The passion and politics of stolen art

Post Gazette: "Art and politics collided at the start of the war in Iraq. As U.S. troops moved into Baghdad, the 12 buildings of Iraq's National Museum were left unprotected, resulting in the pilfering of thousands of objects. TV newscasts showed scenes of weeping museum workers talking about the desecration of a 7,000-year-old civilization, as they picked through shards of ancient pottery and sculpture."