Heh. I was speculating earlier today that the Iraqi National Museum looting might have been pro art thieves. Through sheer luck, it looks like I was right.
Someone should tell those Marines to redo their sign in Arabic, but I’m glad they’re awake now. The FBI is on the job, too. Right reactions, even if we got the initial actions wrong.
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Although your psychic powers are indeed astounding, I find it more amazing that statements amounting to the following passed the smile test in every media outlet for a whole week:
“A mob consisting of dozens of disorganized Iraqi citizens stole countless priceless sand-encrusted bronze, ceramic and wooden artifacts from the Iraqi National Museum last night. Thanks to the sophisticated underworld connections of the average Iraqi citizen, these artifacts will perhaps be traded for a color television, or perhaps several hundred cases of Twinkies.”
Or maybe I’m just underestimating the wherewithal of the average Iraqi looter.
Oh, I dunno. I mean, people were stealing /anything/ not nailed down from government ministries… I sorta figured anything that smelled a little like Ba’athists would get stolen. I didn’t really rethink the museum stuff until I heard about the opened vaults.
But, you know, it’s like Rumsfeld says. Nothing says “celebrating populace” like professional art thieves stealing priceless artifacts.