Goodbye Pinochet!

So he's dead. He's dead at the stale old age of ninety-one years. It's just marvelous the happy endings all these grand old dictators come to. Let's recap: Idi Amin Dada, butcher of Uganda and supreme blemish on anti-Zionism, died peacefully a few years ago in the land of the highjackers. Slobodan Milosevic, scion of Serbian ethnic supremacism and expansion, died *just* before facing trial for his crimes. Now old Augusto, slayer of thousands and champion of "free"-market economics, has died not-so-peacefully, but still quite old and unpunished. Apparently he "accepted his responsibility" for his enthusiasm for Milton Friedman's ideas (not to mention the dead people). Well that's nice. I just wonder when we're going to see Mr. Henry Kissenger quietly accept responsibility for his clotted hands and move on. After all, he's got to get on with his life.

There is another side of course. Charles Taylor, former glorious leader of Nigeria (I believe) was in the dock last I heard. And let us not forget Saddam and a couple of his bubble-Baath buddies. They will be executed, supposedly. Saddam is no longer free to kill Kurds. This is a good thing. This good thing came at a cost, don't you think?