Honduras Update

A couple months ago, I discussed the situation in Honduras.  My original post can be found here.  For the sake of time, here is a description of what happened.

• Manuel Zelaya was the president of Honduras.  He belonged to the prominent left leaning party in that nation.  He was legitimately elected to that post.
• However, he wanted to emulate his friend and neighbor Hugo Chavez and be re-elected.  There was a problem with that plan:  The Honduran Constitution has has 378 articles.  Out of these, six are unchangeable.  One of these sets strict term-limits on the presidency.  After experiencing dictatorships in their past, the Hondurans setting term limits seems to be a wise precaution against tyranny.
• Zelaya decides that since he cannot serve further, and that the Legislative branch is Honduras has the sole authority to call for changes to the constitution, that he would hold his own referendum.
• The Supreme Court of Honduras informs the President that he cannot call a referendum, as it is not a power granted to him by the Honduran Constitution.
• Zelaya decided to defy the Supreme Court and do a “poll” instead.  The court see’s through this as a thinly veiled effort to defy the constitution.  The Congress, which is dominated by Zelaya’s OWN PARTY, sides with the court on this matter.
• The Attorney General of Honduras also suggests that such an action would be illegal.  He adds that anyone participating in such an “election” might be charged with a crime.  You see, Article 42, Section 5 says that anyone who is found to “incite, promote, or aid in the continuation or re-election of the President” would face loss of citizenship. This, of course, is to prevent dictatorship.
• Zelaya also faces the fact that since the entire Government of Honduras is telling him that this is illegal, no one will print ballots for this election.  His solution is to turn to his friend and apparent mentor, Hugo Chavez.  Chavez, of course, is the communist leader that did get himself elected “dictator for life.”  Chavez has the ballots printed and prepares to ship them to Honduras.
• Zelaya then promptly faces another problem.  The Honduran Military conducts elections, and since the Supreme Court has decided that the election is illegal, they will not participate.  The Honduran military follows the Constitution, as confirmed by their Supreme Court.  Zelaya responds by firing the head of the military.
• The Supreme Court judges that the head of the military was fired without cause and re-instates him.
• The ballots arrive from Chavez.  The AG of Honduras has them confiscated as the Supreme Court, the congress, and everyone in the government down to the dogcatcher has decided that the election is unconstitutional and therefore illegal.
• Zelaya then decided to fill up some buses with his supporters and essentially raids the military base where the ballots are being held.
• The AG asks that the president be removed from office for committing treason.  After some deliberation, the Supreme Court and Congress agree.  The Military is ordered by the Supreme Court to arrest Zelaya.  The Military complies and sent him out of country to Costa Rica.
• The military never assumes power, and was under the command of the civilian government at all times.
• The president of the Congress, Roberto Micheletti, is appointed as interim president.  His first action is to promise that the planned, and LEGAL, elections previously scheduled for late 2009 will be held.

Clearly, this is a nation that rose to the challenge and FOLLOWED THEIR OWN LAWS.  The military stayed under the control of the elected government at all times.  It was Zelaya that broke the law, and the civilian government responded to a threat to their democracy.

Interestingly enough, own government has insisted that removing the guy that attempted a coup WAS  a coup, and that Zelaya should be returned to power.  Forget the Honduran Constitution.  Forget that Zelaya violated that Constitution, and attempted to illegally gain power.  Forget that when his government, military, and even his own political party refused to play along, he took matters into his own hand and attempted a coup.

Also, not only did he attempt to hold an illegal referendum, he attempted to rig it, as reported here (Translation by Google from the original source):

TEGICUGALPA, 17 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The National Directorate of Criminal Investigation seized several computers at the presidential palace where they were registered the supposed results of the referendum on constitutional reform that he planned to make the deposed president, Manuel Zelaya, on June 28, the day was overthrown.

The prosecution will now investigate the case of a possible crime of fraud and forgery; because some records had been filled with data from people who allegedly participated in the failed referendum was not carried out by the coup.

They expelled President already had results for a vote that never took place.  I wondered if ACORN was employed as a consultant for this, but there appears to be no evidence of that.

Here is the Interim President of Honduras discussing this current situation with Greta Van Sustren.

The videos are long, but worth the time.

Our government has imposed sanctions on Honduras, and has maintained its position that the would-be dictator be returned to power.  At the time of this writing, the deposed president has snuck back into Honduras, and is currently hiding out in the Brazilian Embassy.  He has been able to arrange some of his rent-a-mob to station themselves outside of that embassy.  Whether he plans another coup remains unknown.

Ironically, or not, our government is siding with a would-be socialist dictator over a Constitutional Republic.  Considering the current administrations disregard for our Constitution, that is not surprising.  A socialist wants to bypass the law to obtain more power for himself.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Update: Apparently, Zelaya is being afflicted by toxic gases and radiation…by Israeli mercenaries bent on killing him.

TEGUCIGALPA — It’s been 89 days since Manuel Zelaya was booted from power. He’s sleeping on chairs, and he claims his throat is sore from toxic gases and “Israeli mercenaries” are torturing him with high-frequency radiation.

Err, when all else fails, blame the Jews?

h/t: Redstate