Controversial author Christopher Hitchens appearing at Sydney Writers Festival

Controversial author Christopher Hitchens will be in Sydney, Australia for the 'Sydney Writers Festival' (May 15-23, 2010). He will be making appearances discussing his pet themes of politics and Religion as well as introducing his new autobiography 'Hitch 22'.

Christopher Hitchens (International)
Christopher Hitchens, "one of the most prolific, and well as brilliant, journalists of our time" ('Observer'), is a widely published polemicist and frequent radio and TV commentator. He is a contributing editor to 'Vanity Fair' and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School in New York. His numerous books include the international bestseller 'God is Not Great'. His latest book is 'Hitch 22: A Memoir'.

appearing at...
88: No He Can’t?
184: Programmatic Specificity We Can Believe In
195: Christopher Hitchens

Here are Christopher Hitchens' dates in detail:

Event 88: No He Can’t?
When: Friday, May 21
Time: 11:30 - 12:30
... A little over a year after Obama's historic election, Christopher Hitchens, Anne Davies and Don Watson put the Obama presidency under the microscope. Can we still believe in hope? Chair: Geoffrey Garrett.

Event 184: Programmatic Specificity We Can Believe In
When: Saturday, May 22
Time: 16:00 - 17:00
Is soaring rhetoric just as much the enemy of democracy as the numbing bureaucratese beloved by so many politicians? Former New South Wales premier Nathan Rees, the ABC's Annabel Crabb, and US-based British journalist Christopher Hitchens dissect the importance of language to democracy and good quality government. Chair: Neil James.

Event 195: Christopher Hitchens
When: Saturday, May 22
Time: 20:00 - 21:30
Last time he was here he talked about God. Now, he talks about Hitch. On the publication of his autobiography, 'Hitch 22', Sydney Writers' Festival presents journalist, philosopher and raconteur, Christopher Hitchens. He speaks with Julian Morrow.

Read previous APF posts featuring Christopher Hitchens:
- Watch Christopher Hitchens volunteer to get waterboarded for Vanity Fair Magazine
- The art of "Selling" - Christopher Hitchens with Ralph Reed on 'Hannity and Colmes'

Priests, Pundits and Politics - Religion in the campaign season

This blog likes to highlight the similarities between pundits and wrestlers. What its really highlighting is charisma and presentation, usually in the art of talking. Politicians, Pundits, Comedians and Wrestlers all share this ability to move mass audiences with rousing speeches - and they've all been featured on this blog.

There is another group who command the attention of mass audiences and are arguably more influential than the aforementioned groups put together. Priests. They've taken an unusually prominent role in this Presidential Election season.

The role of church was quite prominent but pretty standard in the early weeks of the Presidential Primary season. The serious candidacy of Mitt Romney vying to be the first Mormon in the White House. Former Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee's amazing run finishing second for the GOP nomination, wearing his religiosity proudly (often blatantly) but disarming people with his good natured presentation.

The last few weeks religious leaders have become the newsmakers. Most prominently the controversy surrounding Obama's relationship with the controversial Jeremiah Wright which led to him delivering his 'Perfect Union' religion speech. Recently influential Pastor John Hagee withdrew his endorsement of Republican John McCain, beating him to the punch as McCain rescinded the endorsement moments after. Hagee made news after making controversial comments excusing Hitler's actions against the Jews as God's will.

Those controversies involved religious leaders with statements on the pulpit that have come back to hurt their affiliated candidates, underscoring the nature of politics today with the ubiquitousness of media technology. However the way some religious leaders have injected themselves into the campaign have been as straight partisan players. Recent examples of priests have surfaced using the type of rhetoric we're accustomed to seeing from Radio Talkers and Wrestlers when calling out opponents. Faith has begun to move away from being a solemn belief contributing to a person's moral character into the latest front in political war and theatre

Below are some recent examples:

VIDEO: Michael Pfleger - White Liberal Guilt at Its Finest

(mocking Hillary Clinton) I'm white, I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show.

VIDEO: Priest Jim Lisante at GOP dinner prays
"God, tell Obama to find a new pastor"

Priest JIM LISANTE: ...Lord, please tell Senator Obama that maybe change is a good thing, and that maybe he should think about changing his favorite preacher. I know a lot more of us would be comfortable with his judgment skills if he hadn’t sat for twenty years through those words offered by his preacher of division, bigotry, and, honestly, half-truths, without a word of objection from Senator Obama. That is, until the media brought it up. Now, he doesn’t want any part of the guy. I’m willing to be his new preacher.

Read Reverend Wright's bio from Trinity church's official site
Read John Hagee's bio from his official website
Read Michael Pfleger's bio from Saint Sabina Church's official site
Read Monsignor Jim Lisante's bio from his official site
Watch Mitt Romney's faith and politics speech "Faith In America" Dec 6, 2007
Watch Barack Obama's faith and politics speech "A more Perfect Union" March 18, 2008

Read previous religion themed Punditfight posts:
God in Politics and Wrestling
Mike Huckabee wishes Americans a Merry Christmas

Barack Obama and John McCain: could both be Manchurian Candidates?

With Obama all but sealing the Democratic nomination, it's time to ask "Is it possible America could elect a Manchurian candidate?... no matter who they choose."

Firstly, what is a "Manchurian candidate"?
The Manchurian Candidate was a thriller novel written by Richard Condon in 1959, most recently adapted into a 2004 film starring Denzel Washington. It is about the son of a prominent political family who has been brainwashed into becoming an unwitting assassin. It is often used in political context to describe a candidate who is intentionally misleading the public and concealing their true motives, someone who works at the bidding of malevolent interests.

I offer you the case for both sides.
McCain as the Manchurian candidate for the Vietnamese
The claim: The Vietnamese have taken control of McCain since capturing him in 1967 and are salivating at the prospect of having a North Vietnamese puppet having his finger on the "red button". It is not entirely clear what Vietnam has to gain.

John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate connection
In 1949 Dr. Andrew Salter authored Conditioned Reflex Therapy, a pioneering work in the field of psychoanalysis. Ten years later, as Richard Condon was writing The Manchurian Candidate, he asked Dr. Salter to help "design" the brainwashed character for the book and subsequent movie.

More than 40 years later, in 1992, during the C-SPAN broadcasts of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, Dr. Salter watched the hearings from his New York City apartment. Salter became fascinated with McCain's overly aggressive and angry behavior toward witnesses, especially family members of men still missing in action. After a few hours he called a friend telling her, "the signs are all there, I'm afraid Senator John McCain has been brainwashed."

The author Ted Sampley is a Vietnam veteran and writer/editor/publisher of The US Veteran Dispatch. He founded 'Vietnam Veterans against John Kerry' and is a contributor to 'Vietnam Veterans against John McCain'.

Barack as the Manchurian Candidate for Muslims
The claim: After attending a predominantly Muslim school in Indonesia during his youth, a secretly Muslim Obama will come to power giving Muslims the upper hand in the War on Terror presumably by destroying America from the inside.

Barack Hussein Obama: Once a Muslim, Always A Muslim
So, even if he identifies strongly as a Christian, and even if he despised the behavior of his father (as Obama said on Oprah); is a man who Muslims think is a Muslim, who feels some sort of psychological need to prove himself to his absent Muslim father, and who is now moving in the direction of his father's heritage, a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?

Debbie Schlussel is a political commentator and radio talk host. She is noted for her writings on radical Islam and her legal actions as attorney against radical Islamic parties.

So is it possible that America could elect a Manchurian candidate? If you can believe its plausible for a person to be groomed as a Trojan Horse as far back as the 60s, navigate though life putting themselves in a position to contend seriously for the most powerful seat in the world whilst having any malevolent assistance go undetected then it wouldn't be a stretch to believe there are more out there - granted the odds of two Manchurian Presidential Candidates going head-to-head in the same year for separate interests would be astronomical. If this were to happen it would be the biggest political swerve in history, a sequence of events that would rival the preposterousness of any wrestling storyline.

Merry Christmas APF Supporters

Hello loyal APF readers,
The year is winding down, I hope you've had an enjoyable and prosperous 2007 with more success for the coming year.
I will leave you with some presidential campaign ads following the Christmas theme:
- Fred Thompson
- Mike Huckabee
- John McCain
- Rudy Giuliani
- Ron Paul
- Hillary Clinton
- Barack Obama
- John Edwards
Listen to Shields and Brooks on the Christmas campaign ads.

Notably absent is a Christmas Ad from Mitt Romney. There is however a Christmas themed video on the decision the Romney family had to make on whether to campaign for Presidency back in 2006. Watch video here

VIDEO: The infamous subliminal Mike Huckabee Christmas ad

God in Politics and Wrestling

The American political system is famously known for its separation of Church and state. That is not to say that there aren't politicians who wear their Religion on their sleeve. The religious right have been a powerful movement and voting bloc for the Republican party. It is this constituency that is credited for twice voting George W Bush into the White House and responsible for Mike Huckabee's surge in the polls.

There is also much faith found in Wrestling. Surprising as wrestling is considered a brutish sport which essentially is about two people beating the heck out of each other. It also has a reputation for drugs and debauchery, standard temptations that come with a road lifestyle. In spite of this there are many prominent wrestlers of faith, well-known Christian wrestlers include: Sting, 'Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase and Shawn Michaels.

The book Wrestling with God (by Chad Bonham) details these "modern day warriors whose lives were dramatically changed by a face-to-face encounter with God - the one and only Master of the Universe".

Whilst faith is considered a solemn exercise. Today I will be highlighting some lighthearted (arguably cynical) uses of faith in Politics and wrestling.




Mike Huckabee getting a call from God, parodying a similar "interruption" that Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani had with his wife.

VIDEO: Mike Huckabee's call from above

VIDEO: Huckabee puts his success in the polls down to 'divine intervention'

VIDEO: Wrestler Shawn Michaels puts his wrestling victories down to "divine intervention"

Shawn Michaels' faith and strong Christian beliefs is well-documented. Mr. McMahon booked a match for the 'Backlash PPV' pitting himself and son Shane in tag team action against Shawn Michaels partnering with "God".

Read more about the role of God in this match here.

The art of "Selling" - Christopher Hitchens with Ralph Reed on 'Hannity and Colmes'

In wrestling, hitting people is only half of what it takes to be a great performer. Just as important is the art of being hit, known as 'Selling'. To create a compelling match there needs to be an effective give and take in order to have the necessary tension to keep the audience engaged. It's a dance.

An exciting wrestling match needs to tell a story. In order for the story to be told wrestlers need to show moments of strength and moments of vulnerability. A good performer 'sells' the moves of his opponent by acting appropriately when he is being hit. When a wrestler writhes in pain or clutches his damaged leg, it brings the crowd closer as they root for the dominating wrestler or spur on the underdog. It sets the table for further drama as the match see-saws back and forth.

I bring this up because pundit Christopher Hitchens was engaged in an interesting debate about the passing of influential religious/political leader Jerry Falwell. Hitchens was in exciting form in a fatal Four way match with Ralph Reed (best known for his work with the Christian Coalition), Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes. By exciting, I mean he was his usual curmudgeonly self. At one point late in the debate he heckled Ralph Reed as if he was a muzzled audience member rather than someone who shared and already dominated the stage.

Sean Hannity acted as a good foil to Hitchens, valiantly trying to regain control of the debate. Scintillating!

VIDEO: Christopher Hitchens in Fatal Four way action on Hannity and Colmes

Hitchens is a great example of someone who does not sell an opponent's moves. He diffuses any connecting zinger from his adversary with a commanding "WELL EXCUSE ME BUT..." and is known for hectoring audience members who applaud against him.

Watch Hitchens "no-selling" in a spirited debate with Jon Stewart.
VIDEO: August 25, 2005: Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens

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Listen to Hitchens in friendly territory, doing his weekly chat with Hugh Hewitt.

Update:
I looked through Hugh Hewitt's recent archive and it seems that Hitchens hasn't been on the show since his diatribe against the recently departed Jerry Falwell. As mentioned, Christopher appears weekly on Hugh's show and they are cordial with each other.
Looking through Hugh's blog, I didn't find any acknowledgement of Hitchen's remarks nor a mention of Jerry Falwell's passing. On air however while chatting with evangelical figurehead James Dobson, Hugh did have a soft rebuke of Hitchens and expressed admiration for Falwell.

Listen to the Hugh's conversation with James Dobson.
You'll notice in the interview, Hugh doesn't mention his close assosciation with Hitchens or how regularly he appears on his show etc...

In late breaking news, Hugh finally mentions Hitchens. Read here.