I'm not glad Pinochet is dead

marjorie says...

While its true that my first thought upon hearing that Pinochet was dead was "good riddance," I am not "glad" he's dead. Those two sentiments are not the same.

In truth, I would have preferred to have seen Pinochet brought to justice for his crimes before his death. His crimes were many: he presided over the whole sale murder of Chilean leftists, he initiated a rein of terror for those he left alive, and he was a thief. More broadly, he destroyed a democratic socialist government and paved the way for neoliberalism in Latin America. In this sense, he hurt us all...every last one of us. Speaking of neoliberalism, isn't it odd that Pinochet died very shortly after Milton Friedman, the neoliberal economist who gave him instructions? Frankly, I'd put Friedman right up there with Pinochet, along with the U.S. government, in culpability for the crimes I listed. Just because you don't have the actual blood on your hands doesn't mean you aren't responsible for your work behind the scenes.

You can never expect much from the mainstream media so don't expect good commentary now. But as you're reading all the drivel, much of which I am sure will mention the Soviet Union and Communism, keep in mind that Salvador Allende was a democratically elected socialist president of Chile. It was his government that was destroyed by Pinochet not some communist dictatorship. In fact, its the way of the right, not the left, to destroy democracies...history bears that out.

adios to evil

marjorie says...

Augusto Pinochet died today and I'm not quite sure whether to be glad that one of the 20th centuries great embodiments of evil is dead, or whether to be disappointed that he never got what was coming to him.

And, it would be nice if our government could for once take responsibility for its own culpability in the atrocity of Pinochet's dictatorship. But as we all know, that is way too much to expect.

Post Election Musings

marjorie says...

It was a very long day yesterday, so I came to work a little late. As I'm settling in here there are several things running through my mind.

Before I get to New Mexico, can I just first note the incredible moment in Nicarauga? Yes. Daniel Ortega is the new President Elect of that country. I don't have any observations to make about Ortega or what kind of impact two decades have had on the Sandinistas. Clearly they have had to change a lot. But in this moment, I think its amazing, simply amazing...that the heart-breaking Sandinista's are back. And this also represents one more domino in the resurgence of leftist governments in Latin America.

Also, KUDOS to South Dakota!!! While these mid-term elections are BIG on the congressional front, this electoral battle clearly shows the American mind-set about a woman's right to control her own body.

Now...on to the congressional races. Regardless of what happens here in NM-District 1, we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief that our federal government is no longer controlled by crazy right wingers. Because let's face it, the House is the place most of the real ones end up. I still don't think much will change, but am looking forward to watching the Democrats.

As for NM-District 1...how is it that we have such a razor thin margin here? Well, I think its due to the military presence, which represents a large pool of people who do go out and vote. We have a lot of work to do to counteract that presence if we want to send a Democrat to the House. It'll be very interesting to see how the numbers break down by precinct in the coming days.