Clowns of Peace

A trio of old clowns launched an assault on America's nuclear missile defense system Tuesday.

Armed guards took the clowns down within minutes. According to one eyewitness, the clowns "ate a lot of gravel."

"The individuals used bolt cutters to gain access to the site. Once inside, they attempted to destroy government property using hammers and by posting graffiti," Col. Sandra Finan, commander of the 91st Space Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, told reporters Wednesday.

The clowns "took a hammer and beat on some of the external components, then they sprayed graffiti in several different locations and hung some signs."

What they spray painted on the side of the missile silo was, "It's a sin to build a nuclear weapon."

Greg Boertje-Obed, 51, Michael Walli, 57, and Carl Kabat, 72, -- two military veterans and a priest -- are volunteers with Nukewatch, out of Luck, Wisconsin. They say their assault was "a call for national repentance" for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

"We make an urgent appeal to the people of the U.S. to change course -- to place our security in God and not in weapons of mass destruction," the clowns wrote on their website.

As for why they dressed as clowns, the answer is simple: "to show that humor and laughter are key elements in the struggle to transform the structures of destruction and death."

Boertje-Obed, Walli and Kabat were brought before South Central District Judge Bruce Romanick and charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief, both Class A misdemeanors. Their bond was set at $500 per clown.

The FBI is investigating the case and further charges are likely to follow.