Christopher Hitchens- A Powerful Voice for Atheism: Dead at 62

Hitchens had been battling cancer for some time but it did come as a shock when I read the news that he had died.
He was one of the most intelligent and relentless critics of religion of recent memory. He had a way of destroying the arguments of the religious with a ruthless glee that made his supporters cheer and his critics howl. He was one of the main voices I listened to when I was still new to Atheism. I never knew the man, like many of his supporters I would have liked to, but also like many of his supporters I felt I knew him in a sense from his writing and his famous debates his religious opponents.
I am certain his book God is Not Great will be read for many years to come and admired and scorned as an unapologetic, take-no-prisoners argument against all religion and superstition.
Hitchens was also noted for being a steadfast supporter of the Iraq War, a position which drew criticism and sometimes contempt from the Left. But Hitchens himself never really left the Left, he may have softened from the days when he called himself a Socialist but he was never a conservative.
Even though I am firmly a creature of the Right I will miss his razor-sharp intellect and his give-'em-hell approach to taking on religion.

Say it Ain't So, Christopher Hitchens Supports Obama

Christopher Hitchens parted from the left after 9/11 when he fully supported the U.S. in its fight against Islamic terrorism, he further departed from the left by supporting the war in Iraq. Since then he has not wavered in his support to win in Iraq and defeat the Islamists.

So what truly baffles me is that a few days ago the Atheist firebrand, and anti-surrender in the War On Terror advocate has thrown his support to a man that got the nomination of his party by pandering to the surrender faction, wants to pull out of Iraq regardless of whether it will ensure defeat, supports meeting with the terrorist sponsor state Iran without preconditions, and doesn't think it important enough to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by drilling offshore.

Hitchens says that McCain doesn't have the character or temperament to be president and attacks Palin for her "bizarre religious and political affiliations." Say it ain't so Hitchens, McCain is exactly the man we need in the White House right now, and say what you want about Palins's religion or church, but I find Obama's assertion that the surge was a mistake far more troubling.

Hitchens is an writer I admire for his laser beam logic and eloquence, but on this he is simply wrong. In fact, when I first read of his support of Obama I half expected him to post another article saying this his support for Obama was a joke. That being said he doesn't exactly lap praise on Obama either, in fact he said, "both its nominees for the highest offices in the land should be decisively repudiated," a little better than unequivocal support for Obama but a rare lapse in logic nonetheless. I hope, but doubt, that Hitchens will rethink his half-hearted, sort of endorsement of Obama, and realize that McCain not only has the character and temperament to be president, but he also has the needed realism on the issue of Islamic radicalism that Obama lacks.

Reconciling Conservatism with Atheism

Most conservative atheists, especially ones who are Republicans, have been asked how they can support conservatives when so many of them are a part of the religious right. Because the religious right, in general, is so hostile to the separation of church and state this is a legitimate question.

The issue of separation has varying degrees of importance to conservative atheists, but usually has enough significance to most of us that this question can give us pause. It is an issue that is important to me, and I do oppose the religious right on this issue. However, it is only one of several important issues,
and is outweighed to me, and to most conservative atheists, by these other issues.

Taxes, and the general philosophy of government is just as important as church/state issues, it affects our lives, one could argue, more than almost every issue out there. The left, which the Democratic party is run by, is determined to increase the size and scope of government, and the extent to how much of our lives it will intrude. They believe an activist government is the best solution to most problems in society.

To pay for this more activist government they raise taxes as much as they see fit, and have grown into an attitude of tax the rich, and big business too, to the point where it stifles free enterprise and costs America jobs. How do they fix the problem of lost jobs? You guessed it, with even more government and higher taxes to pay for it.

I am not someone who thinks that government has no role to play in our lives, there are a few things it can and should do. Defense, education, infrastructure, a minimal safety net to help those who can't help themselves, and minimal regulation to ensure public safety. Beyond that the government, in general, should stay out of the way and let the private sector do what it does best, create wealth and jobs.

Defense is a vital issue that demands our attention as well. The left has let itself be taken over by radicals who, to varying degrees, want to blame America instead of fighting the terrorists who are determined to destroy us. Any issues I may have with the religious right is swamped by this one issue alone.

The Democratic party is under strong influence by radical anti-war groups like Moveon.org who not only want to keep America from fighting the terrorists, but want massive cuts in military spending (gutting our armed forces), and putting that money in social programs that increase the left's grip on the lives of the American people. They even want to get rid of, or at least hinder greatly, surveillance programs that could prevent attacks. This spurs not from a wish to see America attacked, but from a fundamental misjudgment of the enemy, and a distrust of the US government, which they consider oppressive and controlled by big business, which in their minds starts wars to make money.

Lastly the left is hostile to the 2nd amendment. The left claims the 2nd amendment doesn't really say what is say it does. The 2nd amendment reads: "A
well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
There is no other rational way to read this other than the obvious, that the people's right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. When the supreme court overruled the Washington DC ban and guns there were even a few calls from the left to get rid of the 2nd amendment. This is a fundamentally alien way of thinking to me, and I cannot be a part of any movement that pushes it.

There are many other issues that I could address, but these are the most important ones. Conservative atheists won't agree on every issue, I've seen them disagree with each other on abortion, gay marriage and other issues. However, the core issues I addressed are ones that most conservative atheists, and indeed most conservatives period, agree on.