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Cost of conscience

Morlock - groupie for hire

12:36 / 13.08.03

From the Guardian

During the past few weeks a retired schoolteacher in her 60s and a number of other activists have received warnings from the US treasury that they could face punishment for travelling to Iraq.

"When I came back from Iraq I had a letter from the treasury threatening up to 12 years in prison and up to $1m [£620,000] in fines," said Faith Fippinger, 62.

Ms Fippinger, who retired as a teacher for the blind, spent the war as a human shield, living in the grounds of an ageing oil refinery in Baghdad.

Simply disgusted. If anyone has more details...

Linus Dunce

18:43 / 13.08.03

Petty-minded, but not a new thing. Apparently, they've been sending these letters to visitors to Cuba for some time, with varying success.

Harold Washington died for you

22:44 / 14.08.03

This happens all the time. People break laws for what they think are good reasons, tell everyone they are doing it, then act all surprised and shit when they get caught. Ms. Fippinger and her cohorts should read "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail." That is a nice protest story about a sligtly more popular war. Or use their obviously ample funds to rent a video or two on the civil rights "civil war" black people in the US had to fight to get something done.

Slim

23:10 / 14.08.03

I find the idea of being a human shield in Iraq to be, well, stupid. However, I can't believe they might throw this lady in jail. Correction: I can believe it but I don't agree with it. For what it's worth, there's no way the government is going to throw an old woman in jail.

SMS

01:23 / 15.08.03

I don't know slim. I'd hate to use that as my defense if I were an old woman.

The way I see it, the whole business is running very smoothly. The government does something some people disagree with, and some of those people protest in illegal ways, are arrested, and the public decides whether the protestors are right and so on. War protestors get arrested all the time. It used to be part of the plan. Twelve years seems a bit much, but so does acting as a human shield in an effort to hinder the military's chances of victory. I support everyone involved

Jub

10:09 / 19.08.03

Hey, I think you lot are being a bit unfair here! Afterall he made it quite plain: if you're not with George, you're against him. Simple. If you're against him you deserve prison, old woman or not.

SMS

15:15 / 19.08.03

Are you writing from prison, sergeant?

Slim

01:58 / 21.08.03

Score one for Matthew.

Actually, I found Mr. Stolte's argument fairly persuasive. At first glance, at least. I'm not convinced that the woman's actions were illegal and I'm also not convinced at the public's ability to enforce whatever they decide. I hate druding up the 2000 election again (especially since I don't really think Gore deserved to win) but that appears to me as a clear case of the public deciding one thing and the powers-that-be deciding another. I do agree with you in the sense that a little illegal protesting and proper governmental response are good things for all parties involved.

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