Rule of Law Restored for Pinochets

And I mean "Rule of Law" in only the most backward-toilet-flushing, Spring is Here, abundance-of-the-"anti"-prefix-in-Chile sense of the phrase.

Since the Pinochet family and associates were arrested earlier this month, it's all been weird anyway. In the comments MC reported her "politically minded" friends' oh-so-informed analysis of the crass political motivations of the rogue, activist and - shudder - human rights oriented judge Carlos Cerda, a politically minded discussion completely independent of but miraculously coincidental with the conclusion drawn by Chile's totally fair and balanced media, that it's got more to do with salvaging the ruling party's dismal ratings than the Pinochets' massive embezzlement of state funds.

Who knows. Getting back into Santiago I asked a guy on the airporter what he thought about it and he said it seemed strange the way the arrests were handled, that they would be arrested just before Judge Cerda flew off to the US, and for them to be released immediately, with no trial imminent - it all just seemed unnecessary. At that point I offered, "Like a show?" (pronouncing "show" like Margaret Cho), and he wouldn't go that far. He might have just not been talkative cuz I asked him for Chile travel recommendations and he told me to look it up in my Lonely Planet: Chile Guide Book. So much for my short-lived spurt of globe-trotting friendliness. Yep, I'm back in Chile.

Anyway, so I've got the impression that Judge Cerda is a cho-off and kinda unprofessional, because one of the purported grounds for the court dropping the charges against most Pinochets et al originally arrested is that those indicted hadn't been questioned. That's a technicality, is it grounds for dropping the case NPI (ni puta idea no fucking clue). Anyone who knows better please feel free add your two pesos (almost as valuable as two cents these days)

But is this technicality and/or solid stuff a politically motivated counter-attack to way pre-emptorily protect those who obviously made out like bandits, whether it can be eventually proved or not, or is it the Rule of Law being restored? Will Chile's rabid conservative press promote a fair trial for thieves or celebrate their escape? Does the Concertacion even care what happens now, or did they get their short-lived benefit from the media hullabaloo that they were looking for, as they've been accused of?