Iraqis Face Winter Shivering by Candlelight

[Flagg]

Iraqis Face Winter Shivering by Candlelight


By Lin Noueihed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - As if the daily struggle to dodge bullets and bombings is not enough, many Iraqis now face a freezing winter shivering by candlelight as persistent attacks keep the power out for more than 12 hours a day.




"Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) used to cut off the electricity for a couple of hours a day and we'd complain," said Fadia Karim, 33.

"Now there's no power for hours and hours every day. There's no fuel for the generators, no kerosene for the heaters. People are beyond complaining. Things are just getting worse."

Sabotage attacks on power plants, transmission lines and the oil pipelines and fuel trucks that feed them, mean Iraqis face a cold, dark winter queuing at petrol pumps for fuel to run their generators -- for those that have a generator.

Iraqi officials, wary of growing instability ahead of the Jan. 30 election, say shortages and outages have reached crisis proportions, especially in Baghdad, with no end in sight.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041218/wl_nm/iraq_electricity_dc
Yes freeprers, it is worse now than it was under Saddam

[Lost4words]

1. the outages will continue until morale improves! n/t

[MASSAFRA]

2. It must not be that bad

People are beyond complaining. (They must be used to it now.)

-Sarcasm Off

[leftchick]

3. there is that comparison again....

gee chimpy*, how does it feel to be WORSE than Saddam?

[johncoby2]

4. Now all bush needs to do is wear a uniform.

Oops. Too late.

[Tsiyu]

5. Destroy a nation and embitter its people-mission accomplished

Yes, we are really making gigunda strides in the Mideast. They love us SOOOOOOOOO much!

We have liberated the Iraqis: from security, electricity, limb and life. We've freed them from their children, their elderly, any housework ( no house- no clean!). They are liberated from all sorts of things.

And when Iraq becomes a Radical Muslim state, all the persecuted Christians ( who worshipped freely under Saddam) will be liberated from their faith, too.

[UpInArms]

6. no television = no USoA propaganda

"We are living by candlelight," said one young Iraqi. "It's been like this for three months. Before, we used to watch television at night. Now, we go to bed or out into the street."

Sameraei is praying for divine intervention to switch the lights back on before angry Iraqis turn on the government.

[Rose Siding]

7. No news at all

No Arab news either. That sense of isolation would serve the US, wouldn't it?