The Death of the Dictator: Pinochet and the Rebirth of Totalitarianism

Pinochet, who came to power by ousting the duly elected and Marxist-leaning Allende back in 1973, claimed at the time that he was saving Chile from godless Marxism; that he was preserving Chilean culture and religion, and that he was acting for the greater good of the country and indeed the region.

The Pinochet regime gave birth not to freedom and liberty but rather to state sponsored terrorism, assassinations, brutality, and curtailment of civil liberties. He held the reigns of power through fear and intimidation. He sacrificed the lives and liberty of hundreds of thousands all in the name of saving Chile from the Marxists.

If any lessons can be learned from the life and death of a man so brutal and so willing to kill his own people, it is this: the curtailment of Civil Liberties as a mean to protect Civil Liberties is nothing more than Totalitarianism draping itself in the Flag.

During the course of the Bush administration, this country has witnessed a whittling away of its Civil Liberties. Bush was well on his way to authoritarian rule (with his barking dog Congress supporting him), all in the name of protecting citizens from “evildoers”.

There is no need to dredge up the sordid history of how Pinochet came to power and who backed him; but Pinochet was no stranger to the Neo-Cons who have continuously advocated for curtailment of Civil Liberties, more power in the hands of the President and a suspension of the Freedom of Information Act.

Although the midterm elections have shifted the balance away from the right, the fact remains that liberty’s wings have been clipped. There is a lot of damage to undo, not only on the ground in Iraq, but also here at home.

For those who think that Freedom means that the President is sacrosanct, that dissent is wrong and that open access to citizens' private lives is the only solution, go and talk to the thousands of Chileans whose family members were tortured, or who simply disappeared. Go and see for yourself what it is to live in a world where you have no redress and no escape. If being free to you means you are free to watch endless videos, skateboard in the street and be left alone with your iPod, you need to think again. Freedom and Liberty start with the right of the People to freely elect officials, to have fair and equal justice, and to have a system of checks and balances in place that protect the People and the Constitution. So if you think that none of this matters to you, then don’t piss and moan when you find yourself sitting in a secret prison, being starved to death.

Pinochet should be remembered for what he was: A ruthless and self-serving dictator who would rather kill his opponents than let the people decide who was best fit to lead.

Tags:   American views, Chile, facism, Freedom of Informaiton Act, Neo Cons, Pinochet death of teh dictator, torture

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Posted on 12/13/2006 ( Permanent Link )
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