Thursday 5 August 2010

A Guest Post from Jim Baxter




The news that the assertively atheistic and self-styled contrarian Christopher Hitchens (pictured) has oesophageal cancer will especially sadden all who admire his insight, wit, and courageous, well-founded contempt for criminals and hypocrites however powerful or admired by the gullible. It can come as no surprise that there are those calling themselves ‘religious’ who see in his illness as a punishment from God. Some of the stench of their pus can be smelled here.


Luckily, for relief from such trash we have the secular press. There will be no irrelevant, tendentious comment there. A report in the Guardian has this to say:


‘The author and polemicist Christopher Hitchens yesterday announced he was cutting short a promotional book tour in order to undergo chemotherapy treatment.

There were reports that the the British-born writer, who was a heavy smoker until giving up several years ago, had been diagnosed with cancer.’


Or there’s this.


Get the picture? Good old ‘Hitch’. Great guy, brave, erudite are just not the words. He’d wipe the floor with most of us (in his day) in any argument, or in any smoking and drinking contest. But there’s just that little flaw in his nature you see that made him, for all his gifts, just that little bit, well, ‘smaller’ , somehow less grown-up, than the rest of us who look can at least look after ourselves a bit better. Oh, of course, there are many causes of cancer but when it’s as obvious as this eh? It’s sad of course but what’s sadder is that he kept ‘hurting’ himself all those years when he knew better. It’s tough but it’s no surprise is it? I’ll bet you Hitch himself would be the first to admit...


Those of us who are not heavy smokers and drinkers can rest a little easier now because there’s another message there for us if we want it, isn’t there? Bad things don’t happen to people who are ‘good’. Hardly ever. And there’s one more – we’ve got him now. Finally we can talk down to him.


Jim Baxter


12 comments:

Quiet_Man said...

I don't smoke, I rarely get sunburnt, I drink moderately.

I got cancer 3 years ago, recovering (still) but I certainly don't believe that God had anything to do with it and if any religious person had taken it upon themselves to talk down to me I'd likely as not have been up on charges of assault.

Anonymous said...

Fuck the SkyPixie and those who worship his totem

cynicalHighlander said...

The sooner we ban ALL religions the better the world will be. Remove it from politics and schools will be a large step forward as its only a fairytale.

JJ said...

I always thought Christopher Hitchens was quite illuminating to listen to. I think he'd been on question time sometime ago before spending more time in the US, and he was a controversial and challenging guest.

Holding different views from the rest is what makes people interesting...and the world go around.

I hope he gets well soon.

Conan the Librarian™ said...

Ah. Why people believe in sky pixies.
We all don't want to die.
When we do, instead of NOTHING, we get paradise.
So lets kill the unbelievers...

Dramfineday said...

Great article, loved it. Real life get on with kicking it in.

Conan where's the latest Hootsmon headline, stop slacking here on SR's site and get on with it....can I suggest "Aberdeen back whale hunting as Moby Gray resurfaces spouting leadership tosh"?

cynicalHighlander said...

GRAY WHALE

Checked its mating and breeding timetable as 5-11 years, has Ian reached that level yet?

subrosa said...

A horrible cancer, poor man. My godmother had the same. I hope treatment has improved since her time.

Super post Jim. Thanks.

Dark Lochnagar said...

James, sanctimonious pus is what it is. They should be ashamed of themselves. It's almost with glee that I imagine their smug expressions, (which of course they won't physically have), when they depart this life expecting to be with their saviour and nothing happens, fuck all, diddly squat. Oh the delicious irony!

Jim Baxter said...

Thanks folks. Good to hear you're on the mend QM

Happily, yhere are comments in the news on Mr Hitchens which are warm and unpolluted by any need to attribute 'blame'. Just not the ones linked to above.

If they don't have a God who will get you, they get you with their health morality instead, the many types who have to get you somehow whenever they can, all to feel better about themselves.

Elby the Beserk said...

Good wishes to CH for his recovery. Meanwhile ... I was at school with both brothers. I would say that Peter needs to get over Christopher. And Christopher needs to get over himself :-)

subrosa said...

Then you'll know them better than most Elby. School shows the man.

Mind you CH does brains as well as a personality. Not something we see in the public domain often these days.

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