A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the fallacy of electing an outsider. Unfortunately I chose to use Senator David Perdue as an example of a business person and outsider who promised change if elected and whom, I proposed, had produced little meaningful legislation in his first 16 months.
Well as so often the case in Washington, I find myself forced to “walk back” that indictment of an outsider. Today I received a press release advising the world that Senator Perdue was an original co-sponsor of legislation, signed today by President Obama, that prevents ISIS from selling the artifacts that they have looted from the territory they now control.
“ISIS is raiding the cradle of civilization—destroying cultural property and selling artifacts on the black market—to help fund its reign of terror and purge the Middle East of non-Islamic history. Similar crimes have been committed throughout history, and the United States has led international efforts to protect cultural property and heritage. I am glad we were able to come together and stem the flow of money to ISIS by preventing these terrorists and their networks from selling stolen antiquities to anyone in the United States.”
I suspect that ISIS will now be forced to return their plunder to the rightful owners and I seek absolution of my sin of the premature judging of outsiders. Given the context here I suspect a tawba is more appropriate than 10 Hail Marys.