A little over a week ago Honduran soldiers arrested President Manuel Zelaya during the night, took him in his pajamas and placed him on a plane for Costa Rica. They apparently did this under orders from the Honduran Supreme Court and with the approval of the Honduran Congress. Now the great world bastions of democracy, the UN, the OAS, as well as Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers and Barack Obama are clamoring for his reinstatement! Since when has any of this bunch shown any great love for the democratic process or the rights of a free people to protect their constitutional rights?
What right has the UN, the OAS (Organization of American States), or any other nation have to attempt to dictate what is done under the laws of another sovereign nation? This was no coup. This was an arrest and expulsion of a dictatorial leader that had violated numerous Honduran laws. The only problem was they chose to execute it quietly by exiling him rather than incarcerating him with all the fanfare and potential riots from the leftist “Acorns” of Honduras. They chose to quietly remove him, replacing him with the person the law indicated was the second in order, just as our government would do if our president were deceased, incapacitated, or imprisoned for any reason.
Zelaya had been charged with some 18 criminal acts including treason. He had defied the Honduran Supreme court and refused to recognize the law making authority of the Honduras’ Congress. He had refused to implement more than 80 laws approved by Congress since taking office in 2006. Zelaya also refused to comply with a Supreme Court ruling against his planned referendum on whether to hold an assembly to consider changing a constitutional provision that was specifically not allowed under the constitution itself. In other words this guy had placed himself above the law and established himself as a dictator in the same style of the Castros and Hugo Chavez.
To date no countries have recognized the new government and they have been ousted from the OAS. This probably has a lot to do with the objection of the US. Obama has jumped in and deplored the action of Honduras demanding that Zelaya be reinstated. Why would an American president have the gall to say on one hand that the US does not want to meddle in the private affairs of other nations and then on the other hand demand that Honduras restore a leftist dictator that has been ousted for violation of their Constitution and his oath of office? Well, perhaps the key is in the word “leftist” in which Obama found a kindred spirit. After all, if one country could oust a president for violating the constitution he was sworn to protect, perhaps another could do the same?
Apparently Zelaya was elected by campaigning as a center-right candidate. He then moved into the dictatorial pattern of Chavez ignoring the laws and defying the Congress and Supreme Court. The final straw was when he attempted to strong arm his way into an illegal additional term by changing the constitution through an illegal election. In Honduras a provision was written into the constitution to prevent dictatorial “presidents for life” as had happened a number of times in the past in Latin America. This provision was one of several that are considered “inviolate” and are not subject to amendments. According to their constitution these provisions can only be changed by a rewrite of the entire document. According to Pat Buchanan, Chavez even provided the ballots for Zelaya to use to accomplish the illegal election.
We should congratulate the people of Honduras for protecting their constitutional form of government, even though done perhaps with a bit less aplomb than we would have preferred. The people of Honduras have not accomplished a coup, but have enforced their laws, without bloodshed and have removed crooked leader before he could destroy their form of government. For that they should be congratulated, not ostracized.
Obama and Hillary Clinton have no business meddling in the private affairs of a friend and neighbor who are implementing their laws in the best way they can to protect their liberties without creating dangerous riots and violence in their streets.
Honduras, Thugs or Patriots
A little over a week ago Honduran soldiers arrested President Manuel Zelaya during the night, took him in his pajamas and placed him on a plane for Costa Rica. They apparently did this under orders from the Honduran Supreme Court and with the approval of the Honduran Congress. Now the great world bastions of democracy, the UN, the OAS, as well as Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers and Barack Obama are clamoring for his reinstatement! Since when has any of this bunch shown any great love for the democratic process or the rights of a free people to protect their constitutional rights?
What right has the UN, the OAS (Organization of American States), or any other nation have to attempt to dictate what is done under the laws of another sovereign nation? This was no coup. This was an arrest and expulsion of a dictatorial leader that had violated numerous Honduran laws. The only problem was they chose to execute it quietly by exiling him rather than incarcerating him with all the fanfare and potential riots from the leftist “Acorns” of Honduras. They chose to quietly remove him, replacing him with the person the law indicated was the second in order, just as our government would do if our president were deceased, incapacitated, or imprisoned for any reason.
Zelaya had been charged with some 18 criminal acts including treason. He had defied the Honduran Supreme court and refused to recognize the law making authority of the Honduras’ Congress. He had refused to implement more than 80 laws approved by Congress since taking office in 2006. Zelaya also refused to comply with a Supreme Court ruling against his planned referendum on whether to hold an assembly to consider changing a constitutional provision that was specifically not allowed under the constitution itself. In other words this guy had placed himself above the law and established himself as a dictator in the same style of the Castros and Hugo Chavez.
To date no countries have recognized the new government and they have been ousted from the OAS. This probably has a lot to do with the objection of the US. Obama has jumped in and deplored the action of Honduras demanding that Zelaya be reinstated. Why would an American president have the gall to say on one hand that the US does not want to meddle in the private affairs of other nations and then on the other hand demand that Honduras restore a leftist dictator that has been ousted for violation of their Constitution and his oath of office? Well, perhaps the key is in the word “leftist” in which Obama found a kindred spirit. After all, if one country could oust a president for violating the constitution he was sworn to protect, perhaps another could do the same?
Apparently Zelaya was elected by campaigning as a center-right candidate. He then moved into the dictatorial pattern of Chavez ignoring the laws and defying the Congress and Supreme Court. The final straw was when he attempted to strong arm his way into an illegal additional term by changing the constitution through an illegal election. In Honduras a provision was written into the constitution to prevent dictatorial “presidents for life” as had happened a number of times in the past in Latin America. This provision was one of several that are considered “inviolate” and are not subject to amendments. According to their constitution these provisions can only be changed by a rewrite of the entire document. According to Pat Buchanan, Chavez even provided the ballots for Zelaya to use to accomplish the illegal election.
We should congratulate the people of Honduras for protecting their constitutional form of government, even though done perhaps with a bit less aplomb than we would have preferred. The people of Honduras have not accomplished a coup, but have enforced their laws, without bloodshed and have removed crooked leader before he could destroy their form of government. For that they should be congratulated, not ostracized.
Obama and Hillary Clinton have no business meddling in the private affairs of a friend and neighbor who are implementing their laws in the best way they can to protect their liberties without creating dangerous riots and violence in their streets.