze77 Exactly the same shit Nigel Farage spouts too.

[@johnroberts2178]

Boring boring wot a mong

[@ThePhillipDBlackmonShow]

Wrong. There’s no historical record of Hitler using the slogan “Make Germany great again.” It’s true that returning Germany to a position of strength in the world was a central them in Nazi propaganda, but that doesn’t mean Donald Trump got the idea to “Make America great again” from Hitler. After all, restoring strength, or making a nation “great” again, is a generic political idea that has been used over and over again throughout history (more on that later). In reality, Hitler’s campaign was more specific than a general promise of German greatness. Hitler promised to prevent the spread of communism, to break the Treaty of Versailles, to end trade unions, to create jobs, to restore strong central government, and to emphasize moral values, according to the BBC. His propaganda, and slogans, hit on these specific points rather than the general idea of making Germany great again. Translated into English, some of the best-known Nazi slogans were “work sets you free” and “One people, one empire, one leader.” But propaganda was literally everywhere in Nazi Germany, and it would be impossible to go through every single poster and banner for references to the slogan “Make Germany great again,” especially since that’s such a generic idea.

[@lisawise9849]

OMG Hitchens was right about His prediction about Putin that long ago. He was brilliant and articulate and he is missed by many many people. I wish more people would have listened to him. Love this man!

[@jimbo8009]

You are so right in every way.

[@stutteringcris468]

I believe in order to look to the future, we have to look to the past.

[@_Stroda]

I liked him generally. But here, he was just talking sense. There's nothing really profound about what he said. He was also in favour of the invasion of Iraq, which was clearly a terribly stupid move. I.e. he's far from the infallible genius that some of you seem to think.

[@ProjectKyo001]

Russian: Valeriya Novodvorskaya kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ7YqHyMjtaSY68

[@genustinca5565]

The whole world already knew at the time that Putin was developing into a dangerous dictator. But what can you do? Russia has oil + nuclear weapons.

[@Kanig94]

When he mentioned Ukraine and Russia together, my heart sank. This guy is a geopolitical genius

[@RonanMurphy08]

So true. The invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan were geopolitical genius.

[@RealGrum]

Hahahahaha. You know nothing from Europe and think he is genius because he made his homework? Also he was one of the geniuses that were pro iraq war.🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gabrieleporru4443]

@@RealGrum he's not a genius, you're right, he was just one honestly telling what noone likes to say

[@deathmagneto-soy]

@@gabrieleporru4443 - Hitchens was all in for murdering the Iraqis. I bet you loved that.

[@dannytoots6635]

What do you mean by “geopolitical genius” - kind of a meaningless phrase

[@RampireNZ]

This man and his wisdom would not be out of order in this time.

[@achipinthesugar]

Someone would find a way to find him "out of order" every day until you couldn't quote him without being instantly deemed a neo-conservative at the very least.

[@RampireNZ]

@@achipinthesugar Fair point.

[@RampireNZ]

@@achipinthesugar Though I would note that my original point still remains.

[@musiclover9361]

How prescient he was about Putin! I miss Hitch's insight and eloquence.

[@Killuminati911]

yup wanted to look this up

[@rickpaton7538]

He is missed possibly more than any other international voice we could have. What a loss.

[@laza6141]

Just one question , why would Putin allow Nato to be so close to Russia when the USA caused so much trouble when Soviet bombs were so close to the US ?

[@musiclover9361]

@@laza6141, what do you mean by "allow"? Putin doesn't have any say in the matter. Furthermore, the distance between the United States and Russia is a mere 2.4 miles.

[@laza6141]

@@musiclover9361 Why would the US have any say in the matter if the russian missiles are just a few minutes from washington ?

[@aidheajo]

I can listen to him like forever and never be bored. I love you, Hitch!

[@JohnSmith-ds7oi]

You get bored after 5 second and have to find a new country to invade.

[@SpikeXtreme]

'Incalculably dangerous' - Mr Hitchens had the measure of him that far away.

[@alanwilson2078]

Sounds like he believes Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.😀 Sometimes, what you omit reveals so much of your "core" beliefs.

[@moodyonroody5313]

@@alanwilson2078 Putin does.

[@alanwilson2078]

@@moodyonroody5313 I've been fascinated by the evil empire for six decades, from Katherine to Vladimir, so yes I'm aware our pal has WOMD. But what I've feared since 1996 is some rouge chucklehead turning our lights out. We have NO DEFENSE AGAINST SUCH AN ATTAÇK. Putin's been pushed into a corner my friend, and.....

[@alanwilson2078]

@championchap How the Sam Hell can u back that up? I mean, NOBODY I know EVER brings it up , and I bet few , if any , of your pals do either. So I say again, how the SAM HELL can u back up your rejoinder?

[@Vatnikenrager]

@@alanwilson2078 He did try to build super guns and used chemical weapons on civilians..just because they never found anything else means nothing.

[@unclejezza]

‘KGB Weasel’ - greatest ever description of Putin

[@andreya9776]

And completely false and just pampering to his salivating supporters.

[@JCviggen1]

@@andreya9776 Which part of it? He was in the KGB. And he acts like a weasel. Hiding in a bunker and sitting 50 feet away from people he's having a conversation with. During the pandemic he's gone to greater, almost absurd, lengths to avoid the disease than any other leader I can think of. If it looks and acts like a scared duck, it probably is.

[@hetrodoxly1203]

@@andreya9776 What's false?

[@andreya9776]

@@JCviggen1 Everyone has got his own hero standard, yours probably is general who rushes enraged in battle leading his battalion to death. Mine is the one who is brave in the face of death, but calculates all the risks, and never stoops down to show disrespect to anybody.

[@andreya9776]

@@hetrodoxly1203 The statement by unclejezza. It's intended just to vent emotion of frustration by showing disrespect to imaginary foe (with image that has absolutely or very little correspondence to the actual person). On the positive side, it probably helps to vent that anger and frustration, but on the bad side it spreads disinformation, wrong perception of reality and hatred (which is never a good thing).

[@pocket83squared]

March, 2022. Commenters underneath these videos will often grieve the 'loss' of this personality, and further, they tend to mention how much it (he) is 'needed now more than ever,' to be applied to our most urgent contemporary problems. Listening to Christopher Hitchens today, as he reflects on (what were at the time) events of his past, one can easily draw a parallel to many of the problems we face. It is natural for us to notice such patterns and to then make comparisons, just as it is natural for us to mourn the absence of personalities we've identified with. But both tendencies are examples of superficiality that demonstrate how we've missed part of the point of his efforts: Hitchens' attempts to alter our thinking were not intended to be applied to any one specific circumstance we might experience, but rather, were intended as lessons with an application to the world at large. It's the tone that carries. My point is simply this: listen carefully enough to reasonable voices of the past, and you will eventually be able to extract/extend their thinking and then incorporate it into your own place & time. Listen to this as though it has just happened-because in the grand scheme it really just has-and you can almost hear his careful repudiation of Russia's recent invasion. Let's forfeit nationalistic and retributive thinking, and place the blame appropriately where it belongs: on any arrogant, despotic, and violent actions that have advanced unsanctioned by democratic process. Let's remember to apply nuance instead of anger; let's be able to note, without dissonance, that the strategic positioning of this most recent aggression was not entirely irrational given its historical context. Let's again remind ourselves to be contrarian skeptics insofar as it is rational to be so, and to apply this lens whenever we're faced with making the tough decisions that bend and question our ethical resolve. Again, it is his tone that resonates through time, perhaps in the form of his cherished values, and not any of his specific ideas. Let's apply it here and remember to be diligent in our refusal to admit fascist ideology, intolerant policy, invasive expansion, and/or military violence aimed at any of their pursuit. If the preservation of peace is what we decide to value, then let's remember to not ever celebrate its arrival without due caution. If we can manage to carry some of these values with us, then there has been no loss; in fact, because of our number, reason has instead enjoyed a multiplication through his effort. We don't need him now more than ever; we need to _think like him_ now more than ever. And there's no reason we can't.

[@robertshiell887]

Well put!

[@scottcates]

Bravo

[@FruitCakeReaper]

He couldnt even think that Bush's war on Iraq and "axis of evil" was unjust. YIKES

[@LittleLostBaby]

Exactly this! Pining for hitchens is not anything he would encourage. I think he's be irate, actually, that new gens were being guided to their own destruction and seem to be WILLING VICTIMS, rather than rejecting the dictates of the hard left or hard right.

[@unggrabb]

"Coexistence with psychopathic dictators is not possible". So true

[@skronked]

"...this I think, is incalculably dangerous" Looks like he was right?

[@jefferygray7803]

Every time I run across a Hitch video, I realize how much this world misses and needs voices like his.

[@stevecarter8810]

Instead a much lesser journalist and human being ends up as PM

[@garryferrington811]

He was a one-off.

[@jaybee9269]

“A KGB weasel”-Too funny! Hitch would probably dislike being called anyone’s hero but he is my intellectual hero. So thoughtful and eloquent…and funny.

[@albertneville8918]

He's a liar and a fraud. Or he was a liar and a fraud.

[@juliusholstein2376]

@@albertneville8918 elaborate

[@taterkaze9428]

@@albertneville8918 You must be a Mormon.

[@ccc5934]

@@albertneville8918 Let's see you be a liar and fraud like Hitch. So easy to criticize, and impossible to replicate.

[@TonyEnglandUK]

@@albertneville8918 If you're going to character assassinate a dead man your bullets are wasted.

[@Megan-ii4gf]

And he somehow manages to be spot on every single time without needing to resort to the kind of braindead hatemongering we see from the authoritarian right and identitarian left. I wish our species were more able to think on his level, or at least aspire to be nearer to it.

[@WhirlwindHeatAndFlash]

Most of the world is. 1 dimensional politics in the first world is largely just a problem in the US.

[@bobhoward4945]

Such brilliance of insight. His words and how he expressed them, are his "genius." He could could write, speak and debate about the most difficult topics facing humanity: politics, geo-politics, climate change, religion, human rights, human trafficking, war, famine, etc...the list goes on. He had the ability to direct a spotlight on the hypocrisy that pervades society, and the apathic nature of people and governments. His mind could cut through any subject to it's "essence" and form perfect arguments that only led to the conclusion: that he most certainly was "right" about everything. "Right" in the sense, that if we (the human race) wish to survive, then we need to shed these filters we identify with culture, religion, race, class, wealth, etc. and realize that we only have one shot at this, and that nature, combined with our good or bad decisions, will determine the outcome.

[@jugheadsrule]

Pathetic fanboyism! Hitchens was a 3rd rate pseudo intellectual shill for US establishment power. Bush killed millions of Iraqis and set fire to the middle east and this clown, Hitchens thinks the worst thing Bush ever said was that he could trust Putin? What a pathetic grifter Hitchens was!

[@gtaylor6937]

Brilliantly said. He really was the apex of intellectual insight and honesty. So many people wish he were still here but I would never wish that on Mr. Hitchens - the Trump years. That's too much to ask.

[@jugheadsrule]

@@gtaylor6937 " He really was the apex of intellectual insight and honesty" "He really was the anus of intellectual insight and honesty" There, fixed it for you.

[@clairewest6336]

@@jugheadsrule You must be one of the guys who lost a debate with him. Yeah, he was hard on you guys. Get over it.

[@jugheadsrule]

@@clairewest6336 He was a serial plagiarist. He couldn't win any debate on his own.

[@brianjoyce9040]

Ability to bring some thought to everything he addressed, was his best side. Rarely did he not bring clarity to the complex. Thx Hitch

[@Eusantdac]

Ya, I was in Romania too. Born and raised there. I lived through that Soviet nightmare. Never again.

[@AtamMardes]

"Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool." -- Voltaire

[@olliegueret4348]

Love voltaire

[@andreapollini8821]

Voltaire was really dumb.

[@AtamMardes]

@@andreapollini8821 Nah, dumb are those who believe and consider as sacred the supernatural fairy tales, fictions, and myths just because a book claims itself to be the holy truth.

[@Tripp1993]

Nowadays, honestly, I think Hitchens would say, _"I don't want to say, I was right... but I was right. Okay, I said it."_

[@steenkigerrider5340]

"Christopher Hitchens warns about Vladimir Putin" No one with any sense can argue that Hitchens wasn't spot on.

[@Hoogliette]

Yes you're right, he was so prophetic.

[@albertneville8918]

You mean no one with a brain can say he said one word that was true - about oil for food, Milosevic or Putin This man was a complete phoney who did the bidding of the imperialists. So many people taken in by this liar

[@krissaenen3775]

'warned about Vladimir Putin'.....wow! Did he warn about Nuland and Biden too? Or did he chose to ignore such knowledge?

[@steenkigerrider5340]

@@krissaenen3775 Hitchens was already dead before they came in power.

[@krissaenen3775]

@@steenkigerrider5340 Ok, what about Bush and Cheney? Did he warn about them too? Or did he actually believe the axis of evil being Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan?

[@Axagoras]

I have always felt that the world could learn a great deal from the writings and recorded speeches of C. Hitchens.

[@JakubFerenc1911]

1.5 million of dead Iraqi kids and mothers and men tend to disagree. For Hitchens their dead was “worthwile”.

[@virajprabhu9732]

@@JakubFerenc1911 He was still right about majority of the things.

[@JakubFerenc1911]

@@virajprabhu9732 Like Bolshevism? Like Religion being just a stupid supersition rather than an important evolutionary advantage?

[@stevelocke3667]

@@JakubFerenc1911 - “important evolutionary advantage”? Is that an attempt to co-opt the obvious, proven truth of evolution to justify religion?

[@kse8348]

@@stevelocke3667 legend

[@Macdaddy590]

If i could bring back only two people to make sense of all this madness today, it would be Mr Hitchens and George Carlin. Your wisdom is surely missed.

[@questor5189]

Mr. Hitchens observations are spot on! His statements years ago confirm and parallel what I had uncovered in my own research into the KGB and President Putin. Thank you Centre for American Studies for inviting him to give a Lecture, and to the producers of this video for sharing it with others on KZbin.

[@jugheadsrule]

Hitchens was a 3rd rate pseudo intellectual shill for US establishment power. Bush killed millions of Iraqis and set fire to the middle east and this clown, Hitchens thinks the worst thing Bush ever said was that he could trust Putin? What a pathetic grifter Hitchens was!

[@FruitCakeReaper]

He was spot on here when he said Bush was totally justified in the Iraq war and fighting the axis of evil? LMAO The hell you on about?

[@dnyhan]

What a mind, what a loss.

[@rorywilliams1885]

He’s a bright lad,been dead year’s, but knew more about Putin than 95% of the world does now…

[@gaylandbarney2231]

he knew nothing about putin but what he was supposed to "know"....he's an educated fool , articulate enough to wow non thinkers

[@Mark-ok8ss]

@@gaylandbarney2231 Really Gay-land ?

[@gaylandbarney2231]

@@Mark-ok8ss how to respond to a 12 yr old ? you're the first person ever to try to discredit by insulting an honourable , scots/irish name , but bereft of history or cognitive ability , you wouldn't understand how foolish you are

[@johngilmore6688]

@@Mark-ok8ss LOL..It seems to me that he knew much more about Poo tin than everyone else!

[@Grenadier311]

Mark Hill - translation: buffoonish churl.

[@Farbautisonn]

This analysis of Putin is more apt today, than it ever was at the time. Hitchens was truly a "once in a generation" human

[@jugheadsrule]

Hitchens was a 3rd rate pseudo intellectual shill for US establishment power. Bush killed millions of Iraqis and set fire to the middle east and this clown, Hitchens thinks the worst thing Bush ever said was that he could trust Putin? What a pathetic grifter Hitchens was!

[@KA-jm2cz]

There is lot of wise men. But are we listening them?

[@jugheadsrule]

@@KA-jm2cz Well, I hope we're not listening to this apologist for Bush's invasion of Iraq

[@megawutt]

@@jugheadsrule Well said.

[@sababugs1125]

@@jugheadsrule 450k actually and Majority of the problems of the middle east are endemic , they were a shithole before bush and they remained a shithole after bush. US dominated Countries: Croatia , South Korea , Taiwan , Poland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , etc (all wealthy democratic countries and countries like Hungary , Turkey and Slovakia openly defy the USA while remaining in the western block , when Hungary tried defying the USSR they were invaded) Russia/China dominated countries: Syria , Iran , North Korea , Eritrea, etc ( all poor autocracies ) Yeah maybe USA dominating the world ain't so bad

[@mathewfield7671]

The prophetic genius of one of the best human minds we will have the privilege of seeing. Every day since his passing has had a little less colour and a great deal less wit. Never has his input been more sincerely missed.

[@grahamariss2111]

He called Putin right 13 years ago.

[@someguy957]

Yeah, but he also called the invasion of Iraq and the War on Terror wrong. He never even apologized for it. He voted for Bush in 2004, FYI. Opportunistic scumbag.

[@nunereclipsereborn]

@@someguy957 Yes all people even intellectual minds like Christopher Hitchens made mistakes, slip-ups.

[@someguy957]

@@nunereclipsereborn First, what are "intellectual minds"? Are there also "non-intellectual minds"? Do you, for example, possess one? Second, you're calling the invasion of Iraq a "mistake", a "slip-up"? Why not just come clean and call it a "whoopsy" or a "boo-boo"?

[@nunereclipsereborn]

@@someguy957 First off I mean well educated brilliant minds like Christopher Hitchens esp. his thoughts, beliefs, views on organized religion like Richard Dawkins brought a whole new generation of skeptics into the community. Now I said the invasion and occupation of Iraq just like Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. were merely 'boo-boos'. They're foul-ups and fuckin' crimes under humanity international law via Geneva Convention!!!!!!!! Undeclared without consulting US Congress, without UN authorization!!!!!!!! BTW didn't Hitchens did come later to his senses to regret having to support the Iraq War?! FYI brilliant minds can be WRONG!!!!!!! Ben Shapiro even be WRONG since he also supported the war in Iraq as well as these other interventions!!!!!!!!!!

[@BrettHar123]

Bullshit - Hitch got this wrong big time, does this look like a hated, unpopular President? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZKtpKJvltWmZ5Y Ask his brother Peter kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5ayZWeJiduhgNk By the way, Viktor Yushchenko never was poisoned it was an allergic reaction to a medical procedure. www.rt.com/news/465419-ukraine-prosecutor-yushchenko-poisoning/

[@sifridbassoon]

In the early 80s, I was in graduate school and taught low level German classes. And I blithely told my students "east and west Germany will never be united again." When the wall finally fell, I was driving and listening to the news reports. I pulled onto the shoulder of the road and listened in astonishment!

[@EnglishroG]

"Never" is a very long time...

[@knockedoutloaded279]

One day people will say the same thing about major wars..

[@Imaketrancesongs]

The dislikes on this video did NOT age well. Drag Putin through the streets Mussolini style

[@grawakendream8980]

this man had the guts to stick to reality when the rest of us went into an appeasement slumber

[@mkc1rrc]

17 Years on and Hitch is still as relevant as ever, some may say prophetic. He was able to quickly distill muddled complexities into transparent thought of reason in a way that gave comfort, hope and lest we forget - his humor. I'll definitely be searching for more of his insights to Putin - this being March of '22...God help us all.

[@penboyasgod6103]

"God help us all." If that's what you're waiting for, then you're going to have *an eternity of waiting without any help [however you define it].*

[@benmcmenamin4851]

Prophetic, may be because he knew the plan.

[@penboyasgod6103]

@Karthik Narasimhan And you don't even understand the asininity of that phrase (and it's meaning) .... *_especially with Christopher Hitchens --- the irony just doesn't fall on your shoulders, does it?_*

[@penboyasgod6103]

​@@feedthewhale4266 No, there's NOT any "god." Proof? In that ignorant "bible": _There shall be no other "god" before me as I am a jealous "god."_ How is it possible that ⓵ any "god" not only *could be jealous but is proud of it **_and for what reason_* ? and ⓶ *NO ONE IN HUMAN HISTORY has ever seen, heard from or spoken to any "god." FACT.*

[@TREVASLARK]

Amen.

[@jamescarr4662]

To his eternal credit, he was also a fervent critic of Israel and Zionism. This fact confuses and wrong-foots many of his admirers who intuitively support Israel for all sorts of intellectually incoherent and lazy reasons.

[@Adam-ui3ot]

I need to know more about this man.

[@wagrram]

@@Adam-ui3ot Watch his debates and interviews, on whatever topic. You'll be mesmerised and inspired. You'll also want to read his books, especially if you love language. What an absolute delight it is to read his works.

[@mosienko1983]

Putin a "KGB weasel" - love it!

[@joebeuselinck6325]

If I could resurrect one person to let them see and react to what the world looks like today, it’d be hard not to pick this guy.

[@magneto44]

once a KGB weasel, always a KGB weasel

[@andreya9776]

Stupid is as stupid doyes. (hint - that's about you).

[@OldHeathen1963]

@@andreya9776 Not a KGB Weasel ? 🤔 🇺🇸 🇺🇦

[@andreya9776]

@@Nonybusinessxxxxxx Many people try to simplify things, because complex reality doesn't fit into their mind that can contain only very simplified reflection of reality. So, it's easy to ascribe imaginary fault to someone to feel justified, then to try and understand different point of view. I don't blame you, you are scared to think for yourself apart from your tribe, and that's natural.

[@andreya9776]

@@OldHeathen1963 Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump.

[@moodyonroody5313]

@@andreya9776 yep it's not fun.

[@AFMMarcelD]

In this superstitious and credulous world a voice like Christopher Hitchens is the necessary medicine, sorely missed, never forgotten, I raise my tumbler of JWB 🥃 high above my head in his honour. The most thought provoking polymath of the 21st century, then and 10.5 years after his passing.

[@anotherone3666]

Great comment

[@davapod]

I'll drink to that🙂

[@garyskinner2422]

Yes a man who wielded the English language like a sword, cutting through all the nonsense and directed his clarity of thought towards the underlying truth of reality in many a way

[@blackholesun9068]

Alcohol is poison! I never take advice from anyone that will drink poison knowingly.

[@anotherone3666]

@@blackholesun9068 so is losing your time, and it seems you are doing so here

[@whtplstc]

This warning aged like a fine bottle of Aglianico.

[@waldwassermann]

The purpose of Life is Love. There you go. Love.

[@trenziedapug1428]

I just love how relaxing this video is. A closed dim room, full of students listening to Christopher awe-inspired, Christopher with a lumberjack beard calmly explaining...

[@DrJones20]

The heck are they awe inspired for

[@bobsingh7949]

Well said, you can hear the listening! Kapow.

[@joepalooka2145]

To this very day, nobody is more sorely missed than Hitchens.

[@ManuelBasiri]

Agreed. A legend of humanity and values. RIP sir.

[@IFY0USEEKAY]

@@johnnyrocker7495 Yup, he wasn't always right, but he was NEVER in doubt..

[@robertjarman4261]

He is wrong about God's existence. Well God does not exist, being above existence. He is wrong about Putin. Putin believes in God.

[@RP-ch8yn]

@@robertjarman4261 Putin believing in a god is irrelevant. Putin is a killer and a mass murderer. Just look at Skripal, Litvinenko and Navalny, those being the most obvious examples. And then the Ukraine invasion. Belief in a god doesn’t justify any unethical behaviour.

[@IFY0USEEKAY]

@@RP-ch8yn Did you honestly think I meant that as a compliment...? 🤦‍♂️

[@tinaxtony]

I miss this man and his viewpoints on many things. Never afraid to call a spade a spade and had the courage of his convictions. Rest in peace Chris

[@user-mh7ng4vn9l]

Weak politicians drags us into wars, not strong ones. They get us through them.

[@Axagoras]

Interfered outrageously in (formation of gov't) Ukraine! Spot on.

[@2ShadesOfGray]

I miss this magnificent intellect, his clarity of thought, insightful observations

[@someguy957]

Barf. He was a canting old fraud.

[@someguy957]

@Aaron M douchebag? 🤣

[@someguy957]

@Aaron M Ooh! Douchebag!!

[@someguy957]

@Aaron M Pussycat, I can see that you think you're smart, but you're just a sad little closeted incel who's acquired some cant words he can (almost) repeat by rote. Now go suck on your guns. We both know that's what you really want to be doing.

[@gauismaximus595]

@@someguy957 Hitchens would slap you even in his late cancer stage.

[@saltycalmonds]

Man, just imagine the commentary that he would have on the events of today

[@maxxwellbeing9449]

I miss Hitchens debates.

[@cammy944]

Reading Mortality was one of the most heartbreaking stories you could ever read 💔. Rip hitch

[@mendyboio3917]

"This is extremely dangerous, incalculable dangerous!". A man ahead of his time! R.I.P. Christopher.

[@jbdbean242]

He was and he wasn't, this was actually quite well known at the time, at least by those who were paying attention. Hitchens simply explains it with clarity using the pieces of info that he had at the time, which we have much more of now even though fewer people are aware of it. This is likely only new to you, as it is much of the social media distracted world, especially anyone under the age of 40. The astounding decline of MSM into the lowest tabloid standards of yellow journalism has exacerbated this critical loss of sentience in the gen pub. Hitchens is erudite and concise in his assessments and presentation. And although he carries a keen prejudice or two, he specifically repudiates any distraction by way of tendentious chauvinism, with which SM has so thoroughly poisoned the global waters of thoughtful exchange, especially among the younger half.

[@centurionoomae1543]

Putin is dangerous to the west, he was always correct. So are the other 6 billion non conforming people on the planet. Those 6 billion would argue that it is the other way around. You are so deep in delusion that you fail to see the bigger picture, the fact that people with other ideas and different lives do not want to live the way you want them to.

[@babyyoda6549]

This is so relevant to now

[@mikestirewalt5193]

I've missed his wit, humor and wisdom many times since he left us. A treasure in all respects.

[@danalaniz7314]

Just over 17 years ago and Hitch's words are more correct than ever before. We are seeing the fruits of our neglect and letting the mad dictators and potential dictators do as they please.

[@lukaradojevic7195]

So you are saying that USA should have destroyed the Russia all the way after the fall of USSR,kill Putin and instal their own president like they wanted to do in Iraq,Lybia,Afghanistan,Kosovo, Bosnia,Syria and their latest piece of artwork Ukraine,when they organized colour revolution in order to threw away democraticly elected president Yanukovych,and put in his place their puppet in order to provoke Russia even more..are those places today in any way shape or form better than before? yeah,that is very democratic.ignore the fact that we live in the world which have many societies with different value systems and traditions,and impose by force and violence your own culture and agenda..pretty cool and enlightened civil society you have there,America...peak of human civilization...

[@aungyethu6560]

@@lukaradojevic7195 No that’s not what we’re saying. What we are saying is we should not have been conveniently ignoring Putin’s murdering of journalists, jailing political opponents, aiding genocidal military regimes around the world while sending billions of dollars into his pockets. Increasingly depending on an authoritarian regime for energy was never a good idea for our democratic allies, and you can only ignore long enough until death and destruction shows up at your door steps.

[@TREVASLARK]

@@lukaradojevic7195 Hello. Listen, I am an American (living abroad) and in no way do I think America has reached a peak of anything. In fact, I've seen a disturbing decline in the past few decades. However, at this time we are comunicating on computers, using hardware and software, using Internet, using KZbin ........ all these things were first and foremost developed in the U.S.A. Ok ? That said, it is also true that America is unlike any other nation because it doesn't really have much of a history or culture - at least nothing that developed over time. It has just been a continual, relatively rapid, hodgepodge of people that keep coming in from all parts of the world and trying to live together. It is indeed a social experiment which (in my opinion) is by no means over yet.

[@lukaradojevic7195]

@@TREVASLARK yes,i have nothing against American people,as a matter of fact i really love and appreceate your culture (Aldo i don't think that it is so much advanced than other cultures just because it produced high technology and good Hollywood movies and music(which, by the way in my opinion, are in decline in the last few years,i dont know why,PC culture maybe).what i hate is US government and their foreign policy..

[@Crusader1815]

So much simple minded thinking here. If Victoria Nuland, George Soros, and the deep state had not overthrown the Ukrainian government in 2014, none of this would be happening now. Stop thinking the USA is some sort of "good guy." Bush killed a million Iraqis in 2003. Does he get demonized for that? Does the Hague bring him up on war crimes charges? NO. We should all just stand back and leave this be, but Nathaniel Rothschild demanded his serfs take action for his New World Order, so God help us.

[@jacquesdemolay5171]

Well this hits different in 2022. This is the voice that we need in the world today. No one has come even close to filling his shoes.

[@bradleywillis1654]

This has aged like fine wine

[@DonSulis]

I could listen to this man speak on any subject, even when I disagree with his take. His facility with English is maybe second to none, and never seemed to diminish no matter how deep he was in Johnny Walker Black.

[@PL-rf4hy]

Always loved his intellect and boy was he ever prescient about Putin.

[@djlunaticdreyfuss7562]

Always articulate, logical and usually correct, as he was here

[@deborahs2593]

We could use him now, today. His insights would be invaluable. I often disagreed with Christopher but I respected him and learned when listening or reading him. I miss him.His sense and clarity on Iran, Saddam, Putin was completely right. Look where we are now- Putin is the most powerful man in the world. And we all treated him with respect, like a partner. After all he's done, and Ukraine. We see him- the ruthless, cruel man that will stop at nothing.

[@user-uk5mb2wi4p]

He knew it all... Hello from Ukraine!

[@theflyingotis3797]

Man....I sure do miss hitch! We need him now so badly

[@someguy957]

You may need him. But he's right where I want him. Gone. For good. And if you really knew anything about him, you'd know why.

[@blackbird5634]

batgirl? Myotis myotis perhaps? Myotis Grisescens with the gray hair?

[@alexae1367]

SO Badly! He wouldn't have given any more fucks if he'd only beaten back the big C...

[@woodytheduke]

@@someguy957 then why did you watch this butt head?Go watch a reverend sharpton video godboy!

[@raynic1173]

And yet you're to lazy to give him a capital 'H'.

[@mistahanansi2264]

This man was a fount of logic and kindness, and he has been sorely missed...

[@davidh00]

Kindness is not a word I'd use.

[@christopherdesimone206]

@@davidh00 Agreed.

[@anuragsarkar7671]

@@davidh00 I will usee

[@anuragsarkar7671]

@@christopherdesimone206 not agreed. He was really one of the kindest intellectuals.

[@centurionoomae1543]

@@anuragsarkar7671 yes advocating for the invasion of Iraq is a very kind thing to do. 500 thousand dead children. Very kind.

[@brokenrecord3523]

He died four/five years before our own move toward nationalism/despotism. I have a feeling that most would have rejected his warnings whether on ideological grounds (in favor of christian nationalism/white supremacy) or just out of denial that we could go so far astray.

[@tommythecat4961]

Whatever your opinion of him, can't deny Hitch was a great thinker. One who had the courage to admit when he was wrong, and to change his mind on important subjects, which is the mark of an honest man. That alone should be a guarantee of his good intentions.

[@wallacedarbous5493]

I so miss Christopher hitchens ! I also disagreed with him on his feelings about the Iraq war.. and I also believe he would be proud of us for thinking for ourselves 👊

[@treebeardtheent2200]

I disagree with him about a great many things other than his clarity regarding Iraq, but he did represent the exercise of free vigorous speech where agreement with a single ideological narrative had no place in the debate on any topic. That's an attitude which we seem to have lost too much.

[@apollomemories7399]

And there he was actually in Irag seeing it all for himself, and you very probably were not, yet you disagree with him? Seriously?

[@treebeardtheent2200]

@@apollomemories7399 Because I was in Iraq, among other reasons, I very much agree with Christopher Hitchens on that topic although I very much disagree with him on other topics. Having left this realm of existence, he cannot confess or assert how right or wrong he was on other things, but I can, and on many occasions have, reinforced his points about Iraq with powerful evidence I myself was witness to.

[@apollomemories7399]

@@treebeardtheent2200 My post was not directed towards you. I seldom if ever had anything to disagree with him about and I spent 30 years working abroad in 12 countries on 4 continents. He was always on the money as far as I was concerned. I can't speak for either north or south America, Russia or Australasia, but pretty much anywhere else and I always found him to be precisely accurate on south-east Asia, the Indian continent, middle east and Africa.

[@treebeardtheent2200]

@@apollomemories7399 In this particular case I was essentially agreeing with you as I too disagreed with the OP comment on Iraq War topic.

[@danbobbington8033]

How right you were sir.

[@busyhive2346]

Very few people could or can provide the insightful, educated analysis that Christopher Hitchens could provide - a sad loss for the world we are experiencing today.

[@jugheadsrule]

Hitchens was a 3rd rate pseudo intellectual shill for US establishment power. Bush killed millions of Iraqis and set fire to the middle east and this clown, Hitchens thinks the worst thing Bush ever said was that he could trust Putin? What a pathetic grifter Hitchens was!

[@brandonaitken1180]

100 years from now: the world needs this man more than ever.

[@MakeSomeNoiseAgencyPlaylists]

no Sir, only land above SEA LEVEL !

[@cclarksonable]

We miss you Christopher

[@avishekparui4677]

That class, that erudition, that humour that Christopher Hitchens embodied... all so sadly missing in public discourse today... instead we now inhabit depressing times where not only are most dominant arguments based on false information but are also aesthetically vulgar...

[@krisaaron5771]

And those arguments seem to always be conducted in the loudest voices possible, shouting and threatening each other with the most horrible fates they can imagine. The most vicious debate I've seen that had the fewest expletives and the least shouting was between Christopher Hitchens and Gore Vidal. When it was concluded I didn't know whether to fall off the couch with laughter or hide under the furniture, cringing and grateful that they weren't directing their verbal razors at me.

[@joeytosoung4840]

It's why I can't even watch the news anymore and avoid discussing politics or religion or race with anyone. It's concerning though that the voices that get the most attention are the ones that draw the most ratings. They are usually overzealous and extremely aggressive type. If they are swaying the majority than I'm worried about how voters will be making decisions

[@JohnSmith-ds7oi]

The only reason you like him is because he wanted to start wars against every country that wasn't Israel.

[@lee4171]

Regardless of approving or disagreeing with this man's views. He was a gutsy genius on many subjects.

[@terrypussypower]

I wonder what Hitchens would think of Putin’s Russia and their attack on the Ukraine.

[@alanwilson2078]

I wonder what PUSSY RIOT would believe, those brave and precious girls.

[@gerryvandepol7630]

I wonder what he would say about the azov nazis shelling eastern Ukrainian Russians for 8 years..Zelensky installed and the rest of the dirty hands in Ukraine?

[@terrypussypower]

@@gerryvandepol7630 He’d probably say the same thing about them as he would about Putin…there’s little difference between them. Putin is every bit the fascist as the Azovs…he just has a different excuse than them.

[@dorukbaglan3923]

As you can see in this video he was an imperialist, so he would have supported the UK stance.

[@donnymorrison6224]

A voice of clarity in a world full of Aholes

[@TheUltraGamer98]

that's the closest us atheists come to having a prophet

[@huskyfaninmass1042]

That's pretty pathetic.

[@q.e.d.9112]

No, we totally can have atheist prophets if we want and Chris is a million miles ahead of any of those Bible ones.

[@goonerinSP]

If you disagree with religion why are you wanting atheism to be a religion itself?

[@q.e.d.9112]

@@goonerinSP Don’t take it all so seriously. We’re not. Just pointing out that Hitchens speaks more truth than the entire dodekapropheton.

[@goonerinSP]

@@q.e.d.9112 Not taking it seriously, just think prophet is the wrong choice of word that's all.

[@deanronson6331]

Those that claim they're so sad that Hitch is no more should be inspired by him to read and read and read more so that they can effectively refute the bogus claims of right-wingers on social media instead of shedding tears.

[@BiscuitBeetle]

i will always love the hitch :)

[@yongbobe478]

One of the brightest minds of our times...

[@jonnybirchyboy1560]

Unless you’re talking about his support for invading Iraq

[@rickpaton7538]

Or any time.

[@ninjafruitchilled]

@@jonnybirchyboy1560 Well it's not really surprising given what he says about dictators and Saddam in this very video. The war may have been a disaster and instigated for misleading reasons, but that doesn't mean that it was wrong to try and depose Saddam Hussein. It just needed to be done in a more intelligent fashion.

[@jonnybirchyboy1560]

@@ninjafruitchilled funding dictators is fine when it’s convenient for us, but the minute they become a liability by moving off the petro-dollar then it’s time for regime change, amirite?

[@ninjafruitchilled]

@@jonnybirchyboy1560 I think you'll find Hitchens was fairly opposed to dictators in general.

[@patrickcooney5423]

How right Christopher’s predictions on Putin has proved so accurate ,looking at Ukraine today .

[@danielzimmers5917]

Chris really had his finger on the pulse of Geo-politics. I wish he was still in the world. His righteous indignation and we'll spoken ability to point out the what should be obvious to everyone is sorely missed. You cannot make deals with the devil in the end they will always come back to haunt you. Rest in peace Sir.

[@johnwakefield5633]

Christopher's hatred of the abbreviation "Chris" betrays the snobbery of the intellectual. But he is entirely justified, in my opinion, because the inevitable contraction Chris 'itchens is archetypical of Thames Estuary, lower-class English.

[@jameshogan6142]

@@johnwakefield5633 Chris really needed to get his finger out rather than on.

[@clinthowe7629]

Boy! he had old Putin pegged from the beginning, too bad this guy left us, i so enjoyed his insights. He had Islam pegged too.