[IP] more on Pillagers Strip Iraqi Museum of Its Treasure

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Robert M. McClure" <rmm@unidot.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 13:17:39 -0700
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: Re: [IP] Pillagers Strip Iraqi Museum of Its Treasure

At 05:13 PM 4/12/03 -0400, you wrote:

>------ Forwarded Message
>From: Evan Korth <korth@cs.nyu.edu>
>Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 17:00:03 -0400 (EDT)
>To: Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>
>Subject: Pillagers Strip Iraqi Museum of Its Treasure
>
>Another sad side to the war.
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/12/international/worldspecial/12CND-BAGH.html
>
>Pillagers Strip Iraqi Museum of Its Treasure
>
>BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 12  The National Museum of Iraq recorded a history of
>civilizations that began to flourish in the fertile plains of Mesopotamia
>more than 7,000 years ago. But once American troops entered Baghdad in
>sufficient force to topple Saddam Hussein's government this week, it took
>only 48 hours for the museum to be destroyed, with at least 170,000
>artifacts carried away by looters.

This does not pass the smell test with me.  Just to note a few items:
The fighting's approach to Baghdad was not a surprise.  It had been
coming for some time.  Under these circumstances, the curators of the
museum were being totally irresponsible not to make some provision for
problems of this kind -- such as lock and bar the doors, stash the most
valuable artifacts in the basement, arrange for some private security, etc.
Second, to move 170,000 items would require moving 2 per second for
48 straight hours.  This strains my credulity just a little.  Further, do we
have any reason not to suspect that some of the curators were not "in"
on the job.  Also, how do we know that the treasures had not bee moved
out of the museum well in advance of the attack on Baghdad.  Until these
(and a lot more) questions are asked and answered, I will not accept the
story at face value.

Self appointed cynic-at-large

Bob McClure


------ End of Forwarded Message

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