11 September

My sister, blogging vicariously, has asked me to mention an anniversary that’s coming up in a few days. OK Fiona, I’ll do it by quoting from Salvador Allende’s leftist regime 1970-1973:

In August 1973, the rightist and centrist representatives in the Chamber of Deputies undermined the president’s legitimacy by accusing him of systematically violating the constitution and by urging the armed forces to intervene. In early September, Allende was preparing to call for a rare national plebiscite to resolve the impasse between Popular Unity and the opposition. The military obviated that strategy by launching its attack on civilian authority on the morning of September 11. Just prior to the assault, the commanders in chief, headed by the newly appointed army commander, General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, had purged officers sympathetic to the president or the constitution.

<irony>That’s all right and proper, of course. As Henry Kissinger said,

I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people.</irony>