Coup d'etat in Honduras (continued)

Micheletti: Only Foreign Invasion can Reinstate Zelaya:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/07/01/honduras-oas001.html

"It would take a foreign invasion to return the ousted President of Honduras to power, said the country's newly installed president, Roberto Micheletti.."

As far as coup-d'etats go, this one seems really rather tame.

1. Zelaya lost almost all concievable political support in the country, polling 25% support amongst its people, and losing the support of his own party. Congress was already working to impeach the president from office, but couldn't find any constitutional framework to do so.
2. The referendum Zelaya was proposing was clearly illegal, and ruled as such by congress, the Attorney General, and the Surpreme Court.
3. Zelaya was not replaced by some right-wing fanatic, but rather by the man next in line in succession, from the same poltical party, Roberto Micheletti.

The coup that transpired to remove the man from office was illegal, yes, but its hardly Pinochet-Allende.

Fidel wrote:

1. polls mean nothing

If only Zelaya realised this before embarking on his own poll that started all of this trouble.

Fidel wrote:

Zelaya is ultimately and legally the highest authority in Honduras.

Well, when it comes to amending the constitution, the Congress is actually the highest authority in Honduras.

Unbelievable. Support on babble for miltiary dictatorship. Maybe the generals will keep the country safe for Club Med? 

Quote:

 Standing on the sidewalk outside Rae’s constituency office Benjamin Santa Maria, a Mexican now living in Canada, says: “We know that for Canadians Latin America doesn’t exist. Our problems don’t matter in Canada. They only want to enjoy our beaches. But when it’s about taking a stand on the political arena, Canadians doesn’t care, especially about Central America. It’s important that Canadians get to know that they belong to the American continent. Our roots are similar because we’re coming from the ancient, rich native cultures.”

[url=http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/johnbon/2009/07/toronto-protest-call... reports on protest against coup at Bob Rae's constituency office.[/url]

The fact that there are posts here tacitly backing or playing down the coup, is revelatory but not surprising. Liberals and many Western social democrats have patronizing imperial tendencies especially in regards to their racial and class "lessers." The colour line that divides the Americas is significant in this group and leads them to sympathy with the oligarchs and the middle classes as opposed to the poor who they without admitting as much, still think of as brutes.

outrageous coup.

another example, after Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, etc. of the 'new' US administration talking one line while in practice backing military dictatorships that enforce the $$ interests of the globe's current slate of financial/corporate/energy thieves.

same cat, different skin/spin/rhetoric.

i'm no fan of some of Chavez' earlier Stalinist rhetoric, (has he changed that yet?? sheesh, muddies his work) but he and his staff do provide a clear perspective of the coup purpose - to undermine the alternative work that people in Latin America are doing, especially with regard to alternative finance in the region.  In that I wish Chavez and others in the region success.  The current mad casino of the North is turning the entire planet into an uninhabitable war zone.

I'm not sure why the rabid anti-communists around here are so fascinated with Stalin and that point in time. Because famines are an ongoing feature of thirdworld capitalism since way before 1847 Ireland and continuing today with over a billion chronically hungry people still waiting for the free market economic long run to kick-in for them.

The fascists give TV and radio time to the Church:

[url=http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/5581][color=red]Head of Catholic Church in Honduras tells Zelaya not to return[/color][/url]

Quote:

In a message broadcast by the local television and radio networks Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez, urged ousted president Manuel Zelaya to stay out of the country to avoid a "blood bath."

"I know you love life, I know you respect life. Until now, not one Honduran has died, please meditate your decision before it is too late," he implored.

What's that? the Church at the service of the military junta, you say? Why, not at all! Here is a lengthy statement in the [url=http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16442][color=blue]Catholic News Agency[/color][/url] denying such baseless charges:

Quote:

The executive secretary of Caritas Honduras, Father German Calix, said the Church in that country rejects accusations that it was complicit in the ouster of President Manuel Celaya. In contrast, Fr. Calix noted that [b]the Church has been urging dialogue and that the deposed president respect the constitutional requirements for a referendum on constitutional reform.[/b]

Clearly, the Church has been the very soul of neutrality!!!

Quote:

In a statement on June 19, he noted, the bishops urged authorities to consult with the Honduran people and to ensure that any kind of referendum or reform take place in accord with the country’s laws and constitution.  The bishops would be willing to assist in this kind of dialogue even now, the priest said, despite all of the criticisms that because [b]it did not side with the deposed president[/b], it was somehow involved in his ouster.

Ok, that's really clear. Then:

Quote:

Father Calix pointed out that [b]the bishops were opposed to the idea of allowing the president to run for re-election[/b] and that ten days before his ouster they had met with Zelaya to express their view that the people must be consulted on any kind of constitutional reform through a referendum.

Ah, the bishops took time from their divine duties! How civic-minded of them!!!!!

Quote:

“The interesting thing about this coup,” the priest stated, “in which the military was just briefly the visible face, because later they turned the power over to civilians, was that it was produced among members of the same Liberal Party.”

Well Holy Shit, it's not all that bad then, is it? It's just sort of kind of very much like something of a [b][i]cabinet shuffle[/i][/b] or something!

Why are all those other countries whining and crying anyways?

Pax vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Peter Kent, the Honduran Catholic Church, and the military fascists. How can you go wrong?

re: Chavez- i saw one of his speeches where he commented on Stalin's and Lenin's positions with respect to some policy. wish i had the reference, it was from a few years ago.  maybe it was a misquote by whomever transcribed the speech, but those with more familiarity with Chavez' speeches would know.  i just think it's important to make distinctions between what any person does well, and what they may not do well.  No one is perfect.  If Chavez' supporters don't try to hide his poor rhetoric, but critique it, then maybe there would be more trust built towards acknowledging the good things Chavez has done, and continues to do.  i'm not going to write him off because he may have been misled, like so many others, by the writings of leaders of the USSR.  Ultimately it's the behaviour of a leader which shows their true character, and Chavez so far has acted with good character, strangely unlike leaders here who denounce Stalin, then set up their own versions of private state control.  by their fruits you shall know them.  [don't smile].

Any chance of sticking to the situation in Honduras in this thread?

[url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/05/content_11655366.htm][color... about the role of the Church[/color][/url] in the coup and its aftermath:

Quote:

[Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez] also urged the Organization of American States (OAS) to [b]investigate all the "illegal deeds" that happened during the rule of Zelaya[/b].

    "Our people ask themselves [b]why (OAS) has not condemned the war threats made against us by other countries[/b]," said the religious leader, referring to recent statements of Venezuelan President [b]Hugo Chavez[/b].

    "We have the right to choose our own destiny without external pressure of any kind and look for solutions that promote common welfare, we reject military threats or blocks of any kind that will only make the poorest people suffer," he said.

    [b]The cardinal also called on the new government[/b] to promote national reconciliation and let aside revenge, pursuit, violence and corruption.

    Rodriguez Friday had a meeting with OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza who was in the country on a mediation mission.

It must have been a good meeting, because the OAS has [url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/07/04/zelaya-return.html][color=red]just kicked out Honduras[/color][/url] for defying the call to reinstate Zelaya.

It is increasingly clear that Cardinal Rodriguez not only backed the coup, but is up to his ears in running spiritual interference for the military in the aftermath.

Peter Kent is not the foreign minister, Lawrence Cannon is. And could anyone possibly be a worse foreign minister than Peter McKay was?

Peter Kent, is, however, a buffoon.

thanks wrote:

remind, that's a rather broad brush, of 'filthy religions'.  We all know about Opus Dei in this hemisphere, and the role of others, in other denominations and religions who have similarly backed repression of various kinds, but there are also many, many ordinary people, and even leaders in many religions, who have done very good work. 

So what do you think of the actions of the head of the Honduran Church as reported above?

the behaviour of the church leader described was/is atrocious.

and apparently today Father Miguel D'Escoto, UN General Assembly President, is accompanying Zelaya back to Honduras, according to the CBC.

the radio had this aussie-voiced (BBC?) reporter saying the streets today were 'full of tension' as if it was Zelaya's fault for doing his job, responding to the needs of his people, and calling for constitutional change, and not the military coup leaders' fault for any 'tension' ! what a crock.

if the CBC can't get it's own people down there to report,  i wish it could at least give some sense to the actual picture..

i gather that Zelaya wanted to propose an actually democratic constituent assembly process to look at constitutional changes, while military coup leaders wanted to control any constitutional changes themselves.  at gunpoint. 

so now a plan for real participation in decision-making by constituents is grounds for a coup, and those who attempt it, in the face of a militarized cabal, are really the ones 'creating tension'.  what a farce.

Have any MPs said anything about this?

How many other countres have an unlimited number of terms that their political leader can be re-elected? Canada does, among  many other countries, so what's the problem with exploring something similiar in Honduras?

so is this Obama's 'soft power' that we're going along with??

say nice things while leaving the torture-teaching SOA open and backing military coups with a hand behind the back?

saying nothing in support of unionists threatened with jail just for calling a march?

not countering crappy media reports of demonstrators, who are actually just trying to keep their elected president from getting sniped?

2 dead so far at the airport.  Army shoots mercilessly at unarmed people.  Many wounded.  Chemical gas fired incessantly.  Army shoots in the direction of the press.  It is the special forces, led by grads of the SOA.  Zelaya calls Romeo Vasquez from plane asking him to stand down, but is ignored.

Police chief had withdrawn police force, making army responsible for any violence that might break out.

Thousands scattered, with no shelter from army attack.