Dictators, Scoundrels and the People Who Love Them

Saludos William,

Greeting from the northern hemisphere; I guess your adventure to the Lake District has begun or is about to begins. Pucon, the destination of the elite the Chilean smart set, the locale of a hell of a party. Sounds like fun; I know you'll have a ball � muy divertido. Are you going for the entire week? From what I can gather, semena patrias lasts the entire week with the 18^th and 19^th as the principal days of the celebration. Take lots of photos. Have a great time, enjoy the fiestas, the beauty of the countryside, and be safe. I won't go into the evils of drinking, but… Be careful.

And now for the news of the Shields clam; your mother is recovering nicely; it's really only a matter of taking the antibiotics. All and all she seems to be doing very well. She hired a new employee today; she was so happy she came home and made herself a margarita. The computer has been repaired, they came to my office within 24 hours of my call; spent about 40 minutes replacing the mother board and they were off. Andrew did not get a part in the play, so sound crew it is for him; probably all for the best, he has his Eagle project, SAT prep, school selection, etc to deal with, not to mention all the excitement of senior year. Jamie Jester will be visiting town for a few days in a week or so.

Mike, the dog with attitude, is insisting more than ever to be treated as a human. Mom continues the battle, but Mike refuses to relinquish his right to use the furniture in the same manner as any other member of the family. He states his case pretty clearly, being the only dog linguist in the family; I serve as interpreter; that is, when I can get a word in edgewise with all the 'Go, go, go!' and 'Bad dog!' Nevertheless, Mike rests his legal case on the American Disabilities Act � the discrimination and intolerance he is subjected to are blatant violations of his basic right to equal treatment. His inability to speak English; and his lack of opposable thumbs in no way vitiates his expectation of equal justice under the law. Whenever the argument gets particularly tense, Mike throws Haley in Mom's face, 'How can you be so hard on me when I am such a model dog compared to Haley?' He has even gone so far as to threaten to bring Jeannie into the argument. I'm not sure where it will end; stay tuned the saga continues.

Since reading your letter, I've been thinking about Pinoche and Allende. I remember the time; I was about your age. It was an exciting time; from a continent away Allende appear to represent hope � he was democratically elected; he represented a breath of refresh air. He promised dramatic change within the confines and the law and constitution, yet that wasn't the whole story, from either side. South America was all dictatorships and oligarchies. Allende represent hope to many, fear to others. He represented a major redistribution of wealth. Pinoche was the defender of the status quo � the true believer in the system of privilege. It was part of the cold war. It happened at the time of Castro's and Che's attempts to turn South America into a revolutionary battleground. The United States feared Soviet advances in the southern hemisphere. Castro wasn't the joke he is today. He was young fresh, and still captured the hope and imagination of the oppressed.

I wish I knew more, I wish I was comfortable with my understanding of the local, national, and international context. What I do know is that it was a manifestation of evil. I don't think that Pinoche viewed himself as an oppressor or monster � yet he was a manifestation of fear � in much the same way that Lou Dobbs represents and speaks for fear. Nonetheless Pinoche was a monster, and evil. You are lucky, you have an opportunity to explore the roots of that evil, gently I hope. It should be an eye opening exploration. Remember that evil by itself is impotent, yet mixed with fear it can be the powerful, it can destroy civilizations and shame an entire people.

Pues nada, hasta el próximo vez.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad