 "Facts should be checked and Wounds allowed to heal."
This Post Requires a solid answer.'La epoca del dictadora' is a deeply sad event for Uruguayans to even think about. Families were torn apart. Father against son. Daughters were cut off from their Mothers. Friends and neighbors stopped being friends and became enemies. Both sides committed atrocities. Anger and conviction that your ideology is the Only right direction causes these things. For a PERFECT example just look at the insane Polarization being pushed by the media in the U.S. right now! In the early mid 1960's I ran a central radio station for the US Military that transmitted lots of volume of communications between Washington and Montevideo. The Military training in the case of Uruguay was actually just the US trying to help a friend in the region that it saw as being also a Democracy. Those were more innocent times than the media paints, actually. But those years gave rise to the development of Strongly Leftist(Communist) and Strongly Rightist viewpoints. At that time, in the early 1970's the U.S. leadership of President Nixon and Henry Kissinger took a more manipulative role. The Colorado Party is the party of the educated Middle Class in Uruguay. The Elite Land Owner class then and now hold to the Blanco Party. In a quasi legal election with the U.S. working on the side lines through the help of Brazil, the Colorado Party Canditate, Juan Maria Bordaberry was Elected to the Presidency at a time when the ideological differences were becoming exasperated. He followed President Pacheco who was a heavy handed authoritarian. The country even the legislature was rife with Communists and some of them were Terrorists. Within a year things had gotten so far out of hand that he acquiesced to the Military's demand that he perform a Coup d'etat to dissolve the Congress and suspended the Constitution. The Military was responding to threats that echoed the sentiments of Fidel Castro & Che Guevarra, people were being killed, riots were taking place. They over reacted. The Tupamare also over reacted. When a country is bordering on Civil War, strong forces come into play. Whether we like it or not! President Bordaberry was basically set aside and the Military ran things during his three years. They then kicked him out because he was not living up to their wishes. Many injustices took place, but we must remember that they took place over a period that began with President Pacheco and continued with Presidents Domicheli and Alvarez after the ousting of President Bordaberry. He was in office for only three of the (Including Pacheco)almost 15 years of harsh leading to dictatorial rule. His mistake was to work with the Military in the first place, but ask yourselves, what would you do to keep order in your country if you were in his position? If the Police force was being totally overrun, and people were dying on your street, what would you do? After control had been enforced by the Military for over a dozen years, they could see that they needed a democratic government in order to bring the economy back up because innocent people were hungry and suffering and it had become obvious. So, they voluntarily stepped down in a somewhat cumbersome way. The incoming elected government of President Dr. Julio Maria Sanguinetti moved Uruguay back into Democracy, and also into a strong position in the world. He fostered the development of Mercosur, and many South American achievements in Education and the Arts and Humanities. Although President Sanguinetti would not speak to President General Alvarez and required an interim President of the Head of the Supreme Court Rafael Bruno who was President for two months, he gave defensive statements at the General's Trial. He has said, that he found it more than strange that the present Government which is so full of notorious ex-Tupamares should think it ok to have only one sided trials. He believes that if Pandora's box is to be opened, all those responsible for atrocities on both sides must be prosecuted equally. I feel that if I was Uruguayan in anything more than marriage I'd believe as he does. As for President Bordaberry, he was made a scapegoat due to his own over reactions a long time ago, and is serving a sentence of 30 years of house arrest. At least a little kindness was shown. When you awaken sleeping dogs you sometimes have the hand that feeds bitten. I wonder when the trials of the Tupamares will begin, and who their scapegoat will be. And yet, following this path only turns the knife in an already far too gangrenous wound. When you really think about it, who are we ex-pats from countries with their own whole set of ghosts and ghouls in their closets to sit in any kind of position of judgement? In other words why don't we mind our own business and leave their sorrows alone, lets support their joys instead. Uruguay is in the Top Four Countries in the World!!!! right now, in South Africa, lets support that, shall we? Lots more fun, no? (o: | 
