AP: U.S. Teen Runs Off to Iraq by Himself

[tecelote]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051229/ap_on_re_mi_ea/journey_to_iraq

As an American, I think that this is One Great American.

As a Parent... how could you do this to your parents?

If I knew this kid's email address I would send him an email congratulating him. But, boy do I sympathize with his parents. However, now that he is home safe, I'll bet they are damn proud.

[WI_DEM]

1. so he did this for a journalism class?

Not very bright, but at least he got home instead of kidnapped and killed.

[MsKandice01]

2. Teenagers...SHEESH!!

Talk about naive! I'm just glad he's okay.

[sandrakae]

3. He needs his ass beat.

[tecelote]

4. Are you not proud that he is an American teenager?

This kid acted on his beliefs when most teenagers buy what's hot.

[bloom]

5. Freeper news would have people believe that it's all just wonderful

over there - I'm surprised there aren't more people going over..... :shrug:

[buddysmellgood]

6. He could be a great journalist one day...if he lives long enough.

[DainBramaged]

7. Total moron, total

for what, attention? I don't admire what he id at all. I think he was lucky he wasn't killed or kidnapped.

And the question remains, why didn't anyone think of asking him some basic questions?

Something is wrong here. If Nixon 2.0 can spy on us, how does this kid fly everywhere without so much as a raised eyebrow?

[Carni]

73. I wondered the very same thing

If this kid doesn't crow about how great things are there and write a flowery piece about our *liberating Iraq* (which would tell me this was a bush set up deal) then there is something very seriously F'd up with our system...how does a 16 year old kid get a passport and fly to a country we have invaded?

[tecelote]

8. Does anyone have his version of this? Please post it.

[superconnected]

9. leaving the country is too far to take off to. Glad he's okay.

16 is too young. I took off the week after my 19th bday and hitchhiked to Manhattan from Seattle. I really wanted to see NY. After I got there, my parents wired me the money to take a greyhound home, and then bought me a car and told me to drive for now on(that trip was the first and last time I ever hitchhiked). Iraq just isn't the same thing. Glad he's alive.

[Oreo]

10. Here's a link to excerpts from his essay

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051229/ap_on_re_mi_ea/journey_to_iraq_essay;_ylt=Am5wgJqZ_S6UIJTYXtI3K8xeW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Excepts from an essay written recently by Farris Hassan, 16, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who traveled to
Iraq without telling his parents:


There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction. You are aware of the heinous acts of the terrorists: Women and children massacred, innocent aid workers decapitated, indiscriminate murder. You are also aware of the heroic aspirations of the Iraqi people: liberty, democracy, security, normality. Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help ... So I will.

Life is not about money, fame, or power. Life is about combating the forces of evil in the world, promoting justice, helping the misfortunate, and improving the welfare of our fellow man. Progress requires that we commit ourselves to such goals. We are not here on Earth to hedonistically pleasure ourselves, but to serve each other and the creator. What deed is greater than sacrificing one's luxuries for the benefit of those less blessed? ...

I know I can't do much. I know I can't stop all the carnage and save the innocent. But I also know I can't just sit here ...

-snip-

If I know what is needed and what is right, but do not act on my moral conscience, I would be a hypocrite. I must do what I say decent individuals should do. I want to live my days so that my nights are not full of regrets. Therefore, I must go.


This is from a 16 year old... amazing

[fbahrami]

72. who is her referring to

when he writes of evil forces massacring women and children? "Coalition" forces? It sounds like he's drinking the cool-aid served to Americans.

[Carni]

74. As I suspected this sounds like a photo op ala bush admin

I could be wrong but there's a lot of spouting about good and evil there IMO

[DainBramaged]

11. Since When does a 16 year old get to fly out of the country un-escorted?

Why did he have a passport? How did our customs people NOT pull him aside to question him?

Something doesn't smell right with this story.

[CottonBear]

14. High school students fly overseas un-escorted every day.

I met lots of young people (under 18) traveling alone in Europe when I was there.

[DainBramaged]

16. When, in the Sixties? My Daughter just got back late summer

And even with the class escorts and teachers, they went through hell being checked at every entry/exit point in Europe.

[CottonBear]

26. Early 1990s in Europe and England. n/t

[RagingInMiami]

28. I used to fly to Colombia unescorted since I was ten

[uppityperson]

35. You can get a passport on your own at 15, no parents needed

Customs people question people coming INTO their country. 16 yr olds don't need parental permission to fly. If a kid knows what they are doing and doesn't act immature, they can and do travel alone a lot.

One problem about traveling that young is some countries won't rent a hotel room to a minor. I think they want to protect kids and themselves from wild parties or sex trade perhaps, but I guess they'd rather have them out on the streets than safely in a hotel.

[Carni]

75. But isn't the Iraq airport under US military control?

I thank you for the explanation about being able to get a passport at 15 but this story still seems a tab bit odd or set up IMO

Wouldn't the military suspect him of being a potential terraist once he arrived in Bahgdad?

[Ms. Toad]

37. Don't know about in and out of the country,

But 11-13 seems to be the cut-off age at which most airlines believe kids are mature enough to fly unescorted.

(We still paid for an assist for our daughter until this summer at age 15 whenever she had to change planes to get to her grandparents, but there are some airlines which don't even offer the option once kids hit the cutoff age.)

Not only that, but up through age 16 kids can fly both unescorted without an ID - which leaves fairly major security loopholes for younger looking adults who can pass for under 16.

[Scout1071]

43. Better question would be, where did he get the money?

It has to cost a great deal to get to Baghdad. Especially for a 16 year old.

And what the hell was the purpose of his trip? Didn't sound like reporting to me. Based on the snippet above, almost sounded as if he went to fight.

On edit to note: It's fairly difficult to buy a plane ticket without a credit card these days. Even if the kid had a checkbook or cash, you have to buy directly at an airline counter in advance. In that case, NO AIRLINE should have let a 16 year old kid pay cash for a ticket to Baghdad.

[onenote]

67. the kid is from a well-to-do family

The tuition at the prep school he attends runs 17 grand. THe story said he had $900 bucks he'd gotten from his parents, which is really not that much (every 16 year old I know has an iPod, a laptop, and a host of other "toys" that cost far more than $900). I also know 16 year olds with credit cards.

onenote

[Dervill Crow]

83. Not my 16-year-old or his friends.

This story stinks to high heaven to me. Not to sound like I'm the racial profiler, but it really sounds like airport security was looking the other way on this one.

But then again, it's Florida. Strange things seem to happen there.

[BeHereNow]

48. Sounds like a propaganda swag to me...

produced by the same team who concocted the
"Babies thrown out of their incubators on to the cold floor..."
As in the RENDON Group.
Pure BULL SHIT if you ask me.
Hell the "Good /Evil" crap is straight out of the Bush
speech writing team's office.

BHN

[Carni]

76. I agree with you behere -- I smell bushit

And right on the heels of the *baby Noor* story-- this all sounds like staged crap IMO

[John Q. Citizen]

55. Yeah, I got a smell from reading it too. The time line is kind of

irratic and where'd he get the dough from for side flights? He went and saw friends and they helped fly him to Bagdad?

[CottonBear]

12. Farris Hassan is a very lucky young man

He seems like a good kid. He's got the material for one hell of a college application essay. :) He has the makings of a top-flight war jouranlist. However, he may never leave the house again according to his mom.

[tecelote]

13. Here, here.

[darkism]

49. Cheers to Farris!

Whatever his writings may say, I admire his dedication and wish I had his determination. Maybe I'm nuts, but I think reporting from Iraq would be fascinating.

[Initech]

15. Wow, that kid is fucking nuts!

Pretty cool that he did that!

[tecelote]

17. Wish you did, eh?

Find out the truth and all?!

I wish I had the guts this kid has.

Hat's off to him.

We all sit here and believe what we want to believe from all of these news sources and blogs we read. This kid hit the road to find the truth. At 16, it is very admirable. At 70, it's still very admirable.

This kid should be what America stands for, people willing to find out what the truth is. People that care.

[Initech]

23. Cant afford the plane ticket!

[FlemingsGhost]

18. We'll still be in Iraq, two years from now. I'm sure Hassan will elist.

He can write for Stars and Stripes.

==============================

"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction," he wrote.

"Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."




:eyes:

[tecelote]

19. I hope he writes for the New York Times.

I hope that they get their act together.

He sees good and evil and that bothers me because the world is not so simple. However, he has had an important experience and his views are valid and newsworthy.

I hope that he continues his distinctly American approach to discovering the truth.

[FlemingsGhost]

34. I hear Judith Miller's positon is available. He's a perfect fit ...

Spewing NeoCon bullshit, in a self-righteous manner.

:puke:

[silvermachine]

61. Position available...

...snip
<<<I hear Judith Miller's positon is available>>>

In that case he better bring his kneepads to the interview.

[DainBramaged]

21. I see it too, too canned for me, too much like a Nixon 2.0 speech

[mcscajun]

33. He's still in the world of Black and White...total right or total wrong.

He's been more than sheltered; sounds like giant helpings of Kool-Aid.

Maybe he'll have a new perspective after he's absorbed his recent experience, and his mother gets through talking his ear off.

[Carni]

77. His father said he *fought against Saddam for years*

When I caught this story on CNN this morning--that immediately made me wonder if this was more Chalabi type bullshit. Now that I read part of the kid's essay I think my initial impression was correct.

[otohara]

89. He's A Member of Republican Club @ His Expensive

prep school. Very pro-democracy - Did he learn through the Iraq elections that a theocracy has emerged and democracy can't be forced at the barrel of a gun?



Hassan, who works on the school newspaper and is a member of the Republican Party Club and the debate team, is a driven student who is taking a demanding course load of Advanced Placement courses, Atiya said.

Julie Schiedegger, who teaches English at Pine Crest, said she learned Farris Hassan was headed to Iraq about two weeks ago when she overheard some students talking about it.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/13518649.htm

[Carni]

92. I also think it's odd that he doesn't speak Arabic

I mean at least SOME...I know many Iraqi people who are first generation Americans but they still speak a smattering of Arabic.

It would be very unusual for his family to speak nothing but English if the father was from Iraq. Just something that struck me as sort of odd!

[Stand and Fight]

22. Thank you...

I don't see anything praiseworthy about the stupid actions that kid took. He couldn't speak a word of Arabic and apparently couldn't even fend for himself. Left alone he would have ended up dead. He's very lucky to be alive. How can he be so dumb as to believe the nonsesne that he writes about terrorist? I would love to quiz this kid since he is a so-called "history buff." I'm willing to bet you he's not much of an academic and surely not very analytical in his "approach" to reason or journalism. Pulling a stunt like this is indicative of an ill-formed ability to plan or form logical thoughts. Not to mention the fact that he totally disregarded his parents' feelings in the process. Keep drinking the kool-aid, Hassan, and enlist on your 18th birthday... :eyes:

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stand and Fight]

38. Watch yourself buddy.

I am knocking it, and don't you dare go slinging insults. Calling me a Republican is extremely, extremely offensive. Take that shit somewhere else.

As for this kid you're glorifying... I call them as a I see them. He's no different than any other kid who does something dumb. Just because he did something even dumber does not mean he gets a pass. He's just the king of the idiots is all. :evilgrin:

[tecelote]

40. Sorry about the Republican slander.

This is free speach at it's best.

Call them as you see them? I respect that, but tell me about some kid that did something this brave. Drive by shootings? High gaming scores? Breaking in to the fashion world? Tell me about some kid that did more than this kid.

[Stand and Fight]

41. Joan of Arc.

[FlemingsGhost]

42. Don't confuse bravery with life threatening foolishness, mkay?

And speaking of bravery, how about all the children who have or are currently enduring the poverty and lawlessness of our poorest urban neighborhoods. The bravest amongst them, work their asses off and make sacrifices Hassan would know little about, to actually succeeed, despite the deck being stacked against them. I wonder how long the prep-school genius, with a wad of mommy and daddy's cash, would last living there ...

Hassan could have gone to New Orleans, to make his point. That, I would have applauded.

[Midlodemocrat]

65. Brave isn't the word I would use.

Stupid. Foolish. Foolhardy. Those fit the bill better.

There are plenty of opportunities here in American to 'make a difference' without going to the extreme this kid did. I think he showed a tremendous lack of judgment, as did his parents in not going to get him.

[mcscajun]

20. He's what Bugs Bunny would call an "Ultra-maroon"

"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea." (Sounds like a quote destined for the Underestimation Of The Year Award.)

Ya' THINK!?!?! He's lucky to be coming home, instead of turning up as the latest headline in the NY Times' International section: American Teenager Kidnapped by Insurgents -- followed weeks later by a video of his decapitation.

His mother has him pegged, though: "I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."

[tecelote]

25. His mother is right to demand that he be honest with her.

The rest of us should honor his guts and nobility.

He wouldn't accept what he heard and risked his life for the truth.

How American can he be?

Even if you disagree, how can you critisize this kid for doing what he thought was right?

Unless, you are his parents.

Honestly, if my kids pull such a stunt they will be shackled for life.

[mcscajun]

32. One can be noble and still be an idiot.

He's got more guts than brains, right now. That will change, and he's lucky to have the opportunity for it. I trust his mother still has some "lessons" for him. :)

Fortunately, he now has the time to grow up a bit more and acquire some common sense. That will serve him well when he finally gets out of school and works with the Red Cross.

[RagingInMiami]

27. He's probably going to be accused of being an "enemy combatant"

[otohara]

88. Nah - He's A Member of Republican Club @ His School

if he were a dem, then yes and they would torcher him.

[RagingInMiami]

29. Having read through his essays, I see the kid is wise beyond his years

I'm proud to call him a South Floridian.



Excepts from an essay written recently by Farris Hassan, 16, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who traveled to Iraq without telling his parents:

There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction. You are aware of the heinous acts of the terrorists: Women and children massacred, innocent aid workers decapitated, indiscriminate murder. You are also aware of the heroic aspirations of the Iraqi people: liberty, democracy, security, normality. Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help ... So I will.

Life is not about money, fame, or power. Life is about combating the forces of evil in the world, promoting justice, helping the misfortunate, and improving the welfare of our fellow man. Progress requires that we commit ourselves to such goals. We are not here on Earth to hedonistically pleasure ourselves, but to serve each other and the creator. What deed is greater than sacrificing one's luxuries for the benefit of those less blessed? ...

I know I can't do much. I know I can't stop all the carnage and save the innocent. But I also know I can't just sit here ...

I feel guilty living in a big house, driving a nice car, and going to a great school. I feel guilty hanging out with friends in a caf_De without the fear of a suicide bomber present. I feel guilty enjoying the multitude of blessings, which I did nothing to deserve, while people in Iraq, many of them much better then me, are in terrible anguish. This inexorable guilt I feel transforms into a boundless empathy for the distress of the misfortunate and into a compassionate love for my fellow man ...

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless the one who gives them.

Going to Iraq will broaden my mind. We kids at Pine Crest (School) live such sheltered lives. I want to experience during my Christmas the same hardships ordinary Iraqis experience everyday, so that I may better empathize with their distress. I also want to immerse myself in their environment in order to better comprehend the social and political elements ...

I plan on doing humanitarian work with the Red Cross. I will give my mind, body, and spirit to helping Iraqis rebuild their lives. Hopefully I will get the chance to build houses, distribute food supplies, and bring a smile or two to some poor children.

I know going to Iraq will be incredibly risky. There are thousands of people there that desperately want my head. There are millions of people there that mildly prefer my demise merely because I am American. Nevertheless, I will go there to love and help my neighbor in distress, if that endangers my life, so be it ...

If I know what is needed and what is right, but do not act on my moral conscience, I would be a hypocrite. I must do what I say decent individuals should do. I want to live my days so that my nights are not full of regrets. Therefore, I must go.

[tecelote]

31. Thanks for posting this.

[RagingInMiami]

36. No problem

New Mexico is one of my favorite states. Love the green chile.

[Pewlett Hackard]

68. what an amazing young man

I hope the world will read his story and his words, and learn that this is what the USA stands for. This is the kind of people that our great system produces.

[ama]

91. he also drives a car?

I feel guilty living in a big house, driving a nice car. at what age can you drive in America?

[otohara]

93. When He's 18 - He Won't Be Joining The Army

will he?

No he will stay in the comfort & prosperity of the USA and spew republican BS - like so many before him.

[CJCRANE]

30. Idiot -

just think of all the officials he would've put in harms way if he'd been kidnapped and they tried to rescue him.

[Daphne08]

39. And I thought MY sons gave me gray hair

when they were teenagers. They would have never thought of anything like this!

:eyes:

[bleedingheart]

44. KEY STATEMENT - Did you read what the military officer said?

"One U.S. military officer said he was shocked the teen was still alive. "

yeah...Iraq...oh so safe...
If it was my kid I would ground him until he was 30...

[Barkley]

45. 'The State Dept. advises U.S. citizens against travelling to Iraq...'

The State Department strongly advises U.S. citizens against traveling to Iraq, saying it "remains very dangerous." Forty American citizens have been kidnapped since the war started in March 2003, of which 10 have been killed, a U.S. official said. About 15 remain missing.

Freedom is on the march

[DainBramaged]

46. The last word, wonder if he was paid by the Nixon 2.0 Administration?

[Harper_is_Bush]

47. Naive little idiot....

"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction," he wrote.

"Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."

:eyes:

Good for him for having some guts and wanting to be "altruistic", but he's got the place all wrong.

It's not a struggle between good and evil. The vast majority of the insurgents in Iraq are no more evil than American troops are.

[DainBramaged]

50. This is believeable, more than his "story" of travel to Iraq

http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/

[Synnical]

51. "I feel guilty"

No doubt Rush will blame this on the LIBERAL folks who care about individuals.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-ciraq30dec30,0,2325181.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

"I know I can't do much. I know I can't stop all the carnage and save the innocent. But I also know I can't just sit here ... I feel guilty living in a big house, driving a nice car, and going to a great school. I feel guilty hanging out with friends in a cafe without the fear of a suicide bomber present. I feel guilty enjoying the multitude of blessings, which I did nothing to deserve, while people in Iraq, many of them much better then me, are in terrible anguish. Going to Iraq will broaden my mind ... I will go there to love and help my neighbor in distress, if that endangers my life, so be it ..."

The teen traveled throughout the Middle East for two weeks before walking into a war zone office of The Associated Press news agency in Baghdad on Tuesday. The Associated Press immediately called the U.S. Embassy.

[NightOwwl]

52. Did no one else notice this hidden gem:

"And he said he spoke with U.S. soldiers guarding his Baghdad hotel who told him they are treated better by Sunni Arabs — the minority population that enjoyed a high standing under Saddam Hussein and are now thought to fuel the insurgency — than by the majority Shiites."

Wish a reporter would ask Bush what he thinks about this turn of events.

[txindy]

94. Yep, I spotted that, too. Along with that other little gem.

The one where Farris' mother comments that he's in a Young Republican Club at school. The scamp.

I hope no one had to endanger themselves for even a moment to get that idiot out of Iraq.

[Jamison]

53. He should have prepared better

and maybe even studied the assimilation tactics of CIA operatives. At the very least he should have learned Arabic enough to be semi-fluent. He also should have worn traditional Iraqi dress and studied the culture more. They say his parents are Iraqi, so physically he could blend in very well.

[Catherine Vincent]

54. Did he get an A?

:)

[currents]

56. Hey That's Cool, Life's a Journey

Better than staying at home watching TV and posting on internet forums talking about real life and not experiencing it.

[FlemingsGhost]

57. Yah ... too bad I didn't have wealthy, absent parents growing up.

I could have experienced so much more of what life has to offer.

$2,000 of "pocket money" could have come in handy ...

[NuttyFluffers]

62. heh, youthful naivete + large disposable income = wide world of trouble

well, he could've taken up an all-too-common, expensive, drug habit like many youth his age with way too much pocket money. though his odds of survival between self-destructive addiction vs. war zone would definitely be higher with the addiction. in rehab they don't snipe you and have random wheelchairs blow up.

i'm fully in favor of the mom restricting his access to just about everywhere now. he definitely did show an incredible lack in judgment. it's a miracle he's back home alive; there's so much he could have done in any of the nearby persian gulf states that could've gotten him killed, enslaved, or worse, let alone sauntering into a war zone in iraq.

[Maeve]

64. I agree--he's lucky not to be a Darwin Award candidate! n/t

[LisaL]

58. And just in a couple of years, he could be actually send there.

All he has to do is enlist. WTF is the big deal?

[wicket]

59. Something stinks about this story

n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

60. What's funny about this

is how severely it contradicts the official story of "all the good things" going on. The lieutenant that picked him up couldn't believe he was still alive. The one time he strayed from the international journalist hotel he felt he was being dry-sniped by ordinary citizens. The kid himself thinks he would have been killed had he entered the country the first time. This story only further illustrates the shit hole we have made of Iraq, which even the Star calls a "death zone."

[hang a left]

63. I have to agree with BeHereNow upthread. Story doesn't make sense.

AND those evil cab drivers that overcharge:eyes:

From the middle of the article:

Most of Hassan's wild tale could not be corroborated, but his larger story arc was in line with details provided by friends and family members back home.

snip>
As luck would have it, the teenager found himself at the Iraq-Kuwait line sometime on Dec. 13, and the border security was extra tight because of Iraq's Dec. 15 parliamentary elections. The timing saved him from a dangerous trip.

"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea."

He again called his father, who told him to come home. But the teen insisted on going to Baghdad. His father advised him to stay with family friends in Beirut, Lebanon, so he flew there, spending 10 days before flying to Baghdad on Christmas.
snip>

and snip>
Embassy officials had been on the lookout for Hassan, at the request of his parents, who still weren't sure exactly where he was. One U.S. military officer said he was shocked the teen was still alive. The 101st Airborne lieutenant who picked him up from the hotel said it was the wildest story he'd ever heard.

on edit: If that would have been my son I would have been flying my butt to Kuwait to bring him home by the knap of his head.

[bloom]

69. The author, JASON STRAZIUSO, also wrote quite a few Berg stories

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nicholas_Berg_(External_Links)

I think it's pretty fishy. Esp. when there is so much fake journalism being paid for.

Has the student been on the Today show, yet? It might seem a little more believeable if he were actually out there being interviewed.


Look at all the stories Jason (or anonymous AP) posted on this:

Fla. Boy Who Traveled to Iraq Flying Home

Timeline of U.S. Teen's Journey to Iraq

Fla. Boy Who Went to Iraq on His Way Home

AP: U.S. Teen Takes Perilous Trip to Iraq

AP: U.S. Teen Runs Off to Iraq by Himself

Essay by U.S. Teen Who Went to Iraq

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/section.cfm?id=93&tmpl=intl_sub


From another of Jason's AP articles - lots of pro-Bush propaganda thrown in:

Car bomb explodes outside children's hospital; Baghdad governor targeted
05:00:15 EST Dec 19, 2005

JASON STRAZIUSO

...In a speech Sunday, U.S. President George W. Bush praised the vote and warned against a pullout of U.S. forces.

Hours before Bush spoke, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Baghdad, saying the election's strong turnout had brought Iraq closer to taking control of its own security. But Cheney also cautioned against a rapid U.S. withdrawal.

Bush said last week's voting would not end violence in Iraq but "means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror." He warned that a U.S. troop pullout would "signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word."

"We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us, and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever before," he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/051219/w121922.html


And posted 6 hours later:

Biological weapons expert among detainees released from jail in Iraq
11:15:03 EST Dec 19, 2005

JASON STRAZIUSO

BAGHDAD (AP) - About 24 former top officials in Saddam Hussein's regime, including a biological weapons expert dubbed by the Pentagon as Dr. Germ, have been released from jail, while a militant group released a video Monday of what it said was the killing of an American hostage....

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/051219/w121940.html

[BeHereNow]

81. I can't find a bio or ANYTHING on the author...

Think he exists?
I just did a seach- not one bio for the guy
on the net.
Anyone else care to try?
I had no luck what so ever.
Plenty of links to his articles, but
nothing what so ever on him professionally.
?
BHN

[LeftHander]

66. That is the face of the next generation....

we all sit around bitching and moaning about this and that....most of our kids can't understand what's going on over there, why we are there...

It is this kind of initiative that we need for the future.

It is kids with minds like his that refuses to accept the "story" being told that will lead the future of journalism if not the world.

[ridgerunner]

70. I don't trust any puke myself

"He is a member of a Republican Party club at school."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10650661/

[Carni]

79. Oh geeeezz-- I will just bet his father is a chalabi insider

This sounds like something straight from the Reston group/sorry but it does.

[trixie]

71. Maybe he can sway teens away from recruiters

He did say in the interview that he was unprepared for the hostility and danger. This contradicts the Bushites and their "everything is rosy" attitude.

His mother did say that he would face a long grounding for he had proved he could not be trusted to make good choices.

[JI7]

78. imagine the treatment he would have received if he had gone against

the Chimp administrations line.

seeing the shit he wrote and how he doesn't even speak arabic. i can see why he had it mostly easy.

as someone else said, lets see how serious he is when he graduates high school and whether he signs up for the military .

[Blue_Tires]

80. something strange here

i mean honestly; the kid admittedly didn't know a single word of the language, had a U.S. passport, and probably had to have a TON of cash on him ($2000-3000 by my estimation)

He would have stuck out like a sore thumb, and I'm supposed to believe he waltzed around with free reign in the MidEast and Iraq with NO protection for two whole weeks?

and how does $900 get you to Baghdad? A quick web search shows the cheapest flights from BWI to Baghdad START at $1600--and that's three months in advance...

[BeHereNow]

82. You want strange? Try to find a bio for the author...

An AP writer with NO bio or anything else
on the net?
Nothing but links to his articles- not a single
professional listing.
Hmmm.
That seems odd to me.
BHN

[Blue_Tires]

84. found a little bio info

http://scrippsjschool.org/iij_interns.php?story_id=121

brief mention in this piece

http://www.dartcenter.org/articles/oped/2004_05_24.html


evidently he reports from Baghdad...He was also closely linked to the reporting of the Nick Berg case


But still, this story seems too storybook/hollywood script sweet...I can't really doubt the kid went over there, but I would like to know the REAL story of 1. how he got over there, and 2. what he really did while there..

and another thing: Why were the AP and U.S. forces inside the Green Zone so eager to help him when he first showed up on their doorstep, and introduced himself as a 16-year-old American there alone doing a high-school journalism project? Does this not warrant some serious question-asking from the people in charge over there? Did they just believe his story at face value, or was there some implicit message passed down from up high saying "this kid's all right; he's on our side"?

[BeHereNow]

85. You turned up more than I could! And I agree...

The whole story reeks of "People Magazine"
journalism.
Can you say "Lifetime Movie" just around
the corner?
I don't beleive a fucking word of it
and SERIOUSLY question who is bankrolling
this "journalist."

BHN

[DainBramaged]

86. Again, could he be on the Nixon 2.0 payroll?

We've all seen what the scum-fucks in DC will do, the same letter sent to dozens of newspapers with different soldier's names, paying off journalists, paying the Iraqi media off to produce "good" news, and on and on and on.

This story falls under the category of "Holy shit it STINKS around here".:think:

[erpowers]

87. My problem

My problem with the story of this kid is that they are trying to make him out to be the smartest kid in the world or some type of genius. This morning on the news the reporters were trying to make out like it was so hard for teenagers to get passports and international airplane ticket. Most of this is that hard to do. The only thing that would be hard for any other teenager would be getting into Iraq. It seeming that this kid was able to get in because he his father or some family friends helped him get into the country.

[watercolors]

90. Heard a report this a.m. that

he had help from his father, do not know if its true, just heard a quick sound bite as I was fixing breakfast, from local channel here in Fl. It seems plausible to me, I can't see how he accomplished the trip without help. Passage had to be booked early and application for visa. One would have thought a parent had to sign for a 16 yr old!