Blame

     Civilians who benefited from the Pinochet regime have never taken the blame for their actions.  The current president of Chile, President Pinera, said "the country needs both justice and forgiveness," which are two ideas that are intertwined with each other on the topic of rebuilding a nation.  Those who were among the offenders should be recognized as such and have certain legal actions taken against them, yet to a very small extent, they should also be recognized as human.  For example, someone who stood by and watched what Pinochet did shouldn't get the same punishment as one of the perpetrators of the crime.  But they also should face some consequences to their decisions.  The problem with this, however, is that some people who stood by sincerely didn't know what was happening to the people who disappeared, while people who did know claim that they didn't.