Human Shield Buses Stuck in Beirut, Seek Fare Home

Reuters ^ | 3/5/03

[areafiftyone]

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" 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."

[A2J]

"Englishmen and Finns and Turks."

Oh my!

[cake_crumb]

Why is it not practical to drive the busses back?? HOW did he get them to Iraq in the first place, and what was practical about THAT?? (Saddam only buys one way tickets?)

[wasp69]

I hear a really really good country-western song in here somewhere, but I don't know Bob Wills from Bob Marley. Country fans, help me out here!

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy."

[hford02]

If they ever make a TV movie about these twits - is Benny Hill still alive to play the head loser?

[Sloth]

"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."

Again, the unthinking racism of these people -- stating outright that the blood of white Westerners is worth more than that of Iraqi civilians.

BTW, I assume they took the sign off the roof when they left, so as not to be misleading? :)

[CathyRyan]

that is so funny! You just can't make this stuff up.

[kabar]

"Will Shield For Food"

Hilarious. Great post. I guess these shields are bus-ted.

[CFC__VRWC]

Heck, if the "human shields" had any sense of honor and responsibility they would have chipped in to help. Looks like true friendship doesn't exist in the left-wing camps...

Hey man ...like, friendship ends where my dope money begins .... like, ya know?

[js1138]

"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."

Like a scene from Independence Day?

[SarahW]

Well, that would be suicide, wouldn't it?

[A CA Guy]

That bus looks like a military target disguised as piece of human shield transportation.
Has to be the enemy, who could be so dumb as to be a shield for a murdering dictator?

Fire away!

[dalereed]

"I wonder if our troops have been given any instructions pertaining to calling off bombing raids if Human Shields are present at the site"

They should be the first targets!

They are scum and traitors.

[areafiftyone]

I love this. They look so desperate trying to get out!!

[SarahW]

They kept breaking down?

[cake_crumb]

"They kept breaking down?"

LOL...beats me. The reporter seems to have been trying SOOOO hard to make this moron look somewhat intelligent that the whole article makes little sense. I love the fact that he's stuck in Lebanon, home to representatives of every organized terror group in the world.

I'm surprised he didn't stop and offer Saddam's lapdog Yasser just to show what an open minded kinda guy he is.

[RJL]

I wonder if our troops have been given any instructions pertaining to calling off bombing raids if Human Shields are present at the site...I'd be willing to bet that they don't enter the equation at all.

General Tommy Franks said they would do everything they could not to injure the human shields.

My take is that sometimes, everything one can do is...nothing.

[cake_crumb]

I'm surprised he didn't stop and offer TO SHIELD Saddam's lapdog Yasser just to show what an open minded kinda guy he is.

What a difference a word or two make....

[Daus]

I am not even really sure how much money I've got, but I'm sure it's not enough," said owner Joe Letts

Translation: "We smoked a LOT MORE WEED than we had anticipated"

[Pagey]

"I thought I would let people know it's a problem," he added, sitting in a makeshift kitchen on his bus in central Beirut..." It's just not practical to drive them...I am not even really sure how much money I've got" adding that he would fly to London on Thursday to try to raise cash.

Yes you Dumb___,it wasn't very practical to drive them there in the 1st place now, was it? I guess everybody else had money to fly home,eh? In true Hollywood Leftist style,don't think your actions all the way through O.K.?This guy is going to FLY home,try and raise money to 'ship them' home? Do I understand this correctly? Feeling a bit insecure about that LOOOONG drive across the desert alone aren't cha'? LMAO!

[barker]

"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."

LOL These idjits actually think our planes will come in low or slow enough to read their little signs? And guided missles can't read. What fools.