Can You Believe This??

CNN may have made an uninformed mistake in placing Tegucigalpa in the wrong Departamento but the New York Times just flat out makes up facts to suite their agenda.

Check this out...SHAMELESS!

Burn Your Nike and Adidas Shoes!

I'm going to burn my Nike and Adidas shoes and I will NEVER shop at GAP Stores again...

Interesting how the letter from the Nike Group in support of the criminal Zelaya regime is no longer on their website.
----------------------------------------------------------

July 30, 2009
Will the Real Golpistas Please Stand Up?
By Maggie Petito
The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras continues to proclaim the legitimate government of Roberto Micheletti as golpistas -- which in Latin society means far more than coup plotters. In fact, in Latin nations with no semblance of the USA's Posse Comitatus laws barring direct military action domestically, golpistas take on the veneer of military dictatorial fascism with a venue of total criminality and lawless, venal anti-democratic behaviors void of rule of law. As it comes to pass, declaring the current Honduras government and its courts as golpistas -- that is, deemed as criminals to be stripped of support, of rights and barred by the United States of America, carries a de facto declaration of illegitimacy.

In essence, U.S. ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens inexplicably maintains that the Micheletti government are criminals. The July 28, 2009 U.S. Department of State press briefing confirmed what AP wire stores had been reporting early this week and Honduran media had been running -- that judges and officials of the current high court and government in Honduras are deemed unworthy and now barred by the United States of America.

The problem with all this flurry of U.S. and OAS acts against Hondurans who do not want Venezuela's Chavista-style strong arm under Zelaya in Honduras is that there is still not one scrap of due diligence, not one fact-based review of the last month regarding what actually transpired in Honduras, and no legal analysis of what the now removed former president Zelaya's constitutional breaks actually mean. Remarkably, the Obama team under questioning from international media Tuesday admitted that the U.S. still had not completed any legal review of the facts about Honduras.

Imagine if Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Harry Reid and chief Supreme Court Justice Roberts were deemed criminal golpistas under a Latin legal definition completely akin to treason and sedition, and denied access to a major country. While this may seem far fetched, Americans would rightly want to review the facts of their alleged crimes and why, with nothing more than political screed justifying their denunciations, such acts are taken. Due process under law is supposed to still matter to North Americans. The U.S. government has given no such courtesy to the formal, albeit interim government of Honduras.

It is challenging to listen to this superb recent interview with former Honduran ambassador to Washington Flores at the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs on July 25 and not feel compelled to question exactly why fact based analysis remains missing in action as the U.S. and the OAS continue to act to squeeze and defame the current government of Honduras. The Honduran NGO Union Civica Democratica conclusively explains the Honduran rule of law under its constitution and how Manuel Zelaya broke their laws.

An open letter in support of Zelaya signed by supposed NIKE tennis shoe officials and co signed as from Nike Inc., the Adidas Group, Gap Inc, and Knights Apparel is ostensibly supposed to tell us all that the Chavez and Obama and OAS acts of the last month to vilify those who acted lawfully to remove the Zelaya criminal acts from Honduras are meaningful and that the current Micheletti team in Honduras are to be deemed criminal. Indeed, the OAS has acted to declare Honduras a pariah, an undemocratic nation under its Democratic Charter with still no facts and no airing of Micheletti's governmental steps. While the Obama and Clinton foreign policy handlers seem want to tell Americans that they have "smart" diplomacy to replace "old" diplomacy, this latest lobbying effort smacks of a ginned up promo for Obama and Clinton as if to bless the mess they have made... and are still making. The problem with Nike group's assist to the Obama-Chavez-Zelaya lobbying team is that it still remains devoid of facts and sells propaganda This is not "smart" and it is not "diplomacy" and it is no way to run government relations.

J.P. Morgan was said to have quipped that no bank, no financial system -- and no government -- long survives without the essential component of trust. Facts still matter. Due diligence cannot be so easily discarded in favor of untrustworthy behaviors.

Honduras watchers breathed a sigh of relief on Friday, July 24 as U.S. Secretary of State Clinton deemed Zelaya's theatrics at the Honduran border as "reckless." To many observers this carried a tacit message of non-support for Chavez's Zelaya, even as the State Department that very day announced that Zelaya would be in Washington for meetings with the Obama team on Tuesday. When Zelaya rejected the Obama team's welcoming arms on July 28, 2009 and stated he needed "proof' that the Obama team was still behind him before coming their way, with the seeming speed of light the Obama team handed to Zelaya their version of proof by publicly revoking standing for the current Micheletti government.

The Obama team waited until just after the visiting Republican House Congressional team, under ranking Western Hemisphere chair Connie Mack [R-FLA], had just departed Honduran airspace late on Sunday to commence its latest round of Chavez-pleasing activities to give the increasingly unpopular and clownish Zelaya proof of their allegiance to him and his ALBA bloc that he has been demanding before returning to Washington. Mack has stated that based on Congressional review, there was no coup, military or non military, in Honduras and that Zelaya must not be reinstated as president. The Republicans state that the Micheletti administration are not golpistas. As the only U.S. Congressman to visit inside Honduras in the last month, Mack late Tuesday declared as "wrong" the "punishment" by the Obama team against lawful Hondurans who seek to maintain their democratic charter, the Honduran constitution and laws.

Will the untrustworthy Zelaya be satisfied now that the Obama team has thrown in their lot with him and Chavez by throwing in the towel on the Honduran freedom lovers basically deeming them criminals? And for how long?

Any act of extortion is not trust-building and is not "smart" diplomacy and must be rejected. Gaming Hillary Clinton by Zelaya at first blush appears dicey and foolish but I wonder how long she and Obama can continue to be gamed?

Will the Real Golpistas Please Stand Up?

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CNN Please Get It Right!

If this wasn't so incredibly sad, it would be funny. CNN doesn't know know enough or care enough to get it right.
When I saw this the first time I thought "Well anyone can make a mistake." Evidently they've done it several times. What else are they wrong on??

Please tell CNN that Tegucigalpa is not in Olancho

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Connie Mack You Da Man!!

Check out the article explaining his position on Honduras and the results of his findings in Honduras...

Oh yeah, and a question. Why do I have to read about this kind of news in the Honduras newspapers and then hunt for the English version in our media..mostly bloggers who have posted? Don't you think reporters should report??

UNBELIEVABLE

Our State Department has revoked the diplomatic visas of the Honduras President of Congress, the Magistrate of the Supreme Court, the Humans Rights Commissioner, and the Minister of Defense. Why? Because according to spokesman Ian Kelly, "We recognize Manuel Zelaya"

MY HAIR HURTS!!!

This is Education??

AMAZING! This is education??
US teachers, contact your representatives in our government. How can we support this despot Zelaya like we are? STAND UP!

More on the teachers and it

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Micheletti: The path forward for Honduras

A message from the President of Honduras.
Although I am not in total agreement with some of his views, I deeply respect this man. He is very rational and level headed.

Micheletti: The path forward for Honduras

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Waiting to hear how Connie Mack's visit went

Representative Connie Mack of Florida and delegation are in Honduras this weekend on a fact finding mission. I am anxiously awaiting their findings, and in my search for news I came across this article on Human Events dot com. I like this guy's approach...just the facts m'am.

The Obama administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can no longer be considered a “neutral broker” in the current state of affairs in Honduras. Here’s why.

For the past few days, the Administration and Secretary Clinton have cautiously opted out of the negotiations in Costa Rica. In fact, the State Department hammered the point that “we need to support the Arias mediation effort because it’s the best way to go forward.”

Day after day, the message from the State Department has been that we should let the negotiators negotiate and ultimately accept the outcome from the Arias talks. But in what seems to be Secretary Clinton’s first conversation with Honduran President Roberto Micheletti since the removal of Mr. Manuel Zelaya, Secretary Clinton joined the likes of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and other leaders in the region and warned President Micheletti of serious consequences if he did not back down and allow Mr. Zelaya to return to power.


A party who calls itself a neutral broker does not make phone calls in the heat of negotiations and place ultimatums on one of the negotiating sides. It is increasingly apparent that the Administration is really not a neutral broker, but instead a friend of the “thugocrats,” or caudillos, in the region who seek nothing more than to be leaders for life.

Our nation’s legitimacy as the leader of the free world comes into question when we accept the Administration’s argument that by joining the thugocrats, we neutralize their anti-American rhetoric and leave them deflated and without an enemy to fight.

What is more alarming is that the Organization of American States (OAS), the sole organization in the hemisphere that should have helped avoid this crisis, has been hijacked not only by these cowardly caudillos, but also by a man who, by all accounts, seeks to only prolong his political career. I am speaking, of course, of Secretary General José Insulza.

Secretary General Insulza was the first one to come out of the gates claiming that Mr. Zelaya’s removal was a “military coup.” Secretary General Insulza is the same man who applauded Cuba’s entrance to the OAS – despite a democracy clause – and who also fought for and ensured Honduras’ expulsion from the organization. He not only embraced the leftist strongmen of Latin America, but joined them as they attempted to override the constitution of Honduras and the will of the Honduran people.

Most of us have seen the images of Mr. Zelaya’s Venezuelan jet flying over the airport in Tegucigalpa. What most of us do not know is that Secretary General Insulza’s jet was right behind it, circling and cheering on a man who broke several laws and stood against every branch of the Honduran government.

There is an inconceivable amount of pressure being exerted against the people of Honduras at this time. The European Union cut all of its budgetary spending for Honduras. The United States has paused its spending in the country. And the countries that answer to Mr. Chavez have stopped all trade with Honduras.

Instead of punishing the people of Honduras for following their constitution, the United States should restart all of its aid. Honduras has been a steadfast ally of the United States, exemplified by the fact that it sent troops to Iraq. We should not treat our friends in this manner.

The trouble with the Obama Administration’s past actions is how it patronized a sovereign nation that did nothing more than follow its own constitution and laws. There will be plenty of time to debate whether flying Mr. Zelaya out of Honduras actually saved lives or not, but the fact is that the people of Honduras did exactly what their constitution mandates. For the Administration to immediately call this a “coup” was both irresponsible and reckless.

Secretary Clinton and the Administration should have taken more time to analyze the facts and get a better understanding of Honduran law before it joined with the likes of Mr. Chavez and demanded Mr. Zelaya’s reinstatement. The people of Honduras should be the ones who make that decision.

One option would be a coalition-form of government that would administer the inner-workings of Honduras until early elections are called, when a new president would be elected.

As for the United States, we should restart all aid to Honduras immediately.

I believe that Mr. Zelaya should return to Honduras – in handcuffs. Mr. Zelaya broke the law, and unless the Obama Administration believes Mr. Zelaya is above the law, he should face a judge and the people of Honduras as any normal citizen would.

I plan to travel to Honduras this weekend to find a peaceful, democratic resolution to the crisis. The people of Honduras deserve our support more than ever right now.

Mr. Mack, a Republican, represents the 14th District of Florida.

The Bravest Little Country in the World!

I want to get some tee shirts made with this on them!!


The Bravest Little Country in the World!

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Democracy in Honduras

Check this short video out and tell me again why the Obama administration is still insisting on the return of Zelaya as president of Honduras.

More Progress!!

Send this guy your kudos!


Press Office
Jul 23 2009
Mack to Lead Congressional Trip to Honduras This Weekend

WASHINGTON – Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14), the Ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, will travel to Honduras on Saturday and Sunday to meet with key leaders and officials and discuss the ongoing crisis in the country.

Mack said:

“I am looking forward to getting on the ground in Honduras to hear directly from members of the Honduran government about the political situation in the country, as well as the progress of the ongoing talks in Costa Rica.

“It’s important to remember that Manuel Zelaya’s removal was not a military coup. The Honduran Supreme Court, attorney general, Congress and the Honduran people were right to confront Zelaya as he usurped the law and gutted their constitution.

“During this time of upheaval, the people of Honduras deserve to know that the United States and other freedom-loving nations across the globe stand with them and support a peaceful and legal resolution. I look forward to reaching out to them during this trip.”

Mack is the first Member of Congress to travel to Honduras since Zelaya’s removal. He tentatively plans to meet with members of all branches of the Honduran government while he is in the country. He will be available for media interviews before, during and after his trip.

A Lot More About the Peace March

You have to see this. It says it all. Lots more pictures of the march held in Tegucigalpa on July 22.

An estimated 100,000 people crowded the streets of Tegucigalpa yesterday in a peaceful march in favor of the new leadership and against the return of Mel Zelaya.

What are the OAS, the US, the EU and others missing?

Maybe they should go to Honduras and get the facts like President Micheleti has been asking them to do.

Are You Kidding Me?!

President Arias of Costa Rica has proposed that Zelaya be put back into power in Honduras and that the OAS supervise a "Truth Commission". Give me a break!

Here is a very well thought out response to that idea. This is taken from the blog http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/

---------------------

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The truth commission

President Arias with Micheletti's mediation representatives
Photo: La Prensa, Honduras

The Truth Commission suggested by Costa Rican President Óscar Arias is a great idea. Since the beginning, President Roberto Micheletti has also been calling for the UN, OAS, or other countries to come to Honduras and find out the truth for themselves. Unfortunately, everyone refused to even talk to them or review the legal documents at the beginning. They were accused and found guilty based on the declarations of the criminals without any chance to defend themselves.

Yes to the truth commission, but not from members of the OAS. Honduras has been kicked out of the OAS. The OAS has proven themselves over and over again to be in favor of socialism and use a 'democracy' double standard whenever convenient. Look at Cuba and Venezuela. Secretary General Insulza has already stated strongly that whatever Zelaya should do when back in office would be an internal matter. Also, if an OAS Truth Commission functions as well as the election observations, then we already know what result they will come up with. They might as well just phone in their results right now.

First have the truth commission do their work and then decide whether criminals should be put in charge of the government, government funds, the evidence, and the witnesses!

It is ridiculous to assume that a Truth Commission could ever hope to find the truth after the corruptos are put back in charge. It is precisely because they were in charge that the congress, the attorney general, the auditors, courts, and civil society could not find out the truth about how much money was being spent or where it was going.

How can Oscar Arias even consider that the fox should be put in charge of the hen house and afterward conduct an investigation? Surely he can't be that naive? I just continue to be dumbfounded by all of this. This is a country where a member of the President's cabinet can go to the central bank and withdraw L.40,000,000 in cash!

The UN, the OAS, the US, and President Arias have mortally insulted the President, the Supreme Court, and the Congress of Honduras, as well as all of the other reputable citizens of Honduras who have tried to explain why this happened by basically saying that everything they say is a lie or refusing to even talk to them. Then they say that they must supervise Honduras' government because no one in Honduras can be trusted except the very people who have already been shown to be criminals.

President Arias said that the population will be the great victim if an agreement is not reached. The population is not the victim now. The population, with the exception of a few people who are always protesting something, is fine. They are at peace and proud of their government for saving them from a Chávez-like government and proud of their military for protecting them. Arias and the rest of the world are watching too much CNN or they would know that.

The population will only be victimized IF THE WORLD DECIDES TO VICTIMIZE THEM through economic sanctions. That is the world's choice to make. Our government is running better than ever. Honduras has stood proud, strong, and united against corruption and outside interference for 22 days. Hondurans are prepared to make sacrifices. Ultimately, of course the world can crush Honduras, which was already the second poorest country in the hemisphere. The thing to ask is, are you so sure that Mel Zelaya was a victim of a coup d'etat that you are willing to cause poor people to starve in order to force him back into office?

Update

I did not credit the source of the previous post. It came from the blog of La Gringa.

It Just Doesn't Stop!!

Sunday, July 19, 2009
More corruption: The ballot counts are in!

Computers that already collected and tallied the votes
Photo: La Prensa, Honduras

How can the ballots be counted, you ask, since the vote never took place?

¡No importa! as we say in Spanish.

Agents of the DNIC (criminal investigation) discovered ballots, computers, and certified vote counts in an office rented by Enrique Flores Lanza, member of Zelaya's mediating team who you may remember made a L. 40 million cash withdrawal from the central bank two days before the election was to occur. The count sheets neatly tallied the yes and no votes, the blank or disqualified votes, and the totals for various mesas (polling places).

You won't be surprised to learn that Zelaya's proposal won heartily with approximately 80% affirmative votes.

In fact, Zelaya's people should have probably used a little more discretion to make it believable. In one tally sheet that was reported, 'yes' votes totaled 450 while 'no' votes totaled only 30. Since a Gallup poll conducted from June 30 to July 4 reported that 63% of the respondents were against the fourth ballot box for a Constitutional Assembly, the fraudulent results should have been a bit more modest in favor of the cuarta urna.

Though this find was widely reported in the Honduran media, complete with reporters on the site of the investigation in process, here we are three days later and I'm willing to bet that you haven't heard about it yet from the media in your country.

Thanks to a reader, I found that Alberto de la Cruz of Babalú has already done my investigation work for me. He found only one one-sentence report in USA Today. You can read his report and a translation of the only detailed Spanish article that he was able to find. Since then, Lucianne and American Thinker have picked up the story.

Rick Moran at American Thinker wrote this:

It appears certain that the Honduran people narrowly avoided the prospect of a Chavez clone setting up shop as a dictator for life in their country. Only the courageous actions of their political, military, and judicial leaders avoided catastrophe.

I am ashamed of our president and government that they continue to support Zelaya at the expense of Honduran freedom. And I am ashamed of our media who obviously backed the wrong horse and are too arrogant to admit it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Big surprise: Today at the 30th anniversary of the Sandista revolution celebration, Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, put forth the idea of a Nicaraguan referendum "to have a better constitution".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How can Honduras get a fair shot if none of the major media outlets are reporting the facts. It is NOT acceptable to dismiss news by saying, "Oh, it's coming out of the Honduran media therefore it must be false."

Reporters, come down and find out for yourself, please! Our newspapers have political leanings just like all of yours. That doesn't mean that everything they report is false.

Even better would be if some countries would send their own investigators to follow along with Honduras' investigators and report on their findings. I have no doubt that Honduras' government would welcome that outside cooperation with open arms.

The Latest News on the Talks

Well, the talks have failed. No big surprise as Zelaya was insisting on being returned to power with full amnesty and said he would go ahead with the referendum that caused the whole situation in the first place! So much for negotiation. This will be an interesting week. Click here to read the story...

Very Interesting!

Kudos to CNN (English). They seem to get the picture..CNN (Espanol) is characterized by the people in the streets of Honduras as Chavez News Network and do not put stories like this on the air.

Take 7 minutes and watch this video.

--tom

Negotiation? Hardly!

After you read this article please tell me how saying I want everything my way, I want amnesty, and I will return violently if I don't get everything I am demanding, can be a negotiation...

By the way, the article is in English. Sheesh! Gringos! ;-)

--tom

READ THIS!!

This North American lady has it right. She lives in Honduras and is very much in touch with the situation there. I have pasted her latest blog entry into this one and here is the link to her blog itself.




Friday, July 17, 2009
Can the Honduras crisis be mediated?

Honduran anti-Zelaya protesters"Honduras demands respect from the international community."
To: OEA (Organization of American States), ONU (United Nations)


Can the Honduras crisis be mediated? Does any middle ground exist? Can a 'coalition' or 'reconciliation' government work?

Of course not.

Some say President Zelaya must return unconditionally to finish his term in office; anything short of that will compromise democracy or constitutional integrity.

I agree completely that no compromise should be made but for exactly the opposite reasons. Any return of Mel Zelaya to the presidency compromises democracy and constitutional integrity. It would send a message to all Hondurans that not only will corruption and illegal activities be forgiven, but are supported by world opinion. It also sends a message that Honduras will be accepted as a sovereign nation only as long as the rest of the world approves of their choices. What an upside-down world we live in.

How can the world suggest that Honduras, which has been criticized as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, must accept a corrupt president who has committed illegal acts, violated the constitution, sacked the public funds, publicly ridiculed the other branches of government, and who has worked tirelessly for the past year to divide the country, first with ALBA and then with the cuarta urna, by trying to buy with bribes the loyalty of the poor or unscrupulous with vast amounts public funds and false promises?

How can the rest of world reject the lawful removal of a country's president just because they don't approve of the way it was done? Those unfamiliar with Central American politics may not realize that assassination is not an uncommon method of dealing with political opponents. Several Honduran political candidates were murdered before the May 2009 primary elections. The government of Honduras should be congratulated for the peaceful way in which this was handled. No one was hurt, other than Zelaya's pride.

Another fact that people don't seem to grasp is that Zelaya publicly flaunted the Supreme Court order. On Thursday, June 25, he joked about the order on the government television channel. He called the judges "the Supreme Court of Injustice" and said that they didn't know what they were talking about. He said that they knew where he was if they wanted him and laughed. He declared, "No one but God and the Virgin Suyapa can stop this poll!" Someone must have tapes of that day. He was on television for 14 hours or so that day.

Many suggest returning Zelaya as president but with "limited powers". That would force Honduras to change its constitution. There isn't much point to that since Zelaya disregarded the constitution in the first place. He did not perform official duties required by the constitution and did assume powers that are expressly granted to other segments of the government. No one could stop him, not the Attorney General, not the Election Board, not the Congress, not the lower courts, and not the Supreme Court. When will people understand that the military, acting under an arrest order from the Supreme Court, were the only ones who could stop him?

Moving up the date of the new president assuming office would also require changing the constitution, including the 'articulos petreos', those articles which are expressly forbidden to be changed.

The financial situation of Honduras, which has always been extremely bad, has been decimated during Zelaya's administration with illegal use of hundreds of millions of lempiras and refusal to account for any of it to anyone, including state auditors, state attorneys, and congress.

Should the UN, OAS, USA, or any other world bully be able to force a corrupt president on Honduras or insist that Honduras change its constitution? I don't think so.

Is This Progress??

Hillary Clinton and her counterparts in Canada and Mexico held a press conference yesterday and to her credit Mrs. Clinton did not specifically state that her position was to insist that ex President Zelaya be reinstated. All three stated that they wanted a peaceful and democratic solution to the situation.
Here is the article in Spanish.

I haven't see it in any of our papers...

Viva Honduras!
--tom

Is Honduras Repressed?

Check this out! It will answer this question and ask another.....

Progress!!

Hey!! Check this out!!

The chamber of commerce of industry and agriculture of Panama says economic and commercial sanctions against the new government of Honduras are inappropriate!! Come on Hillary, Barack and friends get with it!

More Good Information

Here is another great article from a very credible source...

Maybe the tide is turning and our government will see the light.

Yes...I'm a dreamer...

--tom

Amazing!!!

Hugo Chavez has challenged Obama to remove all US troops from Honduras. It will be interesting to see what the result is...

Just a taste of how Chavez operates. The state runs the media in Venezuela. There were six reporters from Venezuela detained in Honduras because they stole a car from a rental agency. Check out the links...I'm not making this up!

Just a note of interest. We buy 1.2 million barrels of oil per day from this guy!

A coup or not??? NOT!!!

Check out this article from the Cato Institute.

Just a Little Spending Cash

Geee...Why do you suppose one of ex President Zelaya's officials would be "withdrawing" $2 Million in cash from the Central Bank a couple of days before the proposed "referendum"? They wouldn't be trying to buy votes would they?? It's on video folks!

http://laprensahn.com/Ediciones/2009/07/08/Noticias/En-maletas-sacaron-L40-millones-del-Banco-Central

This is good!!

I'm sorry this blog has concentrated so much on the situation in Honduras rather than what we are accomplishing in the villages but this is a pivotal time in Honduran history. World opinion is being formed without the facts. The Chavez propaganda machine is working overtime and we cannot allow an injustice like this to take place.

Read this for a good assessment of what actually took place and see if you agree with our government's position.

http://hondurassituation.blogspot.com/

Even the Cardinal of Honduras Supports the New President

Check out this article in the main newspaper of Tegucigalpa...What are our government, CNN, and the Organization of American States missing?

http://www.heraldohn.com/Especiales/Honduras%20en%20contra%20de%20la%20ilegalidad%20del%2024%20de%20junio%20de%202009/Ediciones/2009/07/04/Noticias/Cardenal-Oscar-Andres-Rodriguez-pide-a-Manuel-Zelaya-que-no-regrese-a-Honduras


Cardenal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez pide a Manuel Zelaya que no regrese a Honduras

This translates as: Cardenal Oscar Andres Rodriguea asks Manuel Zelaya to not return to Honduras.

tom

An Uphill Battle!

Well folks, we are in an uphill battle. It still amazes me that our government and world opinion is what it is in relation to this event. People are obviously making judgments about the happenings without getting the facts, and the mainline news agencies are not doing justice to the people of Honduras.

Here is a link to a blog of a North American lady who now lives in Honduras. She has a very good perspective and there are lots of pictures.

http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/

Thank God there has been some movement toward a resolution. Keep fighting the good fight!

Contact your representatives...links are at http://www.helphondurasnow.com

--tom

Progress Is Being Made!!

The tide may be turning...
Chet sent me a copy of a letter from the head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs that she is going to give to Mr. Obama personally. Here is the text of that letter:

The Honorable Barack H. Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I would like to take this opportunity to raise growing concerns about the U.S. approach to human rights, democratic principles, rule of law, and constitutional institutions in the Western Hemisphere, focusing on your Administration’s response to the constitutional crisis in Honduras and the U.S. role at the Organization of American States and the United Nations with respect to this situation.

I expected the Administration to adopt a deliberative, responsible approach to developments in Honduras. However, the U.S. stance from the onset appears to have been focused on supporting one individual, President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, irrespective of the Honduran constitution, rule of law, and democratic institutions. This myopic, Zelaya-centric approach has intensified in the last 72 hours since reports surfaced that the Honduran military had taken Mr. Zelaya into custody and that Mr. Zelaya had departed Honduras.

There are numerous conflicting reports about the events that have transpired in Honduras in the last few days. Facts are in dispute. Yet, there has been no apparent attempt by the U.S to discern the truth about the status of democratic and constitutional order in this Central American country, before making summary conclusions and issuing condemnations based on incomplete information.

However, Mr. President, the constitutional crisis in Honduras did not commence on Sunday, June 28th but, at least, three months earlier, when Mr. Zelaya issued his Executive Decree on March 23rd of this year calling for a referendum to extend his presidential term to be held before July. Despite the clear limitations established in Article 5, Article 374, and other articles of the Honduran constitution concerning the presidential term and parameters for a referendum, the United States appeared to unconditionally embrace Mr. Zelaya’s plans. The Honduran Supreme Court, the Administrative courts, the Attorney General, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Electoral Tribunal, and the National Congress all declared the referendum to be illegal. Additional legislative action was taken by the Honduran National Congress on June 23rd to prevent Mr. Zelaya’s violations of Honduran rule of law and constitutional precepts. The U.S. failed to take effective steps, bilaterally or through the Organization of American States, to support these legitimate efforts by the other co-equal branches of Honduras’ democratic government to enforce Honduran law. On Friday, June 26th, Mr. Zelaya issued another decree ordering government employees to participate in the “Public Opinion Poll to convene a National Constitutional Assembly,” which would have reportedly triggered Article 239 of the Honduran constitution requiring he be relieved of his duties and office. The U.S. failed to respond. This marked a serious failure in U.S. diplomacy and democracy advocacy. As such, many would argue, that the U.S. is complicit in the escalation of the constitutional crisis in Honduras.



At the OAS and the UN General Assembly this week, the U.S. accepted resolution texts drafted by Mr. Zelaya and his immediate advisors and agreed to proposals put forth by the leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia—all for the sake of consensus. Joining the “race to the bottom” or serving as an echo chamber is not helpful to our political, economic, or security interests in the region.



Looking forward, it is my hope, Mr. President, that your Administration will not have the U.S. response hinge on unconfirmed reports and accusations by sources with a vested interest in ensuring a particular outcome that may, or may not, be in the interest of the United States. Instead, we must work together to advance core U.S. principles and achieve the stated goal of consolidating and strengthening the rule of law and democratic institutions in our Hemisphere.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,



ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

Ranking Member

Alex J. Cruz

Director Of Communications

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

4960 SW 72 Avenue, Suite 208

Miami, Florida 33155

Press Line 305-668-5994

FAX 305-668-5970

Cell 202-225-8200

An Urgent Call to Action!!!

Friends,
As what seems to be a pattern lately our government is on the wrong side of an international situation and does not seem to be making the effort to gather the facts. I am embarrassed and appalled by the lack of support for the rule of law in Honduras and was gratified to confirm my understanding of the situation with Chet Thomas. He has been in Honduras for more than 30 years and knows many of the top political figures in the country, is very familiar with the laws of Honduras, and has been involved in helping the poor for 30+ years. I trust his judgment implicitly. Please take a moment to read his letter and contact your Senator, Representative, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Obama concerning the travesty that could take place over the next few days if there is not an uprising of support for this struggling democracy.
Thank you,
Tom

Go to http://www.helphondurasnow.com to contact your representatives.

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Dear Friends,

Our warmest greetings to you from Honduras. Many of you are well aware of what is happening in Honduras although a lot of the information being transmitted is being twisted by some of the news networks. CNN has only covered the situation from the standpoint of the ex President Zelaya. Unfortunately this has been the focus of most of the news services until now. But the real information that is beginning to come out is different from what the world has been fed until now.

What has happened is a new paradigm for the world as an army has disposed a constitutionally elected president in order to restore a democratic system of government but not to break a democratic system which was characteristic of military actions in the past. This case cannot be catalogued as a “coup de etat” as it does not represent two important elements of such a action: one is the taking of power by the military and the other is the breaking a democratic form of government. The action taken by the Armed Forces was based on a judicial order given to them to follow and the purpose was to reestablish the Rule of Law, which was being consistently violated by the President of the country who did not respect the decisions and orders of the two other powers in the government- the Supreme Court and the Congress. (the checks and balances)

After the intervention of the Armed forces in removing ex President Zelaya , the Constitutional Order was followed as the succession to power has been fully respected as described in the Constitution with the naming of a new Constitutional President who has been sworn in and confirmed. This action from a political science point of view, Honduras has set a precedent , which will be studied by universities, diplomats and politicians around the world.

For the first time in Latin America , a country has rebelled , and without shedding any blood and without violence, against a constitutional and democratically elected President who has violated the constitution and legal orders from the Supreme Court, the Congress and the Attorney General of the country. The international press had not understood this nor have they taken the time to study what has been happening in Honduras over the past year . They have simply taken a position saying that this has been a military overthrow of the government of Honduras - as something coming out of the cold war of twenty – thirty years ago. However the lesson coming out of this is that a President who has been democratically elected by the people of this country, does not have the right to disobey the constitution and the laws of this country. The message of Honduras is simple, if a president has received the popular vote of the country, this does not give him or her the license to break the laws, as all the effort going into governing a country for the common good should be done within the framework of the law. The general public of democratic countries will be seeing these actions and will see that they no longer need to tolerate the abuses of power by constitutionally elected presidents who many times consider themselves untouchable because they were elected by the people. Big mistake….. ask Mel Zelaya!

The current situation in the country is the following:

- Honduras is being isolated and the borders are being blocked by neighboring countries stopping all economic transport between countries.

-Venezuela is stopping all shipments of refined gasoline and diesel to Honduras which will starve the country until other sources are found.

- Power is being shut off periodically in certain sectors of the country and a curfew is in place from 6 pm to 6 am.

-Nicaragua and Venezuela have troops at the Nicaragua - Honduran border

-Communication channels (TV and radio) are being restricted

- Over a thousand Cuban and Venezuelan ”civilians” who have been trained in subversion have crossed the borders and have entered Honduras with Honduran passports.

-The Honduran general public is very supportive of the change in the country and the new government , especially the Catholic and the Evangelical church members who have joined in massive concentrations to show support for the government since the change happened this past Sunday.

Honduras is a small country, very poor and with thirty years of a democratically elected government after years of a military dictatorships. Honduras has been the US government’s strongest ally in the cold war that existed for ten years here in Central America. Knowing that the cards are stacked against this country , the members of the government, the congress and Supreme court and the newly named President are facing incredible challenges right now to survive and critical international support is needed to respect the Government of Honduras’s self determination. Honduras is the only country that has the guts to stand up to the socialist/communist threat posed by Chavez , Ortega and the cronies of the ALBA group in South America. Chavez cannot allow his coalition of leftist leaning countries to begin to fall apart and is fighting desperately to keep this demonstration down as it can begin to happen in his country and others who may follow this same example. .

Prayer is needed for this country and letters and emails of support for Honduras need to be sent to our State Department (Hillary Clinton, President Obama and members of Congress.)

Chet

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· OPINION: THE AMERICAS WALL STREET JOURNAL , also run in the Washington Post - June 30, 2009

· JUNE 30, 2009
Honduras Defends Its Democracy
Fidel Castro and Hillary Clinton object.
By MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADYColumnist's name

· smallerText larger

Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for abusing the nation's constitution. It seems that President Mel Zelaya miscalculated when he tried to emulate the success of his good friend Hugo in reshaping the Honduran Constitution to his liking. But Honduras is not out of the Venezuelan woods yet. Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of American States, having ignored Mr. Zelaya's abuses, also wants him back in power. It will be a miracle if Honduran patriots can hold their ground. Associated Press

That Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.

But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.

The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused.

Calculating that some critical mass of Hondurans would take his side, the president decided he would run the referendum himself. So on Thursday he led a mob that broke into the military installation where the ballots from Venezuela were being stored and then had his supporters distribute them in defiance of the Supreme Court's order.

The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out. Yesterday, Mr. Zelaya was arrested by the military and is now in exile in Costa Rica.

It remains to be seen what Mr. Zelaya's next move will be. It's not surprising that chavistas throughout the region are claiming that he was victim of a military coup. They want to hide the fact that the military was acting on a court order to defend the rule of law and the constitution, and that the Congress asserted itself for that purpose, too.

Mrs. Clinton has piled on as well. Yesterday she accused Honduras of violating "the precepts of the Interamerican Democratic Charter" and said it "should be condemned by all." Fidel Castro did just that. Mr. Chávez pledged to overthrow the new government.

Honduras is fighting back by strictly following the constitution. The Honduran Congress met in emergency session yesterday and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward. The Supreme Court later said that the military acted on its orders. It also said that when Mr. Zelaya realized that he was going to be prosecuted for his illegal behavior, he agreed to an offer to resign in exchange for safe passage out of the country. Mr. Zelaya denies it.

Many Hondurans are going to be celebrating Mr. Zelaya's foreign excursion. Street protests against his heavy-handed tactics had already begun last week. On Friday a large number of military reservists took their turn. "We won't go backwards," one sign said. "We want to live in peace, freedom and development."

Besides opposition from the Congress, the Supreme Court, the electoral tribunal and the attorney general, the president had also become persona non grata with the Catholic Church and numerous evangelical church leaders. On Thursday evening his own party in Congress sponsored a resolution to investigate whether he is mentally unfit to remain in office.

For Hondurans who still remember military dictatorships, Mr. Zelaya also has another strike against him: He keeps rotten company. Earlier this month he hosted an OAS general assembly and led the effort, along side OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, to bring Cuba back into the supposedly democratic organization.

The OAS response is no surprise. Former Argentine Ambassador to the U.N. Emilio Cárdenas told me on Saturday that he was concerned that "the OAS under Insulza has not taken seriously the so-called 'democratic charter.' It seems to believe that only military 'coups' can challenge democracy. The truth is that democracy can be challenged from within, as the experiences of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and now Honduras, prove." A less-kind interpretation of Mr. Insulza's judgment is that he doesn't mind the Chávez-style coup.

The struggle against chavismo has never been about left-right politics. It is about defending the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators. This crisis clearly delineates the problem. In failing to come to the aid of checks and balances, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Insulza expose their true colors.

Write to O'Grady@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A12

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company









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Tom Muhlbeier
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