Dear friends,

I thought you might be interested to know how Chile is reacting to the events of September 11. As you might know, Sept. 11 is the anniversary of the military coup that killed Salvador Allende and put General Augusto Pinochet in power. It's a national day of mourning for many as well as a day for protests, riots, and marches. Every year on Sept. 11 stores close early and people stay home in order to avoid the conflict between leftist student groups and the military. The electricity is cut, tanks roll into the streets, and tear gas canisters counter the students' molotov cocktails - it's a big deal.

This year, the Chilean news stations barely covered what was going on in their own backyard, even though the altercation resulted in one student death and the destruction of public and private property. All eyes were focused on the U.S. This blew my mind - as you might imagine the U.S. is far from popular in Chile, particularly on Sept. 11 given its involvement in the 1973 coup. As one of my Chilean friends put it, "When people are killed in the U.S., the whole world watches. No one watched when people were killed in Chile."

The reactions here have been mixed: every government official I've seen has openly condemned the attacks and offered their support to the U.S. The Red Cross had to turn people away last Saturday because the truck stationed at the Plaza de Armas could not accommodate more blood. Almost every Chilean I know has called to make sure my family is safe. Complete strangers have hugged me on the street and introduced me to their children as "someone from the United States." The University churches have arranged to hold special masses to remember the victims and their families. Don Francisco, Chile's most famous international celebrity, hosted a program last night entitled "Todos Somos Juntos" (we are all together), which stressed the need for cross cultural cooperation against terrorism. These actions are not simply philanthropic, at least one Chilean is among those confirmed dead. The Red Cross has set up a 24 hour help line to assist those seeking information on family members in the U.S. and local news stations have ferreted out almost every Chilean who worked in either the Pentagon or the WTC for comment. The events have also rekindled a lot of pain for many Chileans. I talked with a woman the other day who stayed up till 2am watching the news and crying because the events in the U.S. reminded her of the attack on La Moneda (the Chilean Presidential Palace) in 1973. Similar comparisons have been made in the local newspapers.

At the same time, there are those in Chile who believe this attack was inevitable. Although few are happy (and there are those who are happy), many are not surprised. I got into a rather heated discussion the other night with a group of Chileans who felt the deaths in the U.S. were no different from the deaths in Vietnam or Iraq. If we kill innocent people in other places, we too must expect casualties. One woman suggested that rather than kill more innocent people, the U.S. should simply ask for forgiveness for their crimes of the past and end the violence.

On a final note, much of the news relating to the bombings has been rather sensationalized. In the days following the attack, Chile's six major television networks replayed the same set of images of the WTC continuously, often set to the music of Carmina Burana or Pachabel's Canon. Rather than merely imitating fiction, life has already taken on the character of a slick Hollywood production. At times, it is hard to take.

It's odd to have these events happen and not be on U.S. soil. You feel isolated. I hope all of your loved ones are safe and that you are taking comfort in your respective communities of support. I wish I could be there with you.

much love from Chile,

eden

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