Ladybug and Nancy..
the new president of Chile, is Michelle Bachelet, 54 years old, a pediatrician, mother of three, single. Not only did her father die (heart attack as the result of torture)while in custody under Pinochet's dictatorship, her mother was also arrested. Bachelet was arrested as a political prisoner and tortured, she was eventually able to go into exile outside of Chile.

The dictatorship of Pinochet came into force after a violent overthrow of the legal democratic election of Allende in 1973. It is truly sickening what has happened in too many nations during the past fifty years because of various dictatorships and secret police forces.

Michelle Bachelet apparently served as minister for health, and defense in the recent outgoing government of Chile.

Liberia has had an ongoing war for the past 14 years, and this new president 67 year old Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, wants an end to the violence and corruption that has been destroying her people, her nation. She also had to go into exile, escaping execution that apparently was the fate of too many in her country .... .

A couple of interesting side notes, is that Liberia was founded by freed black slaves from the US, and Bachelet in Chile defeated a billionaire in her bid for the presidency.....

[ January 17, 2006, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: norma ]