War in Iraq - a German viewpoint

From a German/English weblog Davids Medienkritik (scroll down for the English translation) comes a great story from Iraq. The Blog links to a news item in Berliner Morganpost called: bq. Freedoms, Money and Cheap Cars bq. ...His brother is talking to his cousin in Germany on the cell phone. Cell phones were banned under Saddam and families with relatives abroad were viewed with suspicion as a rule. � The brother earns 100 dollars a month, four times the average salary under Saddam. He works as a proof reader at one of the around 150 new, independent newspapers in Iraq in which everything can be written and said, other than calls to violence. � bq. From now on no more visits from the State Security trying to pressure the son to join the Fedayeen Saddam or threatening imprisonment if one didn�t betray what the neighbor was saying. And on top of it all: two more cousins are free who were locked up by Saddam for reasons that they and their families still can�t figure out. bq. In the courtyard of the house stands a gleaming Opel Astra station-wagon. Used and from Germany. It cost 2500 dollars, a lot for the family, everyone contributed to come up with the money. But the car is likely cheaper than anywhere else on the planet. The Americans have eliminated all taxes and import customs for eight months, more than a half million cars have rolled into the country since the war ended. Under Saddam it was a strictly regulated matter and to get a car one needed a lot of money along with good connections. (Emphasis mine) Great idea to jump-start the economy! And more: bq. ...There is enough to eat, even for those who don�t earn money. Flour, rice, oil, salt, sugar, tea and similar basic foodstuffs are always supplied. bq. The awakening Iraqi himself ran a furniture business before his deep sleep. His wife and grown son managed it in his absence. Business is booming especially with no taxes to pay. Office furniture is currently in high demand as new companies are being established all over. The family is debating whether to start a new business since there are modest loans from the occupational authority for those seeking to start a small business. bq. All in all enough money is left over to buy a computer. � �Internet� is the new magic word, he who doesn�t have it wants it, and that was naturally also completely unthinkable under Saddam. In Baghdad the internet cafes are shooting out of the ground like mushrooms. Even in distant small towns you find some. The Iraqis are fast learners and since the old telephone central station is silent (the station is still not completely repaired,) many have an email address. The article closes with this: bq. I have seen recordings of how the Fedayeen were trained. Small children would be executed in front of them to harden their hearts. Dogs would be set on old people and criminals with the same purpose. Saddam paid them good money, which is why they served Saddam. ... bq. The only people who are against the Americans now are those who were rich before. Now they know that they can�t sit at home and get wealthy. They will have to work and they don�t like it. They lost the power and authority. It is very dangerous. ... bq. What would I say to the American people? You have to be proud of your sons. You have to be proud of your army. They are fighters for freedom. The good news is starting to filter out finally. Interesting times...