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Bush Art Advisers Quit Over Iraq Looting
EFLThree members of the White House Cultural Property Advisory Committee have resigned to protest the looting of Baghdad's National Museum of Antiquities. Martin E. Sullivan, Richard S. Lanier and Gary Vikan, each appointed by former President Clinton, said they were disappointed by the U.S. military's failure to protect Iraq's historical artifacts. Why were these appointees still hanging around anyway? That earns this the "fifth column" classification. "The tragedy was not prevented, due to our nation's inaction," Sullivan, the committee's chairman, wrote in his letter of resignation. Inaction? Well, a couple of divisions were out for a drive... Noting that American scholars had told the State Department about the location of Iraqi museums and historic sites in Iraq, he said the president "is burdened by a compelling moral obligation to plan for and try to prevent indiscriminate looting and destruction." Lanier criticized "the administration's total lack of sensitivity and forethought regarding the Iraq invasion and the loss of cultural treasures." Vikan said in a separate interview that he saw "a failure on the part of the United States to interdict what is now an open floodgate." If Allah's treasures are stolen by Allah's followers, couldn't only Allah could have willed it? Posted by: Mark IV 2003-04-18 |
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