U.S. returns smuggled Hobby Lobby artifacts to Iraq

[47of74]

A bit of good news

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The Republic of Iraq has finally taken possession of thousands of ancient artifacts illegally shipped to the U.S. by Hobby Lobby in an international smuggling operation more befitting an Indiana Jones villain than America’s favorite arts-and-crafts retailer.

Iraq’s reclaiming of the antiquities comes roughly 10 months after the Oklahoma City-based chain settled a $3 million civil suit with the U.S. government for smuggling thousands of clay artifacts — which originated in modern-day Iraq — into the U.S. through the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

The company used shipping labels that falsely described the artifacts as tile “samples,” according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Top American immigration agents and diplomats visited the Washington home of the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. on Wednesday for an elaborate outdoor repatriation ceremony.

 

[Briefly]

It seems like a very low penalty to pay, in my opinion.  I think it's pretty obvious that Green knew what they were before he bought them - I think at one point he said he didn't realize what they actually were, and I also think it's obvious that he knew that they were repackaged before they were shipped to the US to look like something other than extremely illegal.

[47of74]

Of course I suppose I won't be able to find these anymore at the friendly neighborhood Hobby Lobby...

 

 

[hoipolloi]

Couldn't have happened to a more deserving bunch of fucking assholes -- looks like the Bible Museum is probably out millions of dollars after buying fake Dead Sea scrolls:

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The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC says five of its most valuable artifacts -- all thought to be part of the historic Dead Sea Scrolls -- are fake and will not be displayed anymore. German-based scholars tested the fragments and found that five "show characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin and therefore will no longer be displayed at the museum."...But some scholars had questioned the fragments in the collection even before the museum opened with splashy ceremonies last November. Others believe they are all fake. Steve Green, the museum's founder and chairman, won't say how much his family spent for the 16 fragments in its collection. But other evangelicals, including a Baptist seminary in Texas and an evangelical college in California, have paid millions to purchase similar pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

[hoipolloi]

Quite enjoyed Charles Pierce's comments on these assholes getting swindled:

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This fills me with a flood tide of entirely un-Christian glee. The Green family, the sex-obsessed theocrats behind Hobby Lobby, have done quite enough damage to the country to have earned being played for suckers like this. And, as is customary for all modern Christian evangelicals in politics, the Greens ignored the warnings of experts in Biblical archaeology who told them they likely were buying fakes....Blessed are the theocrats, for they shall be called marks and rubes.

 

 

[Howl]

And the Greens aren't the only ones.  

Gary and Stephanie Loveless are nice and very wealthy Baptists (oil and gas bidness) and naive enough to donate over a million dollars to SBTS (Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary) to purchase Dead Sea scroll fragments that were ultimately proven to be forgeries.  Paige Patterson may sound familiar; he was  given the heave-ho recently as head of SBTS for the horrible mishandling of a rape case involving two students of SBTS.  Here's an excerpt from Wade Burleson's account of the whole scroll fragments shiteroo.

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The Houston Chronicle reported six years ago how Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary came into possession of the scrolls. It all started when Gary and Stephanie Loveless were on a tour of Israel with Paige and Dorothy Patterson in 2009.

Gary Loveless said they were busy visiting the usual sights of Holy Land travelers, and the group stopped at Kando's Shop, now run by Mr. Kando's son, William Kando Jr. Stephanie Loveless purchased a small oil lamp, and the couple returned to the tour bus, with her husband thinking he'd just gotten out of a pricey store with way more money in his pocket than he expected.

Then the Pattersons waved at him to return to the shop. Kando had just made them an offer they couldn't refuse: His family had decided that their Dead Sea Scroll fragments, locked away in a Swiss vault for decades, should be on public display. And they wanted them to be exhibited with his treasured friends at Southwestern Baptist.

The Lovelesses knew it was time for the important work of Christian charity - and they ultimately became the major sponsors of the exhibit with their $1 million donation.

 Let that visual sink in.

The President and First Lady of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary are running out of a souvenir trinket shop in Jerusalem with hands raised, shouting at their millionaire friend (Mr. Loveless) to come and hear of "Dead Sea Scroll fragments locked away in a Swiss vault for decades."

Stephanie Loveless must have been rubbing her recently purchased oil lamp and a Hebrew genie popped out.  Gary Loveless didn't seem bothered by the fact Mr. Kando kept these artifacts a secret for decades.   Nobody seemed to question why a souvenir gift shop owner, known for "making deals" might suddenly want to make a deal with a rich Texas oilman.

The Hebrew scrolls were real. The Pattersons said so.

But of course the fragments were fakes.  Had they listened to numerous experts, they wouldn't have forked over a bazillion dollars for forgeries. 

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by Howl

[danvillebelle]

I saw some of the actual Dead Sea Scrolls when I was in Israel many moons ago.  They're in a museum guarded by Israeli military holding machine guns, behind inches of bullet-proof glass.  

It actually makes sense to me (sadly) that fundie American nimrods would think they could actually get their money-grubbing hands on any molecule of the originals. 

[Alisamer]

41 minutes ago, danvillebelle said:

It actually makes sense to me (sadly) that fundie American nimrods would think they could actually get their money-grubbing hands on any molecule of the originals. 

This is what comes from a lack of critical thinking skills. I mean sure, there's a long, long tradition of wealthy western people getting duped into buying "genuine artifacts" to show off to their friends, and of so many churches having "fragments of the true cross" that the cross would have to have been huge. But really, some random souvenir store owner just HAPPENS to have fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls locked up in a Swiss safe? And just happens to mention them to just the right dupes people who just happened to walk into his shop, and just happen to be millionaires with money to toss around? Really? 

The story I'm working on for NaNo includes some minor characters who are part of an artifact counterfeiting ring. If they were bigger parts of the story I might throw in something like this, except it'd be too stupid to be believable.

And does this mean I can't call the Museum of the Bible the "Hobby Lobby Museum of Stolen Antiquities" anymore? Because my parents recently visited it and mom sent me a Pokemon Go gift from there. My sister has been and says the technology is absolutely amazing. Too bad it's THERE.

[hoipolloi]

2 hours ago, Alisamer said:

And does this mean I can't call the Museum of the Bible the "Hobby Lobby Museum of Stolen Antiquities" anymore?

Maybe the "Hobby Lobby Museum of Fakes and Stolen Antiquities"?

It is highly likely that at least some of the authentic items were trafficked. About the only way to get certain things in the quantities these assholes acquired them is by dealing with the illegal antiqiuties trade. 

The Greens and their fellow fuckwad travelers don't care where stuff comes from as long as they can buy it & stick it in their "museum."

 

[thoughtful]

 

Spoiler

The dreams of stupid, greedy, bigoted fundies, that is.

Edited October 24, 2018 by thoughtful
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[hoipolloi]

Fake Christians buying fake artifacts -- what could be more fitting? Truly the Lord works in mysterious ways.

 

 

 

 

[47of74]

9 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

Fake Christians buying fake artifacts -- what could be more fitting? Truly the Lord works in mysterious ways.

 

 

 

 

"....this precious piece of wood that was personally dry humped by Jesus....and (finally reading the label) made last month in Xitang, Zhejiang Province, China...."

Edited October 25, 2018 by 47of74

[Howl]

@hoipolloi and @47of74, I think both of y'all need to head straight to the prayer closet and deeply repent of those hilarious posts. I do think that Rufus Reindeer and the fj elder board will accept your sincere repentance. 

But back to the topic at hand: the twitwaffles at Hobby Lobby posted a full page ad in my newspaper (and newspapers everywhere) yesterday (July 4th) listing all the things they believe makes the US a Christian nation. Apparently, they do this every July 4th. 

 Friendly Atheist (Hemant Mehta) does a good job of pointing out all of the ways the Hobby Lobby ad is a hot mess and refers readers to a great website that debunks Hobby Lobby's grotesque and distorted use of sources. 

Here's Hemant

That Full-Page Hobby Lobby Ad in Your Newspaper is Full of Distortions and Lies

<snip> 

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They [Freedom from Religion Foundation] created a beautiful website that picked apart all of the quotations used in the Hobby Lobby ad. They explained how distorted or irrelevant the statements were, what the actual quotations said (in context), and offered links so you can check it all out for yourself.

Here's the link to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's web site:  In Hobby Lobby We Don't Trust