Hobby Lobby Surrenders 245 More Smuggled Iraq Artifacts

[DonViejo]

Source: Newsweek Magazine



HOBBY LOBBY SURRENDERS 245 MORE IRAQ ARTIFACTS FROM SMUGGLED CACHE OF TABLETS AND SEALS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

BY KASTALIA MEDRANO ON 1/18/18 AT 10:02 AM

In a new chapter of the ongoing saga of Hobby Lobby’s smuggling of Iraqi religious artifacts, the arts and crafts emporium surrendered 245 objects to the United States government, according to court documents.

Hobby Lobby Stores voluntarily turned over the artifacts to federal prosecutors in New York on January 17, according to Long Island Business News. This brings the total number of artifacts surrendered so far to 3,839. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. had previously agreed to turn over 5,500.

In July 2017, Hobby Lobby agreed to pay a $3 million fine for smuggling religious artifacts out of Iraq, including thousands of ancient cuneiform tablets deliberately mislabeled as tile samples, according to The New York Times.

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The store's evangelical Christian owners spent $1.6 million on the artifacts in December of 2010, even after a cultural property law expert that the business itself had retained warned that such artifacts might have been looted, and that without proper verification they could be seized by United States Customs and Border Protection. Nevertheless, according to a press statement from the United States Justice Department, Hobby Lobby persisted:

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/hobby-lobby-surrenders-245-more-smuggled-iraq-artifacts-federal-government-784388

[cstanleytech]

1. So where are the criminal charges against the owners? After all if the Repugnants are the party of

the rule of law like they try to claim then shouldnt they be on trial for this?

[Hortensis]

8. We think so! But the principle of equality is more a liberal thing.

It's a more relative, complex, conditional thing for cons. , but really.

[marble falls]

2. Apparently thou shalt not steal wasn't a text on one of those artifacts though thou shalt not ....

provide full health care to women was.

[PatSeg]

23. Well

Its not like they stole white Christian artifacts you know.

[marble falls]

31. Thou shalt not steal is a universal value. It was encoded by Hammurabi....

even ethical atheists don't hold with theft. A lot of these artifacts were going to be on display in his bible museum in Washington DC, so he must have felt there was some connection to his biblical values.

[PatSeg]

33. Yes, some values are universal

but lately it seems that some Christians think certain values don't apply to non-believers or people of color. I feel like Hobby Lobby rationalized this abhorrent thief on some ridiculous religious grounds. I really don't understand how these people think.

[dbackjon]

3. If a black man steals a soda - the right want him executed

A wealthy white "Christian" steals priceless artifacts, gets a slap on the wrist.


EVERY PERSON INVOLVED IN THIS SHOULD BE JAILED FOR LIFE

[Orrex]

10. Allow me to rec that reply.

[Cracklin Charlie]

14. Second.

[MLAA]

19. +1

[dchill]

32. +1000!

[lark]

4. Bet Sessions doesn't prosecute them, after all they are such good white old christians.

The law doesn't matter to these fucks, only skin color and $$, and the Hobby Lobby folks are what Sessions likes.

[uponit7771]

5. Cause abortion and gays are really really bad but stealing ... GOOOOOD!!! /sarcasm

[lagomorph777]

6. So...hyper-religiosity does NOT guarantee morality?

What a surprise.

Every corporate location, and the personal homes of every executive, should be raided until every last artifact is confiscated.

[Hortensis]

13. Lol. Not only does it not, but some of the worst offenders

of their own religion's precepts are very ostentatiously religious, as if their faith includes special personal dispensations. Forget what those who study this call it, but they're a type.

Fwiw, one of the most effective ways of protecting antiquities is to have them widely distributed around the planet, which is no doubt a big rationalization to these people.

Not an argument for not tossing thieves in prison, though.

[atreides1]

7. What about their Bible Museum?

Have the artifacts there been checked to see if they were looted, too???

[suffragette]

18. Excellent point.

[truthisfreedom]

9. PRISON TIME!

Everyone involved!

[Initech]

11. Lock them up!!!!

[mpcamb]

27. NO FINES! JAIL TIME!

[procon]

12. Their so called "morality" seems to be quite flexible. nt

[TlalocW]

15. Why does the religious right want to put up the 10 Commandments everywhere?

Presumably the Hobby Lobby owners are surrounded by merchandise with the 10 Cs on them, and it's not doing them any good.

TlalocW

[Nitram]

16. Just another right wing criminal enterprise.

[keithbvadu2]

17. Christianity and the Bible honored, enhanced, exemplified, glorified and displayed by theft and frau

Witness for their Christian faith by lies, theft, deceit...

Christianity and the Bible honored, enhanced, exemplified, glorified and displayed by theft and fraud.

[packman]

20. I seem to have read somewhere that a lot of these had an ISIS tie-in

That Hobby Lobby bought those artifacts from dubious sources - with ties to terrorist groups. In other words, Hobby Lobby funded in some part ISIS.

[BobTheSubgenius]

21. After all is said and done, a FINE???

If this had been a dime bag of weed, they'd probably be looking at a hard 10.

If they were POC, of course.

[OMGWTF]

22. Proud to Say I Have Never Been in a Hobby Lobby and I Never Will

Fuck those guys. Seriously.

[crazycatlady]

29. I was in one once

I was extremely turned off by the hymns playing on the PA system.

Incidentally I made some pussyhats with Hobby Lobby yarn (bought at a garage sale). I'm thinking of donating the value of that yarn to Emily's List.

[LisaM]

24. I well remember when the Iraqi museums were looted and the Bush administration

more or less turned a blind eye. The story got very little traction. People were just sticking things in their pockets, basically.

[left-of-center2012]

25. Aren't they HUGE Trump supporters?

And evangelicals?

"This brings the total number of artifacts surrendered so far to 3,839.
Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. had previously agreed to turn over 5,500.
In July 2017, Hobby Lobby agreed to pay a $3 million fine for smuggling religious artifacts out of Iraq"

Guess they misunderstood "What would Jesus do?"

[Cryptoad]

26. Rich White folk have their own Justice System,,,,,,

as long as they dont screw over somebody that has more money than them,,, dont sweat it!

[NCDem777]

28. Extradite them to Iraq

[bluestarone]

30. lock them up

LOCK THEM UP