by Lynnell Mickelsen

Blogger John Aravois goes after the Washington Post lead editorial which brushes off the murder of thousands of Chilean citizens as a relatively mild price to pay for getting the economy right.

Aravois writes:

"What's a few thousand people murdered for their political beliefs in exchange for some economic growth?

"This is a disgusting editorial in today's Washington Post praising Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Per the Post, Chile has seen great economic growth since Pinochet left the scene, so that makes him not so bad. Forget the fact that Pinochet killed thousands of his own people and threw their bodies into the sea simply because of their political beliefs. I mean, who hasn't? From CNN:

"According to an official report by the civilian government that succeeded Pinochet in 1990, at least 3,200 people were killed for political reasons and another 1,197 disappeared.

"Chile had ten million citizens at the time that Pinochet was busy killing them. The US has 300 million citizens, that's 30 times the population of Chile at the time. To appreciate how many political prisoners Pinochet had put to death, an equivalent number in American terms would be nearly 100,000 Americans put to death for their political beliefs, and another 36,000 Americans mysteriously disappeared by the government. Is that a price you're willing to pay for economic growth?

"Apparently, 136,000 people killed for their political beliefs is a price the Washington Post finds acceptable for a couple percentage point bump in the GDP. The Post's closing paragraph:

"The contrast between Cuba and Chile more than 30 years after Mr. Pinochet's coup is a reminder of a famous essay written by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, the provocative and energetic scholar and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who died Thursday. In "Dictatorships and Double Standards," a work that caught the eye of President Ronald Reagan, Ms. Kirkpatrick argued that right-wing dictators such as Mr. Pinochet were ultimately less malign than communist rulers, in part because their regimes were more likely to pave the way for liberal democracies. She, too, was vilified by the left. Yet by now it should be obvious: She was right."

"Less malign. Killing the equivalent of nearly 140,000 Americans for political reasons is "less malign" so long as there's an economic trade-off.

"That's disgusting.

"And it's yet again a clear sign as to why the Washington Post has been so supportive of George Bush's abuses over the past several years. Donald Graham is not his mother's son.......

"Hat tip, Editor & Publisher.

( Lynnell weighing in) Yes, this would be the same op-ed folks who have been cheerleading the Bushies every step of the way. There's been no scandal, war or torture that the WaPo op eds couldn't justify, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that they're now writing attaboy" paens to the late Pinochet.

As Atrios keeps noting, there's something seriously wrong with these people.

How can the WaPo board dismiss and justify the deaths of thousands of Chilean civilians who were murdered solely for their political beliefs? I mean, the editors wouldn't write the same thing if100,000 Americans were being killed for their beliefs?

Or would they?