A family in Baghdad
A British radio station called me yesterday, asking my opinion about the Saddam trial, if it is an indication of justice in the new Iraq, and if it is an indication that the Iraqis regained the rights for the victims of the former regime?
I laughed... by GOD, these people are living in another world...
I said to her- my dear, who cares now about the story of Saddam's trial? People are cursed by poverty, unemployment, the lack of security and settlement, the results of the forged elections, and the increase in the fuel prices, Saddam Hussein became an object from the past, we are busy with the present problems, and we think how shall the future be....
She said- but the settlement of Saddam's story is a leap from the past to the future...
I said - yes, that would have been true if we had a real sovereignty in Iraq, a state and a government about which the people are content, and then, yes, perhaps after 4 or 5 years of settlement, then the trial of Saddam could be an important issue in the lives of the Iraqis, with lessons and examples for those who rule after him, but now, what does it signify? Do you think it signifies justice? Are we taking the rights of the Saddam's regime victims who were imprisoned, tortured, and killed? And who shall take the rights for the victims of the present regime, the detained, tortured, and assassinated?
We understand right and justice as being balanced principals, not exclusive for some people, while others are exempted from them...
We see this trial as a mere silly play, meaningless... perhaps the occupation and the Parties in the present government see it as a victory, and a political gain, but for the ordinary Iraqi on the street, it is a silly story, and meaningless.
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Baghdad Dweller
What was the most important event in 2005?
With many websites and newspapers write about the events of 2005, I think the best event is the defeat of Bush's war-machine, a humiliating defeat by a handful of men with primitive guns.
I don't think 2006 will be much different from the last years under the occupation. The occupiers will not leave, they insist to stay even with all the resistance operations against them...
...Bush thought exporting democracy is just like exporting potatoes, he thought by spreading poisonous cheap American culture (Britney Spears, Paris Hilton...etc) among the Arabs is the easiest way to wins their hearts and minds...
In 2006 we will hear more on this defeat...
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An average Iraqi
Just a few days after the elections, the government decided to partially stop supporting the prices of oil. So the prices of benzene, gasoline and gas has went up 300%, tripled. This has left the Iraqi street in anger. So far, I have not seen a single Iraqi who had liked this decision. Although the price of Oil was very low in Iraq, cheapest than water to be frank, but the Average Iraqi has been used to this prices from the eighties. So the sudden rise in prices has left him raged. Some of the southern militia controlled provinces has even refused to implicate these prices. But I don't think they are going to last much, because the only big refineries capable of handling such massive amounts of oil, are only found in Baghdad, and Beji.
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Emotions, the diary of a young mother in Mosul
These days the weather became very cold, the temperature is 2-3 degrees under zero ... this cold weather synchronize with not only the raise in the oil, fuel prices but with its exiguity....yesterday my baby (20 months old) cried freezing at night, we have oil storage but we tried to sleep without (soba) an oil heater, to save it for the rest of winter. We get the electricity for ONLY 2 hours a day now, we also don't have hot water!. Since a week now the gas stations in Mosul are shut down , therefore the gasoline in the black market is very expensive, going to my job plus my two daughters'& husband's transportation expense is at least 170000 ID whereas our income together ( my husband & I) is 501000ID !!!We also buy gasoline for the generator!!...
About the safety situation these days while we are waiting for the elections results ,we witness every day the violence in the streets , today I was in my way back from work when suddenly the driver stopped and shouted "disembark quickly" ,as soon as I did a bullet flapped the pavement just beside my foot , I did not feel that, I was shocked , but we ran to a storage a cross the street , the storage owner kept saying 'Thank god you are ok ",I did not get that ',then the driver( who could not make it & follow us to the storage )came after things calm down with some people were in the street telling me that they got terrified to see what happened & show me the bullet....
When sunshine phoned her friend to wish her a merry Christmas, her friend was not happy at all, they could not leave the house because it's dangerous to go out & because they don't have gasoline. Some of our friends did not even go to the church because of the fear of bombing the church ....(I think you can see we are too busy with our life struggles to think about the elections results!)....
Happy New Year, may peace be all over the world ...
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