by Jack Lee
President Obama responded quickly to the right-wing military ouster of leftist Manuel Zelaya, President of Honduras. Unlike recent events in Iran where President Obama took a long "wait and see" approach before commenting on their civil unrest, he wasted no time demanding that socialist President Manuel Zelaya be reinstated immediately!
The Honduran Supreme Court had requested the Army to remove President Zelaya from office, accusing him of undermining the constitution and forcing their country deeper into socialism. Zelaya had angered his country's legislature and courts by pushing for presidential reelection after his four-year term ends in 2010, following a trend that has already spread through other members aligned with Venezuela's left-wing bloc, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), which includes Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba.
The Supreme Court said they were acting according to the Constitution, an action which President Obama and El Presidente for Life Fidel Castro called completely illegal!
Zelaya ran on a populist ticket, denouncing the rich and demanding wealth be shifted to the poor, although he is from one of Honduras' most wealthy and powerful families. Earlier in his life he was not considered a radical leftist, but the tennor of his campaign rhetoric and events while in office turned many Honduran's against him. President Zelaya was a strong ally and supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an avowed communist. Chavez said today his government is ready to support a revolution in Honduras to return Zelaya to the Presidency.
Currently Barack Obama, Daniel Ortega, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez have joined with other communist leaders to demand the return of Zelaya, the socialist dictator. Leftist leaders pulled their ambassadors from Honduras and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala would cut trade with neighboring Honduras for at least 48 hours. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for Hondurans to rise up against those who toppled his friend, Manuel Zelaya.
Zelaya's adminstration was drawing increasing criticism as his campaign promises went largely unfulfilled. Corruption has dogged his government with several officials accused of taking kickbacks. He arbitrarily doubled the minimum wage, but most businesses have refused to pay it, saying they can't afford it amid a global financial crisis. And violence has surged, rising 25 percent from 2007 to 2008 to make Honduras one of Latin America's deadliest countries.
Zelaya became active in the Liberal Party in the 1980s and went on to serve in Congress three times, becoming a vocal supporter of decentralizing the government and giving more power to communities (this part changed when he became president). His bid for the presidency came out of nowhere, but Zelaya quickly gained support by painting himself as a man from the countryside who understood the rural poor and would combat crime by fighting poverty like Karl Marx.
When those scum bags are upset something good must be happening.
I am soooo glad that OUR army does not act at the behest of rich people.
But this does point up a terrible problem with democracy (if you are a rich people). There are generally lots more poor people than rich people, and they are inclined to put into office people who (they are told) will look after their interests ... and this is bad for rich people ... taxes, don't ya know.
I think most people will realize the difference between a coup and an election--the comparison with Obama's reaction to events in Iran is fallacious.
So too, is the "guilt by association" schtick.
Yeah Libby you go girl! Who do those Honduran's think they are using their Supreme Court to call upon the military to defend their stupid "so-call sacred" Constitution from the incroachment of peace loving communism, i.e. the nationalizing of other peoples wealth? Those capitalists pigs oughta be shot, huh? Let's stand up for the workers! Support Castro, support Chavez, support Obama, support Ortega. Viva la revolution - Power to the people!!!
Quentin, do you really think it was unfair of me to link the comments of these leaders together? I don't know about that, because the truth is they were linked together by their own agreement on this issue This is not to say that Obama is exactly the same as the others, but they do think alike one this issue and I think its important to note commonality when the person being reviewed for their actions is our president. In the spirit of fairness, I will note my commonality with Obama, Castro, Ortega and Chavez when I come across it, but so far, other than we all like dogs, I haven't found it.
Is a coup authorized by the American Constitution under certain conditions?
Quentin, the known liar
This is where Quentin lied about me, while OV and Freepmanchew backed me up with evidence to prove Quentin lies.
Evidence Quentin Lies
The truth is, according to their Constitution it was all legal. The guy was impeached and removed from office by the constitutional authorities, in accordance to the constitution. Basically their Supreme Court sentenced their President for violations of their Constitution and contempt of court and the punishment was removal from office.
Hate it all you want, it was the right thing to do because the Coup attempt was by the the former President and the military just stopped him from succeeding. While the Muslim in the White House supported the Coup by the Socialist who was termed out by the constitution but refused to leave the premises. So, the cops, in this case the military, evicted him.
This is no difference then removing protesters who stage sit-tins at government facilities, then the military removes them. They are in violation of the LAW. And so was he.
Let us change A few things in this whole Honduras situation.
If the US House of Representatives impeached Obama and the Senate convicted him and he refused to leave the White House so that the military had to carry him off while he continued to shout “I won! I am being kidnapped” - then Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could denounce this state of affairs as an illegal coup and demand that the democratically elected President be restored. Then the UN would pass a resolution and Chavez would threaten to invade.
Interesting scenario, but if the shoe is on the other foot. However I would guess that Libby and Quentin would probably demand that the Muslim in the White House be given his position for life.
Oh yeah, did I tell you all that Quentin is a known liar? Evidence Quentin Lies
OK kids lets start at the beginning:
coup d'etat: 1. a sudden decisive exercise of localized or concentrated force unseating the personnel of a goverment
2. a coup violently and unexpectedly reformulating state policy : an unexpected or sudden measure of state often involving force or threat of force
Neither of those definitions fit what happened in Honduras. The leftist president decided he wanted to pull a Hugo Chavez and serve more than the two terms he's allowed under the constitution. The elected representatives of the people said, "no, you're not," and their supreme court backed up the representatives...so they had el presidente removed.
For all of you Marxist loving bigots a similar scenario would be if GWB, prior to the last election, declared he aimed to stay in office for at least four more years. You tellin me that you, the Congress, and the Supremes would put up with it?
I didn't think so.
We live in a republic, all that power to the poor people crap has got to stop. If you don't like being poor go out and earn some money, save it, and build a future for yourself...what you do have in this republic, thanks to enterprising others, is an opportunity to better yourself and get ahead. Course you'll have to do more than protest and attend hate rallies to make it happen.
Here's the full story from our friends at National Review:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Njg4MTU5NzU0OTNkYWZlZjk2ZWZkYzcwNDc0Y2ViMjY=
The Honduran soldiers who escorted Pres. Manuel Zelaya from his home on Sunday were acting to protect their country’s democracy, not to trample it. Moreover, they had the full support of the Honduran Supreme Court, which had rejected Zelaya’s bid to hold a referendum on “constitutional reform.”
The proposed referendum, illegal without an act of Congress, aimed to launch a “constituent assembly” that would draft an entirely new constitution. Zelaya’s ultimate goal was to extend or abolish presidential term limits, mimicking the example of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez and other Latin American populists. Hondurans rightly feared that such a maneuver would set their country on the path to Chávez-style authoritarianism. When the Supreme Court rebuffed him, Zelaya defied its ruling and sought to proceed with the referendum anyway. Along with a large group of followers, he ransacked a military post and seized millions of referendum ballots.
The Supreme Court says that it ordered the armed forces to detain Zelaya, who was then shipped off to Costa Rica. The Honduran Congress, which had refused to endorse Zelaya’s referendum, quickly named a successor. While it is always unnerving to see gun-toting officers arrest a president, the move against Zelaya was not a conventional “military coup.” It was an affirmation of democracy and the rule of law, both of which the president had flouted. If anything, it was a counter-coup, the real coup having been attempted by Zelaya.
The President didn't waste a second in endorsing this attempt to illegally sweep aside a constitutional democracy in favor of a dictatorial grab. Is he sympathetic with the Marxist authoritarian, badly advised or informed, or is he just an inexperienced young man unpreparted to be president of the United States of America?
Uh-huh ... I am missing something.
A high court tells a president that an referendum (election) he intends to hold is illegal and he cannot.
Very next thing, the army scoops him up and puts him on a plane. This seems extreme. What happened to just, you know, not holding the election?
No, I have a terrible feeling that for "Supreme Court" and "Congress" you can read "rich people", ... who can't get their way electorally, and so resort to violence.
I don't think it was only the rich behind this one. Unless those thousands in the streets were rich, because for the last couple of days huge mobs have been out celebrating the ouster of Zelaya.
"No, I have a terrible feeling that for "Supreme Court" and "Congress" you can read "rich people", ... who can't get their way electorally, and so resort to violence."
Of course you do, Libby. The same way you have a "feeling" that Hugo Chavez does what he does because he has such a big heart and cares for the poor people of Venezuela.
Freedom and the rule of law mean nothing/ The only game in town is bringing down the wealthy or using power to confiscate wealth from them. As long as you have that mindset you make yourself a slave. Sad since you live in a country of abundant opportunity. Sad since your bias causes you to support dictators and thugs who oppress and use the poor in these countries.
Tina
"I don't think it was only the rich behind this one. Unless those thousands in the streets were rich, ..."
Thousands? 5,000. 6.5 percent of the population, i.e., the rich. Everybody else is at home hiding from the army ... and their new president.
And you have noticed that ALL the governments of South and Central America have condemned the coup? Plus the U.N. General Assembly?
You are quite alone in this, you little fascists, you.
C'mon Libby...a fascist, me? I'm an equal opportunity offender and the most balanced, logical guy you are likely ever to meet. I'm merely point out that many thousands turned out in support of his ouster. He ran on a populist ticket it's odd that he would not now have what appears to be overwhelming support of the masses. Unless you actually believe that a handful of wealthy people could manage that kind of crowd manipulation, you don't think that do you?
And you have noticed that ALL the governments of South and Central America have condemned the coup? Plus the U.N. General Assembly?
I must say that you have a point Libby. All the Dictators of the UN agree with all the Dictators of South America that Democracy must come to an end. All we need to wait for now, is for the Muslim in the White House to send in the military and force those evil freedom loving citizens to accept the inevitable. Communism and slavery!
I have one question for you though. What exactly is it that makes you despise freedom so much? Naw,,,, don't answer that, I know the answer already.
In a free democratically controlled country, you sometimes lose elections, and that is what you hate. So you would rather do away with fair elections and just live under a totalitarian regime whose only choices you get are the current rulers or prison.
It was nice to be a kid where there were no responsibilities wasn't there? Well with Dictators and thugs running the place you can be a kid once more. Someone to tell you when, where, how, and what to do.
*...have noticed that ALL the governments of South and Central America have condemned the coup? Plus the U.N. General Assembly?*
Have you not noticed the leftward lurch toward Marxism in South/Central America of late or the fact that the UN is hardly a bastion of democracy anymore? Big surprise they would support the dude seeking a dictatorship.
The world is divided between those who love and value freedom and those who believe that government dictators can (and will) produce fairness (when in fact they ALWAYS end up as oppressors). the "rich" you find so repugnant
God only knows why. If it's possible for the "rich" to become corrupted it is even more likely that leaders can become corrupted.
Latest I read, Zelaya has agreed to go back and be a good boy rather than seek another "unconstitutional" term.
"All the Dictators of the UN agree with all the Dictators of South America that Democracy must come to an end."
Ah, ignorance abounds. All of your American governments are elected. Now, you may quarrel, and I do, with what passes for electoral politics down south, but it's a start ... we're working on it.
Rumor has it that the reason this Zeleya person has not submitted a budget to his Congress is that something mysterious has happened to treasury funds. We shall have to see how this plays out ... without army intervention. If the man has absconded with funds, you prove it and send him to jail. But somehow, I get the feeling that any mysterious disappearance of treasury funds may have been done in collusion with the very people who put him on the plane. They believe this will keep them from getting caught.
How many times have I told you!? Not to be trusted, those rich people!