A Local Perspective On The Honduras (Vanity)

Email correspondence | 7/1/2009 | Entrepreneur

[Entrepreneur]

I asked an expatriate living in the Honduras about the current situation and whether the media reports we're receiving are accurate. Here's his answer...

Yes there was coup but, unlike those in other countries, control was assumed by civilians not military. Zelaya felt he was above the law and his proposals were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court and this was upheld by the military. Zelaya then fired the head of the military and he continued to press forward. The Supreme Court voted to have him ousted and directed the commander of the armed forces to do just that.

The interim president, well-respected and former president of the congress, will serve only until elections are held in November - he is not a candidate. (Honduras models its government on the US and determines its candidates through primaries - those were held last fall).

Zelaya wanted to invoke an illegal constitutional change that would give him another four year term as president which he then planned to make it a life long term. He had also aligned himself with Chavez and Castro and was going to steer Honduras to a leftist if not communist country, certainly one where he woud become president for life (does that sound like dictator). Interesting fact - the ballot boxes for his illegal referendum came from Nicaragua..

He was corrupt. When officials inspected his office they found 60 million lempiras in cash ($3,000,000 USD). Its source is unknown but it was speculated that it was being used to bribe people to vote for his new powers.

The press is reporting support for Zelaya because of the way he was ousted. The press and international governments should look for the opinion of the majority of Hondurans who seemed very pleased with the current government's actions. I have spoken with many people who are happy that Zelaya is finally gone. The hope is that he not be allowed to return.

Hope this message gives you some clarity from a resident's perspective.

[Entrepreneur]

Sounds to me like Obama is consistently making all of the wrong moves, as usual. He's siding with despots, dictators, and Marxists.

[avacado]

$3 million USD? Probably TARP money. Obama was using Honduras as a trial run for his (Obama’s) 3rd term...

[TomOnTheRun]

Brilliant. They did the right thing by removing him but why couldn’t they have done it without a coup? His own party was passing a resolution calling him mentally ujnfit for office so it doesn’t appear that there was a lack of willingness.

[joejm65]

Now is really the time for Dick Cheney to give an interview and be the lightning rod and say ‘why is the U.S. supporting the overthrow of a democracy?’. The ‘wrong side’ goes ballistic every time he opens his mouth, but it would generate a buzz that the MSM couldn’t ignore.

[patriot preacher]

bump

[TigersEye]

Tribute to the Heroes of Honduras

.

Viva Honduras! Viva libertad!

However, an anti-communist alliance called UnoAmerica, the Union of Democratic Organizations of America, has recognized the new government of Honduras and urges support for it, issuing a statement saying that "in Honduras there has not been a blow to the state, but rather a constitutional succession, perfectly legitimate, after the intent of ex-president Manuel Zelaya to violate the constitution and maintain power, following the mandate of Hugo Chavez."

Regarding Obama's ally, Venezuelan ruler Chavez, UnoAmerica said that "He is tied to Colombian narcotics terrorism (FARC) and to the government of [Iranian President] Ahmadinejad. He finances the Cuban dictatorship. He permanently tramples the Constitution and kidnaps the liberties of the people. He commits electoral fraud. He forcibly represses peaceful and disarmed Venezuelans. He closes means of communication. He hates the Catholic Church."

Rebutting charges of a "military coup," UnoAmerica noted that "the Armed Forces of Honduras have been limited to obey the judicial mandate, that which obligates a reestablishment of constitutional order, thus showing its subordination to the civil authority."

[meadsjn]

They did the right thing by removing him but why couldn’t they have done it without a coup?

Why are you still repeating the communist lies from the MSM, Obama, and Hillary?

It was not a coup. The Honduras Supreme Court, Congress, and military carefully followed their constitutional process for removing and exiling Zelaya. Their cause was just, and their methods were precisely as directed by their constitutiona and laws.

[TigersEye]

Don’t feed the commie troll.

[Ditto]

Sounds to me like Obama is consistently making all of the wrong moves, as usual.

Obama and the Democrats will support whatever Marxist comes along. This guy could have been microwaving puppy dogs, and they would still support him.

[TomOnTheRun]

I'm not repeat those ideas - I'm stating my own. It's not a rare or controversial opinion either. Even the Honduran in this article is quoted as saying "Yes there was coup but, unlike those in other countries, control was assumed by civilians not military."Outside of a very small part of the American conservative nobody else contests this. Here's Ed Morrisey admitting it on HotAir: http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/30/tnr-quit-fetishizing-the-executive-and-focus-on-democracy/ - And a wide variety of other conservatives can be found saying it as well....

To say he shouldn't have been removed from office in this way doesn't mean he shouldn't have been removed from office. He's clearly unfit and likely mental.

[Buckeye McFrog]

for once a developing country that can manage to keep it’s own house in order without outside help, and all Obama can do is dump on them?

[meadsjn]

You're new to FR, and you're either naive about communist/NAZI propaganda techniques, or you're part of the problem (meaning you are a commie pinko fag troll, cruising conservative boards under false pretenses).

You need to decide who you are, or want to be. Others will make up their own minds about you pretty quickly, and will quit wasting time trying to educate you.

[TomOnTheRun]

I respect your statements but I already decided what I was or I would have never posted a comment here to begin with.

I also don't think that Ed Morrissey, Mary O'Grady, Barbour, etc. are trolls for communism either when they say things like "The proper process for removing a head of state can’t include having the army dump him outside the border, which eliminates any due process. That’s a coup, but that doesn’t mean that the Honduras legislature and the courts were wrong to remove Zelaya from power."

[Lexinom]

Couple of defs:

coup

1  /ku/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [koo] Show IPA

Use coup in a Sentence

–noun, plural coups  /kuz; Fr. ku/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kooz; Fr. koo] Show IPA .

1.	a highly successful, unexpected stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment.

2.	(among the Plains Indians of North America) a brave or reckless deed performed in battle by a single warrior, as touching or striking an enemy warrior without sustaining injury oneself.

3.	coup d'état.

—Idiom

4.

count coup, (among Plains Indians of North America)

a.	to perform a coup.

b.	to recount or relate the coups one has performed.

---

Origin:
1640–50; < F: lit., blow, stroke, OF colp < LL colpus, L colaphus < Gk kólaphos

coup d'é⋅tat

  /ˌku deɪˈtɑ; Fr. ku deɪˈta/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [koo dey-tah; Fr. koo dey-ta] Show IPA

Use coup d'état in a Sentence

–noun, plural coups d'é⋅tat  /ˌku deɪˈtɑz; Fr. ku deɪˈta/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [koo dey-tahz; Fr. koo dey-ta] Show IPA .

a sudden and decisive action in politics, esp. one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force.

---

Origin:
1640–50; < F: lit., stroke concerning the state

Synonyms:
overthrow, rebellion, revolution, uprising.

---

This was not a coup d'état - what most people think of as a "coup". It was, in a strict and narrow sense, however, a "coup" - similar to a police raid, but not the definition commonly understood when when uses the word. That sense of the usage could also be used to describe a successful trick play in football, for example.

[KC Burke]

I have a link to a spanish original full Honduras constitution
http://www.constitution.org/cons/honduras.htm
but I can’t find a full english translation.

Anyone got any ideas?

[TigersEye]

I wish I did. I spent the better part of an hour searching for an English translation of the Honduran constitution. It would sure help us friends of Honduras if we could get one.

[Entrepreneur]

[Lexinom]

Bar-AAWWWWWWWWCK!

[watusa1775]

I am here in Choluteca, many of my family work in US and send money, but no so much anymore, we need it less since things are good here and not good there too much. It was not a coup. The country fired the president, the next guy is in. Simple. Coup means the military or other party take control and this did not happen, we just kick out whiny baby. He is embarrased since his pijamas are pink, we think it would have been better to deliver him to OAS in his plane of cocaine wrapped in coca bag with his signature, but he had his security to go to airport, so we got him on the lawn.