--- ldewey <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The 'locals' - no doubt a term of endearment for those subject to
> occupation and trigger-happy soldiers - by all current accounts, are
> none to happy with their occupiers, so I doubt there's a lot of
> 'going-away presents' being offered.

Speaking of offensive - this attitude needs to be taken of the list,
permanently. Some of those "trigger happy soldiers" are the husbands, wives,
fathers, sons, daughters, grandsons, grandaughts, best friends, or other
relations to people on this list. I'm sure they would appreciate it if you (and
any others who are thinking the same thing) would not demonize them in this
way.

> However this sentence is especially offensive:
>
> >> The Middle East is full of
> >> ancient artifacts like the Western US is littered with Native American
> >> artifacts. People have been selling ancient trinkets for eons
>
> As a matter of fact, international law (remember that?) prohibits the
> removal, much less trade, of 'ancient artifacts' as well as 'ancient
> trinkets' including from Native American lands in the US. It does not
> matter one whit whether the artifact has been accessioned by a cultural
> organization.

Okay, wait a min here. You can drive down practically any road that goes within
50 miles of an Indian reservation in the Western US and find "locals" (for lack
of a better term) selling arrowheads/projectile points, pot sherds, beads, etc.
etc. that could be anywhere from 2 days old to 2000 years old. Likewise, across
the Middle East, go into any market visited by tourists and you'll find someone
selling "ancient artifacts" which usually amounts to pot sherds and badly made
knockoffs. You're telling me that everytime someone finds an arrowhead in their
backyard or a someone in the Middle East stumbles across a piece of pottery,
it's illegal give it to someone or try and sell it to tourists? Please. If that
were true, then I'd wager most of the US and the Middle East is guilty of this.
ICOM really needs to start cracking down on this serious issue.

US soldiers are not going to come home with alabaster statues, cuneform tablets
or the lost treasures from the kingdom of Kush. If they're lucky, they might
find a piece of pottery walking along the road which will later be taken away
by inspectors as their belongings are searched before they leave for home.
Sure, you'll always have a few profiteers as they'll always be around on both
sides of a conflict. But the most your average G.I. Joe is going to come home
with is a wad of Iraqi dinars that aren't worth the paper they are printed on
and a pack of Iraq's 52 most wanted deck of playing cards.

Deb

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