Hobby Lobby accused of hypocrisy amid smuggling case

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Kelly P. Kissel, Associated Press
Updated 9:15 pm, Thursday, July 6, 2017


Hobby Lobby , the arts-and-crafts chain whose devout Christian owners won a landmark Supreme Court  ruling on religious freedom, is caught up in an antiquities-smuggling scandal that has opened the company to accusations of hypocrisy.

The Oklahoma City-based business agreed to pay a $3 million fine Wednesday over its role in what federal prosecutors said was the smuggling into the U.S. of ancient clay tablets, seals and other Iraqi archaeological objects that might have been looted from the war-torn country.


Online, many people piled on, with more than one saying things like: "I know Hobby Lobby's big on the Ten Commandments, but how about 'Thou shalt not steal'?" and "Hypocritical cretins. Preach one thing and practice another."

Hobby Lobby, whose president, Steve Green, has been collecting ancient artifacts since 2009 and is building an $800 million Bible museum in Washington, pleaded naivete in doing business with dealers in the Middle East.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Hobby-Lobby-fined-3-million-over-smuggled-Iraqi-11268856.php

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[McCamy Taylor]

1. He's probably funding ISIS. When they "destroy" pagan artifacts they are really looting

and selling on the black market. Since the art is question is "destroyed" no one will think to look for it in a private collection. ISIS is an organized crime network pretending to be political/religious. And Hobby Lobby buys from ISIS.

PS Link for those who do not believe me.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/06/03/how-much-money-has-isis-made-selling-antiquities-more-than-enough-to-fund-its-attacks/?utm_term=.9ae4b0b1e15f

[jberryhill]

2. They are IN the import business

They have a whole import compliance team for their freaking business. No way were they ignorant of relevant law.

[duncang]

3. They also collect old bibles and biblical manuscripts.

I wonder how many of them were stolen and sold through the black market.

[Achilleaze]

4. Republican Phonies are reprehensible

Don't care for sanctimonious hypocrites at all

[keithbvadu2]

5. Christianity honored, enhanced, exemplified, glorified and displayed by theft and fraud.

[rpannier]

6. Hypocracy?

Theft, smuggling and aiding a terrorist organization

[Midnight Writer]

7. No hypocrisy here. Just "smart business practices".

[not fooled]

8. Oh, and how much of the 800 mil for the temple to the Buy-bull

came from underpaying his employees? Bet he's big on pushing anti-labor legislation and tacitly encouraging employees to work off the clock.

But, it's all for Jay-sus so that makes it A-OK.

What a freakin' hypocrite. I refuse to shop at Hobby Lobby.

[trixie2]

9. Me too!

No Hobby Lobby or Walmart for me, ever.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Smuggling

is a most profitable business for any corporation. All the infrastructure is in place. Contacts, finance, payments, bills of lading, licenses, shipping, customs inspections. Remember John DeLorean? Innocent or not, it was a case about corporate smuggling. HRC as First Lady and Secretary of State opposed human trafficking. Another form of smuggling.

Anything can be smuggled. What makes news headlines is what they catch. Anything else is below the radar.

[Scarsdale]

11. I am surprised he did not

claim "The Devil made me do it" What a smug looking person. He could pass for a tRump relative.

[Nitram]

12. Naivete? More likely turning a blind eye to obviously illegal transactions.

[BillyBobBrilliant]

13. In my experience

with familial christians -- Christian = Hypocrite.

[lark]

14. Lying scumbag!

He knew these were illegal and just didn't care, hypocritical, greedy, woman hating rw'er that he is. He doesn't care about the freaking fine, he wants the goods. I haven't seen where he had to return them, but haven't really read up on this. If he had to return all of them and pay $3 million, that would be better, still a sweetheart deal, but at least would have some punishment. A simple fine and keeping the artifacts, no sting to this oligarch.