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Hands Off Honduras!
Townhall ^ | Friday, July 03, 2009 | Pat Buchanan

Posted on 07/03/2009 4:52:35 AM PDT by fiodora

Last Saturday, Honduran soldiers marched into the presidential palace, bundled up President Manuel Zelaya and put him on a plane for Costa Rica.

The ouster had been ordered by the Supreme Court and approved by the Congress, as Zelaya was attempting an illegal referendum to change the Honduran constitution so he could run for another term.

Will someone please explain why this bloodless transfer of power to the civilian legislator first in line for the presidency, in a sovereign nation, is any business of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers or Barack Obama? For all have denounced the "coup" and demanded Zelaya's immediate return.

The hypocrisy here is astounding.

Chavez was imprisoned for his bloody coup attempt in Venezuela in 1992. And to have Fidel Castro's dictatorship of half a century denouncing a glitch in the democratic process of a Western Hemisphere republic is beyond parody.

What percentage of the 200 member nations of that septic tank of anti-Americanism, the United Nations, are democracies? How many leaders of its member states came to power through free and fair elections?

And what happened to the idea of non-intervention in the internal affairs of Western Hemisphere republics? At this writing, Honduras is not buckling.

"We have established a democratic government, and we will not cede to pressure from anyone. We are a sovereign country," said Roberto Micheletti, who was named caretaker president to serve out Zelaya's term, which ends this year.

Unlike Tehran, where hundreds of thousands protested the election, the streets of Tegucigalpa have remained calm. No one has been shot, beaten with clubs or run down by thugs on motorcycles.

Just whose side is Barack on in Latin America?

Though elected as a center-right candidate, Zelaya has moved into the orbit of Chavez, whose idea it was to change the Honduran constitution to get Zelaya another term. Hugo even provided the ballots. In Latin America, term limits have been written into constitutions to prevent a return to the time of the dictators and presidents-for-life. The folks who put Zelaya aboard that plane are friends of the United States.

Why are Obama and Hillary Clinton meddling in the affairs of a friendly country, to dump over a friendly government, to reinstate a friend of Hugo's, whose goal is to bring Honduras into his anti-American "Bolivarian Revolution"?

Like Barack's strange behavior in Trinidad, where he grinned away as Chavez handed him an anti-American tract, then listened for an hour to Daniel Ortega berate us for cruelty to Castro's Cuba, without protest or retort, Obama is coming off as one who shares the international left's view of the United States.

There is another issue raised by Obama's denunciation of our friends in Honduras. Does he put ideology ahead of U.S. national interests? Does he prefer hostile democracies to friendly autocrats?

What comes first with Obama?

"He may be an SOB, but he's our SOB," FDR said of one Latin dictator. What FDR meant was that, in those grave times when Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin and Japanese militarists ruled most of Eurasia, America must take her friends where she could find them.

In World War II, we welcomed the alliance with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, and the neutrality of the autocrats of Madrid and Lisbon. We partnered with Stalin. Gen. Eisenhower cut a deal with Vichy's Adm. Darlan to get GIs safely ashore in North Africa.

From 1961 to 1979, Park Chung-hee was an authoritarian ruler of South Korea who sent 50,000 troops to fight beside ours in Vietnam. Was he not a better friend than Olof Palme of Sweden, Pierre Trudeau of Canada and Willy Brandt of Germany, who burnished their democratic credentials by scoring points off the United States?

For most Cold War presidents, U.S. national interests always trumped democratist ideology. Ike preferred the Shah to the democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh. Richard Nixon preferred Gen. Pinochet to the elected Salvador Allende.

Even George Bush, who had pushed for Palestinian elections and insisted on Hamas' inclusion, perhaps because he thought they would lose, did a somersault when Hamas won.

How to explain the universality of the attacks on Honduras -- when few United Nations members outside the West condemned Tehran and Hugo Chavez rushed to congratulate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- other than the fact that this "coup" removed an adversary of the United States?

Anti-Americans stand by their own, no matter how they came to power, or retain power. Only in the West do we seem always prepared to abandon our flawed friends who do not measure up.

This is a formula for eventually not having any friends.

That Obama finds himself in camp with Castro's Cuba, Ortega's Nicaragua and Chavez, who is openly threatening Honduras, should tell him something about where his ideology is taking him, and us.

One day, Obama is going to have to decide whether he wishes to be the darling of the international left or the unapologetic leader of the nation that is most resented and reviled by the international left.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bholatinamerica; dictators; honduras; patbuchanan; presidentsforlife; zelaya
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1 posted on 07/03/2009 4:52:35 AM PDT by fiodora
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To: fiodora
The marxists who are upset (Chavez, Castro, Obama, etc.) are unhappy because the Honduran Supreme Court, legislature, and military successfully thwarted an attempt by another marxist to usurp power and the law.

The people of Honduras (and our own President, to his chagrin) know that the blow against liberty and republican principle was being planned and carried out by Zelaya himself as he tried to institute a referendum calling for changing the Honduras constitution. That referendum was illegal and not a due process under the Honduras constitution for changing the constitution.

The Supreme Court of that nation ruled against it (properly so) and the President was planning to use the Executive Branch to implement it anyway. That's when the Supreme Court and a majority of the legislature called for the military's assistance...and they gave it, in support of the Hionduras constitution which Zelaya was attempting to subvert.

And so the telling thing about what happened in Honduras is this: EVERY Marxist in the Western Hemisphere is against it, including the Marxist Obama who is arm-and-arm with his marxist friends, Chavez and Castro on this.

That tells you that what the Honduras military did at the request of its Supreme Court and w/support from its legislature was correct, and avoided a move by Marxists to circumvent the Honduran constitution and entrench marxism in Honduras.

Bravo for the Honduras Supreme Court and military...and down with Obama's marxist dogma, policies, and ideology!

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA IN HIS OWN WORDS

NOW WE KNOW WHAT A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER DOES

OBAMA, THE STOCK MARKET, AND ENERGY

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S UPBRINGING

A JULY 4TH TEA PARTY SPEECH IN AMERICA

2 posted on 07/03/2009 4:56:10 AM PDT by Jeff Head (Freedom is not free...never has been, never will be. (www.dragonsfuryseries.com))
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To: fiodora

Will someone please explain why this bloodless transfer of power to the civilian legislator first in line for the presidency, in a sovereign nation, is any business of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers or Barack Obama? For all have denounced the “coup” and demanded Zelaya’s immediate return.

Okay.
None of those groups or people, like to see freedom, liberty and the will of the people triumph over Socialism, Communism,Islamofacism etc.


3 posted on 07/03/2009 4:56:28 AM PDT by SECURE AMERICA (Coming to You From the Front Lines of Occupied America)
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To: fiodora

Stand strong, Honduras and make your bolt to freedom! And, while you’re at it, give 0bama the flying finger salute.


4 posted on 07/03/2009 5:00:44 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Impeach President Soros!!!)
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To: SECURE AMERICA

Although what you say is true, I believe that the bigger fear is that it may happen to them next.


5 posted on 07/03/2009 5:01:52 AM PDT by thile44 (Simplicity is too complex.)
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To: Jeff Head

“Bravo for the Honduras Supreme Court and military...and down with Obama’s marxist dogma, policies, and ideology!”

BRAVO, indeed!!!!


6 posted on 07/03/2009 5:05:03 AM PDT by fiodora
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To: fiodora; All
Great cartoon by Michael Ramirez nails it!
Cannot post due to “copyright infringement” but here is the link:http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IMAGES/CARTOONS/toon063009.gif
7 posted on 07/03/2009 5:09:48 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: ScottinVA
I never thought I would see the day when a small Latin-American country would give the United States a lesson on the rule of law. Viva Honduras!
8 posted on 07/03/2009 5:11:18 AM PDT by VRWCtaz (Tagline error - please hold)
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To: SECURE AMERICA

Ex parte anti-Constitution Club [DC cell]

9 posted on 07/03/2009 5:12:18 AM PDT by Diogenesis
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To: Jeff Head

10 posted on 07/03/2009 5:13:05 AM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: fiodora

Iranians are taking to the streets to take back their freedom. Honduras is packing up would-be dictators and shipping them out of the country.

And in the US, we’re willing to give it all away because some half-black community organizer has a hypnotic voice.


11 posted on 07/03/2009 5:15:56 AM PDT by Bryanw92 (Question O-thority!)
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To: fiodora

There was no ‘coup’ against Zelaya.
He was impeached and constitutionally removed by the Honduras Supreme Court.


12 posted on 07/03/2009 5:16:03 AM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: counterpunch
Freaky!
13 posted on 07/03/2009 5:17:14 AM PDT by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......?)
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To: fiodora
From the OAS charter.

CONSIDERING that the Charter of the Organization of American States recognizes that representative democracy is indispensable for the stability, peace, and development of the region, and that one of the purposes of the OAS is to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention;

Apparently the OAS picks and chooses which parts of their own charter that they should obey.
14 posted on 07/03/2009 5:17:36 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: fiodora

Hopefully, Honduras isn’t infested with ACORN yet. Hillary and Obama are literally in league with Communist thugs, dictators, and the UN (both). I burn with shame at what a steaming pile of excrement my government has become.


15 posted on 07/03/2009 5:22:03 AM PDT by VR-21 (The election of Barack Obama was a hate crime.)
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To: Bryanw92

“community organizer has a hypnotic voice.”
Uh,uh,uh, did you mean the hypnotic teleprompter?


16 posted on 07/03/2009 5:23:10 AM PDT by fiodora
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To: cripplecreek
Again from the OAS charter.

Article 2

The effective exercise of representative democracy is the basis for the rule of law and of the constitutional regimes of the member states of the Organization of American States. Representative democracy is strengthened and deepened by permanent, ethical, and responsible participation of the citizenry within a legal framework conforming to the respective constitutional order.


Oops again.
17 posted on 07/03/2009 5:23:18 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: fiodora

There’s only one reason why Obama objects to what happened in Honduras.

The president there went against the Honduran constitution in a bid to make himself another Hugo Chavez and the people there said no you won’t, and sent him packing.

Granted that it may not have been totally according to their constitutional procedures for removing a president but it worked.

Obama fears what will happen when he tries to pull the same stunt here.


18 posted on 07/03/2009 5:24:00 AM PDT by usmcobra (Your chances of dying in bed are reduced by getting out of it, but most people still die in bed)
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To: fiodora
The Marxists are terrified that a small country was able to maintain freedom and the rule of law. It must perplex and anger the statists that these uppity people preserved their bourgeoise democracy and they did so without violence. To the statists, Honduras must be crushed with an iron fist.

It would not surprise me at all if there is a UN or OAS attempt to invade Honduras to install a communist dictatorship. If Obama were to order the military to aid in the suppression of freedom in Honduras, would they follow orders? Would congress support a military adventure to install a dictatorship? If Obama were foolish enough to give material support to a fellow Marxist, it could be the tipping point for the U.S.

19 posted on 07/03/2009 5:28:35 AM PDT by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: Wilhelm Tell

The behavior of these globalist organizations only confirms what so many of us “conspiracy theorists” have long believed.

When they attempt to overrule the sovereign laws of a sovereign nation they in effect are declaring that nation to be no longer sovereign but an administrative region part of a greater whole.


20 posted on 07/03/2009 5:39:09 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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