Because stock sucks, that’s why
Seedubya sends a most welcome heads-up to this heartwarming story:
These are conflicted times for Baghdad’s tightknit community of car-heads.
The fall of Saddam Hussein has enabled them to create their dream rides like never before. Hussein’s notorious son Uday and his cronies personally controlled all car imports into Iraq. Uday was also a car freak known for on-the-spot confiscations of any vehicle that caught his fancy.
“We have the Mahdi Army on one side, Al Qaeda on the other side, thieves everywhere, and we’re caught in the middle,” said Hussein, who also sticks to safer streets.
The dangers of the Baghdad streets don’t seem to discourage Adnan Ghulan, 27, who, along with his 28-year-old brother, Hisham, runs an auto repair shop that’s one of the anchors of the city’s car culture.
Hussein and Abdel Nasser are regular visitors. Abdel Nasser often brings in pages from one of his favorite car magazines with suggested designs or modifications for his Probe.
The Ghulan brothers, ethnic Kurds who lived in Jordan for several years and returned to Iraq after Saddam Hussein’s fall, have owned a succession of hot rods that they describe in loving detail.
“I want to have a car that makes people turn their heads as I drive by,” said Adnan Ghulan, who favors sleeveless shirts that show off a collection of tattoos.
Amen, Adnan. The cars these fellows are building ain’t exactly my taste, but no matter; hats off to ‘em just the same. Seedub says:
From what I know of gearhead culture, it’s pro-innovation and pro-freedom. It’s the very antithesis of totalitarian oppression, so this is a great development. I’m pleased to see many of these guys are buying and working up American cars, too. Good luck to them.
Yes indeedy. You don’t find a whole lot of statist liberal foolishness among the custom-culture crowd. Hardcore customizers will always find a way to satisfy their motolust, and whining nanny-staters be damned.
And this seems like a pretty good spot to wish our readers a very happy Independence Day, self-flaggelating liberal “patriotism” notwithstanding.
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My Esteemed Co-Conspirator Fetiche Nouvelle only started to get interested in politics when I made plain to her that the greenies want to take away her car. She's very fond of her car, a Mercedes SLK 230. (She's even fonder of her shoes, but I couldn't find a way to make her feel that those were threatened. I'm still working on it.)
FOR FREEDOM, EQUALITY, AND THE GREATER GOOD!