Over the weekend progressives lost two international voices for decency and reason in politics. As we all know Christopher Reeve was a heroic voice for stem cell research. He will be missed.

In addition, the Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida dies Firday as a result of pancreatic cancer. For those of you who have not heard of Derrida (who taught in both France and at many US colleges such as Yale, UC Irvine, NYU and Johns Hopkins). He was an early supporter of the anti-apartheid movement and supported many dissidents in Eastern Europe. His support of dissidents in Prague got him in serious trouble with the communists. More recently, he has lent his support and voice to groups like the International Writers Parliament that seeks to give haven to dissident writers. In the last months he has spoken up in support of progressive voices in the US and against the invasion of Iraq. He had given support to the work of the BRussels Tribunal.

He was the author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books. Most recently Routledge published his "On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness".

http://www.brusselstribu...l.org/pdf/Derrida_EN.htm

Christopher Reeve was a good man...

Thanks for pointing Derrida out, John, and giving that link. I saw that This Week included him as well in their "In Memoriam" section on Sunday.

Brad,

Yeah. There were also obits in all the major papers (LA Times, NY Times, Wa Post, GUardian, Le Monde, etc). In fact, just like last year when Edward Said died, i was contacted to write an essay on him for a major international journal. This should be coming out in Devember. i think with Derrida, as with Said and Reeve their heroic stands must be honored not only with words but with action.

This idea that Reeve, for example, was exploited, suggests that he did not have a commitment to the political battle concerning research. Such positions, which i have seen elsewhere, mistake the manifestation of his spinal cord injury for an inability to think and act politically.

I can vouch that John's essay on Edward Said is really great.

Saying anything to win:

Edwards: 'When John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk. Get up out of that wheelchair and walk again'...

A link please Paul, including context. If he actually said that then it was an unethical promise he should be called out on.

Mrs. J,

thank you very much. The Said essay, actually came out last December; the Derrida essay should be out this December. i will know more Friday. What i wrote about Derrida on Saturday, in my proposal after i was contacted, was that his death as an event provokes us to revisit those aspects of theological work done under the influence of or in response to his work. My thoughts are the same with Reeve. To honor his death, we take up his fight. One thing we do not do, however, is to chop up a quote like Paul did above. From what we now know, Edwards was talking about the return to and broadening of research and opening the possibility of treatments and cures. Its not that a cure is inevitable but that we need to do the work.