Comment: America will pay for lost treasures (barforama)

http://www.mysanantonio.com/ ^ | 04/20/2003 | Bryce Milligan

[chasio649]

There are some cultural crimes that transcend mere human concerns like life, liberty and the pursuit of oil. Today, we mourn a loss that beggars the imagination. A hundred generations from now, our heirs will curse us for what happened in Baghdad on April 11-12, 2003.

The origins of the war in Iraq may have really been the cruelty of the Saddam Hussein regime; they may have been simple revenge or pure capitalist greed. It doesn't matter. The fact is, Saddam did not start this war — we did, and that fact imposed certain responsibilities on us.

We took the most destructive force ever assembled and unleashed it on the Cradle of Civilization. And we did it so carefully. We only bombed the new palaces, we aimed our oh-so-brilliant bombs and missiles so as to avoid damaging any of the 10,000 known archaeological sites.

And then we stood by and watched as 7,000 years of artifacts were looted from the National Museum of Iraq. The treasures housed in this museum did not belong to Iraq alone; these were the oldest heirlooms of humanity. They belonged to every one of us.

According to the New York Times, American soldiers intervened at the museum only once, for half an hour, during a two-day binge of looting and bizarrely inexplicable destruction. Despite the desperate pleas of museum officials, soldiers refused to intervene further. Were they under orders to allow this madness? Who said it was permissible to kill thousands of innocent bystanders and not to stand our ground in front of a few looters?

The Geneva Convention is clear about the duties of an occupying force in regard to protecting cultural treasures. Is this why we continue to waffle on our official status? According to Gen. Vincent Brooks, American troops now consti-tute a "liberating force" — a term that has no legal definition and thus no responsibilities. It does not matter that it was Iraqis who did the looting. We created the situation that allowed it to happen, and then we did nothing to prevent it.

This loss is more significant than had the British Museum, the Louvre and the Smithsonian all burned to the ground at once. This loss is on a scale with the burning of the Library of Alexandria under the Romans; it outweighs the sacking of Rome. The destruction of the Anglo-Saxon monasteries under Henry VIII pales in comparison.

There is a special place in hell for those responsible for such crimes and for those in a position to prevent them before they occurred. President Bush had been advised by an international array of scholars months in advance of the consequences of not protecting this repository of the world's oldest artifacts relating to the development of writing and the first documented literary productions of the human mind. This is a war crime, because it is a crime against history itself.

Personally, I would gladly have laid down my life to ensure that future generations had access to these unique records of the beginnings of human culture. I probably would have violated all my own moral convictions about violence: I would have taken human life to protect these antiquities.

Every American officer who allowed this to happen should be held to account. This president should be held to account. But there will be no justice in this matter. No one will take responsibility. Bush will not even apologize. All our soldiers will come home as heroes.

This is hubris, the kind of pride that presages the fall of a civilization. We thought Sept. 11, 2001, was a tragedy; it was only the beginning. We so naively wondered why anyone could hate us enough to wreak such destruction on the innocent folk of New York.

By wantonly allowing the total destruction of the National Museum of Iraq we have given more than ample reason to untold generations of terrorists to spend their lives taking revenge on America. And this will not be limited to a Muslim jihad. This will be an international expression of disgust.

Way to go, Mr. Bush. Now the whole world has reason to despise us.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bryce Milligan is a writer in San Antonio.

[MEG33]

Lib piffle!

[sauropod]

Yup. It's our fault. All the looting by the museum curators. All our fault.

< /sarcasm>

[dinodino]

I'm convinced that one or more insiders did the heavy-duty looting.

[Happygal]

And then we stood by and watched as 7,000 years of artifacts were looted from the National Museum of Iraq. The treasures housed in this museum did not belong to Iraq alone; these were the oldest heirlooms of humanity. They belonged to every one of us.

Looks like Bryce Milligan is lookin' for his 'cut'! *LOL*

[cwb]

Quote:

"Personally, I would gladly have laid down my life to ensure that future generations had access to these unique records of the beginnings of human culture. I probably would have violated all my own moral convictions about violence: I would have taken human life to protect these antiquities."

It's nice to know liberals would lay down their life for something...and take a life.

[putupon]

Bryce

Bryce? How thweet.

[rvoitier]

You never heard anything about the treasures until AFTER the fact. Did anyone hear a media-type say, "I hope they protect the treasures in the museums?" Hell No.

Only until after the fact do they weasel around trying to drum-up a story out of anything that could be construed to put a republican in a bad light.

[verity]

Bryce? LOL

[ml/nj]

I sent just sent this to an Israeli left-winger who stopped worring about projectiles from Saddam, and now worries about "cultural treasues":

I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about the supposed lost "cultural treasures." The jury still seems to be out as to whether much of anything real (as opposed to copies) was taken. And even if there were, I don't think that the Iraqis were going to let me come have a look anytime soon. The knowledge about these things hasn't been lost.

ML/NJ

[nothingnew]

Bryce Milligan

Bryce?...uhmmm...never mind...too insensitive to go there.

FMCDH

[Happygal]

Personally, I would gladly have laid down my life to ensure that future generations had access to these unique records of the beginnings of human culture. I probably would have violated all my own moral convictions about violence: I would have taken human life to protect these antiquities.

This is a bloke who wouldn't bear arms to protect the rape of women, the mutilation of children, and mass-genocide. But he's worried about, what my late mother would have described, as 'dirt catchers'.

Is it ME? Or do I sense a man with his priorities up his anus? ;-)

[Fzob]

I stopped after the first paragraph. Tripe should never be served on Easter

[Happygal]

This is a war crime, because it is a crime against history itself.

Oh be still my bleeding heart. The melo-drama is just too much!

[PokeyJoe]

Hmmmmmmm . . . , "She was asking to be raped by wearing a short skirt, and showing her nipples. It's her fault. The man who did it was only acting on impulse and you can't blame him."

Do we blame the United States for the crime of those who raped this treasure?

I think not.

Those who stole the treasure are criminals.

The United States has sent this "rape victim" (Iraq) to the hospital (new regime) to collect forensic evidence.

The criminals will be caught.

[Arpege92]

"It does not matter that it was Iraqi's who did the looting. We created the situation that allowed it to happen."


Where was this person when Bill and Hillary were looting the White House? These two took anything that wasn't nailed to the floor!

[Pharlap]

Way to go Bryce Milligan. These "artifacts" were, in your opinion, worth more than human lives. It was alright for Hussein to torture, maim and kill millions, so long as your priceless treasures remained intact. Treasures that most never heard of and fewer saw. By the way, how long have you known about them, and why didn't you go to Baghdad as an "artifacts shield" to protect them. You failed your beliefs, your people, your country, and the entire world. And, now you are trying to shift the blame to President Bush. Well it won't work. I accuse you of committing a most heinous crime: faiure to protect artifacts with your life, if need be. You are a craven, cowardly and crass indiviual. Shame on you.

[Axman4]

To: Bryce Milligan
STFU

[Welsh Rabbit]

Personally, I would gladly have laid down my life to ensure that future generations had access to these unique records of the beginnings of human culture. I probably would have violated all my own moral convictions about violence: I would have taken human life to protect these antiquities.

Somehow I doubt it, poof. Anyways, don't get your panties too much in a wad, they have cash value, they'll turn up somewhere.

[Richard Axtell]

Crap. This was an "insurance fire" plain and simple. Keys were used to open cabinets and locked vaults, reproductions and "fakes" were left behind; all indications of an "inside job". Compound this with a history of clues pointing to an ongoing systematic looting of that museum's collection by none other than the chief thief himself, Saddam Hussein, and we have another ill-informed lefty trying to pin anything she can contrive to tarnish what is definately a brilliant victory.
What amazes me is how much such critics strive for the fleeting, temporary polemical advantage these half-baked, un researched opinion pieces garner, and how little they care about the almost inevitable debunking and discredit their claims achieve when all the facts are in. I wouldn't bet on this one being any different.