Tomgram: Chalmers Johnson on Robbing the Cradle of Civilization:

Book title: The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad : The Lost Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia
A couple weeks ago, BOOK TV aired this program. Sadly, there’s no video yet:
from June 19, 2005
Milbry Polk and Angela Schuster discuss the effects of the current war in Iraq on the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The editors of “The Looting of the Iraq Museum,” along with Donny George, the director of the museum, explain that more than 15,000 objects were stolen or destroyed and that a large amount of history has been lost. During the event Mr. George shows slides containing pictures of pieces that have been returned since the attack on the museum. This event was hosted by the National Arts Club in New York City.
oh but Susan, don’t you remember what rummy said when the war broke out and they were looting the things and he said he was tired of seeing the same old vase over and over running on tv!!!!! I am sorry, but they do not care about such things. After all it is that they are trying to achieve democracy, now put that in your pipe and smoke it, says rummy…(damn him anyhow)
I happen to agree that is is a severe problem and needs to be addressed yesterday if not 3 years ago. But you see, they did no one ounce of planning in this whole show. NOT one ounce!!!!!!!
Rummy is rummy and a callous bastard to boot.
I’m really sorry that CSPAN2 doesn’t have the video of that program. It was excellent. Sponsored by the National Art Club in NYC, on whose Web site i can’t find anything about the program.
remembering all along that we did not secure the weapons sites either. Look as what is happening in that part of negligence! I think that the world should hold this administration accountable for all that they have done in Iraq in so many ways. God they have done so much wrong!!!!!!!!!!!
or their own personal financial gain they don’t care.
After all Bush doesn’t read, so isn’t Dallas or Houston the “Cradle of Civilization”.
They can care less about any academic or historical objects.
I remember watching the news and the curator of the museum was in tears. We all should weep for losing such rare objects.
There are few things that I can’t bear to read, that are too painful and disturbing to comprehend, but this……this is a crime against the world. I can only hope that one day the world will get the chance to hold them responsible. But no future reckoning could ever balance what has been lost. I am so ashamed of my country.
ditto everything you just said!!!!!!!
More important than the artifacts, it seems to me, are the centuries of civilization that produced them. The land now called Iraq created a legacy of ideas, ethics and aesthetics as well as material improvements that are part of our lives today, even if we are ignorant of this contribution.
Ironically and tragically, we derive our ethical prohibition against killing innocent civilians in wartime largely from this place.
Perhaps even the more progressive of us tend to think of this as a primitive land, yet it seems to me I hear over and over from westerners who have been there even recently, of the friendliness and courtesies of the people. Friendliness may in some ways be a natural trait, but courtesies are the product of culture and civilization.
The dark side of that are the many ways it’s possible to give offense, and the rigid rules of conduct that some seize upon. But generally, we need to be a lot more humble and a lot less ignorant.
Just one more thing to be hated for.
I remember some “friends” snickering at me when I showed my anger about the military setting up a base ON the ruins of hanging gardens of Babylon.
It’s sickening. Doesn’t any country, any world court have the balls to stand up to this regime? What about us? Why cant’ we? I call the news – nothing. I call democrats… NOTHING.
Home of the brave?? More like home of the helpless.