Christopher Hitchens gets beaten up in Lebanon for defacing a political poster, and even P.Z. Meyers over at Pharyngula admits Hitch has got brass.
To their credit, many of P.Z.’s commenters understand what Hitch did. Many don’t get it, though, crediting Hitch with alcohol or stupidty rather than bravery.
I won’t go quote-picking, scan down to get the flavor.
In response, my comment [#90]:
There’s folks who think that “speaking truth to power” means wearing pink and marching in Pelosi’s home district while carrying a sign equating George W. Bush with Hitler, knowing full well that Bush’s goons aren’t going to come after them for it, not then and there, not ever.
Then there’s Hitch, who understands that what it really means is insulting theocratic Nazis on their home turf where they will beat you up right there in the street in broad daylight.
Hitch may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t on the list. He knew the risks and spoke the truth, and the power beat him up. I dare say that even sober he counted it worth the cost, because it got noticed, even here amongst those who do not understand what liberty and freedom of speech are really about, how precious they are, and what it costs to defend them.
Understand, folks: The religious fanatics who beat up Hitch want to beat up you, too, on your home ground. They want to convert you, enslave you, or destroy you, just like their holy book says they should, and frankly they’d be disappointed if you converted.
All over Europe, all over England, and right next door to the USA in Canada: governments are afraid, pissing their pants afraid, to let people criticize savages like those that beat up Hitch. If enough people do it anyway, liberty lives another day. Sit down, shut up, submit to demands that you speak not against Allah and his Prophet, and liberty dies in your heart.
Stand up for Hitch, right now — or kneel down, press your face to the dirt, and submit to Allah, as loudly as you can. Those are your choices. Pick one. Time’s running out.
There were a lot of comments I wanted to respond to directly, but then my eye was caught by sweet little Autumn, who, though she said some good stuff, started out comment #74 by saying:
[The] comment that the violence against Hitchens “proves that he was courageous and right” is not okay. If I were to scribble “fuck off, nigger” on an Obama poster in almost any inner city in America, I would be justifiably beaten up due to my actions.
[ My emphasis]
Well, no way I can let that pass:
“If you can’t say ‘fuck’, you can’t say ‘Fuck the government!” — St. Lenny the BruceI can’t believe how exactly your comment reflects that, and worse, how you seem to think that not being able to do that is a good thing, when the man in power is your man. Do you truly not understand that writing “Fuck Off Nigger” on an Obama poster is exactly the same as a BusHitler protest sign?
If so, I weep for you, child, I weep for us all.
Let me emphasize: I greatly admire P.Z.’s articles on evolution and atheism. His exposure of the great holy cracker brouhaha was excellent and brave.
He even understands that Islamic creationism is just as stupid and bad as Christian creationism.
What he does not understand is that where Christians will complain, loudly, and threaten you with lawsuits if you steal their crackers, Jihadists will kill you for drawing a cartoon of their prophet, or even just quoting their scriptures in a context that shows how violently evil their “prophet” was.
As always, my jihadist mantra:
There is no god, not even Allah, and Muhammad, may piss be upon him, was a child-raping mass murderer.