Joseph Rose ([email protected])
Mon, 19 Oct 1998 14:50:26 -0700
If you lived in Chile for that long, then you must have lived in one of
the gentrified suburbs of Santiago during Pinochet's rule.
I'm a jourmalist who also lived in Chile for a time. I can tell you
there are two sides of the story when it comes to Pinochete: The rich,
right-wing version of Pinochete as an economic and political hero; and
the leftist view of Pinochete as the devil. Based on my experiences �
and I'm no leftist but a red-blood, loves-his-mom-and-baseball American
and defender of free speech � I would go with the latter. He was a mad
man who sheltered his countrymen from the truth. But he was a fascist
and a dictator -- and that can only breed iron-fisted, draconion rule.
>They've told you that...Pinochet killed and tortured thousands of
people.
>The truth is... Pinochet never ordered to kill anyone and there's no
proof >whatsoever of any of those stories about people dissappearing
and being >tortured by Pinochet. Don't get me wrong, some people died,
but
>that's because of the situation the country was in at that moment.
According to the Chilean government report issued after Pinochet left
office, 4,299 political opponents disappeared or were killed during his
rule. That is fact and there is proof. These were men, women and
children who were oppressed in the years following the coup.
Now let's get back to our regularly scheduled program.
Peace.
Joseph
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