Posted on 07/04/2009 2:52:38 AM PDT by Kaslin
WASHINGTON -- It took the Obama administration eight days to figure out whether Iranians being gunned down for protesting a fraudulent election and demanding basic civil liberties deserved to be acknowledged by the president of the United States. It took the O-Team less than eight hours to side with Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega over the ouster of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.
As we now have come to expect, Mr. Obama got it wrong again, but this time, nobody noticed. The U.S. news media, preoccupied with the sudden demise of Michael Jackson, ignored the event in Central America. For those who care about things more important than the passing of a "pop music legend," here's the rest of the story:
Manuel Zelaya, a wealthy rancher and agribusiness executive and a self-described "poor farmer," won a four-year term as Honduran president in November 2005, with 49.8 percent of the vote. Article 374 of the Honduran Constitution bars the nation's chief executive from serving consecutive terms. Apparently, one term wasn't enough for Zelaya, a protege of Venezuela's strongman, Hugo Chavez, and Nicaragua's phobic anti-American leader, Daniel Ortega.
Late last year, as the Honduran economy tanked and unemployment grew to nearly 28 percent, Zelaya forced Elvin Santos, the country's elected vice president, to resign and began holding conversations with Chavez and Ortega on how to hold on to power. In lengthy Chavez-like populist speeches, he denounced the U.S. and wealthy landowners and linked himself with leftists in the Honduran labor movement. On March 23, he issued an executive decree directing a national referendum on a Venezuela-style constituent assembly to rewrite the country's constitution in time for presidential and legislative elections in November. The Obama-Clinton State Department was mute about all of this.
Unfortunately for Zelaya's aspirations, the Honduran Constitution requires that amendments be passed by a two-thirds vote of the country's unicameral Congress during two consecutive sessions. By late May, the Honduran Congress, the Honduran Supreme Court, the commissioner for human rights, and the Honduran electoral tribunal all had overwhelmingly declared the referendum unconstitutional. Zelaya ignored the people's representatives, had ballots printed in Venezuela, and announced that the vote would take place June 28. Again, the O-Team was silent.
In keeping with the rule of law, Honduran Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubi took the case to court. The Honduran Supreme Court ruled the referendum to be illegal and ordered the ballots to be confiscated. Late on June 23, Zelaya countermanded the court order and directed the army to distribute the ballots. Gen. Romeo Vasquez, the chief of staff of the Honduran military, sought legal opinions and decided not to distribute them. The following day, Zelaya accepted the resignation of the minister of defense, Edmundo Orellana, and fired Vasquez.
The Honduran Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Vasquez firing illegal and reinstated him June 25. That prompted Zelaya and a group of supporters to seize the ballots and issue another executive decree, which directed government officials to set up 15,000 polling stations at schools and community buildings across the country. In response to a request from Attorney General Rubi, the Honduran Congress -- controlled by Zelaya's own Liberal Party -- opened an investigation into the president's mental stability and fitness to govern. Zelaya replied with a two-hour broadcast harangue, in which he claimed: "Congress cannot investigate me, much less remove me or stage a technical coup against me, because I am honest. I'm a free president, and nobody scares me."
On Sunday, just hours before the referendum was to begin, the Honduran army, acting on a warrant issued by the Honduran Supreme Court, arrested Zelaya and sent him, in his pajamas, into exile in Costa Rica. The Honduran Congress affirmed Zelaya's departure and, in accord with the constitution, named Roberto Micheletti, who had been president of the Congress, as interim president of the country.
It has been downhill from there. Chavez, Ortega, Castro and Bolivia's Evo Morales immediately condemned the "coup" and demanded that Zelaya be restored to power. Chavez went so far as to threaten military action. When asked about these events Sunday, the O-Team punted the issue to the Organization of American States, calling for "all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter." Now there's a powerful statement of support for a constitutional process and the institutions of democracy. Meanwhile, the Clinton State Department is said to be looking at cutting off aid to the impoverished country.
The O-Team doesn't seem to grasp that simply holding an election does not guarantee a democracy. Adolf Hitler was elected. Hugo Chavez was elected. The Castro brothers were "elected." When potentates decide that the rule of law does not matter, that constitutional restrictions on power can be overcome by executive fiat, the people inevitably suffer. It's a point to remember as we celebrate our own nation's 233rd Independence Day.
Ping
Thats as good a description of what happened in Honduras. I wish this could be posted on DU by one of our better connected members. Sure it will be deleted, but what a wonderful wake up present for the 4th of July for the Hitler youth over there.
Happy 4th.
Happy 4th to you too John.
Have a safe and fun one.
Happy 4th to you also
DU is a small and ineffectual place.... maybe Kos or Huff?
“On Sunday, just hours before the referendum was to begin, the Honduran army, acting on a warrant issued by the Honduran Supreme Court, arrested Zelaya and sent him, in his pajamas, into exile in Costa Rica.”
The ghetto thug in the whitehouse has seen his future. Watch this court case. I’m familiar with the judge in this case. He’s tough and won’t back down. It has the potential to topple the entire obuma fascist administration -
IG and Fed Government: Constitutional Challenge of AIG Bailout Allowed to Proceed May 27, 2009
Posted on 05/27/2009 11:12:24 PM PDT by GoreNoMore
Trouble Brewing for AIG and Federal Government: Constitutional Challenge of AIG Bailout Allowed to Proceed Wednesday, May 27, 2009
ANN ARBOR, MI – Proclaiming that times of crisis do not justify departure from the Constitution, Federal District Court Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff allowed the lawsuit against Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and the Federal Reserve Board challenging the AIG bailout to proceed. The lawsuit was filed last December by the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and attorney David Yerushalmi, an expert in security transactions and Shariah-compliant financing.
Excellent article by Col North.
He always writes great editorials
Despite Lt. Col. Ollie North’s masterminding of the Iran-Contra affair.
Barky won't like this. He and his liberal minions don't like being told that they're wrong.
How sweet it is!
The Honduran Supreme Court certainly has gnads lacking in our own court which refused to hear evidence of a Kenyan being sworn in as our President.
Obama is more anxious to become part of the great North-South American alliance of Commie-socialist leaders than in seeing a Democracy in Honduras survive.
His friendship with Chavez and Castro and Ortega, and this
would be dictator are very telling.
Knew what had taken place, but the more details that comes out of this the worse this administration looks.
Happy Independence Day to all!
You’re a regular encyclopedia aren’t you, I’m sure there are few here at FR that knew he was involved.
Happy Independence Day
Is it possible that myknowledge is a troll?
Anythings possible but I believe it’s the know it all syndrome.
Ollie - RIGHT AGAIN !!!
Saying that Dear Leader and his administration are wrong again, though, seems a bit of an anti-climax any more.
No he wasn't.
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