Fascinating interview

The Cutting Room: George's interview with Col. Bogdanos (uncut) 24/04/06 runs 17:52 Watch Video Coming Soon, from CBC Worldwide: Robbing the Cradle of Civilization

This was a fascinating bit on one of the people who has been looking for the stolen antiquities from the early days in Iraq. This fellow, Col. Bogdanos, has spent a fair bit of time looking for the stolen stuff, and what I found interesting about this interview was how frank he was about the operation.

I do wonder, though, if we'd look differently at the war and coverage if we still used ancient names. It comes home in a story like this ... they can SAY Baghdad all they like, but the reality is that its Babylon that was shelled, invaded, looted, and now occupied. Perhaps using the modern name Baghdad makes it seem easier, or different, but Babylon is one of the most ancient cities in not just our history, but in all of history. There are Indian sites, and Asian sites, but Babylon represents a true birthplace of the modern urban culture. I just think, sometimes, we forget where we are. Seeing a report like this, about artifacts from the 8th century BC being stolen, it drives home that we really are pissing in the original sandbox here. It doesn't get too much more original than Babylon folks.