The hero of Chile

I'd like to take the chance to speak about a great man, a hero to the
people, a man who brought justice and hope to the people of Chile, a man whose memory I deeply venerate.

I speak, of course, of President Salvador Allende.

Words cannot express how much this man and his legacy has meant to my
life, how "La vía chilena al socialismo" has inspired my own thinking on true equity in human society, how the nationalization of property he so courageously undertook is the path to real human freedom. I still weep for the cruel coup d'etat that ended his reign, and I curse the memory of that thug who replaced him.

That is why, whenever I have a glass of Chilean wine, I always preface it with a toast: "Viva Allende!"