The following article is from a Baylor professor and sometimes resident in Honduras. I couldn't have said it better myself. He is part of numerous Americans trying to get word out about Honduras as the administration strangles the people there. For me...it is hard to read. I just can not believe an American president would do this.
The Obama administration declares it won't recognize the results of a free and fair election.by Elliott Abrams
09/04/2009 11:40:00 AM
There is an obvious compromise available to end the Honduras crisis--or there was, anyway, until Secretary Clinton rejected it on Thursday. Honduras 's ejected president Mel Zelaya saw the Secretary and apparently persuaded her that the outcome of Honduras ' next elections must be rejected.
On what basis? None was stated, and no logical basis exists. The next elections will be entirely constitutional and held on time; and the term of office of the ousted Zelaya would end naturally and constitutionally when a new president is sworn in, in January.
The candidates were selected before the current crisis began, and all the parties—including Zelaya's Liberal Party, one half of Honduras 's essentially two party system--are participating. There is no reason whatsoever to doubt that the election can be monitored by international observers (and we could have demanded more of them than usual) and fairly conducted. Honduras 's vote for a new president on November 29 was the obvious way for everyone to dig out of the current mess without hurting the Honduran people and without damaging Honduras 's democratic institutions.
But it was rejected yesterday by Clinton and the Obama administration. The State Department's spokesman said that "Based on conditions as they currently exist, we cannot recognize the results of the election." The irrationality of the words is striking: based on conditions today, we can't recognize the results of a free election more than two months from now on November 29, even if everyone thinks it's free and even if Zelaya's party participates, and even if his term would constitutionally be over anyway.
Remember, it was Zelaya who wanted to screw around with that election, and hold a referendum on that date allowing him to be re-elected in perpetuity--just as his mentor Chavez has done in Venezuela . That's what gave rise to his defenestration. Now Hondurans want to go back to regular elections, but the United States won't allow them to do so?
The argument made around the Organization of American States (which is supporting Zelaya) is that elections conducted under the "de facto regime" cannot be considered fair.
Really? Every country in Latin America that made a transition from military to civilian rule held elections with the military still in charge, yet we don't hear the OAS saying all those elections were phony. Just to take one example, in Chile the dictator Augusto Pinochet was not only president when transition elections were held in 1990, he continued on as head of the armed forces for 8 years after that. Such history is forgotten at the OAS when it is convenient, but facts are stubborn things--even in Latin America .
Etc.
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2 comments:
Thanks for your comments and work towards exposing this administration's socialist policies towards Honduras. This issue has been overshadowed in the press because of the healthcare debate, and because it started on the day Michael Jackson died. I am shocked by the blatant disregard for the rule of law and, as the article said, the "no enemies to the left view of Latin America".
As I have studied crisis in several venues, it all seems to be leading to a root. That root is Yale. Yale is teaching socialism. Yale is putting out leadership clones that then connect themselves to world leaders who are pushing towards a communist/socialist agenda. Then Congress, most of whom have no allegiance to the Constitution, are then passing law after law taking away citizen freedoms without conscience. They are without conscience because of brainwashing trends that some just absorb because they have little to no critical thinking ability, and others grab hold because of payoffs and personal benefits to do so. I have never fathomed that our country would become such a dominion of sheep being led off to their demise as what I am seeing now. Calling themselves progressives, the deceived are preaching their gospel of socialism never allowing the reality of their choices to sink in. Has history not taught people anything?
It would be better for this country, if as a nation we stormed Yale and took it down then refused to let it rebuild. It is as dangerous to democracy and freedom as Marx and his co-horts were to the world where millions were killed and their blood has his name on it. Maybe people in despair have a death wish and are committing suicide by government.
Keep in mind that Hillary is of the Yale mindset. She is not what you think she is.
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