Posted on 07/23/2009 6:44:34 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah
For Latin America, events in Honduras are the tragic yet logical culmination of the silence of the United States and the inter-American community to the sustained assault on democratic institutions in that region.
While there may be the possibility of reconciliation in one country, it does not address the larger dismantling of democracy in the region.
It is hard for many Hondurans, and other pro-democracy activists in the region, to fully appreciate the outrage and clamor over the ouster of Mel Zelaya in Honduras when there has not been any significant action in opposition to the dismantling of democratic institutions and free societies in Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, to name the most visible cases.
Further, it is hard to explain why there was silence in the face of Zelaya's earlier unconstitutional actions, especially the event that precipitated his ousting: the storming of a military base to seize and distribute ballots for a referendum that had been declared unconstitutional by the Honduran Supreme Court.
This situation was compounded by the United States, which was working behind the scenes to keep the Honduran congress and supreme court from using the clearly legal means of presidential impeachment.
Having acquiesced in Zelaya's overstepping of the constitution, the United States and the inter-American community only speak now.
The conclusion one reaches is that it is unacceptable for other, separate governmental institutions to protect their country's constitution.
It appears U.S. policy protects a sitting president regardless of a leader's illegal acts, rather than seeking to protect the larger constitutional order or democratic institutions.
The crisis in Honduras stems from the failure of its leaders to live within constitutional boundaries and from the earlier silence of the United States and international community regarding the abuse of power by the Honduran executive.
Tragically, the United States and the OAS have put Honduras in a position where democracy is again the loser:
If Zelaya returns, this essentially signals approval of his unconstitutional acts; if he is not allowed to return, then the unacceptable behavior of forcibly exiling a leader is given approval.
This happens when principles are sacrificed for a policy that can only be described as the appeasement of authoritarians.
Neither the United States nor other countries in the region or the international community should be taking sides in this constitutional dispute, but rather encouraging a resolution through dialogue among Hondurans.
To this end, efforts could be focused on helping Honduras form a reconciliation government that would include representatives not associated with either the Zelaya administration or current government.
The good offices of Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez could be one avenue for this. The objective should be to keep Honduras on track to hold currently scheduled presidential elections in November with the inauguration of a new president in January as mandated in the Honduran constitution.
The newly elected president, with an electoral mandate, then can decide whether and how to deal with Zelaya and those involved in his ouster.
As the U.S. Senate takes up President Obama's nominees for key State Department positions in Latin America, it is time to question the acceptance by the United States and the inter-American community of the sustained dismantling of democratic institutions and free societies by presidents seeking to consolidate personal power at any cost.
This is the larger challenge in Latin America of which Honduras is the latest symptom.
Born in Cuba, Mel Martinez is a U.S. senator for Florida.
The biggest mistake that was made was deporting the guy. They should have arrested him, tried him for treason under their constitution, and then convicted and executed him.
Sadly almost the exact same thing is about to happen in Nicaragua with that bucket of scum Ortega planning a referendum to keep himself in office.
Oh, I thot this was about Obama and the US.
I’d like to see our Senator be a bit more concerned about the democracy being dismantled here at home.
Foundations of democracy being dismantled (USA)
Fixed it>
Very good, Senator Martinez!
Obama's stance on the situation in tiny Honduras, as much as anything thus far in his measly experience, demonstrates just what a Marxist he is.
Congressmen. A group of lawmakers led by Republican Connie Mack, the weekend will travel to Honduras to express to the government of Honduras Micheletti and his support for a peaceful solution, reported this Thursday the office of legislator.
Mel, what's wrong with just supporting the people who removed this traitorous snake - Zelaya - from power?
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Send treats to the troops...
Great because you did it!
www.AnySoldier.com
Altogether, the Obamaistas and Clintonistas have completely fouled up US Foreign Policy in some insane concept of "making the world like us again." Judging from their actions these last six+ months it appears the countries they are so eager to call friend are all run by Marxist dictators.
It isn't about being "liked". It is about being "right". Being "liked" is the concern of a high school girl, being "right" is the concern of an adult.
When the COP arrested a drunken friend of Obama's... he could not afford to worry about being "liked". He could only be focused on being "right."
We are liked well enough by all of the freedom loving people all over this planet.
Fixed it.
I think Barack was looking to his own future, contemplating some similar action.
I mean, once the threshold is crossed, what's the difference between violating the eligibility criteria part of Article 1 Section 1, and violating the 22nd amendment? Possibly also the 12th and those portions of the Constitution, Art. 2 section 1 not replaced by it.
Oh really, Mel?
“The crisis in Honduras stems from the failure of its leaders to live within constitutional boundaries”
That’s the same thing we have been saying about you and the rest of our elected leaders in Washington!
Whoops, this story is about Honduras; reading the headline, I thought it was about the United States.
What democracy? It's our Free Republic that is being dismantled.
You'll not find the word democracy, or any form of it, such as democratic, democratically, etc, in the Constitution for the United States, including all of it's amendments.
Excellent analysis, although rather than blame the United States, he should be blaming the mobsters in charge of the White House, the State Department, and Congress. It was the Democrats who fought like hell to protect and prop up communist Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas during the ‘80s and it is the rats who currently chummy up with that same communist as well as communists Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.
Is it really any surprise that Ubama and his rat mobsters would support communist wanna-be dictator-for-life, Zelaya?
>Tragically, the United States and the OAS have put Honduras in a position where democracy is again the loser:
>
>If Zelaya returns, this essentially signals approval of his unconstitutional acts; if he is not allowed to return, then the unacceptable behavior of forcibly exiling a leader is given approval.
Solution, Zelaya’s transportation is the unfortunate victim of crossfire between federal police and the drug cartels.
Mel is voting for cap and trade, for Sonya Sotomayor, and is a reliable RINO, his stewardship of the RNC helped to get us into this mess.
Now he has figured out the the Demos love leftist tyranny.
Mel, Please resign, learn a lesson from Sarah Palin.
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