Peter Tompa reveals today ('They Shoot Looters, Don't They?') that incredibly they are actually debating in the archeological blogosphere whether execution is an appropriate sanction for disturbing archeological context for personal gain!
The fact that some in the archaeological lobby have supported the ultimate sanction in the past should give everyone pause. The death penalty was imposed selectively in Saddam's Iraq; while those associated with the regime apparently looted with the Dictator's blessing, others without connections forfeited their lives if caught. The same kind of selective prosecution also apparently lives on in today's Iraq, but at least no one is getting executed for looting in areas under government control. And isn't that a good thing?
As Wayne Sayles wisely comments: "Looting, in any case, should be dealt with firmly and penalties should be stiff. But summarily executing looters in one case and virtually ignoring them in another, based purely on ideological and political grounds, is a mockery of justice and a threat to civilization". It is time these people-hating psychopaths were dealt with.
No comments:
Post a Comment