Most antiquities found, unharmed

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 5/5/2003 | Christine Spolar (CHICAGO TRIBUNE)

[sjersey]

BAGHDAD - The vast majority of the Iraqi trove of antiquities feared stolen or broken have been found inside the National Museum in Baghdad, according to American investigators who compiled an inventory over the weekend of the ransacked galleries.

A total of 38 antiquities, not tens of thousands, are now believed to be missing. Among them is a single display of Babylonian cuneiform tablets that accounts for nine missing items.

The single most valuable missing piece is the Vase of Warka, a white limestone bowl dating from 3000 B.C.

[LiteKeeper]

Take that, you over-reacting LIBS!

[MizSterious]

Tempest in a teapot alert! Most items never even left the museum!

[MizSterious]

If only it were just the media. A lot of Freepers got their knickers in a twist over this too--a lot of "blame the troops" or "blame the planners" going on.

[Fifth Business]

They broke through a cinder-block barrier to the room to find ... about 5,000 less-valuable items, missing.

How does this reconcile with the 38 number at the top of the article? It sounds to me like the number should be 5,038+ and still counting.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this.

BTN for you to use as a two by four on a certain phoney conservative all bent out of shape about this weeks ago.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping.

We honest Freepers knew all along that this was a scam and a creation by the NY Slimes!

[wideminded]

Somebody needs to clarify things a little more than this article does. Earlier reports mentioned vaults cleaned out by professional thieves with keys, thousands of looters taking everything in sight., heads removed from statues, entire libraries of cuneiform tablets missing, imams begging congregations to return looted items, etc. Prior articles also implied that the records had been damaged, making an accurate invemtory almost impossible. So, if they found all the missing items, where were they, and why did the museum directors claim that everything was looted, even after Saddam was defeated?

[Grampa Dave]

Amen x.

This is more documentation of a long time concern I have re a about 1% of Freepers who claim to be conservative.

They take these BS articles/opeds from the NY Slimes/LA Slimes, Boston Globe, Reuters or AFP and run and rant with them as another example of how GW and our military or whoever has failed again. Their 1% peers jump on this short run band wagon and scream and shot how we are going to hell thanks to GW.

Then they never bother to say I was wrong when the truth finally gets out.

Beware of so called conservatives who cite left wing BS as things to be worried about or to be ashamed about. This is a prime example of their scam on Free Republic.

[Grampa Dave]

Well the lies about the stolen art have been blasted by this article.

[Temple Owl]

Check the political cartoon in the same edition of the Inquirer. It has a museum-type matron asking Bush, "Why didn't you do anything to protect Iraq's age-old treasures?

The cartoon has a rat-faced dubya pointing to a barrel of oil saying, "Oh, but I did."

This is in the same newspaper! The Inquirer is farther to the left than the Daily Worker ever was. They still do stories about Cuba being a Garden of Eden. It's a house organ for the communist party.

[Temple Owl]

Be careful with your math. They may have included the valuables the Clintons looted from the White House. LOL

[BOBTHENAILER]

A total of 38 antiquities, not tens of thousands, are now believed to be missing. Among them is a single display of Babylonian cuneiform tablets that accounts for nine missing items.

"BTN for you to use as a two by four on a certain phoney conservative all bent out of shape about this weeks ago."

If only it were just the media. A lot of Freepers got their knickers in a twist over this too--a lot of "blame the troops" or "blame the planners" going on.

This one's for you AVRWC as I recall your condemnation of the troops awhile back. We all anxiously await your Garofalo like apology.

2X4 delivered.

[MizSterious]

Don't forget Fifth Business, who still maintains the U.S. messed up on this one.

Can you imagine how long a list of "places to protect" would be if everyone placed their pet concern on it? Hospitals? Schools? Museums? Rug merchants? Sidewalk cafes?

[Shermy]

"CNN story absolutely agonizing"

CNN often agonsizes. Struggling with their consciences as being Americans is their main occupation. Second is doing stories about media reports on stories, the role of the media, the media's role reporting on the media, on and on.

[Grampa Dave]

CNN is the great agonizer. Anything besides truthfully reporting the news!

[Shermy]

Something like 5 of the top museum officials took an oath on the Koran to not cooperate with the Americans.

Lock them up. Imams "cooperate" with the US, there's no bar. They protest too much, and I bet they aren't religious to begin with. I imagine the Koran has more to say about them, thieves. Off with their hands!!!

[Grampa Dave]

Allow me to serve up the Crow for these phoney conservatives pushing the lies of the NY Slimes to take a cheap shot at our military, Rummy and President Bush.

[Grampa Dave]

Yes, turn these so called keepers of the artifacts over to the Imans who are backing the US.

Maybe if they lose their hands or another organ, that might stop lying on that end.

All we can do on this end is to serve a large helping of crow to the phonies on FR who rallied around the lies of the NY Slimes.

[Mister Baredog]

Fox News is just like my paper, The Daily Oklahoman. Either one of those outlets reports news like this

My LA Slimes doesn't mention this at all. CNN is still running the "BIG LIE" as of this AM. They did a piece in a NY museum where the curator is decrying the losses to the world. Not a mention of the "good news" about the museum.

[fella]

these rumors of massive looting would have continued as fact!

What makes you think they wont. This time next year the demonrats will be screaming these rumors to the rafters in their campaign speaches.