Honduras: It Wasn't A Coup!

In the U.S., a President can only serve two terms then he’s out. There are good reasons for this. In February of 2009, Venezuela’s Constitution was changed to allow the President to serve an unlimited number of times. Venezuela’s current President, Hugo Chavez may now rule forever, like Fidel Castro in Cuba.

In June of this year, Honduras President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya maneuvered a Constitutional referendum that would allow the President to serve an unlimited number of terms. He tried to put it to a vote. It must be said that voting in Honduras is a joke; the population is largely uneducated and not politically savvy, and elections can be bought in any number of ways.

Zelaya’s attempt to change the Honduran Constitution was illegal. Understanding how fragile democracy is in such countries, it is designed to prevent just such things. When Zelaya would not back down, the government had no choice: It arrested Zelaya and expelled him from the country.

The world mistakenly viewed this as just another Central American “coup.” It was not. It was a democratic government doing what was necessary to protect itself from dictatorship.

True, expelling Zelaya from the country was extreme and possibly illegal. But Honduran leaders saw it as their only option to prevent rioting and bloodshed. In that way it was effective. Zelaya has been barking from outside the fence, unable to rally his dwindling supporters to any good use.

Of course, Zelaya’s buddy Hugo Chavez is all up in arms, calling for his return to power and making vague threats of using military force. To its credit, the Honduran government, headed by the natural successor, Roberto Michelletti (who by the way is a member of the same party as Zelaya) has staunchly resisted.

It’s important to realize that the military is not in power in Honduras. The democratic government is functioning normally. It was not a military coup, as our idiot President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been erroneously characterizing it.

The media has been less than helpful. There have been many confusing things put out, both in print and by video outlets like CNN. It’s shameful. But below is a link to a short article from the Opinion page in today’s Washington Post which sums up the situation very clearly. If you think that what happened in Honduras was “just a coup,” I urge you to read it so that you many more fully understand what’s going on in that country, and why Zelaya must not be allowed to return to power and thus, that democracy can be protected. (The link goes through La Gringa's Facebook account so you won't have to sign in to the Washington Post website. Thanks, LG!)

Washingon Post Article