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."

[Dog]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[stanz]

This is absolutely hysterical! Why don't they just take up residence in the buses? Boy, it sure takes a lot of brains to be a civic-minded war-protestor. This should teach the rest of us to be so stupid as to patriotically support our country. - - -LOL!

[elbucko]

Hmmm. This concerns me. Peter, Dan or Tom don't seem to know about this. Perhaps its just an oversight that this event is not reported on the national alphabet news networks. (/sarcasm)

[Tijeras_Slim]

NOT IN MY NAME ON MY CHARGE CARD

[xsmommy]

i think the girlie who plays basketball for Manhattanville College that turns her back for the pledge of allegiance, should hold a bakesale in Beirut in order to raise the $$ to get the brave human shields back home.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

"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."

Very considerate...but you forgot the bullseye.

[Howlin]

LOL....this is too funny!

[dixiechick2000]

JOE LETTS' EXCELLENT ADVENTURE!!!

*SNORT*

[Howlin]

This should be entered into that show My Life is a Sitcom.......it's a sure winner!

[farmfriend]

The check is in the mail.

[Snowy]

LOL!!!!!! *snort!* BWAHAHAHAHA!

[Luna]

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.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[Calpernia]

Proof of the world wide need for human spay and neuter clinics.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Human Shields stage sit –in

Baghdad, March 4, INA

Anti- US campaign foreign and Arab figures of different nationalities have staged sit-in at electricity energy stations in southern Baghdad.

Sitting –in peoples bunked down at the said stations to deploy in preparation for a looming US-led war on Iraq. Calling to dissolve international disputes peacefully and discarding war accent . Affirming their determination to go on their deployment in this civil installation to avert it from being destroyed .

Volunteers affirmed ,through their placards and slogans, their complete solidarity with Iraq in its just cause to live peacefully .

In statements to INA, the volunteers expressed their support to Iraq to reject wars accent .

Meanwhile, Director General of Studies and Planning Department at Electricity Commission Hassan Alwan Hammadi told INA that Electricity Commission has hosted now big number of Human Shields at Electricity power stations in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to protect productive and service installations in Iraq . The volunteers are from different brotherly and friendly countries; Sweden , Bulgaria, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey .

He referred to the real coexistence views of human shields at thermal stations of al- Dora and southern Baghdad electricity stations , and the extent of efforts exerted by technicians , engineers and the sector’s strugglers to work round the clock to provide the system with electricity constantly for the best services for Iraqi peoples.

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[Spiff]

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.

BWAAHAHAHA!!! I hope they get to meet some of the local islamonazis in Beirut up close and personal. I hope they get to experience a little islamonazi hospitality while they're there. I hope the survivors can make it back to London to tell the tale.

[msgrrl]

Oh, man...it just gets better and better. Unreal.

[chiefqc]

I understand that their awaiting the money wire from their hero sh*tdam, he told them that the money is on its way.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa, This is to good to be true. What a bunch of party fu** ups. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I love it. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[dennisw]

Go raise your funds but my advice is don't leave them parked next to Saddam's baby milk factory.

[gulfcoast6]

Retired hippes who come out of retirement never learn.

[Julie658]

How bout "Thank God and Greyhound They're Gone!" I love it.