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Editorial: Prosecution of human shields is too much The Stuart (Fla.) News One of the almost forgotten sidelights of the Iraq war was the "human shields." Some 300 of these self-styled peace activists, about 20 of them Americans, journeyed to Iraq before the war with the intention of placing themselves in schools and hospitals to discourage air strikes. Most of them left before the bombing, many of them disillusioned by the Saddam regime's use of them for propaganda purposes and its suggestion that they might more usefully be placed around military targets. Those shields that stayed survived the war, unwitting testimony to the precision of the allies' attack. Now, those Americans who went to Iraq are receiving letters from the U.S. Treasury noting that they face up to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $275,000 for violating U.S. sanctions against Iraq. The sanctions against Iraq are U.S. law and Treasury is not in a position to ignore its violations, but the human shields merit only the most token penalty and probably shouldn't be prosecuted at all. Surely there are bigger sanction busters the Treasury should be after. The human shields and the few dollars they brought with them were of no material benefit to the Iraqis, did not affect the outcome of the war, and engendered more ridicule than emulation. These are not John Walker Lindhs. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -