Why on earth do we have to read blogs to get perspective on major news stories???
This is the “news” story on the Honduran “coup”.
The military-led ouster sparked a regional crisis that thrusts the impoverished banana-growing country onto the international stage and revives painful memories of coup-fueled turmoil in Latin America.
Turns out the military was doing as requested by the Supreme Court and the Congress. Why? Because the President was working on becoming President for Life.
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I live in Honduras. My wife and I retired here, 14 years ago. We love living here. It is a beautiful Country populated by mostly hard working, honest people who wish to live with peace and opportunity.
Three and a half years ago, Mel Zelaya was elected President of Honduras. He ran in the Liberal Party, roughly the equivalent of the Democrat Party in the USA. He campaigned on a conservative note. Things changed pretty rapidly after he took office. He has been a disaster to private initiative of every kind; personal, entrepreneurial, and industrial. He ignored all but his own executive branch of Government. (Honduras, like the USA, has a “checks and balances” system comprised of a Congress and Supreme Court.) . Zelaya’s support was very limited from rich and poor alike, the only exceptions being some indigenous (no doubt deserving) that he showered with benefits and promises of much more.
Zelaya’s removal was a Democratic move (Impeachment Equivalent) to try to restore order in a country falling into the abyss because of a corrupt President that was becoming more dictatorial by the day, under the tutelege of Hugo Chavez. The Supreme Court and Congress worked together for several days to assure continuance of Democracy, in lieu of the Dictatorial Socialist path Zelaya was following. There has been NO rupture of Democracy here. Roberto Micheletti, President of the National Congress and a member of Zelaya’s own Party was named interim President, to remain until elections scheduled in November (which Zelaya had wanted to abrogate to remain in power). Micheletti has already appointed a cabinet of good advisors, a couple of them I’ve met, and in whom I have confidence. I can pretty well assure you that if the new Government continues, it will be more democratic and transparent than the Zelaya Government.
It seems most inappropriate that world leaders roundly oppose the replacement of Former President Mel Zelaya, when they know little or nothing about the situation here.
I would appreciate it if world leaders would come to Honduras and review the situation on the ground before pontificating about Law and Constitution. It is Zelaya who did the first “golpe de estado” through a large number of actions. The National Congress simply did its part to preserve Democracy here.
Please pass this message to everyone who might be interested. We don’t need brickbats, we need support. We do not need to be the next Socialist victim.
Pray for Honduras. God Bless Honduras.
Oh, and it’s nice to see something more truthful about Honduras. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for your perspective Safariman.
I don’t know anything about anything, yet when told that
a) the military has ousted the President
by order of
b) the supreme court and
c) congress
because the President is seeking to overturn the constitution, I have to go with “good job”.
Was kidnapping and moving him out of the country a smooth legal maneuver? Probably not. But Honduras is still edgy and if Chavez has been involved, the country probably needed to be rid of Zelaya asap.
Best of luck to you all now. Things like this can roll wrong at times.