US Troops Destroy Babylon

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
I doubt more than 5% of Americans have heard the names Monticello and Mount Vernon (in the context of the houses, not towns )

What's that got to do with anything?

Paul Revere's house is of no historical significance. The two places I mentioned are.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
What's that got to do with anything?

Paul Revere's house is of no historical significance. The two places I mentioned are.

My point was that you picked two places that a very minute portion of the US citizenry care about, much less have heard of.

[laurentius]

These people are completely retarded. Cursed are the mothers who gave birth to these vandals.

As for other Americans, I recommend you not to travel abroad for about 300 years, if you wish to be respected as equal. And then some Americans wonder why people "hate them" or "are just plain anti-american"

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
My point was that you picked two places that a very minute portion of the US citizenry care about, much less have heard of.

So?

[techumseh]

As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination.
When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.
-- Oscar Wilde, "Intentions"

Out of the mouths of 'poly.

[Dinner]

If it matters Saddam ruined most of Bablyon in the 1970s. He paved over the original site and created a kind of theme park to attact tourists which was gawdy and looked so fake. I'm sure the tanks and the military base which now occupies the area didn't help and caused further harm but once the tea cup is smashed to bits does it really matter if a few of the bits are crushed further?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Sandman
Can someone explain to me the rationale behind using an ancient, precious city as a military base?

My understanding was that people complained that archeological ruins weren't being protected so they built a military base on top of the place. Be careful what you ask for.

[DRoseDARs]

They set up there with the publically expressed purpose of "protecting" the site. This clearly does not sound like "protecting" the site. Highly sloppy of the world's supposedly most advanced and organized military.

[Dinner]

To expect more reveals a lack of actual experience with the military and how it really works.

If you want a painting you get a painter, if you want a suit you get a tailor, but don't expect guys who blow **** up to understand real historical artifacts. To say they are unsuitable for the job is an understatement as there are a lot of dumbasses in uniform.

[DRoseDARs]

Or that they really need to stop over-selling themselves or risk facing charges of false advertising.

[DRoseDARs]

Well, that explains why it took so long for my post to register: You were busy DanS'ing your's.

The commanding officers tell their peons "Touch that building and I break your neck." and that's the end of it. What's so difficult about that?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Or that they really need to stop over-selling themselves or risk facing charges of false advertising.

Naw, politicians over sell and the military guys just keep on blowing stuff up. They know what they're good at.

[DRoseDARs]

Boys and their toys, eh?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
The commanding officers tell their peons "Touch that building and I break your neck." and that's the end of it. What's so difficult about that?

The problem is there are no actual period buildings left in the ruins of Babylon nor have there been for thousands of years. All that's left are extremely poor concrete reproductions that Saddam did which aren't even close to the originals (for which few if any detailed discriptions remain) and mounds of earth which actually do contain bits and pieces of ancient life. Like I said Saddam had the place bulldozed in the 1970's to create his very tacky Babylonland theme park which never really contained much real scientific work. The tanks and APCs no doubt crush stuff and I'm sure sand bags were filled and fighting positions created so further damage was done.

It's more like crying over tiny things now since the sight had already been bulldozed decades ago.

[DRoseDARs]

I don't accept that. "Well, Saddam already damaged the site, so we shouldn't care about damaging it some more" is a total bullsh*t way of defending behaviour.

Someone really needs to be held accountable for this. It's an absolute disgrace that this was allowed to happen. War is war, but short of a scud missile hitting their base there's no reason further damage should have happened, certainly not at the hands of USAmerican soldiers.