U.S. troops accused of damaging Babylon's ancient wonder

Originally posted by jerico65

Originally posted by Floating thru Reality
They were probably looking for weapons of mass destruction and protecting the site from Al-Qeada?

Actually, if you read the article instead of just posting smack, you'd have noticed this little tidbit:

"Coalition forces first occupied the Babylon site in April 2003 during the ground campaign of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a purpose, among others, of protecting the ruins from looting after the provincial museums in Babylon and Kufa were robbed of their entire contents," said Lt. Col. Tamara Parker, a spokeswoman."

Originally posted by Floating thru Reality
The American military has zero honor at this point. They know they are fighting wars based on lies, but they continue to obey orders from traitorous criminals. When are the American people going to put a stop to this murder?

Whatever.

So what your saying is that they wanted to protect the museums and the ruins, but they were incompetent? The museums get robbed, the ruins are damaged, and they claim they were only trying to protect them. That doesn's pass the laugh test.

Originally posted by Floating thru Reality
So what your saying is that they wanted to protect the museums and the ruins, but they were incompetent?

I never said that they were incompetent. It sounds like they were digging in, and damaged the ruins in error. That is, if you can believe the article, since it already has errors in their reporting.

Originally posted by Floating thru Reality
The museums get robbed, the ruins are damaged, and they claim they were only trying to protect them. That doesn's pass the laugh test.

When the museums were being robbed, it was by Iraqi civilians when the fighting was still going on, not by US military.

[edit on 31-7-2009 by jerico65]

reply to post by Floating thru Reality


The Ishtar gate is an interior gate - inside Babylon. It is covered with images of dragons and young bulls. The processional way can be followed for a half mile or so.

Significance - Ishtar is one of the names for the goddess Ashtoreth, also known as the Queen of Heaven. Ever hear of the holiday, EASTER?
This is the anglicanized Ishtar. There are many references to this goddess, and "sacred groves" both in the Bible and Greek mythology.

There are many pictures on the web devoted to ancient Babylon - and photos of Saddam Hussein's palace that is built just outside of ancient Babylon.

BTW - Hussein thought he was the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar.

reply to post by skycopilot


You also might want to review pics of the "Embassy" the U.S. built in Babylon - it is at least at large as the Vatican. (You should see how much we THINK it cost.)

reply to post by serbsta


Do you think the troops even knew it was an ancient wonder?

I highly doubt they're discussing the ancient antiquities of the world while they're blowing through the desert in their humvees.

I don't agree that we should be allowed to do such things, but if a war is taking place in a country, this is one of those things that is bound to happen.

It's a shame, but the United States is paying for the restorations. Or should I say, me and the United States tax payers are.

Originally posted by Zenic
reply to post by serbsta

 

Do you think the troops even knew it was an ancient wonder?

I highly doubt they're discussing the ancient antiquities of the world while they're blowing through the desert in their humvees.

Perhaps not..but that's what chain of command is for, and that's where it flopped.

I'm glad they damaged the site. Babylon is a place of evil and should be destroyed. the government is trying to unearth demons under the sands

Originally posted by lllSlughornlll
I'm glad they damaged the site. Babylon is a place of evil and should be destroyed. the government is trying to unearth demons under the sands

Archaeologically speaking, that's a really moronic statement. Burn any books lately? How about witches?

reply to post by serbsta


"So shall Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and shall be found no more..." (Revelation 18:21,RSV,1952)

"...for thy merchants were the great men of the earth, and all nations were deceived by thy sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and all who have been slain on the earth." (Revelation, 18:23,24,RSV,1952)

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird; for all the nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness." (Revelation 18:2,3,RSV,1952)

If you support and are a part of Babylon, your fate is sealed!

Originally posted by LanMan54
If you support and are a part of Babylon, your fate is sealed!

Oh, grow up!

I cannot help but notice that you are writing with an alphabet that was born in...wait for it...
BABYLON!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f093c20bcc61.jpg[/atsimg]

Babylon is a part of the world's heritage and is more than just a symbol in your religious guidebook.
Please get a grip.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


What difference does that make? What was written will still occur. Doesn't change a thing. If I wrote it in Chinese would that make any difference.

Click here for more information.

Global outcry resulted in the US Senate finally ratifying the ""The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict"" in 2008.

Prior to 2008 we have 100% immunity for destroying archeological sites. Only now will we have to hand over some paper from the printing press for destroying humanity's history.

It is such a shame what has happened to many archeological sites in the Near East due to in fighting inside countries as for example in Israel/Palestine, Egypt, and actual war's like in Iraq and Iran and Afghanistan. SO much history is lost. But unfortunately the fact is soldiers are not archeologists. They are trained to do one thing Blow S*** up! They are not peace keepers, and restorers contrary to popular opinion.They are trained to kill, maim and mutilate the enemy using any means necessary to achieve the objective. It is only a recent development that steps are trying to be implemented to give personal considerations to local traditions and history. And to be honest with you that is not the military's job. You don't send a killer to due an archeologists job plain and simple.

Originally posted by Golithion
It is only a recent development that steps are trying to be implemented to give personal considerations to local traditions and history. And to be honest with you that is not the military's job. You don't send a killer to do an archeologists job plain and simple.

True, but as I said, there is a chain of command and the military is in full knowledge of what assets are important. None of it occurs in a vacuum. The military blew it on this one.

As to the religious remonstrances in this thread, that's the same kind of mentality that led to the demolition of the Buddhas of Bamyan, by your pals and mine, the Taliban. en.wikipedia.org....

Sorry...the Koran is not the final arbiter on world cultural heritage sites, nor is the Bible.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck



Look to quote the late great David Carradine "I'm a murdering ****** you knew that. And there are consequences to break the heart of a murdering ******"" The military is the military whether it is high up or the low down devil dog. That is the number one reason you should have caution when sending them among a civilian population. War is crazy, hectic, and the closest thing to hell man has made. When you see a man standing with a rocket propel grenade you are not going to think is he standing on a precious archeological artifact. You are going to take him out, their are consequences to sending men and women into battle and it should not be taken lightly.
I hate the fact that history has and is being destroyed, but if you want to blame somebody you blame the guys and gals that sent them there in the first place not the ones doing what they are trained to do.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


"...the Koran is not the final arbiter on world cultural heritage sites, nor is the Bible."

Your right! The Almighty will decide what stays and what goes!

Originally posted by Golithion
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

When you see a man standing with a rocket propel grenade you are not going to think is he standing on a precious archeological artifact. You are going to take him out, their are consequences to sending men and women into battle and it should not be taken lightly.
I hate the fact that history has and is being destroyed, but if you want to blame somebody you blame the guys and gals that sent them there in the first place not the ones doing what they are trained to do.

But we are not talking about the heat of battle here:

(CNN) -- The U.S. military did major damage to the site of one of the wonders of the ancient world while converting it into a base, the United Nations said in a new report. The site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was converted into Camp Alpha shortly after the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. The troops and their contractors caused "major damage" by digging, cutting, scraping and leveling while they were revamping the site to meet military standards, the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, said in a report. edition.cnn.com...

The US military should have done better...Oh, and while they were guarding the Ministry of Oil, they allowed the Museum to be looted. So, the problem was systemic and they screwed up.

reply to post by lllSlughornlll


Babylon, and all that it represents, and all who commit 'fornication' with her, are spoken of in Revelation, Chapter 17 & 18. They are to experience the judgement and doom. Babylon is the '...the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk." Symbolically, the word 'wine' as used in this sentence of Holy Scripture represents '...the blindness with which God afflicted both individuals and peoples for their rebelliousness and lack of faith...". Lots of people blind these days.