Latin American General tortures by night and enjoys sunny Florida beaches by day, what a life.

Eugenio Vides Casanova is an eldery man that enjoys his residence in the state of Florida that he has had since 1989. I am sure he frequents the bingo hall and fits right in while the large population of retired age individuals that live in Florida. The one minor difference that some people might find odd about Mr. Vides is that he is a former general for the armed forces of El Salvador. He also served as the defense minister for six years. This man was responsible for the armed forces in the 70's and 80's that tortured, murdered, and disappeared individuals that were deemed a danger to the government at the time. This doesn't seem all that unusual for that time period, however this man was awarded the Legion of Merit by our president at the time Ronald Reagan.However he is in danger of being deported back to his home country for immigration violations. This only brings to light the level of cooperation the United States government had with latin american and south american countries that used violence against its people. The U.S. policy towards these people like our friend general Eugenio Vides Casanova was that we would work with them through back channels to help them out if they gave the United States what it wanted in terms of interests whether that be militarily or economically. This has been the case for decades in the United States. This sudden shift towards seeking out and removing former henchmen of countries that the United States has dealt with could mean that we as a nation are attempting to clean out the skeletons in our closets to improve transparency. The United States has been unable to convict the general of any torture crimes during his time in charge of forces that were involved in the murders of four churchwomen 18 years ago by national guardmen in El Salvador. They have however been able to bring about immigration charges which have brought up tangled webs of covert operations and working relationships between the general and American officials. This man has literally gotten away with murder and lived the good life on our sandy shores for almost 25 years. I am glad he is being deported but how in the world does this man get into the country with his public persona without american officials knowing he was here illegally for over 20 years? This is a slap in the face to the American people and to the struggling migrant families that cross into the United States illegally but with no other options. This man controlled terror and violence with the aid of American officials and was even awarded a distinguished honor by our president. Then after the people of El Salvador had enough of this guy he slips away and moves to the United States and avoids what I am sure would have been imprisonment or worse for his crimes against his people. The United States responds by doing what? Allowing him to live in peace in his advanced age. It makes me feel good to know that this man was given all that america has to offer after he murdered and plundered his nation but the people who are murdered and plundered in other nations are looked down upon and mistreated when they come to the United States. I hope this change of heart in U.S. policy is here to stay so that we may move forward and make right the involvements the United States were just as guilty of as this General of the Sunshine State was. http://www,nytimes.com/2011/4/18/us/18deport.html?ref=todayspaper Accessed April 18th 2011