This post is my contribution to Kesher Talk's blogburst to commemorate the murder, one year ago this August 2nd, of journalist Steven Vincent. I will probably bump and update this post at that time.

My review of Steven's excellent book, In the Red Zone, is here.

Some of my thoughts after his death are here: Still thinking of Steven

I had the pleasure of meeting his wife, Lisa Ramaci, back in November, and she informed me that Steven read this blog on a daily basis (presumably when he wasn't traveling in Iraq).

Steven was one of those folks who watched the towers fall (literally -- he was on the roof of his New York building watching when they fell) and changed forever. He was one of those valuable folks who came to understand that there was real evil in the world, and that good people needed to stand up to it, or failing that, at least recognize and name it. From an email he sent me shortly after happening upon my review of his book:

Steven managed to write a nuanced book while not losing himself and his principles in the details and the confused introspection as so many so-called intellectuals seem to do. A year ago true evil caught up to Steven following that near miss on 9/11. The world is poorer. We still needed him.