As the civilized world celebrates the liberation of Iraq--declared "from the dramatic setting of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln"--so too do the brave people of Iraq celebrate. Join with us as we relive the thrills, the highs, the majesty, the mystery of the first weeks of Free Iraq:

* "I lost 10 of my family. I once lived in that house with six other relatives, now I am alone...The coalition has got what it wanted, it has liberated the country. But as far as I am concerned, my loss is too great to accept."

* "Bush is the same as Saddam."

* "Yes to freedom, yes to Islam, no to America, no to Saddam."

* "Iraqis must rule Iraq. We don't need either an American general or a UN bureaucrat in charge."

* "They say they came here to liberate us. We have paid a heavy price for the removal of Saddam Hussein, so the Americans should go now."

* "We would love to have Saddam Hussein back. He's the only one who can control these mobs. Tell that to the Americans."

* "I am very sad for my country. Very sad for Baghdad. To see the Americans inside it is very difficult for me. Because they invaded my country."

* "We will never allow them to stay."

* "What kind of humanitarianism Americans talk about, to shoot a person like that?"

* "We must be united and support each other against the Anglo-American invasion. We must try to put an end to this aggression. This is not only my opinion. This is the opinion of all the people in Mosul."

* "Leave our country, we want peace."

* "This is not the America we know, which respects international law, respects the right of people."

* "If this is freedom, I don't want it."

* "They are killing us and no one's talking about it. We want Saddam back. At least there was security."

* "Saddam was a butcher, and now this. This is a residential area. Why are the Americans blowing up weapons near us?"

* "They are lying. They're ready to shoot for any reason. They're criminals. Saddam Hussein is gone but I think he's better than the US."

* "I refuse to help the Americans. They bombed our country. Why? Why?"

* "American troops want to appoint their own administration and not listen to the opinion of the people in the street. The people they have appointed so far were in the Baath party and the previous regime. People mistrust them. They will not cooperate with anything the troops do."

* "It was disgusting. Despite that, none of our young men has pointed a weapon against America...but next time, God alone knows what popular anger could lead to?"

* "Go home, America."

* "Our arrest by the Americans was worse than the arrests that Saddam ordered against our students."

* "We can't go where we want, move freely where we want. I have been searched and questioned as if I were the foreigner here. They are not educated people, they are stupid people. They are treating us badly."

* "The Americans are occupying us now. This is a fact."

* "We suffered under Saddam, we don't want to suffer under the Americans too."

* "I thought the Americans said they wanted a democracy in Iraq. If it is a democracy, why are they allowed to make the rules?"

* "We are running out of patience with the Americans here."

* "You are the masters today, but I warn you against thinking of staying. Get out before we force you out."

* "We want all the Marines to leave this place now, and also all of the press cars, or we will destroy them."

* "They did the destroying, why can't they repair them?"

* "He is my only son. Will I ever see him again? Why did they take him away from me?"

* "No good Bush!"

* "Of course we miss Saddam Hussein now...The Americans are only here to occupy us and drive us into ruin."

* "They said they are coming here to liberate us from the regime of Saddam Hussein. But it should not be in such a way."

* "This is cruelty. The rate is not even enough to pay for the lift into work. A packet of decent cigarettes costs more than a day's pay. A packet of nappies is one month! Is this fair? Even under Saddam, it was better than this."

* "They can watch us through their binoculars when we're walking down the street. I don't like having them here."

* "Sooner or later, US killers, we'll kick you out."

* "I hate Americans. I want revenge. I will wait, I will join a group, and, one day, I will kill Americans."

* "We demand compensation from the Americans, but we also demand our town back. Even in Israel they do not shoot children in such numbers when they throw stones in a demonstration."

* "It has never been this bad before. It just seems to get worse every day. I used to have hope, but I can no longer believe we will be saved. No one cares for us. I have four people at home and my husband was killed during fighting in Basra. I have no money and I no longer know what to do. I want to survive, but it just keeps getting harder."

* "Islam, Islam, Islam, death to the Americans."

* "This area never had any looting. Everyone here knows everyone else and we live very quietly, so why are the Americans here? We don't need them."

* "To America and its allies we say: where are your honeysweet promises? Now is the time to fulfill them."

* "They are sick. They are deeply, deeply sick. Tell the Americans we don't believe in this freedom."

* "What do I think of the Americans? Look at where my foot used to be, look at my dead brother and the rest of my family, with which I do not know what to do. I had a wife and seven children who were all right, and now? That is what I think."

* "We miss having safety, security, and jobs. The Americans have made many promises, but they have broken them. We wish Saddam were still in power."

* "There's no milk, no medicine, no salaries, no safety in the streets. What kind of freedom are you talking about? Under Saddam it was better than now!"

* "The Americans and the British promised everything but brought nothing. All of us will fight them if they stay here too long. No Iraqi will accept this turning into the occupation of their country."

* "These soldiers, they are the sons of George Bush. We will fight them."

* "War sucks big time. Don't let yourself ever be talked into having one waged in the name of your freedom. Somehow when the bombs start dropping or you hear the sound of machine guns at the end of your street you don't think about your 'imminent liberation' anymore."

* "We hate Americans. We lost our living. They destroyed our life, our happiness. Saddam Hussein was an unjust man, but he never did this."

* "Nothing is better since Saddam has gone."

* "We hated Saddam but at least under Saddam you could be safe. The Americans said they were coming to liberate the Iraqi people, not for the oil. But this is not liberation."

* "I consider what was done to be a crime of war. How would President Bush feel if he had to dig his daughters from out of the rubble?"

* "We were told it was going to be paradise, and now they are killing our children. The Americans did not bother to warn us that this is a contaminated area."

--compiled by Eddie Tews, sources are listed at feedthefish.org/blog/archives/000122.html