Christopher Hitchens on Hannity & Colmes about Rev. Falwell's Death — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00the controversial televangelist was a
2. 0:01polarizing figure emboldening
3. 0:03conservative Christians while alienating
4. 0:05many liberals but there's no question
5. 0:06about the impacting Legacy fwell leaves
6. 0:09behind joining us now is Republican
7. 0:10strategist Ralph Reed and author of God
8. 0:13Is Not Great columnist Christopher
9. 0:14Hitchens who made news last night with
10. 0:16his harsh critique of the Reverend
11. 0:18Christopher let me start with you here
12. 0:19and talk about uh the things you've said
13. 0:22which obviously we know where you stand
14. 0:24on religion we know where you stand on
15. 0:25Reverend fwell by being so angry about
16. 0:29what his legacy was and is are you not
17. 0:32hurting his family and others who may
18. 0:34have no dog in that hunt but who would
19. 0:37just like a few moments to celebrate his
20. 0:39life and have some
21. 0:41peace well I don't care whether his
22. 0:43family's feelings are hurt or not but if
23. 0:45they are they can take comfort from the
24. 0:48extraordinary piety and stupidity and
25. 0:51generally speaking uniformity of the
26. 0:52coverage of the man's
27. 0:54death it is after all said uh was said
28. 0:57by the the supposed Jesus Nazareth to
29. 1:00his followers that they must expect to
30. 1:02be mocked for their beliefs because
31. 1:04their beliefs will appear to many people
32. 1:06to be
33. 1:06ridiculous if not worse than that and
34. 1:09that they are to uh take it for granted
35. 1:12that they will be ridiculed um that's
36. 1:15true of I think of the most devout and
37. 1:17serious uh and thoughtful Christian but
38. 1:20for a vulgar fraud and crook like the
39. 1:23Reverend forwell it's it's an obligation
40. 1:25to say what one thinks about him or be
41. 1:28left off the air and have have people
42. 1:30like yourselves broadcasting only piety
43. 1:33and that I'm not broadcasting only piy I
44. 1:35had done my radio show and now we're
45. 1:36having you on here to talk about your
46. 1:38view very you're having me on and then
47. 1:40you're having me on and then arguing
48. 1:41that maybe it's bad taste to have me on
49. 1:43I don't think I thought was a legitimate
50. 1:44question because I think people are
51. 1:45Wonder well I've answered it I've
52. 1:47answered the question you now move on to
53. 1:49R three now that you answered that
54. 1:50question Ralph does Christopher Hitchens
55. 1:53have a point it is a free speech issue
56. 1:55he was a polarizing figure Reverend
57. 1:56fwell was and there are many people
58. 1:59maybe not all of them feeling a strong
59. 2:00is Christopher Hitchens but who feel
60. 2:02that Reverend fwell was indeed a
61. 2:04polarizing figure who said things that
62. 2:05offended many
63. 2:08Americans well you know look any anytime
64. 2:11Alan that you are an agent of change the
65. 2:14way Dr fwell was who had the kind of
66. 2:17impact that he had on American religion
67. 2:20on our culture and on our politics uh he
68. 2:23was one of the most important historical
69. 2:25figures of the last 50 years in each of
70. 2:27those areas uh ending the self imposed
71. 2:30Exile of evangelicals from Civic and
72. 2:33cultural engagement and I think
73. 2:35transforming them uh into one of the
74. 2:38most important and vibrant and energetic
75. 2:40constituencies in the entire electorate
76. 2:42no one does that liberal or conservative
77. 2:45Republican Democrat of any faith well a
78. 2:50and not stir controversy but I I I it's
79. 2:53just my belief as an American not as a
80. 2:56conservative um not as somebody of any
81. 2:58particular denominational background or
82. 3:00faith but just as an American hey in
83. 3:02terms of elevating our the the civility
84. 3:05of our discourse that when somebody dies
85. 3:09that we ought to show a measure of
86. 3:10respect and
87. 3:11appreciation uh for their family and for
88. 3:14their loved ones and for those who are
89. 3:15grieving right now and our thoughts and
90. 3:17prayers ought to be with them regardless
91. 3:19of whether we agreed with Dr Christopher
92. 3:23hit play the world's smallest violin
93. 3:26listen he established a business a
94. 3:29racket in my opinion um he was a
95. 3:31religious businessman in the same way as
96. 3:33Mr Ralph Reed is a religious
97. 3:35entrepreneur he's left the business to
98. 3:37his children uh it's a hereditary job
99. 3:41let that console them you can't have me
100. 3:43on and say that I have to say I'm
101. 3:45terribly sorry he's dead one reason you
102. 3:47can't ask me to do that is because I am
103. 3:48not I think we have we have been rid of
104. 3:51an extremely dangerous demagogue who
105. 3:54lived by hatred of others and Prejudice
106. 3:58and who and who committed treason by
107. 4:01saying that the United States deserved
108. 4:02the attack upon it and its Civil Society
109. 4:05in September 2001 by other by other
110. 4:08religious like himself he profoundly and
111. 4:10repeatedly apologized and I I'm sure
112. 4:12you're perfect in your I'm sure you're
113. 4:14perfect in your life and that you've
114. 4:16never made any mistakes I've never I've
115. 4:17never committed treason like that I
116. 4:19don't believe in the sincerity of his
117. 4:20let's look at let's look at the
118. 4:21thoughtlessness and the
119. 4:22mean-spiritedness of your very remarks
120. 4:24that you made about Reverend fwell by
121. 4:26all means you think it's a Pity that
122. 4:27there isn't a hell for him to go to you
123. 4:29yes I do on his death you write the
124. 4:31discovery of the carcass of Reverend
125. 4:33fwell on the floor of his obscure office
126. 4:35is you know almost zero significance
127. 4:38except for perhaps two categories of of
128. 4:40people Etc uh you also say you also say
129. 4:43the evil he did will live after him yes
130. 4:47I knew Reverend fwell Christopher I know
131. 4:49the good work that this man has done
132. 4:51tell me about it well he for for would
133. 4:54you like would you I know you think
134. 4:55you're the smartest guy in the room but
135. 4:57you sound like a jackass when you attack
136. 4:58his family like this but I know the I
137. 5:01know what he did for unw mothers I know
138. 5:03what he did for alcoholics I know what
139. 5:05he did for drug attack excuse me sir I
140. 5:08did not attack his family and no
141. 5:09fair-minded viewer of yours will see
142. 5:11that I'm not going to be conscripted
143. 5:12into saying that it's my job when you
144. 5:14invite me on to discuss this man first
145. 5:16to say how sorry I am for him and his
146. 5:18family that isn't what I feel you no
147. 5:21doubt as a Christian or whatever you are
148. 5:23require hypocrisy of people I'm sorry
149. 5:25you're asking I'm not asking for I'm no
150. 5:27but I am asking for human decency and if
151. 5:29you don't think it has an impact on his
152. 5:31family to use even the word phrases
153. 5:33tonight that he's vulgar fraud and a
154. 5:34crook and then to say that the discovery
155. 5:37of his toal my you I think you are
156. 5:40incredibly mean incredibly selfish and
157. 5:42Incredibly thoughtless you invited me
158. 5:44sir to give opion of The Departed I give
159. 5:47it to you and you say well that might
160. 5:49that not upset his family I said it
161. 5:51while he was that not have upset his
162. 5:53family too you know you give the opinion
163. 5:55about him and I'm giving the opinion
164. 5:57about you and the thoughtlessness of
165. 5:59your Marks here and I'm really calling
166. 6:02for any human decency that you may have
167. 6:04in your pseudo intellectually Superior
168. 6:07mind more of the debate on this coming
169. 6:09up in a moment and later unbelievable
170. 6:11video of a toddler and we continue now
171. 6:13Republican strategist Ralph Reed and
172. 6:14columnist and author Christoper Hitchin
173. 6:16you know Christopher I I interviewed you
174. 6:17a little bit about your book just a
175. 6:18short time ago it made me think a lot
176. 6:21Jerry fwell because I do know him he
177. 6:23does a lot for for people that are in
178. 6:25trouble gave a lot of scholarships to
179. 6:27his school he helped women that were
180. 6:29prant and needed help he'd give them
181. 6:31food and a place to live and an
182. 6:32education uh he did a lot to people that
183. 6:35are alcoholics and etc etc you have your
184. 6:37hostility towards religion and and
185. 6:40that's that's without saying you know I
186. 6:42just wonder you know when you compare
187. 6:44his life you know there are a lot of
188. 6:45good atheist Communists out there like
189. 6:47Stalin and Ma and Paul pot and you know
190. 6:50they slaughtered Millions Jerry Jerry
191. 6:52fwell slaughtered nobody in his life he
192. 6:54may have misspoke once or twice but he
193. 6:56devoted his life to his religion you
194. 6:58have nothing good to say about him at
195. 6:59all
196. 7:00no I I repeat um Jerry forwell lived on
197. 7:05uh hatred and Superstition and bigotry
198. 7:08he he preached dislike of people whose
199. 7:10lives he knew nothing about he raised
200. 7:13money from credulous you don't know
201. 7:14anything about his life now excuse me
202. 7:16sir you can either ask me on and have
203. 7:19ask my opinion or you may not but I
204. 7:21don't have to be here if you're going to
205. 7:22take that attitude well you could leave
206. 7:24you spend the first half by saying I had
207. 7:26no right to the opinion you'd asked me
208. 7:27on to express now you're tiring me out
209. 7:29out I repeat though no what I said is
210. 7:31your opinion was thoughtless what you
211. 7:33wrote was crude and mean and hateful
212. 7:36that's what I said you took up all the
213. 7:38time for my answer with your long rather
214. 7:40unlettered question Jerry forel made a
215. 7:43made a career out of sponsoring dislike
216. 7:46and
217. 7:47Superstition said that people he didn't
218. 7:49like were going to hell said the United
219. 7:50States deserve to be attacked by Islamic
220. 7:52fascists said he believed that people
221. 7:54would be raptured into heaven leaving
222. 7:56all the rest of us to wallow behind I I
223. 7:59think his death is a is a deliverance
224. 8:02and if you say that someone who
225. 8:04occasionally makes a charitable donation
226. 8:06is a good person then you have to say
227. 8:07that Hamas and heah who do all this
228. 8:09charitable giving how dare he practice
229. 8:12religion in a country that celebrates It
230. 8:14Ralph Reed Sean you know look why not
231. 8:17and why not and why not a word now from
232. 8:19the friend of Jack AB we have a moment
233. 8:21here here
234. 8:22an here here's an important question now
235. 8:26let's hear from the abof faction have
236. 8:28speak
237. 8:30should be ashamed hold hold on
238. 8:31Christopher Ralph the big controversy
239. 8:33about Jerry Farwell was he fused
240. 8:35religion and politics and that's what
241. 8:37right people will be debating I guess
242. 8:39going forward and after he said he would
243. 8:41not do such a thing would Jesus have
244. 8:44advocated the GOP and was he right to
245. 8:46bring in marry those two and give that
246. 8:49impression we only have a very short
247. 8:50time left Ral well I I don't think
248. 8:52that's ever what Dr fwell said what he
249. 8:54said was that there were certain
250. 8:56Transcendent values such as the
251. 8:58protection of innocent human life the
252. 9:00sanctity of marriage uh the need to
253. 9:02defend the state of Israel his
254. 9:03opposition to Communism his opposition
255. 9:06to rad isra jihadism and what he
256. 9:08believed was that those values should be
257. 9:10reflected in public policy and I think
258. 9:13that you know when you have a community
259. 9:15of Liberty University with its 10,000
260. 9:17students in Residence you have 22,000
261. 9:20members of his church you have millions
262. 9:22of others of people who looked up to him
263. 9:24and admired him I I would really hope
264. 9:26that people like Christopher would show
265. 9:28the decency and respect to let those
266. 9:30people mourn remember his memory without
267. 9:33being torn down and attack tell your bus
268. 9:38part friend of mine and I'll miss him
269. 9:41when we come backler get to close to
270. 9:44dancing performance in Time Square