Hitchens was a little too conservative for my tastes, but he certainly was thought-provoking despite it. I hope he has a nice eternal oblivion...he deserves it for being so honest - and with a nicely wry wit. When asked what he'd think if there was a heaven, he said that would be great and that he likes nice surprises. I just don't know the truths of the universe, but I can't be any more certain of there being no God than that there is one...that takes a bit of ego to conclude, IMO. I'm gonna remain a hopeful agnostic - not ready to totally just give up on faith, but trying to be in touch with reality nonetheless. Not very satisfying to say the least, but it is just the best I can do these days.

I was a "Jesus freak" as a young teen, wearing Jesus patches on my Levis and tripping around all slappy happy doodle "born again". Yeah I was kinda silly, but I was really pretty happy. I miss that warmth and security of my blind faith and the certainty of living forever, but I have to live life as it is, not as it maybe could be. I pray just about daily, but it is a thankfulness, not any asking for anything...I figure God must be really busy trying to fix his mess. I can't absolutely give up on it for some reason...though I know it may be no more than some wasted energy just howling at the moon - not unlike some lost old desert coyote out venting the pain of just being alive...waiting for some sort of response that never seems to really come down from the night sky.

My sister talks WITH God. She has actual conversations with God. He tells her what choices she should make about things in her life in actual words. I think she's in need of some serious reality orientation...but I know better than to ever touch on it with her. It seems to make her happy that she hears the voice of God, so why bother her with any contrary alternate realities? I don't need to be on her shyt list, that's for damn sure. She even says grace out loud at McDonalds and Taco Bell...and if you start eating before they say their meal prayer, you'll pay, baby, you will pay. I don't talk about gays or abortion with her ever anymore, as I have long ago learned that God is a Republican...just ask her - she'll tell you what he said to her today.

Some are threatened by religion and are openly hostile towards people who are religious...not me, though...for all I know they're right. Who really knows?? Not me, kids. But I'm pretty sure Jesus definitely was a liberal; no matter what sis thinks (or hears from the Lord Himself personally)...

I just do the best I can and try not to cause harm to anyone in any way. I try to be real and true and spontaneous and to respect other's rights. I work at being a good man. I don't think you have to get with the fire and brimstone of a lot of the Bible to achieve a basic decent goodness. At least I do the best I can, even IF all there is to look forward to after my certain death is absolute oblivion for all time as my lost electricity careens across space and time being absorbed by all it touches as if that energy was meant to vibrate its way through eternity without awareness of its scattered random journey...

RIP Mr Hitchens. Wherever you may be still vibrating all electric through the universe.