Experts Thieves Pillaged Iraqi Museums

Biloxi Sun Herald ^ | 4-17-03 | Jocelyn Gecker

[whadizit]

"...post a link.."

I am racking my brain trying to remember where I saw it. I have been all over internet and TV cable news for the last wk. I surely will let you know if I can trace my steps.

[HiTech RedNeck]

That said, it is pretty cool that their is a proffesional class of criminals (in the spirit of great novels) that would plan, during a war, to loot valuables from the vaults of a state....it is very exciting...

Yep, the perfect crime... IF in fact it happened during the war. Those folks deceive so much, it's hard to tell what's the truth. It may have never gotten into the vaults in the first place.

[Unwavering Conservative]

I missed that show.

I normally don't watch ABC.

I prefer FOX News.

[Unwavering Conservative]

I think you're right.

The liberal media hates that this war has went so smoothly.

[ambrose]

"I have a suspicion it was organized outside the country. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was."

France.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

>>"Not a word yet, as far as I have seen...and I've been looking."

(crickets chirping)



The person who had the keys would be the first place to start. Whoever had a copy could be interrogated (if they are still alive) and we could at least get a date/time of when the keys were taken. They could also give a starting point when the items were last seen.

I have a hunch that they have been gone for a while. After all, we telegraphed this for an entire year.

If a Hussain family member didn't do this, they helped or got involved somehow. When these things start showing up on the market, we can trace them to somebody. Ill bet they have been in circulation before Baghdad fell. Just a hunch. What are they going to say if we find all this stuff in the bunker Saddam died in?

[cookcounty]

"If you can catch Nightline tonight, don't miss the WHINING by the guy who quit today as our "cultrual advisor." Note: he's a Clinton appointee. The whole show was packed with lies."

I was waiting for ABC's cocking head to ask "In your careful deliberations to protect these treasures, what was the plan you presented General Franks to prevent looting? Did you discuss the danger of looting with General Franks or his staff?"

[Only1choice____Freedom]

>>"I have a suspicion it was organized outside the country. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was."

>>France.


It is the Pink Panther.

[cookcounty]

'" I'll bet they have been in circulation before Baghdad fell."

According to NBC tonight, objects have already been showing up in Europe. Given thatt this looting supposedly just happened, and the lack of air teansport out of Iraq......these items were probably gone before the US got to Baghdad.

[Lauratealeaf]

It is the Pink Panther.

LOL!

[ambrose]

According to NBC tonight, objects have already been showing up in Europe. Given thatt this looting supposedly just happened, and the lack of air teansport out of Iraq......these items were probably gone before the US got to Baghdad.

SO now the media will say it is STILL our fault because the Baathists wouldn't have stolen the items in advance of the war if we had not invaded..

[holyscroller]

I heard a TV report last week that said the vault door was a foot thick, and there wasn't a mark on it. It had obviously been opened via the usual method, not forced open or blasted open.

[Maximum Leader]

Organized outside the country-- my bet is the Russian mafia.

:o)

[JasonC]

"have a suspicion it was organized outside the country"

Why would it be any harder for Baathists to organize it inside for the purpose of selling them off to collectors, than for art collectors to organize it outside? Who cares about this numbnut's "suspicions"? He has no actual knowledge - unless he is in on it.

"the only way to do it is by looting"

Wonderful morals, there. It is never the "only way" to feed your family, to steal. You can work, you can if you must even beg, but you needn't steal. The idea that you can sell an artifact by sundown to buy bread is also more than a little silly. These are not exactly the easiest things to "fence". A sofa would be easier. No, people who take *extremely valuable* but hard to get rid of pieces, are motivated by *greed*, not love of family, hunger, etc.

"U.S. troops, who stood by and watched"

Bald faced lie. Betrays political motive, as well. The whole thing has turned into a three ring propaganda circus, and people are making things up ("suspicion, outside the country"), deliberately excusing blatant criminality ("only way to feed"), and flat out lying. The coverage and reactions are almost as scandalous as the behavior of the actual Iraqi looters.

[montag813]

"It looks as if part of the theft was a very, very deliberate, planned action," said McGuire Gibson, president of the American Association for Research in Baghdad. "It really looks like a very professional job."

I thought it was all OUR fault? They used current employees with "vault keys". An Army PFC is supposed to somehow guard against this?

[hadit2here]

I'm getting so pi$$ed off with all the liberal media's constantly harping on the fault of the US Military being the cause of everything. They're damned if they do something, damned if they don't do something. How were our troops supposed to be everywhere and anticipate everything that the Iraqi regime or it's criminals would do? Like one poster said, most troops were probably ducking incoming fire rather than worrying about Iraqi's stealing their own antiquities from museums... but it's good fodder for the treasonous media to trumpet more anti-US krap.

[Nefertiti]

"STOLEN"

Hate to make it sound like I'm under reacting, but the stuff was only stolen... yes it is very wrong to steal, but usually the sole purpose of taking that type of thing is to resell it. I would rather hear that the artifacts had been stolen and not smashed. All of these items will turn up over time.

"Much anger has been directed at U.S. troops, who stood by and watched as Iraq's treasures were carted off."

Hogwash! How very typical of the SunHerald to word this article so that the blame is pointed at our troops *yawn* it makes me sick and bores me all at the same time.

Porterville, I thought it was kind of cool also... I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the "art experts and historians" had something to do with it!!

In Washington, the FBI announced Thursday it had sent agents to Iraq to assist in recovering stolen antiquities

Did anyone else catch this??.... I love it, this line made me giggle, it's almost made out to sound like an old James Bond, FBI vs. International Gang of Thieves...So I must say again.. Cool!

Gibson said. "I have a suspicion it was organized outside the country. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was

First suspect... this guy, who is trying to point the finger of blame anywhere but at himself.....

U.C. Thank you for pinging me to this.. I actually had fun...

TTFN

Nefertiti@-->---

Here is another post talking about this subject from earlier in the week, it anyone wishes to read more

Looters Ransack Baghdad's Antiquities Museum

[ScaniaBoy]

I wrote on an earlier thread that yesterday (Thursday) it was reported on Swedish text TV news that historical artefacts from Iraq had started to appear on the black market in Paris!

Now, granted that organized crime syndicates have large resources it still sounds a little too soon if the museum was looted a couple of days ago. So either this story is phoney, or the museum was looted long before the US army entered Bagdhad.

ScaniaBoy

[SunkenCiv]

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