Iraqis gloat over U.S. blackout; offer tips on how to beat the heat ("Sour Grapes" Liberal Alert)

WTNH-TV, New Haven ^ | August 15, 2003 | AP

[LurkedLongEnough]

(Baghdad, Iraq-AP, Aug. 15, 2003 Updated 9:54 AM) _ Iraqis who have suffered for months with little electricity gloated Friday over a blackout in the northeastern United States and southern Canada and offered some tips to help Americans beat the heat.

From frequent showers to rooftop slumber parties, Iraqis have developed advanced techniques to adapt to life without electricity.

Daily highs have soared above 120 degrees recently as Iraq's U.S. administrators have been unable to get power back to prewar levels. Some said it was poetic justice that some Americans should suffer the same fate, if only briefly.

"Let them taste what we have tasted," said Ali Abdul Hussein, selling "Keep Cold" brand ice chests on a sidewalk. "Let them sit outside drinking tea and smoking cigarettes waiting for the power to come back, just like the Iraqis."

Here are some tips from the streets of Baghdad:

_ SLEEP ON THE ROOF. Without power _ and hence without air conditioning _ Iraqis have taken to climbing up stairs in the hot nights. Some install metal bed frames on rooftops, while others simply stretch out on thin mattresses. "It's cooler there," said Hadia Zeydan Khalaf, 38.

_ SIT IN THE SHADE. Many Iraqis head outside when the power's off. "We sit in the shade," said George Ruweid, 27, playing cards with friends on the sidewalk. Of the U.S. blackout, he said: "I hope it lasts for 20 years. Let them feel our suffering."

_ HEAD FOR THE WATER. "We go to the river, just like in the old days," said Saleh Moayet, 53.

_ SHOWER FREQUENTLY. "I take showers all day," said Raed Ali, 33.

_ BUY BLOCKS OF ICE. Mohammed Abdul Zahara, 24, sells about 20 a day from a roadside table.

_ GET A GENERATOR. Abbas Abdul al-Amir, 53, has one of a long row of shops selling generators in Baghdad's Karadah shopping street. When the power goes out, sales go up, he said.

_ CALL IN THE IRAQIS. Some suggested the Americans ask the Iraqis how to get the power going again. "Let them take experts from Iraq," said Alaa Hussein, 32, waiting in a long line for gas because there was no electricity for the pumps. "Our experts have a lot of experience in these matters."

[LurkedLongEnough]

Liberals couldn't gloat over the 2002 elections, so they feign sympathy with "occupied" Iraq by gloating over one of the biggest domestic power failures in US history?

[altayann]

I think the key point here is that our power will be back on within the next couple of hours. Theirs still isn't completely back.

And if I were you, I'd take the opportunity to note the irony.

[RonF]

I have to confess that I can see where people in Iraq where power was spotty might delight in the irony in this.

But then they might reflect on how we were able to fix it so quickly....

[ffusco]

You could lie in the shade of a camel.
You could put ice in your turban.
You could have lie in a cool open grave.
You could lie on the cool tile of The Presidential Palace.

[Billthedrill]

Well, there's always the American solution:

FIX IT.

Of course, by the time I post this, we will have.

[CaptRon]

"Let them taste what we have tasted," said Ali Abdul Hussein, selling "Keep Cold" brand ice chests on a sidewalk. "Let them sit outside drinking tea and smoking cigarettes waiting for the power to come back, just like the Iraqis."

I can only hope that someone has the opportunity to kick this ungrateful little bastard right in the clymer.

[OldFriend]

If you want to read excellent commentary about our black out try Lucianne.com........the last paragraph in the Short Cuts section says it all.

[sam_paine]

I would say there's a different point of note here. There's been such impatience to get a completely broken and sabotaged system functioning from scratch in Iraq in days and months, and yet it takes hours and days to merely re-start a high-tech system in the most industrialized country without all the sabotage or security problems.

I think it points out that getting electricity up in Baghdad is no trivial matter to be impatient about.

[.cnI redruM]

The Iraquis, I can't blame for laughing. It is pretty funny. The liberal environuts should think twice or maybe three times before spouting anymore crapola about cancer-causing power lines.

[arete]

Guess we'll finally be spared (for a few days at least) all the government propaganda stories about how hard we're working rebuilding Iraq. We can't even keep the power on here. Too funny.

Richard W.

[Sacajaweau]

There's a big difference between here and Iraq. We deserve the power because we work for it and pay for it. They sit on their butts waiting for the good life. We work for it. Are they generally good people? I suppose but their work ethics are a little short.

[arete]

There's a big difference between here and Iraq

Well Dah! The difference is that they have oil and don't have to work. Americans on the other hand, are asset poor and full of debt. Of course we have to work even if we have to get shot at while digging their ditches for them.

Richard W.

[piasa]

Given the media's record of late, it's entirely possible that the ungrateful little bastard is a figment of a lazy, biased and unethical reporter's imagination.

Or, each ungrateful little bastard could be the Iraqi equivalent of the New York Times' and Wash Post's famous "Greg Packer," sort of a one-size-fits-all multipurpose man on the street ready to comment on anything at any time for all the newsies, to save them the trouble of randomly introducing themselves to anyone new and unpredictable.

Of course, with Iraq at 120 degrees, I wouldn't expect the thought of sweltering overdressed Northeasterners to garner piles o' sympathy, though at least the Iraqis don't have a huge tax burden like us poor suckers. I'd be happy to buy my own generator and do without government-supplied power if it meant no taxes.

[arete]

Unlike our forefathers, the Iraqis weren't willing to rise up and overthrow their tyranical leader, they needed us to do it for them.

I don't believe that you know what you are talking about. Iraq has one heck of a history of revolution and war and will continue to do so. The war against American occupation will simply be another page in their history.

Richard W.

[arete]

Saddam would not have ruled for 30 years if the Iraqis were willing to take up arms against him

You really don't know anything about Iraq do you? I believe that good old Saddam (Mr. Evil-doer himself) was our guy and we supported him and kept him in power until he invaded Kuwait. Then we encouraged rebellion against Saddam and made a bunch of empty promises to opposition groups only to double cross them and get a bunch of them killed. I just they didn't get the joke. "Hey guys, we were only kidding about that rebellion thing. We really don't want you to take over your own country until we can get in there and liberate you -- and your oil of course."

Richard W.

[arete]

Just because you don't want to hear it doesn't mean it isn't the truth, not does it mean that it came from the DNC. WE helped Saddam oppress his people and didn't say one word or even care how badly or abusively he treated them for a goodly part of his rein. So we were right there helping the murderous dictator and advising him in his war with Iran. Now, we pretend like we just woke up and said, "Oh look, here's this evil-doer who is abusing his people and is a threat to world peace." Let's just pretend all that other stuff we were involved in didn't really happen. Yeah, that's the ticket. We didn't even know who he was -- never heard of him -- until he invaded Kuwait.

Richard W.