Photo by SkyTruth

Thursday, US State Department assistant secretary Philip J. Crowley made the following statement about Niger:

MR. CROWLEY: Right. Very fluid situation and the Embassy there is monitoring it closely. Indications are it could be an attempted coup. There was evidently an attempted assassination of President Tandja. My understanding is that our Embassy staff is safe. We do have Congressman Mark Grayson of Florida who happened to be in the country at the time and he is currently at the Embassy and is also safe.

This is a difficult situation. President Tandja has been trying to extend his mandate in office. Both the United States and ECOWAS have expressed our concerns about that, and obviously that may well have been an act on his behalf that precipitated this act today. Clearly, we do not in any way, shape, or form, defend violence of this nature. But clearly, we think this underscores that Niger needs to move ahead and – with the elections and the formation of a new government.

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was removed from power 7 months before his term expired by an order from the Supreme Court and Congress of Honduras. Admittedly, the order was carried out by the military. But, no power of the state was dissolved, and the elections that were already planned for November were carried out as scheduled. Zelaya was against the elections and was trying to push through constitutional reform to “refound Honduras”, presumably as a socialist state in the image of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador.

On the other hand in Niger, the military dissolved all the powers of the government. The president of Niger had been successful in reforming the constitution a few months before, and was removed after a 4-hour gun battle.

With Honduras, minutes after Zelaya landed in Costa Rica, President Obama said: “We believe the coup was not legal … I think it would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seing military coups as a means of political transition.”

Where is the outrage of the United States! Where is the State Departments decency! Where is their commitment to truth! Or at very least, their consistency! All of these seem to be sold out to uranium mining interests. Niger is has the fifth largest Uranium reserves on Earth.

After months of purposely mystical and calculated comments, the US State department is now speaking with diaphanous clarity on the situation in Honduras. This sudden openness came after it became clear that Zelaya would not uphold the Tegucigalpa/San Jose agreement if not reinstated immediately. In today’s press conference, Ian Kelly showed with detail, the position of the US on Honduras’s November 29 election, and although raising a hostile eyebrow of the clearly pro-Zelaya questioner, survived.

This is a large excerpt from yesterday’s daily press briefing:

QUESTION: Ian, on Honduras, the parliament seems to have put off until after the election a decision on whether Zelaya will be restored. What does that do for the possible credibility of these elections?
MR. KELLY: Yeah. Well, let me give you kind of an update of where we are. Craig Kelly, of course, has been in Tegucigalpa. He’s been down there to help support the implementation of the accord. He held a series of meetings down there to support the OAS efforts to have it fully implemented. He’s met with President Zelaya and he met with the de facto leader Mr. Micheletti. He told us that these were very frank and open talks.
Regarding the reports on the Honduran lawmakers will not decide on whether or not to restore Zelaya until after the elections, according to the accord, the – it called for the national congress to issue a pronouncement on the restoration of a democratically elected authority, Mr. Zelaya. As you know, it never stipulated a timetable for the congressional action. All along, we’ve called on the congress to act expeditiously in the spirit of the accord. We believe that steady steps towards the implementation of the accord will enhance the prospects for transparent, free, and open elections that will ultimately resolve this crisis and allow Honduras to rejoin the international community of nations.
Another one of these important steps towards the implementation of the accord and resolving this crisis is the formation of the – of a government of national unity. So that’s also an important component to this.
But since the accord never actually gave any kind of deadline by – to have this vote by the national congress, scheduling the vote on December 2^nd doesn’t necessarily – isn’t necessarily inconsistent with the accord.
QUESTION: What – I’m sorry. That’s – you’ve just opened your – this is – they’re going to have a field day with this. So it’s okay with you if five years from now, they go and come back and say, all right, yeah, Zelaya can go – he’s restored, when you can’t – you can’t be restored after you’re voted out of office if you’re not – he’s not even running.
MR. KELLY: That’s right. I mean, he – his term ends the end of January.
QUESTION: Yeah. And so it’s okay – so it’s okay with you, and you’ll – it will be all right and you’ll accept the results of the election, if they – even if they don’t put him back in when you –
MR. KELLY: Well, he’s not running. He’s not running for the election.
QUESTION: Yeah, but he’s going to be out – he’s effectively out of office. I mean, talk about – that’s the lamest of lame ducks. He’s not – he is – I’m confused. You no longer think that he has to be restored before he is voted out of office?
MR. KELLY: Well, it has been a very strong principle of ours that in order for the country to be reconciled, there has to be a restoration of the democratically elected president. That implies that he has to be restored before the end of his term, okay?
QUESTION: So basically –
QUESTION: All right. So 10 minutes – 10 minutes before the end of his term?
QUESTION: December – until the end of January it can be.
MR. KELLY: Look, I mean, clearly, he has to be restored in a timely way. And I don’t think we’ve ever said anything but that.
QUESTION: Well –
MR. KELLY: But what we’re focused on is the implementation of the accord. I mean, that’s – and – I think that’s what everybody has to be focused on is. And that’s what Craig Kelly was down there for to make sure that it’s done step by step. And there are a number of steps that have to take place. Now, the national congress has set a date to pronounce on this, to pronounce on this issue of the – what – I mean, the accord calls it a pronouncement on the reversion of the executive branch, a pronouncement on the – whether or not Mr. Zelaya should return.
This is a – this is basically – it’s a – we have a lot of interests, obviously. This is – the Organization of American States have a – has a lot of interest in having a government down there that reflects the will of the people and having reconciliation between the Zelaya camp and the Micheletti camp.
QUESTION: Am I correct in thinking that there’s –
MR. KELLY: And the accord is the best to do this.
QUESTION: Am I correct in thinking that there is no way to guarantee that this pronouncement will even restore him to office?
MR. KELLY: It’s up to the congress.
QUESTION: They could come –
MR. KELLY: The both sides –
QUESTION: — back and say no, he can’t come back and –
MR. KELLY: They could come back. I mean, that is –
QUESTION: Well, what happens then?
MR. KELLY: Well, we’ll – let’s see then.
QUESTION: Then you walk into –
MR. KELLY: It’s now. It’s not then.
QUESTION: Ian, will the election –
MR. KELLY: It’s a Honduran crisis. And we want to make sure that –
QUESTION: Well –
MR. KELLY: — the Hondurans are able to sit down –
QUESTION: — you inserted yourself into it –
MR. KELLY: We have.
QUESTION: — quite – so it’s no longer just a Honduran crisis. You’re involved.
MR. KELLY: Of course, we’re involved. We are involved because we want to be involved, because it’s important for us to be involved. We’re involved because they want us to be involved.
QUESTION: Ian, the election will enjoy international support, including that of the United States, even if at the time they vote the Congress hasn’t decided?
MR. KELLY: It all depends on how the vote is conducted. It depends on how the campaign is conducted. We will decide how to pronounce on the election when we see how it is conducted.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Sorry, another topic.

Photo by YamilGonzales

Most politicians in the Western hemisphere are celebrating Roberto Micheletti and Manuel Zelaya’s decision to sign the Guaymuras Accord. The key point of it is allowing the Honduran congress, with the supervision of the Supreme Court, to decide whether or not Zelaya is to be reinstated. But why are the left celebrating? Congress almost unanimously voted to depose Zelaya in June. It’s very premature to say Zelaya will be restored, unless the news aren’t telling the whole story.

Even in the Liberal party, the party that put Zelaya in power, most congressional deputees are against Zelaya’s restitution. The opposition party, the National party, is unanimous against him. In order for Zelaya to be restored, he would have to convince about 80% of congress or buy them. La Gringa wrote yesterday in her blog that the National Party is abstaining the vote, which to me is monumentally stupid. But even should they abstain, probability is against Zelaya’s return. Holed up in the Brazilian embassy, he simply doesn’t have the votes, or even something to offer the congressional deputees. Why is everyone celebrating?

But, there are two reasons to celebrate, the first is that the OAS, the United States, the European Union, France, Costa Rica and Panama have said they will now recognize the outcome of the November 29 elections. That is enough to throw the house out the window for joy, as we say in Latin America. The second is related: Chavez failed in making Honduras a satellite of his Bolivarian Socialist Revolution.

Chávez is probably having a very bad day. Yesterday he received letters from members of the US congress telling him they are proposing Venezuela be added to the “state sponsors of terrorism” list. His tirade against them is one of his most acerbic to date:

“¡Maldito imperio, mil veces maldito, algún día se hundirá en la historia negra! … ¡Te maldigo mil veces imperio yanqui!, no me importan nada los planes que tenga para conmigo”

“Accursed empire, a thousand times accursed, some day it wil sink into dark history! I curse you a thousand times Yankee empire, I don’t care anything for the plans it has against me”

As if that weren’t enough, Colombia and the US signed an agreement which gives them access to seven military bases in Colombia. I haven’t read a reaction from Chávez to this. He is probably brooding his anger, another explosion would only further damage his already severely weakened image in the world stage.

In Nicaragua, after their office of constitutional affairs, in a ridiculously transparent act of corruption, paved the way for indefinite reelection for ex-dictator Daniel Ortega, the opposition magistrates of the Nicaraguan supreme court have pronounced themselves against this. Oops. Too soon to celebrate, Chávez.

And then Honduras celebrates a “victory”. This is very bitter for Chávez, because his investment in Zelaya was not altruistic. He had much to gain in having an ally in Honduras, but now even in the remote chance that Zelaya would be restored, he would have to give up power in less than two months, and be replaced, according to current polls, by a much more capitalist Pepe Lobo.

As for me, even when the elections are recognized and Honduras returns to normal, the whole crisis has a very sour taste. I hope our flirt with disaster will shake up all the “oligarchy”, or better said the kleptocracy, that has continually robbed us. The prolonged rape of the people that the political elite, both left and right, has sustained in Honduras is far worse than the most monstrous imaginings of the wickedest pornographic movie director.

I have more faith in socialism than in people like Zelaya and Chávez, or even, –gasp–, presidential candidates Pepe Lobo and Elvin Santos. I have slightly more faith in capitalism, that in its greed, at least thrives on freedom. But it will be time for celebration only when corruption and ignorance are defeated in Honduras.

This editorial is an interesting look at Chavismo’s influence in the US.

I’m marching today at the international anti-Chávez demonstrations. Look up your city at nomaschavez.org, and join us. If it were not for Chávez, Zelaya would still be president, curiously. It was his rhetoric the provoked the opposition to do what they did. When it was happening I though Chávez was doing it on purpose with Zelaya to provoke a self-coup.

If it were not for Chávez, Obama would have been more successful in forging friendship with Latin America. If it were not for Chávez, Fidel and Ahmadinejad would be friendless. If it were not for Chávez, there would be freedom of speech in Venezuela. El Salvador and Nicaragua would not have former guerilla organizations, the FMLN and the Sandinistas ruling them.

So I’m marching against him.

I doubt there will be many people in Monterrey’s march, especially since there has been a lot of rain lately. But I’m marching anyway.

The way forward is clear. Hondurans need to tighten their belts and vote en masse. Once the election is over, I doubt the US will make another Taiwan out of us. But if it does, so be it.

The alternative, would be a socialist Honduras. If this occurs, I’d probably renounce my Honduran citizenship and become a Mexican. I wouldn’t seek, I think, to immigrate to the US, I’d probably never get over the anger enough to recite the pledge of allegiance with a clear conscience.

The US has gone further than I thought possible. Not only is it denying all aid, which was likely, but it has stated that it will not recognize the outcome of the November 29 elections “at this moment”. Strange choice of words, but disastrously bad decision. Here is a link to the US Dept. of State Communique.

I have no words to express my anger and disappointment. I have to think about this, I wasn’t expecting it from the US.

To hear Zelaya speak with such smugness makes me apoplectic with rage!

Hillary Clinton is considering whether to call the events of June 28 in Honduras a “military coup”. Such a designation would mean automatic denial of US aid. Her reticence in doing so earlier shows just how debatable the situation is. A full two months have come and gone since the events.

A friend of mine sent me a link to an article explaining the US State Department’s coup lexical crisis. It seems the dictionary hasn’t been much help. The article is much clearer than my abortive attempts to explain the situation, and deserves your time, please read it

It’s worth remembering that it was Chávez and Zelaya, on June 25, who used the word “coup” to describe the Honduran Supreme Court and Congress’s decision to call Zelaya’s proposed referendum “unconstitutional” and “illegal”.

There were even full articles and videos (1, 2, 3) with the heading “Honduras coup” two days before Zelaya was removed, on June 25, from Telesur, El Universal (Venezuela) and Venezolana de Television. Hugo Chávez later admitted to have infitrated CNN years ago, and with Krupskaia Alis, an ex-employee of Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista regime as CNN’s Honduran correspondent, it was easy to lie to the world.

Consider this excerpt form Hitler’s Mein Kampf:

“the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods.”

I wonder if we’d find a copy of Mein Kampf in Chávez’s library, heavily annotated and stained from being in prison. Hitler and he were both imprisoned from failed attempts of gaining power through a coup. Their shared experience would naturally suggest the book to Chávez.

Consider also this quote, attributed to Lenin, that “A lie, told often enough, becomes the truth.” Chávez is using both these techniques liberally.

We need to extricate the lies from our minds, and expose them to the world. The danger of this is to create so much repetition, that people don’t care anymore. But continual exposure to the truth will set us free.

Image by John Keogh, used with a Creative Commons license

215 million dollars were promised to Honduras in the Millennium Challenge for agricultural and transportation development. During Zelaya’s presidency, 63 million dollars were given. Has this money been reaching it’s intended recipients?

Secretary of State Clinton is pondering whether to deny the remaining 152 million dollars by declaring the events of the 28th of June a “military coup” in retaliation for this week’s failure of the OAS to force Micheletti to sign the San José accord.

Who does this affect? Farmers and farmers only. Is this fair?

Image by Rich Evenhouse, used with a Creative Commons license

El Heraldo reports that the U.S. has suspended non-urgent non-immigrant visas for Hondurans as a “measure of support” for the chancellor’s meeting in Tegucigalpa. The US Embassy in Tegucigalpa has not yet published this on it’s website as of now. Reuters calls it a “reduction of visa services”, and elicits from my lips a wry smile. How nicely put.

I am saddened and disappointed at Mrs. Clinton’s decision. I am glad I am not in the U.S. Even less now, with all I owe to Mr. Walton’s generosity, do I want to live there or someday become a U.S. Citizen.

Image by El Heraldo

A new article on the Wall Street Journal Online analyzes the links between the Colombian guerilla, Hugo Chávez, and the UD party in Honduras. Apparently the UD is listed in the documents that were recovered in last year’s raid of a rebel base in the Ecuadorian jungle.

The article places the FARC’s share of the Colombian cocaine market at 60%. It highlights the contradictory postures of Mexico’s President Calderon, and US President Obama in backing Manuel Zelaya’s return to office, and the growing cost of the war on drugs.

No mention is made of Zelaya’s imprudent comments. These rash words probably had a chilling effect in Calderón’s attitude toward Zelaya. Word of mouth says he swore loudly when he heard of them.

Although the Honduran issue is not on the agenda for the ongoing summit between the presidents of Canada, the US and Mexico, the topic is very likely to come up.

Image by HablaHonduras, used with a Creative Commons license