Barely noticed power outage provides context

The power in Mount Pleasant went off this morning -- just for a millisecond. Enough to turn off the TV and cable, dim the lights momentarily, set a clock or two blinking 12:00. I switched the TV back on, rebooted the cable box, rebooted the wireless modem and listened as the upstairs printer rebooted itself and printed a test page.

When I finally restored everything to normal, and stopped grumbling, I came across this moving piece from McClatchy Newspapers' Inside Iraq blog. Unlike most American media over there, McClatchy has focused on the lives of ordinary Iraqis. Their blog is filled with posts by their Iraqi staff in Baghdad and outlying provinces -- just a bunch of everyday working stiffs trying to do a job and not get killed accidentally or through reprisal. "These are firsthand accounts of their experiences. Their complete names are withheld for security purposes," the blog tells us.

Anyway, I apologize for this post's lack of local relevance, but perhaps it provides some context. It is dated Dec. 30, 2007, and titled One year ago today.

Picking up the newspaper I saw the strangest headline of all.

"The Ministry of Electricity announces that the hours of lack of electricity will be increased as a result of scarcity of fuel and some technical issues."

This is something I cannot understand. How less electricity?? How fuel scarcity??

We have one hour of electricity in every twelve - How can it be less? And how in any scenario could there be a scarcity of fuel in Iraq ? !

We have despaired of warm homes.

We have despaired of hot water.

We have forgotten how to sit relaxed in our homes. I walk into the living room looking for my son and couldn't find him. I looked for him in the other rooms, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I called out for my daughter and asked her whether she knew where he was - but no luck.

"WHERE ARE YOU ! !"

In my room, the mound moves, and from under four blankets put there to go to the cleaners emerges a face with still-asleep eyes - IT IS HE ! ! "What are you doing there under those blankets? I went crazy with worry looking for you!", "Oh, mum, I just wanted to revise my computer skills exam in comfort, but I fell asleep." Getting up and pulling the blankets to one side, I saw that he had my laptop, a plate of nuts, a can of juice and his fresh-from-the-apple-store in LA-ipod with ear plugs still plugged in, underneath.

Is this sweet?? Or is it really sooo sad? But more important - Why is it like this? Countries march forward - why have we been forced back into the pre-electricity age?

And more important still - WHERE IS OUR OIL GOING? In five years, couldn't the government crawl back to square one? To zero? To what the tyrant used to give us?

Saddam was executed one year ago today - I wonder how many people who condemned him during his rule would give their fingers to go back in time. And how many people who thought that a foreign power would be the answer - regret that too.