South America is tlting strongly leftward. The hard left Evo Morales just became president in Bolivia. The indomitable Chavez in Venezuela becomes more popular every day and has resisted numerous US attempts to oust him from office.. And now we have Socialist Michelle Bachelet in Chile who is about to be elected to the top post in Chile. Her father was tortured to death by the thugs who took power there in ’73 in a US backed coup. A former political prisoner, she says her policy will not be forgive and forget.
Chilean voters today probably will elect Socialist Michelle Bachelet as their first women president, after she pledged that students, workers and retirees will benefit from the copper-rich country’s growth.
A 54-year-old Socialist doctor who is a former political prisoner and the daughter of a general will face off on Sunday with a successful 56-year-old rightwing Harvard-trained economist and businessman from a Christian Democratic family, in a bid to become the next president of Chile.
The daughter of Air Force Gen. Alberto Bachelet, who died from torture by pro-coup military officials in 1974, the socialist physician candidate told families of victims that there won’t be a forgive and forget law in favor of oppressors.
That pro-military coup was orchestrated by the US government. They violently ousted the democratically elected Salvador Allende and instituted a regime of torture and repression. Now, with a new Socialist president, all the corruption and vicious human rights violations of those days will become public and worldwide knowledge. Good. Let the sun shine in.
This is good news. This guy looks like someone who will stand up for his own people, not back down to Bush
and his fascist cronies.