On Pinochet

These are the days when the dictators die.

Milosevich was the first to go. Then it was heard that Hussein would be hanged. Now Pinochet, dead after complications following a heart-attack.

I'm at a loss for words to describe the feeling. To many, I'm sure these days are either particularly bright, or under a pall most dark. To me, it's almost anticlimactic. These tyrants had their heyday while I was still toddling around in pampers, and now that they're gone, I'm left to wonder just what kind of twisted legacy they've left behind.

Of course, I'm still left with having to face the tyrants of today. Moderated. Marginalized, but still there. I don't know their names (or I do, I just can't name them), but I do know that the pains of yesterday lead to the headaches of tomorrow, and the allure of power is too tempting for some.

The past doesn't teach us "thou shalt not." The past teaches us "thou must do better than those that preceded thou."

The tyrants and terrors of today are avid history fans. They've seen how their predecessors failed, and they're coming up with all new ways to foil foes and followers alike. Whether left-wing or right-wing, everyone needs to pay attention to who's in charge. We all have to be somewhat critical of those in power. Believe me when I say you're helping them more by questioning them than by just taking whatever they give.

I wonder what the history books will say of our era? A thought worth musing another time perhaps.