Pinochet passes on

Ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile from 1973-1990 and spent his old age fighting human rights, fraud and corruption charges, died on Sunday a week after suffering a heart attack, Chilean television reported.

Pinochet, 91, grabbed power in a coup and went on to become the best known of the South American dictators of the 1970s and 1980s.

In a world full of Stalins, Hitlers, Pol Pots and their ilk - Pinochet never bothered me all that much. We are very lucky here in the U.S.A. We were never threatened with a Marxist taking freedom and power. That is where Chile found itself. Who in America would have stepped in if we had? What would that person have done?

Anyway, it would be a huge stretch to call Pinochet a hero of mine, I have no use for dictators of any stripe - but I wouldn't feel the need to curtail my libertarian instinct to attack Pinochet if my friends on the Left got half as excited about that butcher Castro than they do Pinochet. At least Pinochet walked away leaving his nation with a democratic system, a functioning judiciary, and the best economy in South America. Do you think that will happen when Castro leaves for his judgement? Hey while we are at it, how does he compare to Castro?

Le Rapport Rettig de 1991 estime que pendant les 17 années (1973-1990) de la dictature du général Pinochet, 3.197 victimes de violences du régime sont mortes ou ont disparu. Le second rapport Valech diffusé en Juin 2005 relève, lui, 29.000 cas de torture avérée. Des milliers de Chiliens ont quitté leur pays.

En 2000, la Cour suprême avait privé Pinochet de son immunité d'ancien président, ouvrant la voie à son procès. Il était inculpé pour 75 meurtres et enlèvements.

Les jeunes ne portent pas de T-shirts à l’effigie du général.

Let me help you non-FAO types out.

The 1991 Rettig Report Rettig determined that during the 17 year dictatorship of General Pinochet (1973-1990), there were 3,197 dead or disappeared victims of official violence. A second Valech report broadcast in June 2005 reported that 29,000 torture cases have been proven. Thousands of Chilean citizens left their country.

In 2000, the Supreme Court had deprived Pinochet of his former president immunity, opening the way for prosecution. He was charged for 75 murders and abductions.

Young people do not wear T shirts with a picture of the general.

Let's put Chile under Pinochet next to Cuba from another report.

Estimates of those killed
-----------Low-----Mid-----Upper
Chile-----2,000---10,000---30,000
(1973-87)
Cuba-----35,000---73,000--141,000
(1959-87)

If Pinochet did nothing, odds are that you could add a zero or two to the Chilean total - and Allende would be hosting Castro and Chavez as official guests - in a zero sum world that never exists.

He may have been a son-of-a-b1tch butcher - but in some twisted way he was freedom's SOB. If they had a vote, I think most Cubans would have rather had the Chilean experience instead of their own miserable island gulag. Just a thought.

Hat tip No Pasaran.