Honduran Bloodbath - American's siding with the enemies of democracy?

[WhiskeyGirl]

...According to Mexican pollster Mitofsky's April survey, Zelaya was Latin America's least popular leader. Only 25 percent of the nation supported him. Another survey found that 67 percent of Hondurans would never vote for him again. Why? Because the Hondurans attributed to him a deep level of corruption; because they assumed he had links to drug trafficking, especially drugs originating in Venezuela, as former U.S. Ambassador to the O.A.S. Roger Noriega revealed in a well-documented article published in his blog; and because violence and poverty -- the nation's two worst scourges -- have increased dramatically during his three years in power.

Simply put, a huge majority of the country -- including the two major political parties (including Zelaya's), the Christian churches, the other branches of government and the armed forces -- do not want him as president. All agreed that he should finish his mandate and leave power in January 2010, but no one wanted him to break the law to keep himself in the presidency. Hugo Chávez has already done that, and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Bolivia's Evo Morales and probably Ecuador's Rafael Correa are also trying to do the same. The Hondurans, without question, do not want to go down the path of Hugo Chavez's collectivist and anti-Western "caudillismo," allied to Iran, Cuba and North Korea.

What to do under these circumstances? The worst idea is to resort to force. The government of interim President Roberto Micheletti already is summoning reservists and the Army is preparing to defend the nation's sovereignty. The nationalist discourse is heating up with talk of "defense of the motherland" against foreign enemies. They worry about foreign aggression, shrewdly propelled by Chavez and his crew, in which -- inexplicably this time -- the Americans have sided with the enemies of democracy and the rule of law.

read more here -http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/carlos_alberto_montaner/2009/07/preventing_a_honduran_bloodbat.html?hpid=talkbox1

[WhiskeyGirl]

Family of interim Honduras president appealing for help

"We are desperate," said Micheletti. "Very, very desperate. We may have hours. We may have weeks. We need someone to listen to us."

Micheletti, a Tampa resident who owns a video production company here, said he is reaching out to his senators because the Obama administration has rebuffed his brother's efforts to talk about the crisis.

The United States and many other countries have condemned the situation in Honduras, saying the military staged a coup.

"They shut the door," said Micheletti. "No one from the Obama administration is willing to talk to my brother. The government in Honduras has asked us to make the case for it."

Honduras' new government has vowed to arrest ousted President Manuel Zelaya for what the government says is 18 criminal acts, including treason and failing to implement more than 80 laws approved by Congress. Zelaya also refused to comply with a Supreme Court ruling against his planned referendum on whether to hold an assembly to consider changing the constitution.

Critics feared Zelaya might try to extend his rule and cement presidential power in ways similar to what his ally Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela, although Zelaya denied that.

Showing a copy of a document purporting to be from the Honduran Supreme court charging Zelaya with treason and abuse of authority among other crimes, Micheletti said the Honduran military was only following orders of the Honduran supreme court and Congress when it seized Zelaya late last month.

"This was not a coup," Micheletti said. "This was part of a democratic process."

The State Department today said it prefers to deal with the Organization of American States rather than Roberto Micheletti.

"We have pretty much all along expressed our desire that we find some solution working with OAS," said State Department spokesman Andrew Lash. "I think that still stands; President Zelaya is coming back to Washington tomorrow to talk to the State Department."

Is the U.S. controlled by the OAS?

read more here -
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jul/06/family-interim-honduras-president-appealing-help/news-metro/

Are presidents and other rulers above the laws?  Constitutions?  Supreme Courts?  Legislative bodies?

[Edward]

You have hit the nail on the head WhiskeyGirl