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thedrifter
03-06-03, 06:41 AM
Wed Mar 5,11:43 AM ET

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two red double decker buses and a white London taxi that ferried anti-war activists to Baghdad to serve as "human shields" are stranded in Beirut with their owner short of the $5,500 it costs to ship them home.


The buses and taxi, dusty after a six-week overland journey that began at London's Tower Bridge, were plastered with signs saying "No to a war on Iraq (news - web sites)" and "No to war, Yes to peace."


"The buses have to be shipped back. It's just not practical to drive them...I am not even really sure how much money I've got, but I'm sure it's not enough," said owner Joe Letts, adding that he would fly to London on Thursday to try to raise cash.


"I thought I would let people know it's a problem," he added, sitting in a makeshift kitchen on his bus in central Beirut.


Letts said he left London with 45 human shields of 10-12 nationalities, and picked up a dozen or so more in Turkey before arriving in Baghdad, where he spent a week sleeping in a power station hoping to prevent a possible U.S.-led attack.


"We were taken to see some of the installations that the Iraqis thought were suitable for protection," he said, adding that he had feared a bombing campaign could start at any time.


"We painted a huge sign on the roof saying human shields, so when any planes bombed the target, they'd see they were killing us -- Englishmen and Finns and Turks."


Some 50 other Swedish anti-war human shield activists who had traveled to Iraq began to leave on Monday, saying they had wanted to protect hospitals and schools but had been forced out to refineries, power plants and water works.


Letts said about 200 human shields, including many who traveled on his bus, remained in Baghdad when he left. But he said that although he stayed on as a shield for a week, he had no intention of staying in Baghdad for the duration of a war.


"I own these buses and they are my livelihood and my family's livelihood. And all along I was there really to take the people down and then come back," he said.


When he left London, he thought he had enough money to pay to ship the buses home, but ended up spending his personal finances to help pay for the trip.


"I had promised my wife I would get the buses home," he said. "If I don't get them home, we're absolutely stuck."



Sempers,

Roger

thedrifter
03-06-03, 06:57 AM
03-05-2003

Guest Column: Confronting ‘Human Shields’



By Au-Yeong Soong-Kong



Four weeks ago when reading an article in DefenseWatch about the ugly quandary that U.S. and British military aviators may face regarding strikes on Iraqi dual-use structures such as powerplants (“Protect Pilots from a Cruel Legal Dilemma,” Ralph Omholt, DefenseWatch, Feb. 5, 2003), a far more serious dilemma came to mind: the so-called “human shields.”



As we all know, in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein's regime imprisoned dozens of expatriates to be used as “human shields” in order to deter allied airpower from vital buildings. Guess what? Now the Baathist despot gets several (London) busloads of “peace activists” (more accurately, misguided cretins) volunteering to be chained to bridges, power plants and other possible targets on allied aviators’ air tasking orders.



While anyone with common sense may spend a few minutes guffawing at the crass idiocy of their stand and the fact that several have reportedly deserted en route (due to money shortage or a sudden restoration of brain activity), a more serious question pops up: Will coalition airmen face war crimes accusations if they blast air defenses, palaces, communications facilities and other buildings that are decorated with civilians who willingly offered themselves as cover?



Or on the other hand, could these “shields” be tried for treason for aiding and abetting the enemy in wartime?



The peace activists claim that they are there to defend poor suffering Iraqi folk by being there for them and showing solidarity for their pain. They apparently think that by being in innocuous places like schools and hospitals (which the rules of engagement would forbid targeting anyway), they will prevent the war, save Iraq and become heroes.



It is noteworthy that most of the original 1990 hostages have already condemned the activists’ actions as either misguided, foolish or selfish. What's going to happen if our troops and airmen are exposed to unnecessary danger because of them?



Consider these scenarios:



Example one: In downtown Baghdad where a nightmarish urban battle has just begun, a section of infantrymen has come under fire from a sniper who is hidden inside a school. The only safe way to take him out is to direct an M3 Bradley fighting vehicle to punch his suspected location - all the windows - with its 25-mm. cannon. But hold on, there are Western civilians inside, and those HEI rounds could set fire to the school and incinerate them too. What now lieutenant?



Example two: an F-16 flight tasked with SEAD over Baghdad has come under fire from some 23-mm AAA positioned on the rooftop of a power plant. It would be best to knock out the nuisance with a Maverick, but, FLIR shows several people chained around the AAA! Now what?



Does anyone think the “human shields” will survive? Or should they?



Au-Yeong Soong-Kong is a history student and a resident of London. He can be reached through dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

Sempers,

Roger

thedrifter
03-06-03, 06:58 AM
February 5, 2003 12:49 <br />
<br />
Protect Pilots from a Cruel Legal Dilemma <br />
<br />
By Ralph Omholt <br />
<br />
As the U.S. military continues to surge combat units into Southwest Asia for possible war against Iraq, a...

SgtBigK
03-06-03, 07:41 AM
The shield with the buses stuck in Beirut. That's his problem. He should have had enough money to support his venture. That is one of the most stupid things about these people besides going in to a possible battle zone, they expect others to pay for their stupidity. I heard about a 19 year old girl that was raising money to go be a shield. My opinion is, if you want to do that, YOU pay for it. I think I carry enough freeloaders on my back as it is. I don't need to be, nor should I have to fund another person.
I say again, too bad if he dosen't have the money to get his busses back, why did he go in the first place if it was a problem. These people think they have a right to others money to fund their stupid actions.

mrbsox
03-06-03, 08:39 AM
Lets see if I got this 'chicken sh!t' quote right...

"But he said that although he stayed on as a shield for a week, he had no intention of staying in Baghdad for the duration of a war. "

I thought that was their FUKCING PURPOSE. Go over there, act the fool, and make US question what we are doing. What good is he if he's NOT THERE during the bombing campaign??

I think he (they) just p!ssed off a bunch of Pilots, that were looking forward to seeing the look on HIS face in a missile camera.

Terry

MillRatUSMC
03-06-03, 09:06 AM
Let's get this right;"We painted a huge sign on the roof saying human shields, so when any planes bombed the target, they'd see they were killing us -- Englishmen and Finns and Turks."

Some 50 other Swedish anti-war human shield activists who had traveled to Iraq began to leave on Monday, saying they had wanted to protect hospitals and schools but had been forced out to refineries, power plants and water works.

Letts said about 200 human shields, including many who traveled on his bus, remained in Baghdad when he left. But he said that although he stayed on as a shield for a week, he had no intention of staying in Baghdad for the duration of a war.

"I own these buses and they are my livelihood and my family's livelihood. And all along I was there really to take the people down and then come back," he said.

When he left London, he thought he had enough money to pay to ship the buses home, but ended up spending his personal finances to help pay for the trip.

"I had promised my wife I would get the buses home," he said. "If I don't get them home, we're absolutely stuck."

My notes;
No, he's absolutely stuck and I bet old mum is going to kick him in the rear end for being such a damn fool.

Seeing that his new friends have so much money, why didn't they fund the return of his buses and taxis's.
Make one wonder if any of these fools know what up!
Just like those Swed's, who thought they were going to protect hospitals and schools, but that's not what the Iraq's wanted them to protect.
Than the stupidity of painting a sign "Human Shields" on a roof of a building.
Might the Iraq's now paint those on many buildings that they don't want bomb?
Now for his like here in the States, many remind me of their like in the sixties and seventies.
Many were protesting because they feared that they might get called.
Now many in those universities are out there again because they fear they might get a call.
They take the best of this Nation and will never repay what they have taken from the bounty of this great Nation.
What a bunch of ingrates!

Semper Fidelis
Ricardo

Phantom Blooper
03-06-03, 10:39 AM
AHHHHH!!!!Too bad,so sad!! I'm Glad!!

Lock-n-Load
03-06-03, 11:46 AM
It's "Rough" in the field..LOL..LOL...hey Letts, cruise missiles can't read...they could have solved your problem about sending those shltboxes of yours home...I hope you rot in rotten Baghdad and you get splashed...you wanted action ...now, you see it, first hand...the cruds of the cruddiest, you want to protect...all you loud-mouth and dissenting bastards... SUCK....in your case, your ass belongs at the edge of an armor-piercing round...I pray you see the bullet that rips you apart!!LOL:marine::marine:

firstsgtmike
03-06-03, 12:17 PM
A pitiful example of Dedication, Motivation, and Committment to a cause.

They should be stopped at the border and sent back to complete their well-publicized promise.

They volunteered to take on a job. They volunteered to take on a mission. They should be required to complete it. They should NOT be permitted to hide their involvement.

By definition, war means killing. War means devestation. Anti-war means being against ANY killing, ANY devestation. Being anti-war does NOT limit itself to being against the destruction of schools and hospitals.

Schools and hospitals do NOT require protection, only identification. Schools and hospitals are NOT targets.

If your purpose, as a human shield, is to prevent killing and destruction, then you position yourself in front of targets.

However, through leaflets and broadcasts, we have promised that we are coming, that war (killing and devestation) is coming.
Avoid targets. Anyone who chooses not to listen is guilty of stupidity. Oftentimes, stupidity is punishable by death.

And when stupidity is your choice, that's not MY problem. If I tell you that you are sitting in a target area, and you choose to debate the point....... you lose. Goodbye!.

The human shields have taken the leaflets and broadcasts to heart, and want to return home. I insist they receive as much publicity on their return trip as they received on their outbound trip, and have them explain their sudden change of heart.
------------------------
No further details will be provided, but.. I was in a situation which required the proving of my determination and sincerity. It was in my best interests to make him a believer.

I placed a paperback book on the table. I put his hand on the book. I unsheathed a k-bar knife. Eyeball to eyeball, I told him I was going to drive the knife into the book, on a count of three. If he believed me, he would move his hand. If he didn't believe me, he would leave it where it was.

Fortunately for him, he believed me. I still have the k-bar. The book was unreadable, so I gave it to him as a memento.
------------------
I'd like to sit down and have an eyeball to eyeball with the human shields.


Semper Fi

USMC0311
03-06-03, 01:37 PM
Too bad. I'm glad They been Had and they Sad. screw the muthers and the transportation they rode in on.
Fate is a *****. Carma iz alive and well :D

Barrio_rat
03-06-03, 02:02 PM
Would be a wonderful twist of fate if Beirut confiscated the busses from them. Better than that would have been if Saddam had kept the busses for himself! Perhaps the busses won't pass customs going back home... we can only hope.

Armory
03-06-03, 03:45 PM
Stupid people are fun to watch...........................from a distance.

lurchenstein
03-06-03, 06:54 PM
I'd like to see if those buses are Shield Amphibious Vehicles (SAV's). Makes as much sense as the rest of their journey.:evilgrin:

JChristin
03-06-03, 08:59 PM
I thought human shields were trojans?

Once used, remove and toss out the back window.


semper fi
jchristin

USMC0311
03-06-03, 09:02 PM
Originally posted by JChristin
I thought human shields were trojans?

Once used, remove and toss out the back window.


semper fi
jchristin

No Marine "human shields" would be found under panties. :D

"never let'em see ya wet" ;)

could that be a commerical OR What :p

SgtBigK
03-07-03, 10:55 PM
I said I wanted to see some hard Corps Marines. You guys are brutal. I love it. Kinda brings tears to my eyes.

YES, 1stSgt. I like that kick @ss take no prisoners attitude!

Makes me yern for Marine Corps days gone by.

Earle Comstock
03-08-03, 06:12 AM
I think this problem with the buses has an easy solution , a gallon of gas and a match . Ok maybe a few hundred gallons but no more , cause then it will raise the price of gas over here .
I gotta come clean though , I usually use the gas and match for Jap bikes , but felt it better suited for the buses and their riders .