Posted on 08/05/2018 10:31:52 AM PDT by Mariner
“He also used his office to embezzle, take kick-backs from arms dealers, launder money, and avoid taxes.”
The classic Marxist critique of America’s imperfect allies when the Soviet Union was running amok across the globe.
This critique was designed to influence fools like Jimmy Carter into abandoning our allies, which he did with the Shah of Iran and Somoza in Nicaragua.
Of course the leftists spouting this stuff didn’t give a rat’s ass about such garden variety corruption. It’s just designed to win the support of useful idiots on the political left. With the USSR out of business the Revolution still soldiers on, always seeking to weaken the United States.
“I am at a loss why anyone would be championing Pinochet in the US any more than Guevarra. “
It’s the difference between authoritarian versus totalitarian regimes.
Ronald Reagan’s UN Secretary Jeane Kirkpatrick wrote a book intended to help people suffering from your lack of understanding- “Dictatorships and Double Standards”.
I put it as directly and concisely as I could. This debate is going in circles. We’re not going to agree on this.
I lived in Chile for over 5-years, and the first year lived two houses from Pinochet’s Santiago home. Safe neighborhood!
I didn’t read the entire article, but I would be surprised if it mentioned he was nearly re elected when he allowed free elections...if I recall, he was defeated 53-47% of the vote.
Many, many Chileans did not vote for Pinochet simply because they were concerned about his hold on power for 25 years if he was elected.
Pinochet is the reason Chile is an advanced country with a huge and growing middle class...something that very few Latin American countries can claim. Also, do NOT try to bribe a Caribinero if you are stopped for a traffic issue in Chile...you could end up in the carcel; unlike Chile’s neighbors where a payoff is expected. Pinochet eliminated corruption in the military and federal police, and in government.
The rest of South America could use a little,(a lot?) of Augusto Pinochet.
Chile, today, is a free country again, thanks to General Pinochet. It was well on its way to being another Cuba or Venezuela when General Pinochet moved against the Marxist mobs.
Those who choose to smear the General have very strange priorities. (No, I do not believe that a man who risked every thing to preserve the liberty of his people was guilty of embezzlement. It was General Pinochet, after all, who restored the sacred rights to private property, vouched safe to Americans by our own heroic Founding Fathers.)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.