Charlie Rose

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/26/2013 03:53 AM Report

Brian Lamb: Christopher Hitchens smoked a lot, is that what got him esophageal cancer?

Francis Collins: Hard to say exactly, he was a heavy smoker, he would agree with that, he was a heavy drinker, he would agree with that. Both of those are risk factors for esophageal cancer but his father had esophageal cancer, so heredity as well. It’s the old statement about, you know, genes load the gun but environment pulls the trigger, he may have had both of those going at once.

(Irony--the Christian man he debated about God helped extend his life about a year.)

Max83  09/16/2012 02:40 PM Report

Fantastic appreciation and conversation on Friday the 13th. A very appropriate birthday for somebody like Christopher Hitchens.

JaneM  05/29/2012 02:24 AM Report

It would have been such a privilege to have met Christopher Hitchens. At the risk of sounding weird- my motivation for listening to the above discussion was his 'appearance' in a dream last night (surely prompted by yesterday's discussion on one of his books). This vivid, unconscious encounter validated his integrity & charm, so obvious in his media appearances & writing. The many debates in which Christopher efficiently dismantled the contrived props of religion, helped me to shed the final vestiges of guilt from not conforming to the religious culture I was raised in. The world needs his voice of reason.

StanleyFebruary  05/05/2012 06:31 AM Report

"Spirit of 68" is quite accurate and a profound angle to view Hitch from. I find his output intellectually inconsistent, but I liked his friends and boundless energy.

albertablair  04/23/2012 02:20 PM Report

Soul moving tribute: your editing team's finnesse was as impeccable as ever. Thank you for driving excellence onwards with every program and including the viewer in some rarified air.

JohnGelles1  04/20/2012 07:24 AM Report

Dear TG ~

It's 6 days after the move. Things are settled down. Carlsbad is less effected by recession than Ventura. Higher relative traffic and shopping -- it seems.

My regular computer is not yet set up -- so my Charlie Rose page " .crs.htm " has not been updated.

..... My use of a period (dot) as first character in .crs keeps that page positioned for easy uprating -- and seems to be allowed.

Thanks for post below. Try a reply to any content on

www.ustaxreform.us

It will move us to email.

topazgirl  04/19/2012 02:59 AM Report

John: (My Brother's, Father's and Grandfather's name, BTW)

If your son and grandson care for you, and love you, then I love them, as well!

JohnGelles1  04/18/2012 01:10 PM Report

Dear TG,

These three posts are enough. The JohnGelles1 name slipped in when I was thinking of my son JG2 and his son JG3 -- with whom I am now living. JG3 is not here now -- but he may be soon -- and for a while.

My son takes care of me as I age and do too little to keep up a house. He does every thing but post to the CRS.

Thanks for you posts.

JohnGelles1  04/18/2012 01:01 PM Report

"for fear of being disconnected" -- at least segmented posting allows for frequent correction of errors (typos and substantial brain disorder).

My high regard for Hitchens came late in his game -- when he opposed Islamo-fascism, a term of art now unused because it is impolite if it rubs off on Islamo-good-guys.

There are hundreds of millions of good-guy humanists, in Islamic nations. That is my opinion. But the active political forces with the organization and the bombs are mostly fascists. Not opinion -- just the significant fact.

Now Hitchens was prepared for war with these fascists. He never wanted war. They did.

Hitchens was a brilliant opponent in political and social debate. I delighted in hearing him on TV. Admittedly, TV is low-brow. But it is also effective.

On the issue of God's existence as a human-like father -- I was with Hitchens. I do not see a father-figure looking at our actions.

But I do believe in God as a shorter way to spell Good. I believe there is good and bad in our lives. We may on occasion do bad. We ought not to. We ought to do only Good.

Too simple -- by far. But it is the beginning of wisdom --IMO -- and Hitchens started there and went on with scholarly talent and a good head for argument.

JohnGelles1  04/18/2012 12:39 PM Report

Dear TG,

Sorry to have been out of touch for half-a-week or more. I may need time to catch up.

The appreciation shows for Wallace and Hitchens opened our scope to memories and large issues on the human condition and what we think of as TV and literary punditry, celebrity, and news.

We "little people" -- myself in particular -- consider ourselves positioned to criticize celebrities from our keyboards -- now connected to an infinite audience -- of which, 2 others of our "size", may take an interest.

I vote thumbs up for Wallace and Hitchens -- although I was a fan of Hitchens, and only a member of the Wallace audience often.

[I have to post segments of commentary, for feart od being disconnected].

topazgirl  04/18/2012 12:46 AM Report

REMant:

"If you would not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten,

Either write things worthy reading,

Or do things worth the writing"

Benjamin Franklin...

topazgirl  04/17/2012 04:56 PM Report

John G... Congrats! I thought that was what you might be doing... You missed my last post to you:

Topics> In Memorium> An appreciation of Mike Wallace

I'm grateful you are back, and ready to take on the world, as usual... ;D

dantegrey  04/17/2012 06:36 AM Report

Tusind tak Emil.

Works fine now!

Emil  04/17/2012 06:23 AM Report

I have all the publicly available full lenght debates on my iPod. A great intellect, though history was not his greatest strength. I miss his voice.

dantegrey:

Det fungerer fint for mig. Har du prøvet med Chrome?

Translation: It works fine for me. Try using Chrome.

dantegrey  04/17/2012 03:09 AM Report

Sorry, I do not quite know where else to post this, but I can not watch this. It freezes a few seconds after start. I live in Denmark. Can anyone help?

JohnGelles1  04/17/2012 02:05 AM Report

John Gelles is back on line to cuss out REMant-like creature:

Hitchens was a skeptic, thank God. God, when he is Good, asks that we believe in the Golden Rule not in miracles He never saw fit to imprint on our DNA.

He had faith in his own intelligence as do all the fools like me who write in this archive of comments on CR interviews. Why would REM-ant-eater attack people with a healthy ego?

Liberal is an ambiguous term -- it means both liberty-loving and people-loving people you know and love or hate.

So Mr. Unremarkable, take back your baloney: you are not fit to shine his shoes.

========================

As to me, an ardent fan of Christopher Hitchens, I'm moved and trying to settle down in Carlsbad, Southern California.

I'm behind on the news. Hitchens had a great talent for finding fact and theory in support of the Golden Rule and rejecting the status-quo represented by the mean spirited people who never met a person they did not dislike.

From Will Rogers and John Gelles -- to REMant: NUTS TO YOU !!!

JohnGelles1  04/17/2012 01:43 AM Report

Hope this takes -- new password etc. curses on these impossible and unfriendly systems.

laughinggravy  04/16/2012 08:48 PM Report

As much as I don't like the idea of evoking Godwin's Law, I would like to point out to SharkswithfrikingLazers that Hitler reportedly did not drink, smoke, was clearly anti-homosexual, was not known for hard-partying, was a vegetarian, and also had a way with words. By your standards, he was resplendent with a "higher level of humanity" because he would have made a great blood donor. Bravo to you for displaying such amazing wit.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  04/16/2012 06:47 PM Report

Would you take a blood transfusion from this man?

Opened mouth male tongue kisses, smoking, drinking, hard living, hard partying . . .

Words are one thing but having the blood that can save a life . . . well that is a higher level of humanity entirely.

MetteDenmark  04/16/2012 05:47 PM Report

Thank you for a wonderful programme committed to the remembrance of Christopher Hitchens.

Although I am sure Hitch would have disliked the word, I feel it helped med get "closure".

I never met him, but like many I felt like I knew him through his writings and tv appearances.

He will be sorely missed.

cal1121  04/16/2012 05:39 PM Report

On the contrary, Dasein. It is not a question of God being dead or not great. Something that never existed cannot be either. Christopher Hitchens, however, will live forever in his writings and his brilliant intellect that have inspired so many.

Dasein  04/16/2012 04:07 PM Report

God is dead. God is not great. Hitchens

Hitchens is dead. Hitchens is not great. God

MargoPM  04/16/2012 03:46 PM Report

In response to REmant.

Every paragraph you write is highlighted by what you 'suppose', what 'seems', what 'may be' or what you ' don't know'...Except of course your first paragraph which clearly states that you know nothing of Christopher Hitchin's writings. Perhaps then your criticisms should have stopped there since your opinion of Christopher had little merit from that point forward. You foolishly suggest that you would 'certainly not befriend him'. Clearly, given the quality and intelligence of those friends who respected and admired him greatly, your presence within them would have been immediately dismissed if not laughed out of order altogether.

ShalomFreedman  04/16/2012 02:27 PM Report

Once again with respect, consideration and wisdom Charlie Rose honors the memory of a distinguished personnage. This time the group of friends are truly close ones and reveal in their remarks their deep appreciation and affection for their friend. They know his virtues and they are truthful in speaking of him as they really found him to be, flaws and rudeness and all. As for Hitchens himself he was as they make clear a true original, a courageous and outspoken warrior for what he believed in. A fighter and a debater , I think he does stand out mostly in his speaking more than his writing. His religious position is to my mind an arrogant and mistaken one but he did correctly see many religious shortcomings. His humor and wit made him a first- rate entertainer, also. Hitchens was the best at what he did and his best friends constitute a kind of literary elite who do justice to his memory.

Shu  04/16/2012 12:21 PM Report

I can't believe I am actually going to post ... why oh why do I fall victim to what I know is often an exercise in futility. REMant .... I gotta say ... you post you have never read a single thing by Mr. Hitchens, of which there is a plethora, and then go on to offer opinions about many of his positions, questioning motives and speaking as though you have a grasp beyond mere assertion and speculation. Can anyone else see the contradiction here and sigh heavily. D'uh! Guess we both are engaged in an exercise of futility here.

REMant  04/16/2012 11:45 AM Report

I'm quite sure I've never read or heard a word of Christopher Hitchens' apart from his appearance on this show a couple of the 17 times, but he would seem to me to provide proof that skepticism, egotism and liberalism are all of a piece.

Crusader for the world's oppressed he may have thought he was, it appears he pandered like a status-crazed woman, which may be why he wouldn't fall for their wiles. Likewise, I can't see the motive for making a such fuss over Diana Spencer or Mother Theresa, unless it were envy, tho I guess they could be considered to have been inauthentic socialists or Mandevillean hypocrites.

If as smart as all that, he should have realized religion is far from uniform, and the same could be said for the gentlepersons here. My guess would be he understood Paine and Jefferson not at all, as neither were voluntarists of any sort. And it should be observed in passing that the US constitution has nothing at all to do with historical materialism.

I don't know what his final take on Marxism was. It's problem lay in thinking that revolution, if in need of no atonement, nevertheless continually eludes us. It is, in fact, capitalism run amok. In Stoic Calvinism the point is rather the acceptance of the world as it is, removing that veil from our eyes, so that we can get on with life (and Pope's point, too).

I suppose he considered himself an Epicurean, if not a comrade, but while I might not have hated him, I certainly would not have befriended him.

It seems, as well, that he tried to be something of a vaudevillian, but my grandparents, who knew Jewish humor, would, I'm sure, have said simply that he ran off at the mouth, and they would likely have been kinder than Freud.

The public tho seems to have some sort of gallows fascination with self-destructive types, tragic protagonists, completely unable to help themselves - his father died of esophageal cancer as well - but any moral is certainly not to be found in self-deprecation.