I'm leaving in two days. This is so trippy.

I just taxied my way to Kenner to see George Galloway speak at a gathering for the Muslim Legal Fund of America. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this event, but I was blown away. George couldn't even be there. He was denied entry in the United States, and we don't know if that was a fluke, or if the United States followed Canada in banning him from the country. It seems the Canadian government took issue with his humanitarian work in Gaza, alleging he had given financial and material support to Hamas. That seemed to be the theme of the evening, the tragic implications of that blurry line in Palestine between providing aid and funding terrorism.

I was most impressed by the daughter of Shukri Abu Baker, the President of the Holy Land Foundation. Her father was sentenced to 65 years in prison, after George W. announced that the HLF was at its core a direct supporter of Hamas. Eventually the Foundation was closed on charges of conspiracy to fund Hamas. Hundreds of other organizations, including CAIR and ISNA were labeled as "unindicted co-conspirators," and are still smeared by that label today. Abu Baker's daughter went up and recounted her father's arrest and trial. The FBI stormed their house and rounded up wife and daughters, whom another speaker described as Muslim women in nightgowns with their head scarves not properly on...and handcuffed Abu Baker against a wall. Her account of hearing the prosecution, hearing the verdict, visiting him in a maximum security prison, was just heartbreaking. And moreso now that I've spent some time surfing the internet on the Holy Land Foundation and for some reason, Bush's allegations are still quoted as fact.

If there's one thing we took away from the evening, it's that the MLF is doing incredible work, and injustice only makes the fight for justice stronger. Mr. Galloway was able to join us via Skype and reaffirm his committment to Palestinian equal rights, and everyone in the room was strengthened by the courage of the HLF 5, who are sleeping in prison cells because they raised millions of dollars to feed starving children in Gaza.

Non-Muslims were in the minority, and I was most certainly the blondest person there. I think about that a fair bit. That maybe I was passed the megaphone because I represent a target audience. I use it all the time, I actually get a kick out of it. But tonight I started dwelling on Rachel Corrie, another 23-year-old blonde American from Washington. I always feel like my profile is unique, then I'm reminded of her.

I need to start packing.