Maybe We Should Have Dealt With Saddam This Way...

Augusto Pinochet (sort of rhymes with SHIT) has been declared medically fit to go on trial in Chile on charges of kidnapping and murder.

His lawyers will appeal, but at this point it's pretty clear that General Pinochet's legacy will be that of a thug's--and nobody is more aware of this than the General himself. While it may be only a small measure of justice for the families of his victims, it's still more than what Kissinger will ever get, provided Henry is careful about where he travels to.

Augusto, by the way, is also being questioned about the rather substantial pile of money he managed to accumulate--money WAY above and beyond what a Chilean army general could expect...Well, one source of funds was apparently the United States Government, which paid Pinochet millions of dollars, including more than $3 million dollars in one year--1976--which happens to be the same year that Orlando Letelier and Ronnie Moffit were murdered in Washington DC, when a bomb hidden in the vehicle they were in exploded. Hmmm.

However, eventually Augusto, like all scum, became useless to the hand that helped lift him up by his jackboots--sort of like a Middle Eastern thug who we've all come to know and hate. Funny though, there was never an all out campaign to paint Pinochet as Hitler south of the equator--maybe because he mostly killed leftist democrats who worked within the system (and the odd US national). Instead, the United States gradually distanced itself from the regime, and allowed THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE to take matters into their own hands--which they did. That said, it'd be nice if the US would one day apologize for precipitating and participating in the violent overthrow of democracy in Chile, which prior to September 11, 1973, had been one of the most stable democracies in South America. After all, we do PREFER democracy--right?

Enjoy your millions, General--just don't spend all that money in one place...oh, wait--you're under house arrest and likely to remain under house arrest until you pass away. I guess you'll HAVE to spend all that money in one place.