Babylon<\/a>, Is anyone worried about the damage to the archeological BABYLON, Iraq – In this ancient city, it is hard to tell Crumbling brick buildings, some 2,500 years old, look like smashed sand Signs of military occupation are everywhere, including trenches, bullet Babylon, the mud-brick city with the million-dollar name, has paid the But Iraqi leaders and United Nations officials are not giving up on it. from the New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n This is a great example of thinking outside the And it’s right<\/b> and our right, to be able to take our kids to Bethlehem, or the Stations of the Cross, or Masada, or the Dome of the Rock, without worrying about getting blown up.<\/em><\/p>\n All areas, shrines and events must be open to all, Probably, one of the first potential conflicts could Of This is essential because once it is established that the Hopefully, the God Zone tourists will not spend Think of it! The social calendar would be full, For those who object to the crass commercial callowness So can we all get behind this plan? A Holy Land Nothing else seems to have worked, over the past 4,000 Unlike the oil-fueled Frankenstein that is the modern state of Iraq, the ancient empire of Babylonia and its capital city of Babylon, famed for its incomparable hanging gardens and hated by right-thinking Rastas everywhere, has a long and storied history. … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/babylonmap.jpg\")
Unlike the oil-fueled Frankenstein that is the modern
\n state of Iraq, the ancient empire of Babylonia and its capital city of
\n Babylon, famed for its incomparable hanging gardens and hated by right-thinking
\n Rastas
\n everywhere,
\n has
\n a long and storied history.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n correctly called (apologies to Ricky Ricardo) Babilu, was the "holy
\n city" of ancient Babylonia from 2300 BC,
\n and then capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 612 BC. It was near
\n the modern Iraqi city of Al Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad,
\n and was coincidentally chosen as the 1st US Marine Division headquarters
\n and as a major helicopter base during the invasion and occupation of
\n Iraq in 2003. <\/em><\/p>\n
\n record and the world’s cultural heritage? Well, that’s why they call
\n them RUINS……<\/em><\/p>\n
\n what are ruins and what’s just ruined.<\/p>\n
\n castles at the beach. Famous sites, like the Tower of Babel and the Hanging
\n Gardens, are swallowed up by river reeds.<\/p>\n
\n casings, shiny coils of razor wire and blast walls stamped, "This
\n side Scud protection."<\/p>\n
\n price of war. It has been ransacked, looted, torn up, paved over, neglected
\n and roughly occupied. Archaeologists said American soldiers even used
\n soil thick with priceless artifacts to stuff sandbags.<\/p>\n
\n They are working assiduously to restore Babylon, home to one of the Seven
\n Wonders of the World, and turn it into a cultural center and possibly
\n even an Iraqi theme park.<\/p>\n
\n box, but fails to go nearly far enough. The Dowbrigade has for years
\n maintained
\n that the only hope to break the bloody impasse in the Middle East is
\n to turn the entire region, or at least the Metro Jerusalem area, into
\n non-denominational theme park. What could be more appropriate and promising
\n for the cradle
\n of
\n human
\n civilization
\n and the ancestral stomping grounds of three of the all-time greatest
\n religion to be converted to a magic kingdom dedicated to tolerance, godliness,
\n having fun and making money?<\/em><\/p>\n
\n but each religion will be responsible for maintaining and administering
\n its
\n own attractions; the Christians in Manger Square (big crowds for Xmas),
\n the Jews at the Wailing Wall, the Muslims at the Dome of the Rock. While
\n the respective governments will probably want to keep the income from
\n admissions to the actual sites and events, there would be plenty of ancillary
\n income streams for ordinary citizens, like food, hotels, souvenirs,
\n guides, reenactment actors,translators, child care professionals and
\n entertainment industry workers of all kinds, according to the rules,
\n taboos and predilections of each religion. There would be work for those
\n unfortunate individuals of all religions afflicted with the infamous
\n "Jerusalem Complex", who could earn a living and feed their fantasies
\n by walking around pretending to be Moses, Jesus, Judas or Muhammad Ali.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n be whether the Big Three world religions could claim exclusivity, and
\n freeze
\n out other legitimate religions, who would certainly try to turn it into
\n Religions of the World World Fair. Should the powers that be allow in
\n Buddhists, Hindu’s or even Scientologists? How about a few Earth mother
\n animists to work in the time honored traditon of the temple prostitutes
\n of old? Would this endanger the Family-friendly standard of the enterprise as a whole?<\/em><\/p>\n
\n course, the absolute overarching rule must be No Weapons, No Violence,
\n No Hatred. Non-denominational metal detectors at every entrance
\n to the "Holy Zone". Not only no guns, but no blades that could
\n cut a hot dog. Jews would have to perform the bris elsewhere. No hate speech,
\n signs, music or T-shirts allowed.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n Holy Land is once again safe and Family-friendly, we believe it will
\n become the greatest tourist attraction the world has ever seen. And just
\n in time – if the world ever needed a living reminder that we can all
\n live together under the aegis of a merciful and loving God, it is now.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n all their time in the areas controlled by their own particular religion.
\n Families
\n will start to venture out for a little Comparative REligion tourism,
\n visiting shared or typical attractions pf the other religions, building
\n understanding and tolerance across cultural lines.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n fur every day of the year must be a holiday in some sect of one of
\n the three religions . Tourists
\n and pilgrims could go at any time of the year, and be sure of catching
\n some beautiful and important ceremonies. It would be the ultimate marketplace
\n of ideas and schlock – theories and postulations, tchotckeys and souvenirs.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n of this plan, let us just remind that the commercialization of Christ,
\n the Wailing Wall and the legacy of Mohammed is as old as their respective
\n religions themselves. Whether it be the wholesale sale of authentic
\n pieces of the cross, , the search for the Ark of the Covenant, or ancient
\n reliquaries with dung from the camel Mohammed rode in on, religion has
\n been big business since the beginning. Nobody know this better
\n than the established churches, which is the only reason this whole plan
\n has a prayer. <\/em><\/p>\n
\n theme park, with well-lit, handicapped accessible Biblical attractions,
\n multi-lingual
\n signage, first-class facilities for pilgrimages of any size, length and
\n religious affiliation,
\n a fantastic assortment of restaurants in conformity with the diverse
\n dietary laws of all major sects, stripped of weapons and hatred, and
\n dedicated to worshiping, learning, scholarship, family entertainment,
\n having fun in the sun, and fostering cross-cultural and inter-religious
\n detente.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n years. Maybe it’s time to think outside the Book.<\/em>\n <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"