Honduran ouster

In June, President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras issued a decree ordering all government employees to take part in the “Public Opinion Poll to Convene a National Constitutional Assembly.” By doing so, he triggered a constitutional provision that automatically removed him from office.

The Honduran Constitution states: “No citizen who has already served as head of the Executive Branch can be President or Vice-President.” Violators may not hold office for 10 years.

Mr. Zelaya’s intent was to change this article to allow him to stay in office.

The Supreme Court and the Attorney General ordered Zelaya’s arrest for disobeying several court orders, and he decision to remove him was taken by 123 of the 128 members of Congress.

The Honduran military acted legally.

Honduras has been a sovereign nation since the 1830s and a constitutional democracy since the early 1980s.

I applaud the people of Honduras for acting as a country of laws where no man is above the law. Shame on President Obama for condemning this Central American ally, and shame on The Kansas City Star for its absurd July 3 editorial equating Honduras with Iran, Zimbabwe and North Korea.

John Quick

Prairie Village

Comments

[balingwire]

Nicely stated Devin. No name calling or rightious indignation.

[devin]

Like so many issues in all of the nearly 200 countries in the world, there's probably no "good guys" and "bad guys" in this situation, just different approaches to a very complicated issue who all believe they have the correct approach. Maybe that's why our forefathers and many other great leaders throughout US history have warned about entangling ourselves in foreign affairs (like we don't have enough problems to deal with at home at any given time). The Constitution makes no provision for a standing army, yet we tolerate not only a standing army, but numerous US standing armies in countries all throughout the world. Perhaps we should simply try following the Constitution and warnings of our forefathers and keep our noses out of other country's affairs unless they immediately and directly impact us.

[pmcw]

EL, You bet there are two side here - the truth and what is reported by the mainstream media in the U.S.

Honduras is only one small step behind desirability for land ownership from Belize and Panama and notably better than Costa Rica. There is a thriving population there of ex-pats from all around the world who feel safe from both crime and politicians.

What they had was a want-to-be dictator as President who was trying to abolish the country's constitution in total (not amend it - abolish it). His strategy was to get the military to side with his effort. However, the Honduran Congress, following both law and constitutional authority, took legal actions that were subsequently supported by the Honduran supreme court.

In near perfect chorus, Chavez and Obama, along with the leaders of Nicaragua and El Salvador condemned the legal actions of the sovereign Honduran government and termed it as a coup. That was a lie. Of course, our domestic newspapers, who didn't have a collective clue and couldn't have found Honduras on a map, jumped to the side of Obama. The KC Stain listed Honduras as a country having comparable freedoms to N. Korea and Iran, implicitly worse than Venezuela of Cuba.

[EL]

This is a good letter, showing there are two sides to this issue.

[JoCo]

pmcw,

Well, like I said, I haven't kept up much on Latin American politics, tho they are close neighbors. I think it's an insult to, as many do, equate them all as the same "banana commies".

Military favor often seems to be the overriding element, leaving the head of state to be the pawn-of-the-day, whether Chavez or Pinochet.

[pmcw]

JoCo, It was subsequently proven that the bullet that killed the young man did not come from police or armed forces weapons. It's also been noted that many of the demonstrators were from neighboring countries (El Salvador and Nicaragua) that are not what you would call bastions of democracy.

There is no doubt, that if the military acted to retain the ousted president that would have been a coup. However, since the military acted in accordance with the congress and supreme court, it is in no way a coup - it is democracy standing up against an attempt to turn the government into a dictatorship.

[JoCo]

TEGUCIGALPA – The father of a 19-year-old man killed during a march in favor of ousted President Mel Zelaya was arrested in connection with a 2004 case, Honduran authorities said Friday.

Isy Obed Murillo, 19, died last Sunday from a gunshot wound to the head after police and troops resorted to tear gas and live ammunition to repel tens of thousands of Zelaya partisans who had gathered at Tegucicalpa’s international airport to welcome back the ousted president.

Zelaya’s plane was unable to land because the military blocked the runway.

I know VERY little of Honduran politics, but this Latin American Herald Tribune story today http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=338990&CategoryId=23558 may indicate VAST to be dependent on the party spoken with and Honduras, like many Latin American countries, has a disconnect between the 2-party government/military and their people. Again, not believing everything in print.

[pmcw]

Oh, I forgot - for the KC Stain to suggest that the government of Honduras compares with Iran and North Korea is simply the paper living up to what we've come to expect.

[pmcw]

John, You are exactly right. The Honduran congress voted and the Supreme Court of Honduras held up the resolution as in good standing with the Honduran Constitution.

I recently returned from Honduras. During the visit I met several people there with whom I've maintained communication. They tell me that the VAST majority of the people of Honduras support the actions of their Congress.

Considering the abundance of evidence that the Honduran government acted lawfully and in concert with the country's constitution, if the military failed to remove Zelaya it would have been a coup; removing him was following the constitution and law. For Obama and Chevez to support the exiled president, who could have just as easily been arrested, is shameful. For us to host him in the U.S. and give him the respect of an audience with the Secretary of State is despicable.