Human Shields RUN out of Baghdad

Daily Telegraph ^ | March 2, 2003 | By Charlotte Edwardes

[Martus]

Human shield Britons quit Baghdad

By Charlotte Edwardes in Baghdad (Filed: 02/03/2003)

Almost all of the first British "human shields" to go to Iraq were on their way home last night after deciding that their much-heralded task was now too dangerous.

Two red double-decker buses, which symbolised the hopes of anti-war activists when they arrived to a fanfare of publicity a fortnight ago, slipped quietly out of Baghdad on the long journey back to Britain.

Nine of the original 11 activists decided to pull out after being given an ultimatum by Iraqi officials to station themselves at targets likely to be bombed in a war or leave the country. Among those departing last night was 68-year-old Godfrey Meynell, a former High Sheriff of Derbyshire, who admitted that he was leaving out of "cold fear". He had been summoned, along with 200 other shields from all over the world, to a meeting at a Baghdad hotel yesterday morning.

Abdul Hashimi, the head of the Friendship, Peace and Solidarity organisation that is hosting the protesters, told the shields to choose between nine so-called "strategic sites" by today or quit the country.

The Iraqi warning follows frustration among Saddam Hussein's officials that only about 65 of the shields had so far agreed to take up positions at the oil refineries, power plants and water-purification sites selected by their hosts.

It heightened fears among some peace activists that they could be stationed at non-civilian sites. Mr Meynell and fellow protesters who moved into the power station in south Baghdad last weekend were dismayed to find it stood immediately next to an army base and the strategically crucial main road south to Basra. Iraqi officials said there was little point in guarding what they considered to be low-risk targets.

Iraq's decision to force the pace was welcomed by some of the 20 Britons remaining in Baghdad. "It's only fair," said Uzma Bashir, 32, a college lecturer who is one of the team leaders.

"We've come here as shields to defend sites and now the Iraqis are asking us to make our choice."

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

ROFL! The human shield volunteers did nothing more than help prove our point. Saddam is an inhuman SOB, eager to put unarmed people in harm's way for diplomatic leverage, even people who bravely offer to be human shields. It also proves the point that he is a totalitarian dictator. Lastly, it shows that the guy has lost touch with humanity. The concept of goodwill is completely alian to him.

If he had simply allowed them to mingle with the civilians in places of their choice, they would have been a little short term harm to the US diplomatically. But odds are, none of them would have been killed by bombs, either. So in the long run, it would have been a net wash diplomatically.

[billorites]

I wouldn't mind being a human shield on the Costa del Sol right now.

[MadIvan]

Already posted:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/854812/posts

Regards, Ivan

[libertylover]

What a hoot!

[noutopia]

What is the IQ required to be a Human Shield? Do you have to be a moron or just a fool?

[joesnuffy]

Guess they didnt like the War Heads on "the big bottles with fins" at the "Baby Milk Factory"

[Waco]

Actualy it was the toilet paper,,,,,lousy to none.

[noutopia]

Toilet paper is like gold in the Mid-East. Man I wish I had known that before Desert Storm,could have made a lot of bucks.

[logic101.net]

Such brave souls. They wanted to prevent us from bombing only sites we had no intention of bombing? What would be the point in that? Oh, sorry; they are liberals - I forgot.


MARK A SITY
http://www.logic101.net/

[Martus]

As I posted in the other thread, I noticed that the two posts were almost at the same time, and that if you want to delete this one, I'd have no problem with it.

But....great minds think alike?

[thedilg]

"What is the IQ required to be a Human Shield? Do you have to be a moron or just a fool?"

I am not sure but you might pick from the following:

vacuous, mad, idiot, imbelcile, dunce, lunatic, daft, crack-brained, gullible, dull-eyed, motely, simple-minded, blind, weak-minded, misguided, wretched, shallow, stupid feeble-minded,

Then again they all might be needed.

Godspeed, The Dilg

[AmericaUnited]

COWARDS! Your Uncle Saddam must be very disappointed in you all.

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

GREASE EM ALL!

[Damagro]

What is the IQ required to be a Human Shield? Do you have to be a moron or just a fool?

---

Imagine riding all the way to Iraq on a bus and suddenly realizing that you're an imbecile lol

[Damagro]

I want to know how to do that lol

[noutopia]

Can you explain the meaning of life,like that. Only kidding ,that was some kind of thinking in such a short time.

[noutopia]

Seems most the brave Human Shields turn out to be poor whimpy democrat cry babies. Boo Hoo

[xm177e2]

While I was a bloodthirsty gung-ho supporter of this war, the idea of having kill a few white human shields made me rethink just how important it was to attack Iraq for its oil. But Bush called their bluff by drawing out the Security Council proceedings, and it turns out the human shields weren't willing to stick around, so now I can go back to being a bloodthirsty war-supporting racist hatemonger. </sarcasm>

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

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