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My Recent Posts · 06/28/09

Honduran military ousts president ahead of vote

By WILL WEISSERT and FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writers Will Weissert And Freddy Cuevas, Associated Press Writers

A military vehicle patrols the area around the presidential residency in Tegucigalpa, Sunday June 28, 2009. Soldiers arrested Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya and disarmed his security guards after surrounding his residence before dawn Sunday, his private secretary said. Protesters called it a coup and flocked to the presidential palace as local news media reported that Zelaya was sent into exile.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Soldiers seized the national palace and flew President Manuel Zelaya into exile Sunday, hours before a disputed constitutional referendum. Zelaya, a leftist ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said he was victim of a coup.

Hours later, Congress voted to accept what it said was Zelaya's letter of resignation, but Zelaya said the letter wasn't his and vowed to remain in power.

The Supreme Court said it was supporting the military in what it called a defense of democracy, and the Honduran ambassador to the Organization of American States said the military was planning to swear in Congressional President Roberto Micheletti - who is next in line to the presidency - to replace Zelaya.

Zelaya was arrested shortly before polls were to open in a referendum on whether to change the constitution. The Supreme Court ruled the referendum illegal and everyone from Congress to members of his own party opposed it. Critics said Zelaya wanted to remove limits to his re-election.

Tanks rolled through the streets and hundreds of soldiers with riot shields surrounded the presidential palace in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Zelaya, at the airport in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose, called the military action illegal.

"There is no way to justify an interruption of democracy, a coup d'etat," he said in a telephone call to the Venezuela-based Telesur television network. "This kidnapping is an extortion of the Honduran democratic system."

A majority of members of Congress voted with a show of hands to accept a letter of resignation that Congressional Secretary Jose Alfredo Saavedra said was signed by Zelaya and dated Thursday. The letter said Zelaya was resigning because of "the polarized political situation" and "insuperable health problems."

But Zelaya told CNN the letter was "totally false." He told Telesur he would not recognize any de facto government and pledged to serve out his term, which ends in January. He said he would attend a scheduled meeting of Central American presidents in Nicaragua on Monday. He siad Chavez, which is also going, would provide transportation.

Chavez, who along with the Castros in Cuba is Zelaya's top ally, said Venezuela "is at battle" and put his military on alert.

President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by Zelaya's expulsion and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the arrest should be condemned.

"I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," Obama's statement read.

Zelaya told Telesur that he was awoken by gunshots and the shouts of his security guards, whom he said resisted troops for at least 20 minutes. Still in his pajamas, he jumped out of bed and ducked behind an air conditioner to avoid flying bullets, he said.

He said eight or nine soldiers in masks escorted him onto an air force plane that took him to Costa Rica.

Chavez said troops in Honduras also temporarily detained the Venezuelan and Cuban ambassadors, beating them.

Zelaya called on Honduran soldiers to desist, urged citizens to take to the streets in peaceful protests, and asked Honduran police to protect demonstrators.

Zelaya ally Rafael Alegria, a labor leader, called for protests.

"We demand respect for the president's life," he told Honduran radio Cadena de Noticias. "And we will go out into the streets to defend what this has cost us: living in peace and tranquility."

About 100 Zelaya supporters, many wearing "Yes" T-shirts for the referendum, blocked the main street outside the gates to the palace, throwing rocks and insults at soldiers and shouting "Traitors! Traitors!"

"They kidnapped him like cowards," screamed Melissa Gaitan. Tears streamed down the face of the 21-year-old, who works at the government television station. "We have to rally the people to defend our president."

Honduras has a history of military coups: Soldiers overthrew elected presidents in 1963 and 1972. The military did not turn the government over to civilians until 1981, under U.S. pressure.

Micheletti has been one of the president's main opponents in the dispute over whether to hold the referendum. The head of the Supreme Court was also opposed to the nonbinding referendum, on whether to ask voters whether they want to convoke an assembly to rewrite the constitution.

It appeared that the vote would no longer take place.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090628/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_honduras_referendum

My Recent Posts · 07/01/09

Obama's True Colors Shine in Honduras

By Kyle-Anne Shiver

President Obama squirmed and weaseled his words with the Iranian Mullahs and their puppet-tyrant, Ahmadinejad, not wanting to be seen as meddling in a tyrannical theocracy, known throughout the world as beneath-contempt oppressors of every human right under the sun. No, no, no, it just wouldn't do to publicly lend support to all those moderate, freedom-loving throngs of Iranians taking to the streets, risking life and limb for more liberty. Not until the Iranians killed demonstrators on camera, the pictures went round the world, and criticism of himself mounted at home, did this President put his hands on his hips and use the words, "appalled" and "outraged."

And the words that quickly came to my own mind as Obama gave this tiny, petulant nod to liberty: "Wimp in Chief."

This week, the Honduran socialist president, seeking to eviscerate his country's constitution in a shameless power-grab, has evoked Obama's true colors, and spread them out like yellow underwear on a backyard clothesline.

Obama's response to the Honduran military removing a dictator-wannabe from office (at the behest, it must be noted, of the Supreme Court and the Honduran Congress), and escorting him to the border, was sure and fast. He declared the military action an "illegal coup" faster than you can say Fidel Castro. And just as quickly the rest of the region's socialist gang chimed in too. The real Castro brothers. Hugo Chavez. Daniel Ortega.

Birds of a feather do tend to flock together.

Bullies, of all stripes, don't you know, are really just cowards at heart -- yellow down to their measly cores -- which is why they must cling together in gangs and collectives. They haven't the courage or fortitude for independence. Neither do they support individual liberties or constitutions that interfere with their quest for power.

Such is the obvious case with the now-exiled Honduran ex-president, the man our President has backed quickly, forthrightly, and with sharp, meddling tones. It has come to light, too, that even before the Hondurans moved to protect their still-fledgling democracy and young constitution, the Obama Administration made behind-the-scenes, veiled threats in support of the Chavez-aligned Zelaya.

Of course, as was to be expected, the OAS has given its full backing to the now-exiled socialist. The OAS has, for years now, been on a leftist tack and clearly do not want one of their own kind stopped in his tracks. Especially not now, when leaders -- even our own President -- have paved the way for Castro's readmission and Chavez is on a tear in Venezuela.

For even more evidence that the international socialist collective is still alive and well, I turned to the Communist Party USA, to check out their response to the Honduran situation. And, there it is in ignoble glory. The Communist Party USA is in agreement with President Obama and even has some of the same demands of the Honduran people:

Demands that president Zelaya and other members of his government be returned to power immediately, and that the troops return to their barracks.
Recognizes that the Obama administration has repudiated the coup, and insists that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton hold firm to this position, refusing diplomatic recognition and any military aid to Honduras until President Zelaya is restored to power.
Calls upon unions and other people's organizations in the United States to actively support our brothers and sisters in Honduras in resisting this brutal military coup d'etat.

Now would be an awfully good time, I think, to remember the alliances struck in the past few years between Chavez and Ahmadinejad. Last July, Bloomberg reported on the growing partnership between the two OPEC member states, Venezuela and Iran:

Chavez is a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program, which is under United Nations sanctions because of fear among the U.S. and its allies that it may be used to build atomic weapons.

Iran and Venezuela are to sign some 20 agreements in various fields during Chavez's visit to Iran, according to the official news agency IRNA. Chavez's visit to the Islamic republic is the third since Ahmadinejad won the presidency in 2005, Iran's local media reported.

Chavez, the socialist, and Ahmadinejad, the IslamoFascist, have become quite chummy. Chavez has threatened military action against the Hondurans to restore his pal, Zelaya, to power. Obama had to be pressured at home before he became "appalled" at the Iranian crackdown, but quickly came to the side of Chavez in the Honduran dispute. There seems to be a pattern here.

We now have had six months to observe the actions and words of President Obama in relations with foreign countries. Here's a brief recap:

Obama has routinely snubbed our traditional, democratic allies, from Great Britain to France to Germany, and most pointedly, Israel.
Obama dispatched Secretary of State Clinton to communist China very early on to reassure them that human rights considerations would not get in the way of our trade with them.
Obama made his American apology tour across Europe, pausing only to bow on camera before the Saudi King.
Obama gave his suck-up-to-Islam speech in Cairo, being sure to credit Muslims with historical achievements purely made up from whole cloth, using the Muslim-only greeting of respect, and repeating the phrase "holy Koran" at every opportunity.
Obama was as slow on the draw as conceivably possible to vocally condemn the brutish actions of the Iranian Mullahcracy against its citizens clamoring for freedoms and human rights. Obama continues to insist that negotiations with the Iranian regime are still on the table.
Obama is quick on the draw to side with the world's socialist dictators against the defense of democracy taking place now in Honduras.

President Barack Obama's true self has been revealed in vivid Technicolor throughout the past six months. He has aligned himself with bullies and tyrants around the globe, both IslamoFascists and members of the international socialist collective. Despite their theoretical differences, these regimes share one glaring, common belief: America is responsible for all the suffering and injustice throughout the world. This overriding disgust with America holds together these disparate, radical regimes.

As David Horowitz summarized in Unholy Alliance:

"Radicalism is a cause whose utopian agendas result in an ethic where the ends outweigh and ultimately justify any means. Like the Salvationist agendas of jihad, the Left's apocalyptic goal of 'social justice' is the equivalent of an earthly redemption. A planet saved, a world without poverty, racism, inequality, or war -- what means would not be justified to achieve such millennial ends?"

Two disparate forces - IslamoFascism and Socialism -- seemingly united on a tyrannical bent against freedom, against democracy and human rights, have formed a flank against America. And upon whose side does our own President stand?

An American president aligned in spirit with our sworn enemies?

Is it possible?

It would appear so.

Kyle-Anne Shiver is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. She welcomes your comments at kyleanneshiver.com.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/obamas_true_colors_shine_in_ho.html

My Recent Posts · 07/01/09

OAS gives 3-day deadline to Honduran coup leaders

By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer Barry Schweid, Ap Diplomatic Writer Wed Jul 1, 7:58 am ET

WASHINGTON - Honduran coup leaders have three days to restore deposed President Manuel Zelaya to power, the Organization of American States said Wednesday, before Honduras risks being suspended from the group.

OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza delivered what he called "an ultimatum" as OAS talks regarding the crisis dragged into the early-morning hours. The talks began Tuesday afternoon.

In a sharply worded resolution, the OAS said it vehemently condemned the coup and "the arbitrary detention and expulsion" of Zelaya.

The coup, the resolution said, has produced an "unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order." The envoys demanded Zelaya's immediate and safe return to power.

Calling Zelaya's overthrow an "old-fashioned coup," Insulza said: "We need to show clearly that military coups will not be accepted. We thought we were in an era when military coups were no longer possible in this hemisphere."

Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup Sunday, planned to return to Honduras on Thursday, accompanied by Insulza, the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador and the head of the U.N. General Assembly, and seek restoration of his authority. Wednesday morning, however, he said that trip would be delayed until the weekend.

Roberto Micheletti, named by Honduras' Congress as the new president, said Tuesday that Zelaya could be met with an arrest warrant if he returned.

Zelaya met Tuesday night with envoys to the OAS to discuss what Argentina's foreign minister called an urgent and dangerous situation in Honduras.

Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana and other Western Hemisphere ambassadors waited for 3 1/2 hours as Zelaya made his way from New York, where earlier Tuesday the U.N. General Assembly denounced the military coup that drove him from power Sunday. They demanded his immediate return to office.

Taiana, who presided over the special session of the 34-nation assembly, said if the diplomatic approach does not prevail, "we have to take the decision to suspend Honduras in its rights and duties in this organization."

When Zelaya arrived at the OAS building on Constitution Avenue, within blocks of the White House, he met first with Insulza. Zelaya has called the coup the work of "a small group of usurpers" who carried out "an act of aggression attacking the democratic will of the people."

Albert Rambin, the OAS' assistant secretary-general, said Micheletti intended to send a Honduran delegation to the OAS, but it would not be accepted. Insulza, asked if he would meet with such a delegation, said: "I do not plan to. I do not intend to."

The U.N. adopted a resolution calling on all 192 U.N. member states not to recognize any government in Honduras other than Zelaya's.

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said there are no plans to recall the U.S. ambassador to Honduras.

The United States said it saw no acceptable solution to Zelaya's ouster other than returning him to power. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters that the U.S. was still reviewing whether to cut off aid to the Central American nation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090701/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_honduras

Black Blade: When will these generals ever learn? When you remove a dictator you put a pistol to the back of the head and pull the God damn trigger! They made a big mistake with Hugo Chavez and now with Manuel Zelaya. The point is to remove the threat once and for all eternity. When you make this kind of decision you can never go back - when Hernan Cortez reached the New World he burned his ships to motivate his men to either "victory or death" as there was no retreat possible. The generals have forgotten their history and it could come back to haunt them.

My Recent Posts · 07/05/09

We can only hope. Every time I hear that Obama is undermining the constitution I think he must be removed from office one way or another. He is sworn to defend the consitution.

OCD

http://freedomfighterradio.net/?p=8641

Leaked Document - Legal description of the Hondurian "coup" Could Obama be next?

The legal description of the Hondurian "coup" which saw President Mel Zelaya's removed from power by the armed forces. The document is being pushed in diplomatic circles by those opposed to President Zelaya but has not otherwise appeared.Could this be the possible fate of the current U.S. Administration?

Read Full Story

My Recent Posts · 07/22/09

Honduras orders Venezuelan diplomats expelled

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Mark Stevenson, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 42 mins ago

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Honduras' interim government ordered Venezuelan diplomats on Tuesday to leave the country as the international community threatened new sanctions on the Central American nation if negotiations fail to resolve the crisis.

Venezuelan Embassy charge d'affaires Ariel Vargas said he received a letter from the Honduran Foreign Ministry ordering his diplomats to leave in 72 hours.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been the most vociferous critic of what he calls the "gorilla" government that overthrew his ally Manuel Zelaya on June 28.

The government of Roberto Micheletti, whom congress swore in as president after the coup, accused Venezuela of meddling in its affairs and of threatening to use its armed forces against Honduras, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Vargas dismissed the allegations and - holed up in the embassy along with a consular officer also affected by the order - vowed to defy it.

"We only have relations with the government of President Manuel Zelaya," Vargas told reporters outside the building. He said the expulsion order "does not exist for us, because the Micheletti government does not exist. It is a usurper government, a coup government, a government that is not recognized by anyone on an international level."

Micheletti apparently planned no immediate action to remove the Venezuelans.

"We are going to wait for them to obey the order this country has given them," he said late Tuesday. He added that "we have information that many of their people are involved in the movements that have been happening in our country," an apparent reference to pro-Zelaya protests.

Marta Lorena Alvarado, Micheletti's assistant foreign affairs minister, said Honduras was withdrawing its embassy staff from Venezuela; both countries pulled their ambassadors soon after the coup.

From Managua, Nicaragua, Zelaya told the Venezuelan diplomats to stay put and said he plans to try again to return to Honduras sometime after Wednesday, the expiration date for a 72-hour period requested by Costa Rican President and mediator Oscar Arias to allow time for negotiations.

"We want to return to Honduras to look for solutions. It will be a peaceful return," Zelaya told a news conference. He did not give details.

Zelaya also said he sent a letter to President Barack Obama naming army officials and lawmakers who allegedly planned his ouster, and asking for economic actions against "those who conspired directly to execute the coup."

Chavez has demanded Washington do more to pressure Micheletti and force Zelaya's return to power, including withdrawing U.S. troops from its Honduran base.

The European Union, meanwhile, warned Tuesday that if talks to end the crisis fail, it may impose further sanctions against Honduras. The EU announced on Monday that it had already frozen some euro65 million ($92 million) in aid.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt - whose country holds the rotating EU presidency - said the bloc is "considering different ways" to support mediation efforts by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. He did not elaborate.

The 27-nation EU, like the United Nations and the Organization of American States, has condemned the coup and called for Zelaya's immediate return to power.

No government has recognized the Micheletti administration.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Micheletti there would be serious consequences if his government keeps ignoring international calls for Zelaya's return - the key point that led to a stalemate in U.S.-supported negotiations over the weekend.

Micheletti has vowed not to back down, and he sent a team to Washington this week to lobby against economic sanctions by painting the coup backers as a bulwark against "dictatorship" and "communism."

Appealing to free trade supporters, Micheletti's team hopes to nudge the Obama administration away from its threat to impose sanctions on the impoverished country, where export-assembly factories are dominated by U.S. firms and investors.

Business executives say U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens called them into meetings to say Honduras could face tough sanctions if leaders continue to refuse Arias' compromise proposal for Zelaya to return as head of a coalition government. The U.S. Embassy said it would not comment on the meetings.

Micheletti has said he will stay in power until a scheduled Nov. 29 presidential vote, which the United States has suggested it may not recognize if it is held under a de facto government.

Zelaya angered many people in Honduras by ignoring Congress' and the courts' objections to his effort to hold a referendum on changing the constitution, which many saw as an attempt to impose a Chavez-style socialist government.

He argued that the current constitution protects a system of government that excludes the poor.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090722/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_honduras_coup

Black Blade: Good to see another Latin American country stand on its own feet and throw mud in Chavez's face.

My Recent Posts · 07/23/09

Republican delays US nominees over Honduras policy

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21226053.htm

21 Jul 2009 18:15:32 GMT
Source: Reuters

Republicans say Honduras coup was lawful. Nominee would not discuss Honduras in detail at hearing

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - A Republican senator unhappy with U.S. policy on Honduras delayed on Tuesday a committee vote to confirm the nominee to head the State Department's bureau of western hemisphere affairs.

Conservative Senator Jim DeMint, who has expressed concern over Washington's call for ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to be reinstated, invoked his right to ask the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to postpone voting to confirm Arturo Valenzuela, currently a professor at Georgetown University, to be assistant secretary of state.

DeMint also asked for a delay in confirming Thomas Shannon as U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Shannon currently holds the assistant secretary's post.

Both votes had been set for Tuesday afternoon but are now likely to be held next week.

DeMint is one of 17 Republican senators who wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this month asking the administration to reassess its stance on Honduras.

The group said it worried that Washington's pro-Zelaya stance would legitimize "abuses of power" and "violations of the Honduran constitution" by Zelaya before he was ousted by the army on June 28.

Efforts to broker an end to the Honduran power struggle collapsed on Sunday, after interim leader Roberto Micheletti rejected a proposal to reinstate the overthrown president.

Clinton spoke to Micheletti by phone after the talks fell apart and warned him he could face cuts in economic aid unless he strikes a deal with his rival.

DeMint and other Republicans have said they believe Hondurans were acting lawfully when they ousted Zelaya after he had sought to hold a referendum on overhauling the constitution to allow his re-election.

A spokesman for DeMint said on Tuesday the senator was also displeased at Valenzuela's refusal to discuss Honduras at length during his nomination hearing.

At the hearing, DeMint asked why Washington would want to be on the same side as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro, in the Honduran crisis.

"President Obama rushed to side with Chavez and Castro before getting the facts. Now it's clear that the people of Honduras were defending the rule of law," DeMint said on Tuesday, through his spokesman

My Recent Posts · 07/31/09

Senator asks Clinton to explain Honduran policy

Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:19pm EDT
By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key U.S. senator asked the Obama administration on Thursday to explain in detail its policy on the Honduran political crisis, warning that otherwise Senate confirmation may be delayed for a U.S. diplomatic nominee for Latin America.

"The complexity of events that led up to the Honduran crisis has given rise to questions regarding U.S. policy," Senator Richard Lugar, one of the Senate's most respected voices on foreign policy, wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The United States has refused to recognize the Honduran government led by Roberto Micheletti, which took over the Central American nation after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the Honduran military on June 28.

Lugar told Clinton he shared her support for mediation by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in the month-old dispute over whether Zelaya should be allowed to return to his post.

But he also appealed to the State Department to provide a detailed clarification of U.S. policy to "interested Members" -- an apparent reference to several of his fellow Republicans, who charge Washington is trying to reinstate a left-wing government in Honduras.

Because of U.S. support for Zelaya, conservative Republican Senator Jim DeMint has threatened to delay a Senate vote on the nomination of Arturo Valenzuela to be assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, the senior diplomat in charge of Latin America at the State Department.

"I request that the Department provide interested Members a detailed clarification of the steps that it has taken, and intends to take, in response to the events that transpired in the run-up to and period after the forced removal of President Manuel Zelaya from Honduras," Lugar wrote to Clinton.

The letter was provided to Reuters by Lugar's office.

"Your explanation of U.S. policy toward Honduras and your outreach to the Senate can improve the prospects of confirming Mr. Valenzuela before the Congress recesses in August," Lugar wrote. The Senate is scheduled to go on recess August 8.

Lugar also encouraged Clinton to work with the Senate to confirm two other nominees, Thomas Shannon as ambassador to Brazil, and Carlos Pascual as ambassador to Mexico.

"Recent events in Honduras only heighten the urgency of assembling President Obama's diplomatic team for the region," he said.

Washington has cut $16.5 million in aid to Honduras and this week revoked diplomatic visas for four members of Micheletti's administration to pressure it to reverse the coup.

Micheletti on Wednesday night released a statement calling for new efforts to resolve the country's political crisis.

But Zelaya's representative in Washington, Eduardo Enrique Reina, told Reuters he thought Micheletti was simply trying to gain time with the statement, noting that Micheletti's aides in Honduras are still vowing not to let Zelaya return.

"We will ask the U.S. government to step up the pressure on Micheletti," Zelaya's ambassador told Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE56T7DM20090730

Black Blade: So our new foreign policy is to demand other countries ignore the their own constitutions and rule of law? The freakers in Washington DC are getting nuttier day by day. Though I would never say this, but "I miss George W. Bush". Compared to these lunatics just about anyone is preferable. I was hoping that the Dems would have picked Bill Richardson as their candidate but they instead gave us four years of insanity.

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patgarrett666	Honduran military ousts president ahead of vote		Lead	[-]
Member Posts: 11024 06/28/09 15:58:39	Honduran military ousts president ahead of vote By WILL WEISSERT and FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writers Will Weissert And Freddy Cuevas, Associated Press Writers A military vehicle patrols the area around the presidential residency in Tegucigalpa, Sunday June 28, 2009. Soldiers arrested Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya and disarmed his security guards after surrounding his residence before dawn Sunday, his private secretary said. Protesters called it a coup and flocked to the presidential palace as local news media reported that Zelaya was sent into exile. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Soldiers seized the national palace and flew President Manuel Zelaya into exile Sunday, hours before a disputed constitutional referendum. Zelaya, a leftist ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said he was victim of a coup. Hours later, Congress voted to accept what it said was Zelaya's letter of resignation, but Zelaya said the letter wasn't his and vowed to remain in power. The Supreme Court said it was supporting the military in what it called a defense of democracy, and the Honduran ambassador to the Organization of American States said the military was planning to swear in Congressional President Roberto Micheletti - who is next in line to the presidency - to replace Zelaya. Zelaya was arrested shortly before polls were to open in a referendum on whether to change the constitution. The Supreme Court ruled the referendum illegal and everyone from Congress to members of his own party opposed it. Critics said Zelaya wanted to remove limits to his re-election. Tanks rolled through the streets and hundreds of soldiers with riot shields surrounded the presidential palace in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Zelaya, at the airport in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose, called the military action illegal. "There is no way to justify an interruption of democracy, a coup d'etat," he said in a telephone call to the Venezuela-based Telesur television network. "This kidnapping is an extortion of the Honduran democratic system." A majority of members of Congress voted with a show of hands to accept a letter of resignation that Congressional Secretary Jose Alfredo Saavedra said was signed by Zelaya and dated Thursday. The letter said Zelaya was resigning because of "the polarized political situation" and "insuperable health problems." But Zelaya told CNN the letter was "totally false." He told Telesur he would not recognize any de facto government and pledged to serve out his term, which ends in January. He said he would attend a scheduled meeting of Central American presidents in Nicaragua on Monday. He siad Chavez, which is also going, would provide transportation. Chavez, who along with the Castros in Cuba is Zelaya's top ally, said Venezuela "is at battle" and put his military on alert. President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by Zelaya's expulsion and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the arrest should be condemned. "I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," Obama's statement read. Zelaya told Telesur that he was awoken by gunshots and the shouts of his security guards, whom he said resisted troops for at least 20 minutes. Still in his pajamas, he jumped out of bed and ducked behind an air conditioner to avoid flying bullets, he said. He said eight or nine soldiers in masks escorted him onto an air force plane that took him to Costa Rica. Chavez said troops in Honduras also temporarily detained the Venezuelan and Cuban ambassadors, beating them. Zelaya called on Honduran soldiers to desist, urged citizens to take to the streets in peaceful protests, and asked Honduran police to protect demonstrators. Zelaya ally Rafael Alegria, a labor leader, called for protests. "We demand respect for the president's life," he told Honduran radio Cadena de Noticias. "And we will go out into the streets to defend what this has cost us: living in peace and tranquility." About 100 Zelaya supporters, many wearing "Yes" T-shirts for the referendum, blocked the main street outside the gates to the palace, throwing rocks and insults at soldiers and shouting "Traitors! Traitors!" "They kidnapped him like cowards," screamed Melissa Gaitan. Tears streamed down the face of the 21-year-old, who works at the government television station. "We have to rally the people to defend our president." Honduras has a history of military coups: Soldiers overthrew elected presidents in 1963 and 1972. The military did not turn the government over to civilians until 1981, under U.S. pressure. Micheletti has been one of the president's main opponents in the dispute over whether to hold the referendum. The head of the Supreme Court was also opposed to the nonbinding referendum, on whether to ask voters whether they want to convoke an assembly to rewrite the constitution. It appeared that the vote would no longer take place. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090628/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_honduras_referendum
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patgarrett666	Obama's True Colors Shine in Honduras	#1	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 11024 07/01/09 07:39:02	Obama's True Colors Shine in Honduras By Kyle-Anne Shiver President Obama squirmed and weaseled his words with the Iranian Mullahs and their puppet-tyrant, Ahmadinejad, not wanting to be seen as meddling in a tyrannical theocracy, known throughout the world as beneath-contempt oppressors of every human right under the sun. No, no, no, it just wouldn't do to publicly lend support to all those moderate, freedom-loving throngs of Iranians taking to the streets, risking life and limb for more liberty. Not until the Iranians killed demonstrators on camera, the pictures went round the world, and criticism of himself mounted at home, did this President put his hands on his hips and use the words, "appalled" and "outraged." And the words that quickly came to my own mind as Obama gave this tiny, petulant nod to liberty: "Wimp in Chief." This week, the Honduran socialist president, seeking to eviscerate his country's constitution in a shameless power-grab, has evoked Obama's true colors, and spread them out like yellow underwear on a backyard clothesline. Obama's response to the Honduran military removing a dictator-wannabe from office (at the behest, it must be noted, of the Supreme Court and the Honduran Congress), and escorting him to the border, was sure and fast. He declared the military action an "illegal coup" faster than you can say Fidel Castro. And just as quickly the rest of the region's socialist gang chimed in too. The real Castro brothers. Hugo Chavez. Daniel Ortega. Birds of a feather do tend to flock together. Bullies, of all stripes, don't you know, are really just cowards at heart -- yellow down to their measly cores -- which is why they must cling together in gangs and collectives. They haven't the courage or fortitude for independence. Neither do they support individual liberties or constitutions that interfere with their quest for power. Such is the obvious case with the now-exiled Honduran ex-president, the man our President has backed quickly, forthrightly, and with sharp, meddling tones. It has come to light, too, that even before the Hondurans moved to protect their still-fledgling democracy and young constitution, the Obama Administration made behind-the-scenes, veiled threats in support of the Chavez-aligned Zelaya. Of course, as was to be expected, the OAS has given its full backing to the now-exiled socialist. The OAS has, for years now, been on a leftist tack and clearly do not want one of their own kind stopped in his tracks. Especially not now, when leaders -- even our own President -- have paved the way for Castro's readmission and Chavez is on a tear in Venezuela. For even more evidence that the international socialist collective is still alive and well, I turned to the Communist Party USA, to check out their response to the Honduran situation. And, there it is in ignoble glory. The Communist Party USA is in agreement with President Obama and even has some of the same demands of the Honduran people: Demands that president Zelaya and other members of his government be returned to power immediately, and that the troops return to their barracks. Recognizes that the Obama administration has repudiated the coup, and insists that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton hold firm to this position, refusing diplomatic recognition and any military aid to Honduras until President Zelaya is restored to power. Calls upon unions and other people's organizations in the United States to actively support our brothers and sisters in Honduras in resisting this brutal military coup d'etat. Now would be an awfully good time, I think, to remember the alliances struck in the past few years between Chavez and Ahmadinejad. Last July, Bloomberg reported on the growing partnership between the two OPEC member states, Venezuela and Iran: Chavez is a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program, which is under United Nations sanctions because of fear among the U.S. and its allies that it may be used to build atomic weapons. Iran and Venezuela are to sign some 20 agreements in various fields during Chavez's visit to Iran, according to the official news agency IRNA. Chavez's visit to the Islamic republic is the third since Ahmadinejad won the presidency in 2005, Iran's local media reported. Chavez, the socialist, and Ahmadinejad, the IslamoFascist, have become quite chummy. Chavez has threatened military action against the Hondurans to restore his pal, Zelaya, to power. Obama had to be pressured at home before he became "appalled" at the Iranian crackdown, but quickly came to the side of Chavez in the Honduran dispute. There seems to be a pattern here. We now have had six months to observe the actions and words of President Obama in relations with foreign countries. Here's a brief recap: Obama has routinely snubbed our traditional, democratic allies, from Great Britain to France to Germany, and most pointedly, Israel. Obama dispatched Secretary of State Clinton to communist China very early on to reassure them that human rights considerations would not get in the way of our trade with them. Obama made his American apology tour across Europe, pausing only to bow on camera before the Saudi King. Obama gave his suck-up-to-Islam speech in Cairo, being sure to credit Muslims with historical achievements purely made up from whole cloth, using the Muslim-only greeting of respect, and repeating the phrase "holy Koran" at every opportunity. Obama was as slow on the draw as conceivably possible to vocally condemn the brutish actions of the Iranian Mullahcracy against its citizens clamoring for freedoms and human rights. Obama continues to insist that negotiations with the Iranian regime are still on the table. Obama is quick on the draw to side with the world's socialist dictators against the defense of democracy taking place now in Honduras. President Barack Obama's true self has been revealed in vivid Technicolor throughout the past six months. He has aligned himself with bullies and tyrants around the globe, both IslamoFascists and members of the international socialist collective. Despite their theoretical differences, these regimes share one glaring, common belief: America is responsible for all the suffering and injustice throughout the world. This overriding disgust with America holds together these disparate, radical regimes. As David Horowitz summarized in Unholy Alliance: "Radicalism is a cause whose utopian agendas result in an ethic where the ends outweigh and ultimately justify any means. Like the Salvationist agendas of jihad, the Left's apocalyptic goal of 'social justice' is the equivalent of an earthly redemption. A planet saved, a world without poverty, racism, inequality, or war -- what means would not be justified to achieve such millennial ends?" Two disparate forces - IslamoFascism and Socialism -- seemingly united on a tyrannical bent against freedom, against democracy and human rights, have formed a flank against America. And upon whose side does our own President stand? An American president aligned in spirit with our sworn enemies? Is it possible? It would appear so. Kyle-Anne Shiver is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. She welcomes your comments at kyleanneshiver.com. http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/obamas_true_colors_shine_in_ho.html
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Dennis Erectus	OAS gives 3-day deadline to Honduran coup leaders	#2	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 11205 07/01/09 11:24:45	OAS gives 3-day deadline to Honduran coup leaders By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer Barry Schweid, Ap Diplomatic Writer Wed Jul 1, 7:58 am ET WASHINGTON - Honduran coup leaders have three days to restore deposed President Manuel Zelaya to power, the Organization of American States said Wednesday, before Honduras risks being suspended from the group. OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza delivered what he called "an ultimatum" as OAS talks regarding the crisis dragged into the early-morning hours. The talks began Tuesday afternoon. In a sharply worded resolution, the OAS said it vehemently condemned the coup and "the arbitrary detention and expulsion" of Zelaya. The coup, the resolution said, has produced an "unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order." The envoys demanded Zelaya's immediate and safe return to power. Calling Zelaya's overthrow an "old-fashioned coup," Insulza said: "We need to show clearly that military coups will not be accepted. We thought we were in an era when military coups were no longer possible in this hemisphere." Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup Sunday, planned to return to Honduras on Thursday, accompanied by Insulza, the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador and the head of the U.N. General Assembly, and seek restoration of his authority. Wednesday morning, however, he said that trip would be delayed until the weekend. Roberto Micheletti, named by Honduras' Congress as the new president, said Tuesday that Zelaya could be met with an arrest warrant if he returned. Zelaya met Tuesday night with envoys to the OAS to discuss what Argentina's foreign minister called an urgent and dangerous situation in Honduras. Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana and other Western Hemisphere ambassadors waited for 3 1/2 hours as Zelaya made his way from New York, where earlier Tuesday the U.N. General Assembly denounced the military coup that drove him from power Sunday. They demanded his immediate return to office. Taiana, who presided over the special session of the 34-nation assembly, said if the diplomatic approach does not prevail, "we have to take the decision to suspend Honduras in its rights and duties in this organization." When Zelaya arrived at the OAS building on Constitution Avenue, within blocks of the White House, he met first with Insulza. Zelaya has called the coup the work of "a small group of usurpers" who carried out "an act of aggression attacking the democratic will of the people." Albert Rambin, the OAS' assistant secretary-general, said Micheletti intended to send a Honduran delegation to the OAS, but it would not be accepted. Insulza, asked if he would meet with such a delegation, said: "I do not plan to. I do not intend to." The U.N. adopted a resolution calling on all 192 U.N. member states not to recognize any government in Honduras other than Zelaya's. At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said there are no plans to recall the U.S. ambassador to Honduras. The United States said it saw no acceptable solution to Zelaya's ouster other than returning him to power. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters that the U.S. was still reviewing whether to cut off aid to the Central American nation. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090701/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_honduras Black Blade: When will these generals ever learn? When you remove a dictator you put a pistol to the back of the head and pull the God damn trigger! They made a big mistake with Hugo Chavez and now with Manuel Zelaya. The point is to remove the threat once and for all eternity. When you make this kind of decision you can never go back - when Hernan Cortez reached the New World he burned his ships to motivate his men to either "victory or death" as there was no retreat possible. The generals have forgotten their history and it could come back to haunt them. The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not the mineral rights!
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One Crude Dude	Leaked Document - Legal description of the Hondurian “coup” Could Obama be next?	#3	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1506 07/05/09 21:34:52	We can only hope. Every time I hear that Obama is undermining the constitution I think he must be removed from office one way or another. He is sworn to defend the consitution. OCD http://freedomfighterradio.net/?p=8641 Leaked Document - Legal description of the Hondurian "coup" Could Obama be next? The legal description of the Hondurian "coup" which saw President Mel Zelaya's removed from power by the armed forces. The document is being pushed in diplomatic circles by those opposed to President Zelaya but has not otherwise appeared.Could this be the possible fate of the current U.S. Administration? Read Full Story
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Dennis Erectus	Honduras orders Venezuelan diplomats expelled	#4	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 11205 07/22/09 01:26:58	Honduras orders Venezuelan diplomats expelled By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Mark Stevenson, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 42 mins ago TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Honduras' interim government ordered Venezuelan diplomats on Tuesday to leave the country as the international community threatened new sanctions on the Central American nation if negotiations fail to resolve the crisis. Venezuelan Embassy charge d'affaires Ariel Vargas said he received a letter from the Honduran Foreign Ministry ordering his diplomats to leave in 72 hours. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been the most vociferous critic of what he calls the "gorilla" government that overthrew his ally Manuel Zelaya on June 28. The government of Roberto Micheletti, whom congress swore in as president after the coup, accused Venezuela of meddling in its affairs and of threatening to use its armed forces against Honduras, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press. Vargas dismissed the allegations and - holed up in the embassy along with a consular officer also affected by the order - vowed to defy it. "We only have relations with the government of President Manuel Zelaya," Vargas told reporters outside the building. He said the expulsion order "does not exist for us, because the Micheletti government does not exist. It is a usurper government, a coup government, a government that is not recognized by anyone on an international level." Micheletti apparently planned no immediate action to remove the Venezuelans. "We are going to wait for them to obey the order this country has given them," he said late Tuesday. He added that "we have information that many of their people are involved in the movements that have been happening in our country," an apparent reference to pro-Zelaya protests. Marta Lorena Alvarado, Micheletti's assistant foreign affairs minister, said Honduras was withdrawing its embassy staff from Venezuela; both countries pulled their ambassadors soon after the coup. From Managua, Nicaragua, Zelaya told the Venezuelan diplomats to stay put and said he plans to try again to return to Honduras sometime after Wednesday, the expiration date for a 72-hour period requested by Costa Rican President and mediator Oscar Arias to allow time for negotiations. "We want to return to Honduras to look for solutions. It will be a peaceful return," Zelaya told a news conference. He did not give details. Zelaya also said he sent a letter to President Barack Obama naming army officials and lawmakers who allegedly planned his ouster, and asking for economic actions against "those who conspired directly to execute the coup." Chavez has demanded Washington do more to pressure Micheletti and force Zelaya's return to power, including withdrawing U.S. troops from its Honduran base. The European Union, meanwhile, warned Tuesday that if talks to end the crisis fail, it may impose further sanctions against Honduras. The EU announced on Monday that it had already frozen some euro65 million ($92 million) in aid. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt - whose country holds the rotating EU presidency - said the bloc is "considering different ways" to support mediation efforts by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. He did not elaborate. The 27-nation EU, like the United Nations and the Organization of American States, has condemned the coup and called for Zelaya's immediate return to power. No government has recognized the Micheletti administration. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Micheletti there would be serious consequences if his government keeps ignoring international calls for Zelaya's return - the key point that led to a stalemate in U.S.-supported negotiations over the weekend. Micheletti has vowed not to back down, and he sent a team to Washington this week to lobby against economic sanctions by painting the coup backers as a bulwark against "dictatorship" and "communism." Appealing to free trade supporters, Micheletti's team hopes to nudge the Obama administration away from its threat to impose sanctions on the impoverished country, where export-assembly factories are dominated by U.S. firms and investors. Business executives say U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens called them into meetings to say Honduras could face tough sanctions if leaders continue to refuse Arias' compromise proposal for Zelaya to return as head of a coalition government. The U.S. Embassy said it would not comment on the meetings. Micheletti has said he will stay in power until a scheduled Nov. 29 presidential vote, which the United States has suggested it may not recognize if it is held under a de facto government. Zelaya angered many people in Honduras by ignoring Congress' and the courts' objections to his effort to hold a referendum on changing the constitution, which many saw as an attempt to impose a Chavez-style socialist government. He argued that the current constitution protects a system of government that excludes the poor. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090722/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_honduras_coup Black Blade: Good to see another Latin American country stand on its own feet and throw mud in Chavez's face. The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not the mineral rights!
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Black Blade.downstreamventures	Republican delays US nominees over Honduras policy	#5	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 891 07/23/09 03:41:50	Republican delays US nominees over Honduras policy http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21226053.htm 21 Jul 2009 18:15:32 GMT Source: Reuters Republicans say Honduras coup was lawful. Nominee would not discuss Honduras in detail at hearing By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - A Republican senator unhappy with U.S. policy on Honduras delayed on Tuesday a committee vote to confirm the nominee to head the State Department's bureau of western hemisphere affairs. Conservative Senator Jim DeMint, who has expressed concern over Washington's call for ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to be reinstated, invoked his right to ask the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to postpone voting to confirm Arturo Valenzuela, currently a professor at Georgetown University, to be assistant secretary of state. DeMint also asked for a delay in confirming Thomas Shannon as U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Shannon currently holds the assistant secretary's post. Both votes had been set for Tuesday afternoon but are now likely to be held next week. DeMint is one of 17 Republican senators who wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this month asking the administration to reassess its stance on Honduras. The group said it worried that Washington's pro-Zelaya stance would legitimize "abuses of power" and "violations of the Honduran constitution" by Zelaya before he was ousted by the army on June 28. Efforts to broker an end to the Honduran power struggle collapsed on Sunday, after interim leader Roberto Micheletti rejected a proposal to reinstate the overthrown president. Clinton spoke to Micheletti by phone after the talks fell apart and warned him he could face cuts in economic aid unless he strikes a deal with his rival. DeMint and other Republicans have said they believe Hondurans were acting lawfully when they ousted Zelaya after he had sought to hold a referendum on overhauling the constitution to allow his re-election. A spokesman for DeMint said on Tuesday the senator was also displeased at Valenzuela's refusal to discuss Honduras at length during his nomination hearing. At the hearing, DeMint asked why Washington would want to be on the same side as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro, in the Honduran crisis. "President Obama rushed to side with Chavez and Castro before getting the facts. Now it's clear that the people of Honduras were defending the rule of law," DeMint said on Tuesday, through his spokesman
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Black Blade.downstreamventures	Senator asks Clinton to explain Honduran policy	#6	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 891 07/31/09 18:59:38	Senator asks Clinton to explain Honduran policy Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:19pm EDT By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key U.S. senator asked the Obama administration on Thursday to explain in detail its policy on the Honduran political crisis, warning that otherwise Senate confirmation may be delayed for a U.S. diplomatic nominee for Latin America. "The complexity of events that led up to the Honduran crisis has given rise to questions regarding U.S. policy," Senator Richard Lugar, one of the Senate's most respected voices on foreign policy, wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The United States has refused to recognize the Honduran government led by Roberto Micheletti, which took over the Central American nation after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the Honduran military on June 28. Lugar told Clinton he shared her support for mediation by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in the month-old dispute over whether Zelaya should be allowed to return to his post. But he also appealed to the State Department to provide a detailed clarification of U.S. policy to "interested Members" -- an apparent reference to several of his fellow Republicans, who charge Washington is trying to reinstate a left-wing government in Honduras. Because of U.S. support for Zelaya, conservative Republican Senator Jim DeMint has threatened to delay a Senate vote on the nomination of Arturo Valenzuela to be assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, the senior diplomat in charge of Latin America at the State Department. "I request that the Department provide interested Members a detailed clarification of the steps that it has taken, and intends to take, in response to the events that transpired in the run-up to and period after the forced removal of President Manuel Zelaya from Honduras," Lugar wrote to Clinton. The letter was provided to Reuters by Lugar's office. "Your explanation of U.S. policy toward Honduras and your outreach to the Senate can improve the prospects of confirming Mr. Valenzuela before the Congress recesses in August," Lugar wrote. The Senate is scheduled to go on recess August 8. Lugar also encouraged Clinton to work with the Senate to confirm two other nominees, Thomas Shannon as ambassador to Brazil, and Carlos Pascual as ambassador to Mexico. "Recent events in Honduras only heighten the urgency of assembling President Obama's diplomatic team for the region," he said. Washington has cut $16.5 million in aid to Honduras and this week revoked diplomatic visas for four members of Micheletti's administration to pressure it to reverse the coup. Micheletti on Wednesday night released a statement calling for new efforts to resolve the country's political crisis. But Zelaya's representative in Washington, Eduardo Enrique Reina, told Reuters he thought Micheletti was simply trying to gain time with the statement, noting that Micheletti's aides in Honduras are still vowing not to let Zelaya return. "We will ask the U.S. government to step up the pressure on Micheletti," Zelaya's ambassador told Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE56T7DM20090730 Black Blade: So our new foreign policy is to demand other countries ignore the their own constitutions and rule of law? The freakers in Washington DC are getting nuttier day by day. Though I would never say this, but "I miss George W. Bush". Compared to these lunatics just about anyone is preferable. I was hoping that the Dems would have picked Bill Richardson as their candidate but they instead gave us four years of insanity.
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