Quote: the G-man said: Every dictator claims his human rights violations respond to social needs. Hitler claimed he was fixing the German economy. Stalin's forced labor camps were part and parcel of his economic, not military, policies.
But they were killing people... Allende wasn't. He wasn't a dictator, he was President.
Quote: If you are going to argue that Allende's violations of human rights are somehow excused because the ends were justified, or the the goals lofty, then you have no business attacking other leaders for their questionable means.
If nationalizing the copper (which, by the way, was President Freei Ruiz-Tagle's doing, it only came into effect during Allende's term) is the closest you can mention to "human rights violation", then that says it all. I don't know how you can put that in the same league as torturing and killing. I don't know about you, but I'd choose giving my copper away over being tortured and/or killed any day.
