July 6, 2009 2:40 PM
Honduras not a coup - inside report
From my Inbox this morning, a missionary report forwarded from a friend:
Keep in mind that Zelaya is in a plane provided by Hugo Chavez - one third of the triumvirate of western dictators decrying the "coup" - that would be Castro/Chavez/Obama.Special Edition - July 4, 2009
Political Unrest in Honduras
The country of Honduras has experienced some rather profound changes during the last week, causing some of you to worry and to question how things are going for us. Thanks to all three of you! First, we'd like to report that we are doing great! (Those of you who only wanted a "sound bite" can stop reading now.)
The government of Honduras has changed presidents in a manner rather dramatic for the rest of the world. It can't get much more dramatic than President Mel Zelaya being rousted out of bed in the Presidential Palace at 3:00 AM by the military, arrested, taken to the airport in his pajamas, and flown to Costa Rica where he was freed. But, as with all complex political issues, there is much more to the story than a good, ol' fashioned coup. First, it was not a coup, at least by many standard features. Indeed, it was a successful transition of power, conducted by the military. But it was not abrupt nor unexpected, and military officials never held the office of president. They only arrested and escorted the President from the country. This action was ordered by the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Attorney General. It was the culmination of nearly 6 months of negotiations, during which the other bodies of the Honduran government warned the president that his actions were illegal, unconstitutional, and treasonous. He ignored them, and he pursued what he thought was his rightful prerogative to change the constitution. Most Hondurans have overwhelmingly supported the actions of the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Attorney General. Whether you believe that precise "due process" was rendered or not depends - as with constitutional issues in the USA - upon how you interpret its wording. It is difficult to find exactly how an impeachment is supposed to be conducted in Honduras, so I'll not take sides on the "due process" question.
Important for the country - and for us - is what these events mean for the future and for safety. To put these issues in perspective, I'd like to report on our trip to the "big city" of La Ceiba yesterday. We always go to town on Fridays to get groceries, another bottle of Super Glue to repair our car, and a donut (yes, they have a Dunkin' Donuts in La Ceiba!). We went with some trepidation. Would we find riots? The military? Police dogs? Anti-American sentiment? Chaos? Bridges destroyed with dynamite? We didn't know. Here's what we encountered:
- The Traffic Police stopped us at their outpost just outside of La Ceiba. But they are always there, and they always stop us.
- The Police were polite. But they are always polite and very friendly to North Americans ("gringos" to them).
- The traffic was heavy in places. But it's always heavy in the same places.
- We saw an armed guard at every bank, store, and gas station. But there's always an armed guard at these places.
- Hondurans all over town were happy to see us. But they're always happy to see us.
- We saw some military soldiers near the governmental offices. But they're always stationed there, guarding the peace.
- The only difference we noted was that many people were displaying the Honduran flag (remember 9/11 in the USA?), and
- Dunkin' Donuts had a "special edition" patriotic donut in the Honduran colors - blue and white.
So it was business as usual. Except for a tremendous patriotic outpouring and an interest in freedom and democracy. Whether supporters or opponents of "Ex-President Mel," they were discussing politics in animated - but not angry - voices. This opinion. That opinion. Disagreements, but not unpleasant dissidence. Partisanship, but not pugilism. Interest, but not inflammatory behavior. Much like in the USA.
What does this mean for Honduras? It appears that many countries (the USA included) and august bodies (the United Nations, the Organization of American States) are siding with the "Former President." Sanctions are being levied. Aid is being withdrawn. Ambassadors are being called home. Trade with Honduras (little, though it is) has been halted. For the average Honduran, it means that the second poorest country in this hemisphere might rise to #1 on that infamous list. It will hurt the average subsistence farmer. It will mean less food and fuel available in the country. It will mean even less medical care available from the government (it would be difficult to get much lower than it is now). We'll need to provide more care at Hospital Loma de Luz. So please pray for the country of Honduras, for her people, and for a speedy resolution to this crisis. And pray that Dunkin' Donuts never withdraws its special blue-and-white breakfast treat.
Also can't help wondering why the press is making it sound like there are huge numbers of Zelaya supporters at the airport but in the photos I don't see anything like the masses who poured out in support of the government's action to oust the would-be dictator.
For actual news from Honduras - including the country's own press release, ignored by our press, see La Gringa's Blogicita
See my other posts on Honduras here.
Posted in Honduras | Permalink
Comments
Thanks so much for posting about this. I came across this in my Google Reader and found it interesting. I thought you might, too. Other than you, this is the only bit of news I've come across anywhere that even hints there is more to what's going on than what we are fed via TV and internet news outlets.
Posted by: annie | July 6, 2009 11:41 PM
Barbara,
You are a wonder of media truth. How do you do it? Where do you mine all this good stuff?
My husband and I have been following the Honduras crisis with interest--reading the articles in the Wall Street Journal. Thanks for the Honduran blog (http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/) it verifies again what we have gleaned--that the US is on the WRONG side on this one. Hope that changes.
Posted by: Chris Pedersen | July 13, 2009 8:00 PM
