The Honduran coup was all for us
The Honduran military went on TV, making its best effort at spin. It was a valuable exercise, because now I understand that they were doing it all for me. For all of us here in the United States.
“Central America was not the objective of this communism disguised as democracy,” he said. “This socialism, communism, Chávismo, we could call it, was headed to the heart of the United States.”
Now I get it. Communism was on its way to my home, and so now I am feeling pretty relieved. Hugo Chávez likely also wants our precious bodily fluids.
11 comments:
I am not going to defend the Generals, who ought to be in jail. But they can be forgiven for thinking such a line of thinking was in bounds. After all, the US said almost the same thing a week ago:
(State Department Spokesman Crowley): We certainly think that if we were choosing a model government and a model leader for countries of the region to follow, that the current leadership in Venezuela would not be a particular model. If that is the lesson that President Zelaya has learned from this episode, that would be a good lesson.
AP: US Appears to soften support for Honduras' Zelaya
U.S. policy on Honduras' political crisis is not aimed at supporting any particular individual, the State Department said in a new letter that implied softening support for ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
The letter to Republican Senator Richard Lugar contained criticism of Zelaya, saying the left-leaning former leader had taken "provocative" actions ahead of his removal by the Honduran military on June 28.
The State Department also indicated severe U.S. economic sanctions were not being considered against the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti, which took over in Honduras after Zelaya removed from office.
Well, I've been talking about leverage. If the U.S. officially notes it will not ever use leverage, then Micheletti has a good shot of riding it out. That stinks.
If the U.S. officially notes it will not ever use leverage, then Micheletti has a good shot of riding it out.
I can only hope that that's not the case.
Zelaya's visits with Calderon and Lula are obviously designed to push the White House away from such acquiescence. I hope it works.
Would it be too much to ask someone high up in the State Dept., say the new Undersecretary for the Western Hemisphere, to take official note of and criticize the coup regime's mass arrests, beatings, and efforts to suppress the media?
(The latest of which was a military judge issuing an order to shut down Radio Globo, which the radio network is defying.)
Likewise, removing the rest of U.S. economic aid may not be under consideration. But what about freezing the U.S. assets of coup participants, revoking more diplomatic visas, and making it clear and public that the U.S. will not recognize any government resulting from elections conducted under the coup regime?
This 'do a little something every three weeks' plan isn't "measured"; it's a charade.
No reason the U.S. can't join the rest of the OAS in issuing a statement that none of the members will recognize a government resulting from elections held under the coup junta. That would peel off Elvin Santos in a big hurry.
Would it be too much to ask someone high up in the State Dept., say the new Undersecretary for the Western Hemisphere, to take official note of and criticize the coup regime's mass arrests, beatings, and efforts to suppress the media?
If Jim DeMint were not such and obdurate jackass then Valenzuela would have already been voted on and in office and could do so. Right now he can't.
Glad to see that the US realizes just what a menace and disaster Zelaya really is.
Glad to see that the US realizes just what a menace and disaster Zelaya really is.
Indeed, Zelaya's lame-duck presidency --which would last five more months-- is a menace to all of Western Civilization.
How'd you get to be so smart, anonymous?
He's a menace to Honduras and it would have lasted much more than 5 months if they'd let Mel have his way.
Luckily that did not happen.
Thanks for the reminder, Randinho. I think I saw a headline about their being reported out of committee and assumed that the floor vote on confirmation would come before the recess; guess not.
So, since Shannon is still in the job, why doesn't he take any of those steps?
@Anon: I acknowledged I was wrong about the Vice President in the post-Santos period. Failing to understand how a VP isn't really a VP requires grasping the series of convoluted, politicized judgments of the Honduran TSE, Congress, and Supreme Court (fortunately provided in a timely way by RAJ).
But you'll never acknowledge you're wrong (or b.s.ing/lying) about Zelaya trying to extend his own term in office, even though to see that only requires a grasp of the sequence of events that could have resulted from the June 28 vote: even in the "worst case" scenario (from the point of view of people opposing constitutional revision), it would have been years before any reforms could have taken effect.
Zelaya proved to be an undemocratic thug who resorted to mob rule, repeatedly broke the law, and generally trampled over all institutions that stood on his way. But of course his supporters don't care about any of that. RAJ, supposedly an academic, justified Zelaya taking The ballots by force despite court rulings because Zelaya had another interpretation of the law!
It's very clear what Zelaya was after. But if you don't want to see it...
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