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I\\u2019d like you to picture some of the most awful human beings you could possibly imagine\\u2026 genocidal maniacs, torturers, child rapists. Got the picture? Ok. Now I\\u2019d like you to imagine if you can conceive of any circumstances in which not only you wouldn\\u2019t do everything in your power to stop them, but you would actually support them. Can you think of any scenario that would warrant you supporting people like that? Can you picture yourself fighting hard to make sure they have millions of dollars and supplies to carry out their activities? Keep your answer in mind for the remainder of this series.

This is a story about what happened in El Salvador in the 1970s and 1980s, and the role that democratic as well as republican administrations played in this tale. As much as humanly possible, I\\u2019ll try to let the facts speak for themselves and not inject too much of my own commentary. It\\u2019s not always going to be easy since it\\u2019s an intensely emotional subject. In a larger sense, this tale is a microcosm of the Cold War itself. It\\u2019s a disturbing, unsettling story about starving peasants and impossible choices. It\\u2019s about President Carter\\u2019s words weighed against his actions. It\\u2019s about the US government\\u2019s efforts to cover up the murders of four American churchwomen. And it\\u2019s about the heroism of one man, Oscar Romero, willingly sacrificing himself to shine a light into the darkness.