Honduras: Set the bar high for democracy in the Americas
With US support, the Organization of American States has threatened to expel Honduras. The Pentagon has cut off military ties. Our Secretary of State wants the actions of the Honduran government to be “condemned by all”.
Kathy describes this situation as one of regional democracy at work. Personally, I am more inclined to James Kirchick’s view that it is extremely strange for real democratic governments to be lining up so passionately behind Manuel Zelaya, a disciple of Hugo Chavez and friend of Fidel Castro — all in the name of democracy.
As I noted earlier this week, I think that the real democrats in Honduras could’ve dealt with Zelaya in a less confrontational and destabilizing manner. Regardless, it wouldn’t have been hard for the US and the OAS to take a more balanced approach to the crisis in Tegucigalpa.
But there may be a silver lining to this cloud. With US support, the OAS is setting the bar very high for democracy. It is demonstrating that it will enforce the rules relentlessly even when pro-American, pro-democracy governments break them. So the next time that one of Chavez’s disciples tries to establish a dictatorship in democratic clothing, the same high standard will apply.
Of course, this all assumes that diplomacy at the OAS is driven by a good measure of high principle…
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2 Comments - add your own
AntonioSosa — July 6, 2009 at 11:27 am
Hondurans are defending themselves from the fraudulent scheme devised by the enemies of freedom and democracy to impose Marxism with “democratic” elections and referendums. Hondurans have seen this strategy unfold in the countries being destroyed by the Marxist thugs headed by Castro/Chavez. They don’t want the tragedy of those countries repeated in Honduras. They would rather be isolated for a few years than enslaved for more than 50 like the Cubans!
The enemies of democracy work along these lines in Latin America:
1. Select a wannabe dictator — a depraved megalomaniac who is ready to sell out his country (like Chavez, Morales, Correa, Zelaya). Help him run for president of the country.
2. Invest millions in a “professional” campaign demonizing the opposition and promising CHANGE to help the poor, end corruption, improve schools… whatever people want to hear.
3. Commit as much fraud as possible to make sure the wannabe dictator wins.
4. Have “protectors of human rights” like Insulza (OAS) — who have really been trampling on human rights by promoting communism for years — declare that the elections were “legal and transparent.”
5. Make sure that, once in power, the wannabe dictator takes over the Legislative and Judicial branches of power, destroys the country’s institutions, intimidates and controls the media, and demonizes, intimidates and even kills anyone trying to defend the country.
6. Have a referendum to approve a new constitution. Representatives of the people are supposed to write that constitution. In reality, people don’t even know what’s in the new constitution, which is written by Spaniards working for Castro/Chavez before the wannabe dictator even “runs” for office.
7. Have Insulza (OAS) and others who pretend to “protect human rights” declare that the referendum is perfectly “legal and transparent.”
The goal of the new constitution is to help the wannabe dictator become a full-blown dictator for life (like Castro in Cuba), prevent people from defending themselves, and use the country to help drug cartels, Islamic terrorists, etc. destroy the U.S. And all of it under the cloak of “democracy”!
Congratulations, Hondurans! You are right! Any thinking person would rather be isolated for a few years than enslaved for more than 50 like the Cubans!
AntonioSosa — July 6, 2009 at 11:31 am
David Adesnik, the OAS with Insulza as Secretary General has become a key arm of Castro/Chavez to pretend “democratic election” and prevent people from defending themselves.
By siding with Zelaya and against the rule of law and the human rights of Hondurans, the corrupt UN and OAS demonstrate again that, rather than defending human rights, they support dictators who trample on those rights. The world in general and the Americas in particular would benefit from the closing of both pernicious organizations. As a bonus, we would all save money and their fancy buildings could be put to better use!
To further empower and enrich itself, the UN helps promote evil schemes, such as Obama’s global warming/cap and trade Ponzy scheme, which will kill the U.S. economy. The OAS, with Insulza as Secretary General, has been helping Castro and Chavez enslave Latin Americans. Playing an active role in Allende’s Popular Unity, which sought to impose Marxism in Chile, Insulza has a long and shameful Marxist record.
Venezuelans, Bolivians, Ecuadorians, etc. have written open letters to Insulza begging him to defend them from Chavez, Morales, Ortega, Correa, and the rest of the Marxist thugs. Insulza has responded by declaring “transparent and democratic” the fraudulent elections of his Marxist friends. The UN and the OAS have become enemies of freedom and democracy and should be dissolved.