Carlos Menem's dead

Many English medias have positive comments of him, saying he curbed the inflation and started the free market economy.

I happened to sit next to his table about 8 years at Piegari in La Recova, under the bridge. He is a very small man who seems to enjoy Italian
food, the restaurant put a waiter by his table just to make sure no one is causing a problem, I did not see any security around. Maybe
Argentine ex president does not get life time protection ? I did not even know who he was, it was my Argie friend said that was Menem.
I looked at him who was talking loud with a few of his friends, thinking " this is the guy who got dumped by his tall Chilean mujer".
 
I remember first hearing about him in the 90s during a puff piece on 60 Minutes about Argentina and how he made the country so rich that they could afford state-funded cosmetic surgery.
 
He was a totally corrupt politician. His campaigned slogan was Siganme! (Follow me!). And a lot of people did. He became the Pied Piper of the Peronist Party. His folksy demeanor and provincial accent (from La Rioja province) fooled a lot of people. After being elected he was able to bring inflation down by pegging the peso to the dollar. But that only works for a while, it’s a house of cards. Eventually it collapsed. He sold the country down the river. His father was a truck driver. When he became President he dismantled the railroads, got in cahoots with the teamsters and everything had to be moved by trucks. It has taken decades to bring the railroads back. In the 1990's during his presidency two car bomb explosions killed scores in downtown BA. One near the Israeli embassy and a second one at the AMIA. An Israeli Argentine mutual association. I don’t think you’ll find too many Jewish leaders at his funeral. Nobody was ever convicted of those crimes. During his presidency he engaged in illegal arms and weapons trade with Croatia and Ecuador. He was arrested tried convicted and sentenced. He escaped to Chile where his wife was from. Eventually he returned, and for “health reasons“ was given a house arrest sentence. After his sentence was pardoned he successfully ran for the senate. During his presidency he led a bon vivant lifestyle, hobnobbing with celebrities, Rock stars and famous sports figures. He became a multimillionaire by accepting bribes from foreign governments and multinational companies. IMHO one of the worst Presidents this country ever had.
 
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Perhaps you noticed the Large metal crescent moon next to the coffin . He will be buried in the Islamic cemetery, next to his son..
 
Perhaps you noticed the Large metal crescent moon next to the coffin . He will be buried in the Islamic cemetery, next to his son..
Per Wikipedia....He was born in Anillaco to a Syrian family, Menem was raised a Muslim but later converted to Roman Catholicism to pursue a political career.
 
Per Wikipedia....He was born in Anillaco to a Syrian family, Menem was raised a Muslim but later converted to Roman Catholicism to pursue a political career.
At that time the constitution prohibited anyone but a member of the Roman Catholic faith from being President. The current constitution continues to "sustain" the Catholic faith and, I believe, pays bishops' salaries.
 
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