Hi Lego,

For 17 years, thousands of people in Chile were imprisoned, terrorized, tortured and killed so that the market could be free.

They included young children, pregnant women, students, doctors, musicians, indigenous people, unionists etc.

I'm really having difficulty believing you mean what you wrote when you say
"I am sure that the US corporations did not lose any sleep over the Chilean communists (who wanted to steal their property) and who were tortured and murdered by the sensible people of Chile who were incensed by their stupidity."

It kind of sounds like you feel that way too. I hope I am mistaken.

I guess my big question to you is: Is it really ok to kill leftists? Or do you just sympathize with those who do?

In case you were curious about any of those people who were tortured and/or killed by the Pinochet regime, here's a bit of info.

Victor Jara was a well known folk singer who was one of many people killed in a soccer stadium soon after the coup. He played guitar - his torturers crushed his hands with their rifle buts, they beat him and shot him in the head while playing Russian roulette. His body was thrown onto a street.
Here's some of his music - it is beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPpXxZviJ4

Here's some testimony of people tortured by Pinochet's regime. Some of the things they did to people were really sick.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chile-11-september-1973-pinochet-regime-torture-505297

Hi BJelly

For most of last century, tens of millions of people were murdered by communists like Allende in order to promote an economic system which never worked, and which produced a political system that was the most efficient form of totalitarianism ever invented. The tens of millions who were either murdered or staved to death, included "young children, pregnant women, students, doctors, musicians, indigenous people, unionists etc." They also composed another type of victim. Well meaning people of zeal like yourself who either supported, or even led the communists, who then turned on them and lined them up in front of the pits.

If a group of people wanted to steal your property, I presume that you would be very hostile towards them. In 1970, the USA had around $1 billion in investments in Chile which Allende "nationalised." It is hardly surprising that the USA backed those Chileans who were also the victims of communist theft and incompetence, and who intended return Chile to a free market economy. You know the free market economy, don't you BJelly? That is the economic system which even Russia and China have largely adopted because even they realise that Socialism was nuts. The yanks were right all along.

The only good thing I can say about Socialism was that it forced the capitalists to realise that they had to give the working class a better deal, or they would support a crazy economic system like socialism, that did not work at all for anybody except those at the top of the communist monarchy.

Yet here we are with socialism on the ropes and people like yourself are still trying to pretend that socialism had all the answers, and that Allende was a really nice guy who gave expectant mother's milk, and who made the legal price of bread very low (resulting in bread shortages) If Chile had ended up like Cuba, North Korea and Venuzuela, you would still be averting your eyes, making excuses for socialist stupidity, and blaming the yanks for everything

LEGO,

"Ireland should be a part of Britain. It isn't, because religious and cultural differences can tear apart any society and cause serious social strife, terrorism, and civil war. Ireland should be a part of Britain. It isn't, because religious and cultural differences can tear apart any society and cause serious social strife, terrorism, and civil war. Australia is an island of peace because we were once one nation, with one language and one primary culture. If Napoleon was alive today, he would probably be congratulating you multiculturalists for creating for him a "splendid new battlefield."f Napoleon was alive today, he would probably be congratulating you multiculturalists for creating for him a "splendid new battlefield."

Ireland should not be part of Britain because Britain is an island and Ireland is an island and they are two separate geological entities.
Ireland is however part of the British Isles, which is a geological description not a political one.
Religious and cultural differences can indeed tear apart any society apart and it was the differences imposed on Irish society by the invaders from England that caused Ireland's English Problem.

" Australia is [Ireland was] an island of peace because we were [it was] once one nation, with one language and one primary culture. "

to Mise.

Tasmania should therefore be a separate country, as it is not part of mainland Australia. As a matter of fact, mainlanders would love for Tasmania to be a separate country, so that the Tasmanians can learn to live with their Green/ anti business religion and decay into economic obscurity without the mainlanders subsidising their green delusions.

Britain in 800-1000 AD was composed of about 30 kingdoms, and in the north, what we now call Scotland was composed of a myriad of fiefdoms based around clans. What we now call France was divided into numerous provinces, and Germany was so divided into "principalities" that it did not become "a country" until the 19th Century. History recounts how larger states have always forcibly incorporated smaller states into their territory, usually for the good of all. Sometimes it was even done by Federation, with all parties agreeing that it was for the common good. Examples of that phenomenon are the federations of Australia, Canada, the USA, and the union of Britain and Scotland. In those examples, cultural differences were so small that a general agreement as to what constituted correct behaviour was easy to agree upon.

Had larger states not swallowed up smaller states, the earth today would still be in the tribal state consisting of a million tribes. It was those states which grew larger more quickly, either through agreement or military force, which are the primary modern states today. And they still admire the men who had vision enough to convince or coerce smaller and unviable states to become larger and more efficient nations. Men like Cromwell, Talleyrand, Jefferson, Parkes, and Bismark.

Ireland should be a part of Britain. If it was still a part of Britain, Irish men would not have to go to Britain to find jobs, and Irish women would not have to go to Britain to get their abortions.

LEGO,

You are so far out of touch that it is laughable,

"Ireland should be a part of Britain. If it was still a part of Britain, Irish men would not have to go to Britain to find jobs, and Irish women would not have to go to Britain to get their abortions."

Ireland is a part of the European Union and no one from Ireland really needs to visit Britain at all.
My Irish Passport allows me free entry into Europe, including Britain, it's much more useful than my Australian Passport, because (unlike the Irish) Australians are aliens in the UK.