Yes! It's true! Apparently! And all you need to be is an official enemy of the United States to qualify. Jerry Coyne explains it, none too coherently.
'The notion that dictatorships like that of North Korea are not atheist regimes but theocracies—complete with godheads, miracles, slavish worship, and sacred books—was best expressed in a talk on the “Axis of Evil” that Christopher Hitchens gave in California. I have never seen him give a better talk, and it appears to have been done entirely without notes.
The man was amazing, and the talk is mesmerizing. It shows that you don’t need Powerpoint slides to keep an audience entranced. When you see the passion with which he speaks, perhaps you can better understand why he persisted in his misguided position on the invasion of Iraq. It was not an idle opinion, but one based on his compassion for the oppressed and deep-seated hatred of tyranny.' (my emphasis).
Indeed, and how awful it would be to live in a place like North Korea, where 'slavish worship' is the rule. I mean there you might read awful, terrible propaganda, perhaps a bit like this:
'Kim Jong-il was amazing, and his speeches were mesmerizing. They show that you don’t need Powerpoint slides to keep an audience entranced. When you saw the passion with which he spoke, perhaps you can better understand why he persisted in his misguided position vis-à-vis the United States. It was not an idle opinion, but one based on his compassion for the oppressed and deep-seated hatred of tyranny. '
But enough of this gay banter! Courtesy of Norman Finkelstein here is some video footage of some brave, incorruptible, rational and secular American intellectuals mourning the death of the Popinjay (Praise be Upon Him!). If you look closely I think you can see Jerry Coyne to the left.
“The enemies of intolerance cannot be tolerant." • "If it is an offense to justice to hold people who may have been victims of mistaken identity or of vendettas by other factions, then it is also an offense to justice to release psychopathic killers who believe that they have divine permission to throw acid in the faces of girls who want to attend school." • "Don't be such a lesbian!
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