COUP D’ETAT. Providence city councilman Miguel Luna and ISO member Shaun Joseph recently returned from a week long delegation to Honduras in support of the National Front of Popular Resistance fighting the golpistas. Come listen to their first-hand accounts and participate in a discussion about the implications of the coup for the rest of Latin America.
Weds, 7pm, Brown’s Third World Center
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Oh — They’re coming to power via that most devious of methods: Election by a majority (or super-majority) of the population. Typically in places with much higher levels of participation than in the US. And then some of them have presented constitutional amendments to the people for approval, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. When am I supposed to get angry?
Haven’t you noticed that that is the new way socialism takes control – manipulation of legal avenues? Elections. Constitutional ammendments. Intimidation. All designed to consolidate power, remove obstacles towards absolute control. Who are his friends? Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Cuba, etc. All the usual regional thugs. As for Chavez killing… well these people certainly aren’t having fun:
http://www.softwaretimes.com/files/chavezs%20brutality.html
And for Chavez, himself, its been a rocky road:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/aug/15/venezuela.comment
The timeline I’ve followed for this particular situation looks something like this:
http://faustasblog.com/?p=13639
Zelaya was clearly following the same trajectory as those other countries to socialism. Chavez is a socialist thug in the grande tradition. He’s modified the constitution to allow unlimited terms for himself (sound familiar?), suppressed all the print media, forced revolutionary propaganda to be taught in the schools, and (I believe) he’s about to close the last remaining oppositional television station. He’s a classic leftist: fascist, socialist, oppressive.
Socialism always kills; its a fact of history. Admittedly, it could be much worse at this point (see hitler, stalin, etc), but I think he’s just getting started. He’s only just finished consolidating his power.
Why would you want to support any of what is going on down there? Or let it bleed over into neighboring countries?
Interesting opinion. Should note that the Lib of Congress makes it clear that his removal from the country and banishment were certainly illegal.
Chavez was involved in a coup attempt in the early 90s, but “took power” by winning an election in 1998 with the largest majority in decades. And in 2000. And in 2006. Not sure who Chavez’s other ‘friends’ are, but Morales won an election in 2005 as a member of an oppressed indigenous class, and won 2/3 of the vote in the 2008 recall. Lula won more than 60% of the vote in 2002 and 2006. Correa won 57% in a runoff, and then a clear majority for re-election in an 8-way race. And who exactly is modern Latin American socialism killing?
I’m sorry, you are correct. It isn’t the VP who’s in charge, it’s the president of the legislature. That still doesn’t mean it’s a coup, and it still doesn’t mean Zelaya isn’t a thug, and it still doesn’t mean the US has to stick its nose anywhere near that hornet’s nest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Micheletti
The Library of the Congress of the United States just issued an opinion on the legality of the so-called “coup”. They agree, as well: it was legal, and it isn’t a coup.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTk0NWNhNmVjOGM5ZDg4MDIzN2E4ZjRkZTU4OWNkODk=
You can argue all you want about the ins and outs of what that nonbinding referendum was about… but he was warned explicitly by the legislature and the courts about it, yet he persisted. And you can argue that his “intentions were all misunderstood” and he just wanted a constitutional convention to discuss the implementation of free lollipops and rainbows for everyone… but isn’t this the exact way Chavez and his other friends took power in their countries and oppressed people? Yes, it is.
So I figure you either don’t see the danger in Zelaya, or you like the Chavez revolution and want it Hondouras. But either way; we should have nothing to do with it. Socialism kills.
So the Micheletti government just suspended all constitutional rights for 45 days because it commands the confidence of the Honduran people? Yeah, alright. (Also the Vice President is not in charge–Zelaya’s VP was Elvin Santos, who (unconstitutionally) resigned his post so that he could run for president in November. But thanks for playing.)
Zelaya was not attempting a coup — Shaun covers it all well here:
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_honduras26_08-26-09_4UFFEI2_v18.3f8d088.html
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya did not propose “a national referendum to amend the Honduran constitution to permit him to serve an unlimited number of terms.” Instead, President Zelaya initiated a nonbinding national survey on whether the November ballot should include a referendum on whether to convoke a Constituent Assembly. The president is authorized to conduct such surveys under the Citizen Participation Law of 2006. President Zelaya proposed no change to Article 239 or any other part of the constitution; at most, he is guilty of initiating a process that might have resulted in changes to the constitution after a series of legal, popular consultations.
I don’t understand any of you – what happened in Hondouras was NOT a coup. Zeleya was attempting a coup and was removed from office through a legal, formal process, with the approval of the military, the legislature, the supreme court, and their constitution. This was the PREVENTION of a coup. The Vice President is still in charge. Zeleya’s party is still in charge. THERE IS NO COUP! All there is is a bunch of screaming leftists that seem intent on reinstalling a dictator-to-be against the wishes of the Hondouran people. Why, for God’s sake, why?