Payback time?

I was enjoying a lazy vacation in sunny Naperville, Ill., when I opened up the Chicago Tribune and was presented with the headline: "Museums in legal bind as terror victims sue." \nApparently, victims of terrorist attacks are suing various museums for ancient artifacts that belong to nations who support terrorism. This particular suit is on the behalf of survivors of a 1997 terrorist attack at the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in Jerusalem. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, and according to the logic of the plaintiffs, since Hamas is partially funded by Iran, they have a right to priceless Persian artifacts in various American museums such as the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, the Field Museum, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.\nWhat wonderful logic! If these people succeed in their goal it opens up a whole new window! I am SO excited! Since the Native people of this continent were systematically decimated and denied their rights starting with the very first exploits of the Virginia Company et al, they too should be compensated. They can start with the profits of the exhibit at Jamestown, then they can move on to the various Pilgrim Museums in Massachusetts and countless more! \nAfrican Americans were enslaved, beaten, raped and violently murdered for centuries. So, using the logic of the plaintiffs in the Iran case, every preserved Plantation House Museum is fair game! I say start with Jefferson's place. Hell, they could probably sue the state of Indiana for its period of rule of by Ku Klux Klan. \nWhy limit this amazing legal landmark to Americans who can afford expensive lawyers? We should spread these legal rights to the rest of the world just like we want to spread democracy!\nSouth Asia, Australia and a good chunk of Africa fell victim to British colonialism for years. The Brits killed, raped, took away the land and livelihood of some people, occasionally they even tortured, murdered and chopped up some people. And don't forget firing into crowds of peacefully demonstrating women and children. Oh and the rounding up and shipping of people as indentured laborers in remote parts of the empire. Add the desecration of sacred religious sites to the list, too. \nTherefore, we are all entitled to take things from Britain. I'm going to go with the Crown Jewels, especially considering a lot of them were probably stolen from the lands in which they were mined. It's payback time boys, let's go audit Buckingham Palace! Woo hoo! \nHmm ... What's next? Latin America and South America! Murder, disease, rape, enslavement, discrimination, desecration of religious sites, theft of resources and land. (Are we seeing a pattern here?) So all indigenous people of the region are entitled to the gold of the Spanish treasury, and then they can head to the museums and take some paintings. I recommend Picasso's, Dali was pretty good, a lot of people like Velasquez, too. \nOh how I love bitter sarcasm. For those of you reading this and thinking, "Hey that's not fair, they are completely different situations," you're wrong. It's the same formula. Some people fall victim to the violent tendencies of another nation. Therefore they are entitled to compensation by any means possible. \nUnless maybe you believe some people's entitlement to compensation is more important than others? Hmm ...