Folks, we have lost a really good man, a really good man. I never met him, but I’ve long admired his work. My first blog post ever, under another name and on another site, was about him and an article he wrote in the Washington Post. I noted at the time that I felt he was too good for the that awful publication. It wasn’t too long afterwards that he moved over to the New York Times. We actually had a friend, an honest, brave, trustworthy journalist on the staff of that evil paper.
Anthony Shadid passed away in Syria two days ago. Those who love the Middle East and love honesty and courage in reporting about it are all in mourning. Even being shot by an Israeli soldier could not stop him, not that either the Washington Post nor the New York Times mentioned that is was an Israeli soldier who shot him. Anthony Shadid had more courage than exists in either of those two publications combined.
The Angry Arab’s remembrance of Anthony Shadid is at once graceful and revealing.
We have really lost a good one this time.
Yes, it hurts us all when such a one passes. But it hurts his killers far more when they’re outed for what they are: he died because they do not want the world to know of themselves and their evil acts, even such as this.
And while it is true that another or more is ready to take his place, no matter how competent the next may be, s/he cannot ever truly replace the unique talents of the fallen. Again, this is exactly why he was murdered: snipers ALWAYS have a list of priority targets; all others are secondary.
My first thought was selfish; I’ll have to read “Night Draws Near” again. He was the epitome of integrity in journalism. He told the truth with wit and style. His loss leaves a chasm in foreign affairs journalism.
As a conspiracy theorist at heart, I wonder if those horses were tampered with, or if all the depleted uranium in Iraq were what claimed him at such a young age.
RIP.