Hitchens Flipping off the Frivolous

This is making waves....

Newsbusters has transcripts and video clips of Christopher Hitchens (not, by the way, your typical Bush-supporter to say the least) flipping off Bill Mahrer's audience for frivolously equating the political goals of Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Bush just because they share similar apocalyptic visions of the end times.

Hitchens called such understanding as "frivolous". According to Websters, frivolous means:

1. a: of little weight or importance b: having no sound basis (as in fact or law)
   
2. a: lacking in seriousness b: marked by unbecoming levity

Frivlous is an apt term for this. I guess I would say that Mahrer's (and many others) contribution to political discourse in the US is generally 'marked by unbecoming levity'. Here's how Hitchens finished his reply to the jeering and Mahrer:

Hitchens: “Cheer yourself up like that [by jeering]. The President has said, [in] quite a great contrast before the podium of the Senate, I think, applauded by most present, in his State of the Union address, that we support the democratic movement of the Iranian people to be free of theocracy -- not that we will impose ourselves on them, but that if they fight for it we're on their side. That seems to be the right position to take, jeer all you like.”

What he said.

(ht: Glenn Reynolds)