I am going to take up one purpose of the criminal trial other than fact finding with respect to the cases of stolen antiquities, repatriation, and the indictment against the curator of the Getty. These criminal proceedings offer themselves as little more than a Kafkaesque incantation to persuade art collectors and museums worldwide to repatriate suspicious antiquities even if they may be lawfully acquired. In light of the prejudiced Italian authorities prosecuting the case against an American, this purpose, then, is something akin to a show trial.

A. The crafty theft of the Aphrodite 1. Illegal event of tomb raiding and 'black market' archaeological digs 2. Dangerous to preserving antiquities 3. Destruction of antiquities 4. Disappearance and thus deprivation of Italian people of Aphrodite Crucial problem: The true culprits in this trial are more directly these tomb raiders of cultural patrimony than what may be a 'bona fide' purchaser. Thus, if the goal of the Italian government is to stifle the black market in antiquities dealings, the trial against True is a circuitous route to these culprits. The failure of Italian local enforcement and customs officials should not bring the force of the state against a foreign professional.

B. The character of Marion True

C. The publicity of her indictment across the country

D. New deals for repatriation

-- JesseCreed - 08 Feb 2008