Farris Hassan: Life after Baghdad

Remember Farris Hassan? He was the high school kid that hopped a plane and snuck into Baghdad during his winter break in an attempt to jump head-first into what he calls “immersion journalism.” Gotta admire that ambition and that spirit, although after reading this profile, you might question his motives just a bit. Nonetheless, he’s a pretty damn interesting, and certainly adventurous kid. Apparently, he spent last summer hanging out at the Rainbow gathering and in homeless shelters around the country. Here’s an excerpt from his essay on his trip to Iraq, available on Wikipedia:

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. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough selfless individuals answered the call when Sadaam Hussein purged Iraq of its virtuous. 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.