Make Some Noise!

I can't decide if Christpher Hitchens is a colossal ass or simply a tone-deaf soloist who somehow drugged the true singer and took his place. Not that C.H. would care what I think, but still...

From the man who thinks invading Iran might be interesting comes this lighted-hearted suggestion to lefties who want to appear, well, more substantial a la Hitchens:

By way of restitution, may I propose some ways in which those who don't want to be associated with Michael Moore, George Galloway, Ramsey Clark, and the rest of the Zarqawi and Saddam apologists can make themselves plain? Here are four headings under which the anti-war types could disprove the charge of bad faith.

Hmmmm...I wasn't aware Michael Moore has become a Zarqawi apologist...
And here (in microform) are C.H.'s suggestions:
1)Landmines- are NASTY- especially those pesky IED's - talk among yourselves.
(note to CH: let's make a deal- I will say my piece on IED's when you say your piece about the cluster bombs that lurk, unexploded, all over Iraq, For your lead, may I suggest you interview Fernando Suarez del Solar, whose son, Jesus, was killed by such a thing- courtesy of the US of A.)
2)Human Shields- get thee to some place being assaulted- like a hospital.
OK, he has a point. But there is one teeny, weeny problem, a number of hospitals have been incapacitated by US personnel (Dahr Jamail has lots to say on this), and one suspects that the Ministry of the Interior goons are the bastard Frankensteins of John Negroponte.
And CH, dear, btw- Rove has had way too many opinions which have filled Dubya's otherwise unused brain space and look where that has gotten us.
3)Say something about the sanctions...
Say something about the sanctions? Are you DEAF? Quite a number of people had quite a bit to say about them, and isn't it a bit late at this point in time?
4)Time to revive the demand for Gays in Uniform! (and I don't mean the Village People kind)- what, exactly, is behind this? I get the need to be recognized as full-fledged citizens who would like to serve their country if they so desire- but, to paraphrase Virgil, beware of Republicans bearing reconsideration- note to CH: it's usually rigged.
Why now?
Well, I have a few thoughts:
a) the military desperately needs warm bodies. They are not meeting their quotas and the stop loss program is very unpopular. (and this may be one of the reasons behind Bush's illegal immigration stance- get enough young illegals, dangle greencards/citizenship and presto! War on Terror? You're good to go!)
b)Remember the Nisei Regiment- that amazing, well-decorated WWII regiment of Japanese-Americans who generously decided to go even though the US government had interned them and their families (and many were US citizens)? Maybe the US government has a little trade in mind- you prove you are good, brave soldiers and we'll throw you a few civil rights rulings and call of the dogs once in awhile. Oh, and btw, it's easier to honor a dead Gay soldier than a live one, cause, well, you know...they're gay.
And C.H., all those countries that torture and imprison gays (like, you know, that place by the Nile?)- apparently we don't mind- if Bush and co aren't real keen on domestic Gays, do you really think they care about foreign ones, especially the ones persecuted by our allies?
Read Hitchens in the flesh.

And a counter-opinion as expressed by Alexander Cockburn of Counterpunch.org (although I must mention that neither appreciates the existance of the other- hence
the tone)

Hitchens Hails "Glorious War"

The recent memorial for long-term New York Review co-editor Barbara Epstein, sadly felled by cancer on June 15, was disfigured by an unseemly outbursts from Christopher Hitchens. There was a list of invitees for the private ceremony and C. Hitchens -- a sometime NYT contributor ? was not on the list. He implored to be admitted, and some misguidedly decent soul gave him the green light.

Visibly taken with drink, in the estimate of at least one observer, Hitchens showed up and soon made his way to Jean Stein, a close friend of Barbara Epstein, also editor of Grand Street in recent years. Hitchens spared Stein the habitual presentation of his hairy cheek but made a low, facetious bow and offered his hand.

Stein icily declined, saying she had no desire to shake hands with him for many reasons, not least the fact that Hitchens had attacked one of her best friends, Edward Said, while he was on his death bed.

As Hitchens retreated, someone remarked to him, "So your glorious war has turned out to be a total disaster, hasn't it?"

"It is glorious," the sodden scrivener blared, "and it IS my war because it needed Paul Wolfowitz and myself to go and convince the President to go to war."

As mourners digested this megalomanic outburst, Hitchens continued, "And we are going to kill every Al Qaida terrist and Baathist in the country and that's a good thing. They need to be killed and we will kill them."

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