[News] Why was there a 9 11 in chile

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Daniel del Solar <solarmedia at hotmail.com> wrote:
A walk in downtown Santiago on this sunny day a bit past 4 in the afternoon
near Chile´s White House, El Palacio de la Moneda, show few signs of the
spirited protests by socialists, communists, and the poor who have been left
out of Chile´s dream of economic development.

While President Michelle Bachelet was in Australia attending yet another
summit, the Vice President who was left in charge prohibited marchers in
defense of Human Rights from marching past the door where Salvador Allende
frequently entered the historic government house. It was from this door
that his lifeless body was removed by members of the Chilean military who
had carried out a coup that had deposed a democratically elected Allende
Government.

Supporters of Allende, torture survivors who lived through 18 years of a
military regime that sacraficed national sovereignty and income in the name
of "economic development" attempted to march by that door, but where forced
by hundreds of baton weilding police to take a different route to the tomb
of President Allende and of Ambassador Orlando Letelier who are burried in
the Cementerio General. The police also counted on large Mercedes Benz
trucks outfitted to spray noxious liquids which have such strong streams
that the crowds are often thrown off balance and are caused to fall. Similar
vehicles drive into demonstrators spewing tear gas and pepper spray which is
so strong that it brought tears to my eyes four hour after having been
sprayed into protestors.

As the so'called socialist government of Bachellet has continued to provide
an open season for international raw materials hunters, very little of the
economic benefits of globalization have come to the lowest income groups.
The economic miracle of globalization, initiated after the coup in 1973, has
led to Chile selling off 75% of its copper resources, entire glaciers inthe
south, and the poisoning of Chile´s largest river, the Bio Bio, located 300
miles to the south of Santiago. A paper plant at the ocean outlet of the
river has led to the destruction of local fisheries to the extent that local
people in Concepcion, where the Bio Bio meets the Pacific, largely do not
eat fish any longer.

Local fishery stocks the length of Chile are currently largely destroyed and
traditional, small scale fishermen no longer can make a living. Recent
conversations with the Government have led to promises of help. The
fishermen and their families have been forced to create community kitchens
in order to feed children and families.

This year, as distinct from other years, there has been a concerted move
away from any celebrations regarding the Allende Government. This means that
only the values remain, and a very vague history about the time when
idealism was backed by actions. Allende´s government began in 1970 by
promising milk to all of the children, recognizing that social inequality
begins even immediately after birth.

A 15 year old Mapuche girl told me that her school taught her nothing about
recent history nor anyting about Salvador Allende. The moral struggle to
control history is in full flower, and the good times promised by the
upcoming national holidays, the 18th is the formal "July 4th equivalent"
here in Chile, and this year the celebration lasts from this coming Saturday
the 15th through the 19th.

Television news programs have focused on the great times to be had in
chile´s distinct regions.

The press today barely made mention of what today has meant to Chile as the
media is anxious to forget what has been an unpleasant twenty years of
military dictatorship, and its consequences. The major left oriented
newspaper, La Tercera, said that the national holidays would likely be
cloudy and that Britney Spears likely performed under the influence of drugs
in her most recent MTV appearance. The more conservative La Segunda
presented the only major headline in the press today with the words: Homages
to Allende, Offerings, emotions, a internal fights," refering to rude words
and actions between the socialists and the communists. The same front page
gave the news that Bachelet, standing with one of Allende´s daughters and a
grandaughter, spoke of the need for a Chile that was more just and fair, and
more democratic.

The Weekly "el Siglo" had a special promotion on the front page saying:
Honor to the fallen, march this Sunday starting at the Plaza Los Heroes at
ten AM. The right-wing LA NACION headlined "an alliance that has
shattered, showing a piece of broken glass between the images of the
socialist and communist leaders in the governing coalition, with the subhead
"They came together to help the workers, but they ended up fighting amongst
themselfes. The dog eat dog love , the history of lies, backstabbing, and
paternalism amongst the workers. This same newspaper shows of a picture of
Michael Townley´s son, a progressive geologist. Townley was a double agent
with the CIA and DINA, the miilitariy´s secret police that assassinated
Ambassador Orlando Letelier in Washington DC in 1976. The assassination of
an Ambassor in Washington, DC, had never before occured in the history of
the United States, and it was planned and carried out by Michael Townly at
the direction of the senior George Bush, then director of the CIA.

N, Clarin´s weekly cultural magazine rand a picture of a greenpeace
demonstration showing the sign, "No pulpmill Pollution" and the subheadline,
"A Protest without camara´s does not exist."

Speaking with book dealers half a block away from the Moneda, they said that
this year´s protests where significantly less disruptive and destructive.
That the youth still was in the lead in the violent protests. And finally,
that the government was "the same joke, but with a different commedian."

This is bad news for the poor and working class in Chile on this occassion,
34 years after the Chilean military headed by Augusto Pinochet, killed
democracy and established a murderous 18-year regime that has led Chile to
near ruin of several of its vital resources. That the death of significant
fisheries, handing over of other vital portions of Chile´s natural resources
at bargain basement prices, means that the poor can expect to wait for a
long time for justice to arrive to their particular neighborhoods throughout
Chile.

I am Daniel del Solar in Santiago, Chile, on September 11th, 2007
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Daniel del Solar
e-mail solarmedia at hotmail.com
cell 510 290 3022




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