A few impressions after a quick visit to the Plaza de Mayo to see the 30th anniversary march of the 1976 military coup: It was a very quiet and tranquil event with more families and kids than I expected. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo were out in force (sign to the right with Mothers hallmark scarf says, "No one step backwards") as were the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and a variety of leftist groups. The biggest controversy of the night: the leftist groups read a document that criticized the Kirchner government, the handling of a recent petroleum industry strike Patagonia, the IMF debt payoff, Argentine poverty and the U.S., and backed the Palestinean cause. The Mothers and Grandmothers complained that it was a day to mourn the 'disappeareds', not for all and sundry political projects and political theater. One leader with the Mothers said, "Ayer quedaban nuestros hijos y familiares completamente olvidados, eso es lo que sentimos." ("Yesterday out children and relatives were completely forgotten, that's what we felt.")

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