Chaos in Central America

[SB Shock]

Honduras at the Tipping Point
Why is the U.S. not supporting the rule of law?


Mr. Zelaya's violations of the rule of law in recent months were numerous. But the tipping point came 10 days ago, when he led a violent mob that stormed a military base to seize and distribute Venezuelan-printed ballots for an illegal referendum.

Hondurans had the courage to push back. Now Chávez-supported agitators are trying to stir up violence. Yesterday afternoon airline service was suspended in Tegucigalpa when Mr. Zelaya tried to return to the country and his plane was not permitted to land. There were reports of violence between his backers and troops.

This is a moment when the U.S. ought to be on the side of the rule of law, which the Honduran court and Congress upheld. If Washington does not reverse course, it will be one more act of appeasement toward an ambitious and increasingly dangerous dictator.

full WSJ article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124683595220397927.html

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Honduras Prevents Ousted Leader's Jet From Landing

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Ros-Lehtinen Rips Obama on Honduras

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Ousted Honduran Leader to Meet With Clinton

It's irritating that some in the media still call it a military coup. If that were the case wouldn't some general somwhere be running the country and the army would be controling everything? That's not happening and some refuse to see that it all went down legally and following the Honduran Constitution. Sadly, that includes our own executive branch... :banghead:

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Honduras, the Last Bastion of Democracy

Choosing Che in Honduras

Obama explains why he backs Chavista thug Zelaya

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Clinton Says Costa Rican President Will Mediate Honduras Leadership Crisis

"America cannot and should not seek to impose any system of government on any other country, nor would we presume to choose which party or individual should run a country," Obama said in a speech in the Russian capital. "And we haven't always done what we should have on that front."
"Even as we meet here today, America supports now the restoration of the democratically elected president of Honduras, even though he has strongly opposed American policies," he said

All this talk about Democracy but they're still ignoring the fact that what the did and how they did it was PERFECTLY LEGAL.

[RoyalShock]

I'm really trying to make sense of this. Clearly, the Obama Administration does not respect the Honduran constitution over the "will of the people". That should be troubling to us Americans who are under the impression that our Constitution is the ultimate authority.

Think about it. If Obama has no problem with another leader completely violating his country's constitution, he'll have no problem with it happening here.

This is scary stuff, though not at all surprising. Just shocking that it's being done in such an overt fashion.

[SubGod22]

Scary indeed Royal

Don't give up on democracy in Latin America

Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza has done little to assuage concerns that the Organization of American States (OAS) he leads has given up entirely on its original mission of defending democracy in Latin America. Attending a summit of ALBA, the Venezuelan-sponsored alternative to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (a sort of Chavista Warsaw Pact), Insulza threatened to expel Honduras from the OAS lest it allow the safe return of ex-president Manuel Zelaya. Interim president Roberto Micheletti put country above comity and rightly responded: We'll pass on that and, by the way, we're out of the OAS, too.

[SubGod22]

Crisis in Honduras: A Diplomatic Balancing Act for the United States

On July 5, Manuel Zelaya, president of Honduras until he was deposed by his Supreme Court and expelled from the country, tried to return home. He traveled on a Venezuelan aircraft, chartered by Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, while the Venezuelan-owned media group Telesur covered his every utterance. Pro-Chávez United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto, a Nicaraguan and vocal advocate of anti-American causes worldwide, went along for the ride. Denied permission to land, Zelaya's aircraft turned away, leaving violence and bloodshed in its wake.

The presidential aircraft of Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner--carrying a posse of South American presidents including Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, and Fernandez de Kirchner herself, along with Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Miguel Insulza--also planned to land in Honduras to support Zelaya. All passengers aboard the plane (known as Tango-1) are staunch supporters/clients of Chávez and grateful beneficiaries of Venezuela's recent economic largesse. However, like Zelaya's aircraft, Tango-1 was denied clearance and diverted to El Salvador.

The events of July 5 reflect careful coordination and planning on the part of a vocal and increasingly visible body of anti-American, pro-Chávez executives who are expending time and political capital in order to advance their brand of popular, executive-dominated democracy at the expense other more traditional models.

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Honduras First Lady Leads Fight to Restore Ousted President to Power

Honduras' first lady has emerged as the public face of the movement to restore President Manuel Zelaya to power, a role she took against her husband's wishes and despite her continuing fears for her safety.

Xiomara Castro told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she was so afraid the Honduran military would shoot her on sight after soldiers whisked Zelaya out of the country in his pajamas, she fled to the U.S. Embassy.

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U.S. Hispanics Support Honduran Ouster

Cuban and Venezuelan expatriates, many of whom came to the U.S. to escape Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, are siding with those who forced out President Manuel Zelaya, a close Chavez ally. President Barack Obama has called for the democratically elected Zelaya to be reinstated, saying it's up to Hondurans to choose their leader. However, he has remained cool toward Zelaya, who has often criticized Washington on principle.

[SubGod22]

It Wasn't A 'Coup'

The Honduran constitution does not establish an impeachment process by Congress. However, in 2003 the constitution was amended, giving the Supreme Court, and not Congress, the duty to handle the processes initiated against "the highest ranking officials of the State." This amendment also eliminated the benefit of immunity that high-ranking officials had enjoyed until then. Thus, the president is subject to prosecution — just like any other citizen.

It is also important to note that after Zelaya's ouster, the army didn't seize or retain power. The Honduran Congress, as specified by the constitution, promptly swore in the speaker of Congress as the new president. Consequently, power stayed in civilian hands. The army merely enforced a court ruling, as provided for in the constitution.

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Zelaya Issues Ultimatum: 'Reinstate Me or Else'

If at the next round of talks the interim government does not agree to reinstate him, "the mediation effort will be considered failed and other measures will be taken," he said. He did not say what those measures would be.

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Zelaya Says Hondurans Have 'Right to Insurrection'

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said Tuesday that the Honduran people "have the right to insurrection" against the interim government that forced him out of the country.

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Tossing Free Honduras under the Bus

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias is promoting a brazen "peace plan" for Honduras that is a betrayal of democracy. Former president Oscar Zelaya of Honduras, removed from office for violating the Honduran Constitution and keep himself in office, rushed to accept the so called arbitrated terms of the deal So too did The New York Times. The "Arias Plan" and its seven points gives Zelaya all that he needs to convert Honduras into another leftis member of the Chavez-backed ALBA alliance, joining Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, , and of course Cuba in solidarity with Huga Chavez's Venezuela.

ALBA was originally a bloc of nations crudely politically and financially affiliated with Hugo Chavez. It is now a total bloc of four nations with serious designs on adding its latest merged state, Honduras. The ALBA bloc sets out to enshrine alternatives to democracy or what others have called "fake democracy."

ALBA according to Bloomberg News, is seriously making efforts to add new nation members. Some non ALBA nations are partially affiliated through PetroCaribe, Chavez's discounted oil ploy.