Roundup of Honduras: Crisis averted, More problems ahead

I was very happy to see that Honduras maintained it's constitution and order throughout the Mel crisis. However, Lobo does not seem to be standing up for liberty the same way Michaletti did, which is very unfortunate. I worry about where Honduras is headed.

I would like to see Michaletti recognized for saving the constitution of Honduras. A resolution in the US congress or state congresses would be an excellent method. Perhaps various 4th of July celebrations where awards are given out for promoting freedom would be appropriate. The power and vision of his leadership is more apparent with Lobo in charge.

Video Evidence on Zelaya violating article 239

Aaron Ortiz, writer of Pensive, comes through with the clip. He also provides a translation. Add this video evidence to the others.

While I am at it, I also like his discussion of the repeal of term limits in Columbia. We need congressional term limits in the US. A constitutional amendment in which a representative can be elected five times (10 years) , and a senator twice (12 years) would go a long, long way towards democracy and away from rule by personality. Removing term limits in Columbia is as bad an idea as the suspension of civil liberties in Honduras.

Meanwhile, U. S. Ambassador Llorens called out Radio Globo for racist, anti-Jewish comments. I think it important to note that Zelaya's supporters are equal-opportunity racists, also attacking Arabs, labeled "Turks." This can be a good short-term boost, as it once again raises issue of Zelaya being a racist (though the article doesn't report on Zelaya's own racist remarks). But, it seems to me to be bad policy for an ambassador, acting in his official role, to be writing letters to radio stations. That seems to me to be interfering in another country, and a gross disregard of diplomatic codes of conduct. Perhaps it is because Llorens feels he should be running Honduras, when it seems to me that so far he has not even read the constitution of Honduras.

Pictured is the constitutional president of Honduras, Michaletti, and US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen holding the Constitution of Honduras. Perhaps the press should actually read it and report on what it says.

Various News about Honduras

Honduras is still holding strong. Not much has changed on the political front, but there is still strong support for the constitutional government of Michaletti. David A. Ridenour, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research, wrote an editorial that among other things, pointed out the 15-0 vote in the Supreme Court.

Despite what you may have heard, there was no coup in Honduras. Manuel Zelaya was legally removed from office for violating the constitution in an effort to extend his power.

Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, wrote an article entitled Banana Republics.

However, his refusal to respect the decision of the Supreme Court set the stage for potentially violent conflict. And while the military packing him off to Costa Rica in his pajamas looks bad, bad procedure alone does not entitle him to return to office if he violated the Honduran constitution.

It seems the government of Taiwan is supporting the constitutional government of Honduras. Mark them down along with many US citizens and elected officials, various Nicaraguan officials, Columbia, citizens of Venezuela, and Canada as offering support. Various people have said that "world leaders are unanimous in opposing the coup." Yet, it is clear that many do support the constitutional government of Honduras, and oppose Zelaya.

Dr. Laina Farhat-Holzman is the former Executive Director of the San Francisco United Nations Association, and author of "God's Law or Man's Law: The Fundamentalist Challenge to Secular Rule." She recently wrote an opinion piece entitled "Democracy: One size does not fill all situations."

Once more, there is world clamor condemning the military for this coup, and the international press has done very badly in explaining the complications of this case. The military’s actions were more legal than the president’s.

It seems the word is finally getting out on how violent and destructive the supporters of Zelaya are. Al Jazeera has an article on how they attacked Ramon Velazquez, combined with a picture of them destroying a news stand.

There is further news on supporters of Zelaya attacking free speech, this time a Molotov Cocktail. Chavez and Co seem to favor physical and legal attacks on the free flow of information. It seems to be yet another attempt by the left to silence voices they disagree with through intimidation and illegal acts.

The bombs started a fire in the main entrance of El Heraldo, which like most of the national dailies has backed the de-facto government installed after President Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a coup in late June.