National Pie Day

Happy National Pie Day! I like pie. I like fruit pie, cream pie, ice box pie, pizza pie. Pie is good.

This last weekend flew by. Here it is Monday already. Hubby arrived home safe and sound from the record breaking freezing cold of the former Soviet Union. After a month of that fun, he was ready to be home. He was able to relax and catch up Saturday and Sunday. I won't be serving cabbage anytime soon around here!

Son and I went to the Theatre District Saturday afternoon and watched a local high school's production of "South Pacific". A friend of son's was in the cast. A good time was had by all but that was one loooong production. For the second act, sailor caps were distributed for audience participation. Nice touch. Seems it is the school production season around here. Next weekend I am committed to go to my girlfriend's son's production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and son was promised a friend he will go to her school's play Sunday afternoon as she has directed a one act play.

Anyhoo, remember that 16 year old kid from Fort Lauderdale who decided he would further his journalistic dreams by going to Iraq and reporting first hand, on his own? The media here went gaga over the story. What a strange, yet brave young man. Didn't you think something was funny, and not in the good way, about that story? Well, seems it isn't really as the press would have you think it is. The boy, Farris Hassan, was not enrolled in a journalism class at Pine Crest School, as was claimed. And he was never given an "immersion journalism" assignment. His father, Dr. Redha Hassan, not only knew of his son's travel plans, but also authorized his absence.

Dr. Hassan not only knew of his son's travel plans, but he arranged for the flight into Baghdad through political connections. Further investigation into this family shows that Dr. Hassan was arrested by the FBI in 1985 for forging 2000 Iraqi passports and military ID cards and he was seeking to forge 2,000 more. Dr. Hassan asked his next door neighbor, a print store owner, to make the documents. Hassan claimed they were for family in Iraq. So, the print store owner reported this to the FBI and worked with them on the case. Two of the boy's uncles and an activist labeled "pro-Khomeini" were also arrested with his father. Under the name of Redha K. Alsawaf, Dr. Hassan was the President of a Florida non-profit, now defunct, World Orphanage and Refugee Relief Foundation.

The boy spent 10 days in Beirut after being turned away at the Iraqi border due to the upcoming elections. While in Beirut, he met with a media relations officer of Hezbollah at their Central Press Office. The meeting was arranged through his family's friends.

Perhaps now this family's association with Hezbollah will be investigated. No mention in the media after glamorizing this kid's journey. Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim organizaton based in Lebanon and tied to Iran. With a large presence in Iraq, its army's mission is to drive Americans out of Iraq. Hmmm...


"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend". - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.