Change of regime beneficial to Chile

Re “Soccer in a house of death,” Opinion, Dec. 12

As I read Dave Zirin’s article, I could not help but think of the millions of people who suffered under the regime of Salvador Allende in Chile before Augusto Pinochet’s military coup in 1973. I am from Chile and lived there until 1977; I experienced both regimes. I do agree that torture and murder of innocent people are wrong and that and there is no excuse for it.

However, let’s not forget the millions of people who did not have enough to eat during Allende’s regime. My family had to stand in long lines to buy bread. Basic food staples were unavailable to people who were not part of Allende’s political party. Although I don’t agree with Pinochet’s methods for removing opposing political parties, nor with the military government that followed, I do believe that the change of regime was beneficial for many people in Chile at that time.

VERONICA WASEK

Sugar Land, Texas