As the cleansing ocean closes over bin Laden's carcass, may the earth lie lightly on the countless graves of those he sentenced without compunction to be burned alive or dismembered in the street.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the death of a notorious figure and the suffering he caused, expressing a desire for justice in the wake of his demise.
Christopher Hitchens' quote provides a stark commentary on the nature of justice and retribution following the death of Osama bin Laden. It emphasizes the heavy toll of violence inflicted by bin Laden, contrasting the weightlessness of the earth on his grave with the grave suffering of his victims. The imagery of the 'cleansing ocean' suggests a form of purification, yet it also provokes thought about the moral implications of his actions and the loss of innocent lives.
In practice
During a debate on morality in international relations.
In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought, in the apparent humility of that statement.
What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Never ask while you are doing it if what you are doing is fun. Don't introduce even your most reliably witty acquaintance as someone who will set the table on a roar.
[E]xceptional claims demand exceptional evidence.
The worst days are when you feel foggy in the head - chemo-brain they call it. It's awful because you feel boring. As well as bored. And stupid. And resigned.
Let me tell you something: for hundreds of thousands of years, this kind of discussion would have been impossible to have, or those like us would have been having it at the risk of our lives. Religion now comes to us in this smiley-face, ingratiating way — because it’s had to give so much more ground and because we know so much more. But you’ve got no right to forget the way it behaved when it was strong, and when it really did believe that it had God on its side.
I almost think that hope is for the soul what breathing is for the living organism. Where hope is lacking the soul dries up and withers.
There have been innumerable Temporary Seekers after the Truth-have you ever heard of a permanent one?
I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical group of men of a recognizable cohesion held together by a common enemy. Then, if you add to that the word 'Jewish' you have what I understand to be the Jewish nation.
It's undeniable that what we are taught as a culture to believe about disability is at odds with traditional notions of masculinity.
Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it.
And so it is they who, between them, give me all the reasons for believing in none.
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