Beware of the Not-So-Hidden Agendas In Honduras
Heritage Foundation - FOXNews.com
- July 03, 2009
The Obama administration faces its first real Latin American crisis. Let's hope Team Obama is aware of the goals of democracy's new-found but fickle friends.
Honduras presents the Obama administration with its first real Latin American crisis.
Since the 1981 return of civilian rule, Honduras has regarded itself as a friend of the U.S. In the '80s, it allowed the Nicaraguan Resistance or "Contras" to operate from base camps there. It lent troops for Operation Iraqi Freedom and continues to support a small U.S. military presence on Honduran soil. Economic ties are strong.
Now those cordial relations are in jeopardy.
On June 28, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was expelled from the country for multiple constitutional violations. The U.S. quickly joined an international chorus deploring the expulsion, denouncing as a military coup what the Honduran Supreme Court and Congress called for a defense of their constitution and rule of law.
The new Honduran government says it wants to end polarization, restore order, and move to elections in November, but the international community demands Zelaya's restoration to power.
The U.S., anxious to send a pro-democracy message, finds itself running with a dangerous crowd -- one whose agenda is not necessarily dedicated to defending democracy.
Begin with ex-President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya -- a marginal victor in 2005. Formerly a centrist, this erratic politico morphed into a disciple of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. His popularity plunged over the next three years, as the nation was battered by rising crime, poverty and economic recession. All the while, Zelaya's presidential clock was ticking. Honduran presidents are limited to one four-year term. Nonetheless, Zelaya launched an unconstitutional re-election bid that provoked his ouster.
In backing Zelaya to the hilt, Venezuela's elective-dictator Hugo Chavez has pitched the crisis to its current level. He did much the same back in March 2007 when he threatened war against Colombia. Yet, Chavez is no champion of democracy -- at home or abroad.
Looks like the Wall Street Journal had it right from the beginning - at least in this June 29 piece by Mary Anastasia O'Grady:
Honduras Defends Its Democracy
Fidel Castro and Hillary Clinton object.
Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback
yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for
abusing the nation's constitution.
It seems that President Mel Zelaya miscalculated when he tried to
emulate the success of his good friend Hugo in reshaping the Honduran
Constitution to his liking.
But Honduras is not out of the Venezuelan woods yet. Yesterday the
Central American country was being pressured to restore the
authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega,
Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of
American States, having ignored Mr. Zelaya's abuses, also wants him
back in power. It will be a miracle if Honduran patriots can hold their
ground.
Associated Press
That
Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While
Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open
that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can
only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.
But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship
him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his
referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to
carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.
The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the
president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him.
The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused.
I'm late addressing this, but just want to give you a brief scoop on the situation in Honduras as it says something very telling about Obama and what he really stands for.
Remember how Obama was immediately very supportive of the mullahs and the rigged Iranian elections? How when the people began rebelling and violence escalated, he said he didn't think the US should "meddle" in Iran's internal affairs?
By contrast, he was swift to condemn what he called a military coup in Honduras, siding with Castro and Chavez - dictators of Cuba and Venezuela respectively. Oh, and Didn't you think that a little odd?
Well it turns out that what happened in Honduras is not coup at all.
What happened is this: President Zelaya, having reached the end of his two term limit, decided he did not want to give up the presidency. And so he stayed, ignoring the efforts of the Honduran legislature and courts and with the full support of his dictator pal, Chavez.
The military was sent in to force him out of office in order that the constitutional government of Honduras could continue.
The only coup was that intended by Zelaya - a coup thwarted by a peaceful carrying out of the will of the people and the rest of the Honduras government.
I have heard callers to talk show hosts this week - including a missionary who called Rush - testify to the fact that the proceedings in Honduras were completely legal. The people wanted to continue their constitutional government and not be ruled by a dictator.
Now: Why do you suppose that Our Own Glorious Leader would be on the side of a would-be dictator with the support of two other western hemisphere dictators?
And why is our media part of the propaganda effort blacking out news from Hondurans themselves?
Support for Honduras - and criticism of Obama and the Government Media - is running the gamut throughout the political spectrum - from radical liberalDaily Kos to conservative Senator Jim DeMint, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who yesterday released this statement:
"The people of Honduras have struggled too long to have their hard-won democracy stolen from them by a Chavez-style dictator. The Honduran Congress, the Honduran Supreme Court, and the Honduran military have acted in accordance to the Honduran constitution and the rule of law.
"For weeks leading to his arrest, Zelaya flouted the constitutional authority of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court, and claimed for himself extra-constitutional control of his nation's military and political institutions. Every institution from the Electoral Tribunal to the Supreme Court ruled that his actions were unjustified and illegal. Zelaya's open defiance of democratic norms has set Honduras on a path toward violence, instability, and tyranny.
"I am hopeful that as President Obama grows in office, he will eventually turn away from despots like Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, and Zelaya, and give the United States' full-throated support to the people of any country who are fighting for the same values we cherish and defend in America. The people fighting for freedom around the world, in Iran and Honduras, should never have to wonder which side America will choose between freedom and tyranny.
"President Obama's call for the reinstatement of Zelaya is a slap in the face to the people of Honduras. And the resolution written by the Organization of American States tramples over the hopes and dreams of a free and democratic people.
"The rule of law is working in Honduras. President Obama should not undermine the democratic institutions that guarantee freedom by forcing an illegitimate President back into power.
"This is not an ideal transition, but Hondurans are adhering to their constitution. The United States should support the Honduran people and their legitimate leaders in their brave and heroic stand for freedom and the rule of law."
Since it is so obvious that this is an unusual turn of events in a country trying to live by its constitution and seeking to oust a would-be dictator, why is our Government Media still referring to it as a coup?
This is a special book giveaway. To enter you must have a child with Down syndrome with at least one sibling.
Monday, July 6 at 9am I will pick two winners for the two copies Pleasant St. Press so graciously have provided.
I love the book!!! It is so authentic and so real and illustrates so beautifully the sentiments of siblings of children with Down syndrome. Although the focus is positive, there is attention given to the negative feelings - which will be a great way to stimulate your children to share honestly about their own.
From a Christian point of view - that every life has value in God's eyes:
She peers long and hard at crickets and June bugs and dragonflies, She watches ladybugs warm themselves on our red door.
Then she counts their dots: "One lady dot, two lady dot, three lady dot . . . "
I think God is glad someone notices these things.
Authentic, real and beautifully illustrated. Love it!
In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters we see with startling clarity the cleverness of the enemy in deceiving human beings.
Selfishness has a thousand forms, most of which we are slow to
recognize for what they are. I was thinking about the fear of loss and
what a stranglehold it can have on me. As I listed some of the things I
dreaded to lose, it occurred to me that this fear is a deadly form of
selfishness. Selfishness does terrible things to us, but it does not
stop there. It does terrible things to others. "Saving our own skin"
usually results in skinning somebody else. Think, for example, of the
fear of losing: reputation, opportunity for advancement, credit,
recognition, position, beauty, youth, health, money, the love of
friends or children, compliments, popularity, security, privacy,
rights, people you love, job, home, dreams, power.
As I considered each of these separately, I began to think
what sort of sin each kind of loss tempts me to commit. Then I thought
about what kind of faith is required to enable me to commit those fears
to God. Has He, in fact, made provision for these things? The list is
not a list of sins--make no mistake about that. It is a list of
blessings, of gifts from God. But to grasp them selfishly and greedily,
to hang onto them fiercely and allow myself to be enslaved by the fear
of losing them, is to deny Christ. Do not fear, He says to us. I am
with you.
With the past year our family has lived through - losing just about everything on EE's list above - I can say this is true. The only thing I've gained is dependence on God. But that's what He was after all along....
Keep that in mind if you are in the process of losing anything yourself today. ~~~~~~~~~ As always, I'd like to
encourage you to include Elisabeth Elliot in your morning reading. She
gives you a lot to think about during the day. Subscribe to her daily
devotions here. You can also see a bunch of my favorites here.
Yes, these are the same dictatorial hotshots who raked corporate leaders over the coals for availing themselves of company perks.
Obviously emboldened and full of themselves. Let's start keeping tab on our individual legislators and publicizing their "junkets" with delegations to fun places that thanks to them we'll never see.
From the Wall Street Journal (That's Nancy Pelosi, by the way, checking out high-end souvenirs on her last trip to Egypt.):
Congress's Travel Tab Swells
Spending on Taxpayer-Funded Trips Rises Tenfold; From Italy to the Galápagos
July 2, 2009
By BRODY MULLINS and T.W. FARNAM
WASHINGTON -- Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.
The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That's a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.
The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as "codels," has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.
Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.
Although complete travel records aren't yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes -- as they usually do -- their spouses can fly free.
Readers have been purchasing these through my Amazon link - along with apparently a host of Americans, as they rank #1, #2 and #30 respectively at Amazon, giving me hope that the heart of our nation is not swept up in what Laura Ingraham calls "Glowbama."
I appreciate the Glen Beck released his book in paperback, making it affordable when we need it.
We need to become experts at articulating the conservative point of view - and passing those ideals and the ability to defend them logically on to our children before they leave our homes.
Remember, use your library if you can - but if you want it now, please use my Amazon link. For other helpful books - which have been out longer and so may be available in your library or through PaperbackSwap - check under Barbara's Picks: Political Clarity in the left sidebar.
Also, please email me with recommendations of anything you'd like to see added to Barbara's Picks - along with a brief review if you like.
Washington,
DC has enjoyed a tradition of live military band concerts since 1863.
The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force bands perform on
alternating days throughout the summer. Concerts are free and no
tickets are required.
Special
Concerts: Memorial Day - Monday, May 25 at 12:30 p.m., Independence Day
Celebration - Friday, July 3 at 8 p.m. and Labor Day - Monday,
September 7 at 12:30 p.m.
U.S. Air Force Band - Wednesdays and Fridays, 8 p.m
Apparently, Obama had some kind of townhall meeting today so he could make it look like he has public support for his socialized medicine plan.
I'm not sure if you all know how weird the behavior has been in the press room since Obama came into office, with the reporters and Gibbs yucking it up and joking around about everything from Obama's burger runs to Korea's nukes. Like a bunch of silly groupies backstage.
Robert Gibbs gets a lot of laughs in his briefings
May 27, 2009
The United States is facing its biggest financial crisis in ages. North Korea is blowing up nukes. Dick Cheney warns us of the "dangers that have not gone away." And there are still wars raging in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But over in the White House press briefing room, it's a veritable laugh riot.
Whenever there's laughter in the James S. Brady Briefing Room -- by either the briefer or the briefed -- the official White House stenographer indicates as much by inserting "(Laughter.)" into the transcript.
And in Robert Gibbs' first four months as President Barack Obama's press secretary, there have been more than 600 instances of "(Laughter.)" during his regular press briefings -- an average of more than 10 laughs per day.
It's a gaudy statistic -- and one that puts his predecessors to shame.
Dana Perino, George W. Bush's last press secretary, got all of 57 laughs in her first four months. Scott McClellan, another Bush press secretary, got just 66 laughs in his first four months.
Read more - and watch a video of this guy's inane behavior here.
Today, there was something different in the air:
Maybe a few are waking up to smell the coffee?
Ratings continue to drop for all the once-major news networks. Do you think they'll get it one of these days that we don't want their propaganda?
I'm bringing a lot of stuff - and looking for clothes for 4 boys 8-17.
Hi everyone,
Do you ever just want to clean out your closet, garage or basement and NOT have to tag it all for a yard sale for some small amount of money that is not worth all the work? Wouldn't it be nice to give it to someone who needs it rather than let it sit in your home fading or gathering dust?
Here is your opportunity!
Next Thursday, July 2nd, from 10 am to 3:00 pm you can bring absolutely anything you want to give away. Clothing, dishes, books, school related, your husband's old shirts (haha!), glasses, toys that no one is using etc. - everything and anything. If you have something that is too large to transport, bring a photo. The best part is you get to look around and see if you need anything!
Absolutley no money will be passed. This is meant to share with one another.
Where: St. Francis Catholic Church in Purcellville.
When: July 2nd
Time: 10 am - 3:00pm.
Afterwards, either pick up what is not taken. If someone has a charity that you would like to donate what is left to - please share the info. We can donate to your cause.
PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS! No rsvp needed - just show up!
If you can be spontaneous, you might want to gather up your kids our International Youth Orchestra in full rehearsal this afternoon
I've taken my children before (snapped a few photos) and it is a wonderful event where children can see all the instruments up close and personal, ask questions and even play some of the instruments (drums, bells, etc.)
Dear Friends,
We invite you and your students to attend the International Youth Orchestra ASP 2009's Open Rehearsal. Come share some music with 120 international young musicians from many countries, including Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, USA and more!
Suggested Donation: $5.
IDA LEE PARK (Lower Level)
60 Ida Lee Dr.
Leesburg, VA 20147
Anyone still with me? I know a lot of you have bought books and I hope you're not giving up. I know it's tough being a mom and finding time to read, but we set our goal at 120 pages or so a week. It's okay to read at a more leisurely pace (how's that for a euphemism when nothing about your life is leisurely?), but to avoid spoilers, you probably want to avoid my commentaries until you've read to the pages we're discussing - them feel free to add your comments even if it's a few weeks later. All are welcome and we'll go back and read them.
You can find everything about this book study - including pronunciation keys and other helps by clicking on the Les Miz cover in the top left sidebar and scrolling down to start at the bottom. Don't forget, I gave some suggestions to make reading this massive tome a little easier.
We left at page 358, the end of a digression on the Battle of Waterloo and the meeting of Thenardier (the innkeeper in whose keeping Fantine will later leave Cosette) and Pontmercy (who we will meet again later in the book).
Now back to the story line (1823): Though Valjean did escape following Fantine's death, he has been retaken. In the three or four days of freedom, he managed to withdraw his money had hide it somewhere - probably in the woods we hear about later.
Did you find it amazing how quickly all the citizens of Montreuil-sur-mer turned on M. Madeleine after he brought years of benevolence and prosperity to the town? And what did you think about the effects of his withdrawal on the town:
There was no longer any center; competition and venom on all sides. M. Madeleine had ruled and directed everything. With him fallen, it was every man for himself; the spirit of strife succeeded to the spirit of organization, bitterness to cordiality, hatred of each against each instead of the good will of the founder toward all; the threads woven together by M. Madeleine were entangled and were broken; the workmanship was debased, the products were degraded, confidence was killed; customers diminished, there were fewer orders, wages decreased, the shops became idle, bankruptcy followed. And nothing was left for the poor. Everything disappeared.
Such is the effect of losing a good leader.
Now we find Valjean serving his captivity on a prison ship, where he rescues an imperiled sailor, then appears to fall into the sea..
Hugo fleshes out the Thenardiers in pages 374-382. As I mentioned previously, there is no comic relief as in the musical, but just absolute cruelty:
This man and this woman were cunning and rage married - a hideous and terrible pair. . . Cosette was between them. . . like a creature at the same time buried by a millstone and lacerated with pincers. The man and the woman each had a different way. Cosette was beaten unmercifully; that came from the woman. She went barefoot in winter; that came from the man. . .
Finding themselves in such a world at the dawn of their existence, so young, so defenseless, what must go on in these souls fresh from God?
The writer who comes to mind who deals with the degradation of children is Dickens. I don't know about you, but I find these tales of children wronged heart-wrenching. And as Hugo sets the scene, I can feel Cosette's fear as though I were eight again myself. Children at that age - with no reasoning ability - just accept the cruelty and fear and blame themselves.
From the musical (keep in mind that this is a concert, so while they are in costume, it is not as wonderful as seeing the stage production - which I hope many of you will see):
Cosette's rescue by Valjean - beginning with his taking the heavy bucket from her in the dark: yet more mercy and redemption flowing forward from the Bishop's redemption - through Christ - of Valjean.
Wasn't her rescue - in spite of the crassness of the Thenardiers - so reassuring?
And weren't pages 436-439 beautiful as Hugo describes Valjean's condition:
Something new was entering his soul.
Jean Valjean had never loved anything. For twenty-five years he had been alone in the world. He had never been a father, lover, huband, or friend. In prison he was cross, sullen, chaste, ignorant, and intractable. The heart of the former convict was like a virgin's . . .
The bishop had caused the dawn of virtue on his horizon; Cosette invoked the dawn of love.
And as for Cosette:
The coming of this man and his participation in this child's destiny had been the coming of God.
Interestingly, I'm reading Theology of Body Teens
with Maddy each day (as I promised, more on this later) and the themes of these two books are so similar - about love as self-sacrifice and the sacramentality of the body - or the purpose of our bodies being to make the love of God visible.
But we only get to bask in this reflection and security briefly, as human small-mindedness and Javert's return force Valjean and Cosette to set flight. A dramatic chase through the streets of Paris ends in a dead end and a superhuman scramble over a wall, where Valjean finds Divine Providence has prepared a moment of safety for him and for Cosette.
And Javert is left thwarted and empty handed and seething with the lack of justice he seeks.
Many of these smaller twists of the plot have understandably been edited from the musical. In fact, I find it amazing how the writers convey the essential plot, the themes, the characters and conflicts through the songs. Javert is a villain, but to anyone who has struggled with legalism or loves a legalist, he is multidimensional. He sees himself as someone who has risen above his sordid past; he seeks nobility and honoring God through righteousness and the law:
~~~~~~~~
Next week: pages 478-596 Signet edition (up to the end of Book Two). Happy reading!
Remember, if you like the music from the 10th Anniversary concert - commonly referred to as the Dream Cast, you can find it at Amazon in CD or DVD format:
Certain
aspects of the job the Lord has given me to do are very easy to
postpone. I make excuses, find other things that take precedence, and,
when I finally get down to business to do it, it is not always with
much grace. A new perspective has helped me recently:
The job has been given to me to do.
Therefore it is a gift.
Therefore it is a privilege.
Therefore it is an offering I may make to God.
Therefore it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him.
Therefore it is the route to sanctity.
Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God's way. In this job,
not in some other, God looks for faithfulness. The discipline of this
job is, in fact, the chisel God has chosen to shape me with--into the
image of Christ.
Thank you, Lord, for the work You have assigned me. I take it
as your gift; I offer it back to you. With your help I will do it
gladly, faithfully, and I will trust You to make me holy.
~~~~~~~ As always, I'd like to
encourage you to include Elisabeth Elliot in your morning reading. She
gives you a lot to think about during the day. Subscribe to her daily
devotions here. You can also see a bunch of my favorites here.
What we call Man's power over nature turns out to be power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.
~C. S. Lewis~
Although it was a HUGE disappointment that the House passed the Global Warming legislation - 1200 pages - largely unread - which will have enormous negative impact on the average citizen, the bill still has to go to the Senate for approval.
So keep up the pressure on your Senators - whether Democrat or Republican. Hopefully by October cooler heads will prevail, Obama's shrinking popularity will help, too.
Here's why it matters to you:
Cap and trade completely rewrites the American dream
June 30, 7:26 AM
Kimberly Dvorak
Cap-and-trade
bill as written will rewrite the American dream - home ownership and
provide heavy tax burdens for generations. Provisions within the
largest tax increase in the country's history will change the way you
buy and sell a home, use energy and shop for goods and services.
A
new government bureaucracy created within the bill will force
homeowners who wish to sell their homes to retrofit their houses to be
"environmentally-friendly." The costs would fall to the homeowners
possibly injuring an already fragile real estate marketplace.
Potential
replacement items required would range from eco-friendly hot-water
heaters to windows. The homes in California have already seen values
fall through the floor and homeowners see no way to recoup the
expensive upgrades the state and federal government would require.
Also
included in the massive 1,500-page bill is water rationing. The federal
government has set up a shower manager. One website selling a shower
manager calls the gadget the "Shower Nazi." Located in section 217 of
the bill and the Shower Nazi units puts a three-to five-minute limit on
showers.
Our family has been subscribing to this news magazine for 12 years -
News from an enlightened, intelligent Christian perspective - and getting better all the time. Great reading for teens too.
Love this beautiful gold 42-page board book with the most important Bible stories - picture on left, text on right - and a ribbon for children to mark their place.
Such a sweet story! Set in 1910 France, two children who have lost their mama have trouble finding her only because they see her as the best, the wisest, the most beautiful. The gendarme (French policeman) is astonished to find that finally she is just a mama like everyone else's. For fun, read it with your best French accent!
Now out of print, you can click through this Amazon link to hardback editions and pick up used library copies for a song!
![[THE AMERICAS]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/ED-AJ748_amcol0_D_20090628115958.jpg)
Associated Press
![72A4CCDC6CF3469B86043C2403D4E10F_Thumb_0800759826[1].jpg](http://mommylife.net/archives/2009/06/24/72A4CCDC6CF3469B86043C2403D4E10F_Thumb_0800759826%5B1%5D.jpg)
