What scares me is the parallels to Chile 1973 to us

[Taverner]

Right before Pinochet staged a massive, bloody coup against a democratically elected government, the Right Wing was on the run. The Socialists, Democrats and Communists had formed a coalition government that was very popular, and very successful in nationalizing industries (the copper mines) that belonged to foreign interests.

Liberals, Progressives and Leftists of all stripes were celebrating the death of the Chilean right wing. Then, seemingly overnight, a sociopathic General named Augusto Pinochet bombed congress, and gunned down popular president Salvador Allende.



Here he is in his last photo taken alive. Shortly after, jackbooted thugs came in and gunned him down in cold blood. All government labeled "dissidents" were rounded up into the national soccer stadium and summarily executed. What happened afterwards was almost worse; 15 years of terror, government led disappearances of anyone who dared question the military junta, torture, children stolen from their parents by the military and all this with not just the blessing, but CIA support from the US.

Oh, and the date of the coup is worth taking note - November 11, 1973

Now consider where we are - our fascists want another war, and goddamn it they're going to have it. If democracy prevails as I expect it to, and the bums are sent packing - be very prepared for them to hatch something like this at home. Many people feel Chile has been a staging ground for many things here. The "Chicago Boys" who created the Chilean "Miracle" which basically sold off all of Chile's resources to foreign interests was then taken to heart here.

So you can see why I might hold a bit of worry.

[TooBigaTent]

1. Yeah, yeah. Conspiracy theory wacko. Right? BUT, how many times over the last

seven years have we said something like, "they could not POSSIBLY do that" or "there is no way they think they can get away with that" only to see the "unbelievable event occur?

I put NOTHING beyond these shits and therefore feel we should put no limits on our actions or tactics. Underestimating the fascists has helped lead us to where we are now. If we keep taking them too lightly and responding accordingly, there will be nothing left to fight for.

They must be stopped. BAMN!

[The Stranger]

3. TooBigaTent, you only have 398 posts?

Come on, brother, spread the knowledge.

[eShirl]

6. um... bamn?

ok, Emeril Lagasse

[TooBigaTent]

9. By Any Means Necessary. Interpret that however you want. PS - I hate the

phenomenon know as Emeril, though a couple of his recipes are good.

[Taverner]

10. I think Emeril's is BAM with one M, no N

But I get where you're coming from

BTW...I like Emeril's Essence. Works for damn near everything

[Echo In Light]

7. That's been a recurring, albeit foreboding occurance...

The ability for this regime to time and again break precedence with alarming ease and corporate media calming.

[L. Coyote]

2. HELLO! It DID happen here, Dec. 12, 2000 is Junta Day, and the end of Democracy in the USA.

Al Gore was democratically elected President of the United States.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. And there's always Blackwater to calculate into the equation.

[terrell9584]

5. except that the general population in this country is armed

and the idea of a military takeover would never sell here. You make think of the South as "red", but one thing we are taught in school is that our ancestors actually kicked out an occupying U.S. army that was running our state government. This is not a moral statement on whether Reconstruction worked, it's literally a statement that the reason that it ended when it did is because of sustained resistance by the local population.

Honestly, I think the reason that we are having problems in Iraq is because we are doing some of the same things that federal troops did in the South after the war. We learn a lot of history about this because a lot of families made their names in the resistance movements.

If there was ever an attempt to institute a military government over an elected President, something that has never happened here all hell would break loose. Lincoln allowed the election even when there was a real possibility he would lose to McClellan (and McClellan did whip Lincoln's tail in Kentucky, if occupied states had been allowed to vote, would have been a closer election)

There was at least a decent chance that Roosevelt could have lost in 1944, we still had the election.

My God, we had the election in 1812, even as we had British troops on American soil.

It just won't happen, this country would never stand for it. The only internal war we ever had was over an election. You honestly think the same thing wouldn't happen. I don't think Bush and Cheney are worth much, but it is simply not going to happen. Not in a country where civilians can actually shoot back at troops.

[Echo In Light]

8. And "we" drastically outnumber "them." But still...one worries about deer in headlights