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drifterontherun's review
4.0
Remember when the debate back in 2011 was whether it was appropriate to celebrate one man's death? The sight of cheering crowds in front of the White House following The President's speech announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden left many feeling uncomfortable. Bin Laden was, after all, just another human being, flawed though he may have been. Such was the thinking at the time. Hitchens calls Bin Laden what he was- an evil islamofascist whose death, much like those of Hitler and Stalin, was well worth cheering. Just so long as the greater fight against his nasty brand of religious tyranny wasn't abandoned.
Berating those who call Bin Laden an anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist hero alongside those like Che Guevara, Hitchens throws the facts at him, calling Bin Laden and his psychopathic goons exactly what they are- islamofascists pushing an authoritarian regime of terror and ignorance.
Reading Christopher Hitchens is to be reminded of the man's brilliance and to bemoan the fact that he's no longer with us. As much as I love Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, not even they are capable of summoning the total resonance I felt when reading or listening to the incomparable Hitchens tear down one of society's sacred cows, be it religion, Mother Teresa, Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton, or any number of others. Hitchens was so good at saying what everyone else was afraid to say. And he does so here. Classic Hitch.
Berating those who call Bin Laden an anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist hero alongside those like Che Guevara, Hitchens throws the facts at him, calling Bin Laden and his psychopathic goons exactly what they are- islamofascists pushing an authoritarian regime of terror and ignorance.
Reading Christopher Hitchens is to be reminded of the man's brilliance and to bemoan the fact that he's no longer with us. As much as I love Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, not even they are capable of summoning the total resonance I felt when reading or listening to the incomparable Hitchens tear down one of society's sacred cows, be it religion, Mother Teresa, Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton, or any number of others. Hitchens was so good at saying what everyone else was afraid to say. And he does so here. Classic Hitch.
blackoxford's review
5.0
Abiding Evil
This is Hitchens’s anti-eulogy on the event of Osama bin Laden’s death. Its obvious purpose is to counter the strange cult which had emerged even among some in the intelligence community that Osama was a principled if misguided gentleman. Whether this view is still shared by any of those who remain sane is questionable. So it is a bit dated. On the other hand, can there ever be enough reminders that there is nothing easier than the construction of stupid narratives about true evil. And more than that, Pakistan, another Hitchens target, remains one of the more duplicitous countries on the planet. Given the competition, that says quite a lot.
This is Hitchens’s anti-eulogy on the event of Osama bin Laden’s death. Its obvious purpose is to counter the strange cult which had emerged even among some in the intelligence community that Osama was a principled if misguided gentleman. Whether this view is still shared by any of those who remain sane is questionable. So it is a bit dated. On the other hand, can there ever be enough reminders that there is nothing easier than the construction of stupid narratives about true evil. And more than that, Pakistan, another Hitchens target, remains one of the more duplicitous countries on the planet. Given the competition, that says quite a lot.
tildafin16's review
4.0
Really interesting - anantidote to any notion that Osama was somehow fighting oppression.
fragfritz's review
5.0
Excellent stuff, wish it was longer...as it was, it seemed like a magazine article that was turned into a short ebook.
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