La Quincena Tragica
Playlist: Ennio Morricone, L'Arena & the Man with the Harmonica
First, a quick note on the title. These events are commonly known as la decena tragica, but they took place over 14 days. The internet (may its bandwidth ever be broad) assures me that the Spanish word for fortnight is Quincena. My limited understanding of the language, in association with the Offspring, tells me that this word is far more likely to mean 15 days, but even so it's more accurate than 10.
In 1913, in Mexico, Victoriano Huerto was a general. Right away, we can tell that this is perhaps not the best example of a self-coup, and may not have much in common with the current events in Canada.
Anyway, he was a general, most famous for crushing a domestic rebellion. He a coup with Felix Diaz and the US Ambassador, Henry Wilson. Huerto and Diaz started a public battle between massed armies and artillery, with enough civilian casualties on the side to earn it the name "Tragica", solely for the purpose of spreading chaos and making Huerto look like the hero. Diaz, the nephew of a previous Mexican dictator, was a believable enough villain. Huerto convinced the president and vice president to hide for their own safety, leaving himself in charge. He then had them arrested and executed.
So what does Huerto have in common with Harper? Aside from shamelessly lying to the populace in hopes that their ignorance would make him a hero, not a whole lot. Hopefully better examples will be coming soon.
PS Huerto eventually died while in a US prison where he was locked up for conspiring with the Germans. This is ominous foreshadowing.
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