The Honduran Counter-Coup

National Review Online ^ | June 30, 2009 | The Editors

[neverdem]

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June 30, 2009, 1:00 p.m.

The Honduran Counter-Coup
By the Editors

At first blush, the news from Honduras sounds like a sad return to Latin America’s past: A democratically elected president has been exiled by the military. But make no mistake: The Honduran soldiers who escorted Pres. Manuel Zelaya from his home on Sunday were acting to protect their country’s democracy, not to trample it. Moreover, they had the full support of the Honduran Supreme Court, which had rejected Zelaya’s bid to hold a referendum on “constitutional reform.”

The proposed referendum, illegal without an act of Congress, aimed to launch a “constituent assembly” that would draft an entirely new constitution. Zelaya’s ultimate goal was to extend or abolish presidential term limits, mimicking the example of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez and other Latin American populists. Hondurans rightly feared that such a maneuver would set their country on the path to Chávez-style authoritarianism. When the Supreme Court rebuffed him, Zelaya defied its ruling and sought to proceed with the referendum anyway. Along with a large group of followers, he ransacked a military post and seized millions of referendum ballots.

The Supreme Court says that it ordered the armed forces to detain Zelaya, who was then shipped off to Costa Rica. The Honduran Congress, which had refused to endorse Zelaya’s referendum, quickly named a successor. While it is always unnerving to see gun-toting officers arrest a president, the move against Zelaya was not a conventional “military coup.” It was an affirmation of democracy and the rule of law, both of which the president had flouted. If anything, it was a counter-coup, the real coup having been attempted by Zelaya.

Officials across Latin America have condemned his exile, as has the Obama administration. Chávez is apoplectic. No surprise there: Under Zelaya, Honduras became a member of the Venezuelan-led “Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas,” a trade bloc established to counter U.S. influence in the region. Immediately after being flown to Costa Rica, Zelaya headed to Managua, where he was warmly received by a leftist coterie that included Chávez and Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega.

Thus far, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed serious concerns about Zelaya’s exile but neglected the events that preceded it. (“Meddling” in Honduras is apparently more acceptable than meddling in Iran.) Yesterday she declared that the political turmoil in Honduras had “evolved into a coup.” But we must remember that the military acted to preserve democratic institutions rather than to squash them. “It’s important that we stand for the rule of law,” Clinton said. But the armed forces were standing for the rule of law when they arrested Zelaya, who had shown brazen disregard for the Honduran constitution. Not only did the president defy a Supreme Court ruling, he also fired the top Honduran military official, Gen. Romeo Vásquez, for refusing to help carry out his referendum. This was a blatant attempt to hijack Honduran politics.

By contrast, the Honduran Supreme Court, Congress, and military have all worked to safeguard the constitution. The Congress issued a decree charging Zelaya with endangering both the rule of law and the broader “governability” of Honduras, and it voted (per the constitution) to replace with him congressional leader Roberto Micheletti. The new Honduran president says that presidential and parliamentary elections will go ahead as planned in November.

Despite its fidelity to constitutional procedures, Honduras has come under intense fire from abroad and may be forced to reinstall Zelaya as president. That would be a deplorable outcome. Zelaya’s exile was not about trashing the constitutional order; it was about defending that order. Why should Honduras be compelled to restore a president who showed utter contempt for the democratic process, and whose removal was backed by the judiciary and confirmed by the legislature?

Unfortunately, the reality is that if Honduras does not return Zelaya to the presidency the rest of Latin America may treat it like a pariah. In the event that Zelaya’s return is unavoidable, which it may be, he should be forced to publicly state his commitment to the current Honduran constitution and disavow his illegal referendum. As the negotiations proceed, President Obama and Secretary Clinton should tone down their criticism of Zelaya’s ouster. Honduran officials have maintained the integrity of their democratic institutions while resisting a naked assault on them. They should not be condemned.

[saganite]

Well at least there’s an accurate record in the major media now so that future historians (if they are allowed to report accurately) will be able to correctly report on the happenings in Honduras and Soetero’s support for the Marxist takeover of a democratic country. That’s about the best outcome I can see here.

[FromLori]

Not to worry UN to the rescue of the DICTATORS!

http://bluelori.blogspot.com/2009/06/un-demands-honduras-reinstate-dictator.html

[justa-hairyape]

Attempting to get rid of term limits should justify the immediate removal from office for any countries President.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Its not gonna get any better as long as Berry’s in office with overwhelming congressional support.

[livius]

It is crucially important to keep the truth in the public eye, despite the attempts of the mainstream press to confuse and hide it.

I have a really bad feeling about this. I think Obama would be perfectly willing to call out the troops we have in Honduras to force the return of his would-be dictator buddy, Zelaya, and I think this must be prevented at all costs. And the only thing that will prevent it is publicity.

[FreeSouthernAmerican]

Obama and Clinton are both despicable beasts who have shown absolute contempt for the rule of law and the governance of, for, and by the people. This, while most of us have known, absolutely shows where this leftist administration stands. God help us all.

[cripplecreek]

The new info about drug ties could be an awfully sticky problem for Obozo since rushing out to support Zelaya

[FreeSouthernAmerican]

Nah, drugs are acceptable in his crowd.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I suspect Obama is nervous, because his political ambitions could be just as undone, were a conservative (note, I did *not* say “Republican”) congress were to be seated.

The conservatives could repeal his Obamacare program, his Obamacorps brown shirts, then they could systematically dismantle 50 years of bloated and unconstitutional government. The federal government could be reduced in size by 50%, Social Security could be “concluded”, by allowing in no new taxpayers, and refunding those who paid into the system with tax breaks, except for the destitute.

Medical care could be privatized, ending Medicare and Medicaid, and the vast majority of US military forces could return home, with only a few critical overseas assignments still in operation.

And the national debt could be renounced. This would end US government credit for 30 years, so the government would have a balanced budget, whether it liked it or not. It would also force the US to rebuild all those outsourced industries, which in turn would restore the US economy to a firm foundation.

[The Duke]

Zelaya should be detained and compelled to confess conspiracy against the people of Honduras on national television. Then he should be thrown into the darkest, more heavily-guarded dungeon in the country, never to be seen or heard from again (or even thought about).

Such is the risk one takes in pursuit of ultimate power.

[just me]

I like the way you think..

[ronnie raygun]

Is anyone surprised? This fake phoney fraud is siding with his dictator fiends. Is anyone paying attention out thier? An American president is siding with marxists dictators against a democratic society. Where does that leave us? Do you think he has the same ideas in that little mind of his for us?

[just me]

President Bush worked to build democracies while Obama works to tear them down..

[El Gato]

How can there be a counter coup, when there was no coup? A coup, at least a military coup, leaves a military man or council in control. This action did not.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[BusterBear]

Well at least there’s an accurate record in the major media now

The Wall Street Journal has been covering this very well, including how the US State Department was involving themselves in the internal affairs of Honduras for weeks before the President was deposed, trying to keep him in power.

[El Gato]

If Honduras is forced, with the help and/or support of the pResident of the United States to restore the Red to power, in the face of an action by the country's Supreme Court and Congress .... well... words fail me, except to say that it bodes very ill for any action by our Supreme Court that The One, The Messiah, does not approve of.

At least Obummer doesn't need to worry about Congress trying to impeach his sorry ash. He could commit murder, on live TV, and they would not deem it a High Crime or Misdemeanor.

[BusterBear]

Do you think [Obama] has the same ideas in that little mind of his for us?

Yes, without a doubt. One of his cronies in the House of Representatives has introduced a resolution that the 22nd Amendment should be abolished (Chavez, Zelaya, Obama...they ape each other).

[BusterBear]

Then he should be thrown into the darkest, more heavily-guarded dungeon in the country...

As long as they're alive, there are conspiracies to free them and re-install them in power. That's why Elizabeth I executed Mary Queen of Scots, the French executed Louis XVI, the Soviets executed Czar Nicholas II and his family, etc.