DeMint Supports Honduras Military Coup

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has come out in support of the military coup in Honduras, chastising President Obama in a statement for what he calls "a slap in the face to the people" of that country.

From his statement:

"The people of Honduras have struggled too long to have their hard-won democracy stolen from them by a Chavez-style dictator. The Honduran Congress, the Honduran Supreme Court, and the Honduran military have acted in accordance to the Honduran constitution and the rule of law. [...]

"I am hopeful that as President Obama grows in office, he will eventually turn away from despots like Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, and Zelaya, and give the United States' full-throated support to the people of any country who are fighting for the same values we cherish and defend in America. The people fighting for freedom around the world, in Iran and Honduras, should never have to wonder which side America will choose between freedom and tyranny.

"President Obama's call for the reinstatement of Zelaya is a slap in the face to the people of Honduras. And the resolution written by the Organization of American States tramples over the hopes and dreams of a free and democratic people.

"The rule of law is working in Honduras. President Obama should not undermine the democratic institutions that guarantee freedom by forcing an illegitimate President back into power.

The majority of world leaders have condemned the coup, confirmed by a resolution approved Tuesday approved by the United Nations General Assembly.

President Obama is one of them.

The United States will "stand on the side of democracy," he said, and work with other nations and international groups to resolve the matter peacefully.

"We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the democratically elected president there," he continued.

"Concerns or doubts about the wisdom of [Zelaya's] actions relating to his proposed non-binding referendum are independent of the unconstitutional act taken against him," an administration official added.

The military overthrow has sparked violence in Honduras, with thousands protesting and pro-Zelaya union leaders announcing a national strike. Clashes Monday near the presidential palace between pro-Zelaya demonstrators and the army left people on both sides injured -- the most serious violence the country has seen in years.

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Comments

[Honduras]

Check the Congress Bills on Honduras pro-Zelaya and pro-Constitution
The game is to find the big mistake in the pro-ZElaya, which shows the depth of fact-gathering, and trying to find any legal justification in it (and the fact that the rest of the world condemned is not one)
At least the pro-constitution gathered some legal facts

[Alabama John]

Intelligent middleclass DeMint -- Chief of a police state

Before the Civil War South Carolina was a slave state, then after the war it became a police state in order to continue the enslavement of laboring men. For before the war there were white bond slaves and black chain slaves, then after the chains were removed their laboring men all became economical slaves.

For today in South Carolina 95% of all prisoners in jails, prisons and insane asylums are laboring men, the laboring class being those with less then 12 years of formal education. The intrinsic reason being that all of law enforcement is of the intelligent middleclass and they spend 95% of their time policing laboring men.

So no wonder intelligent middleclass DeMint sees no value in the way democratically elected President Zelaya raised minimum wage for the laboring class by 60%, gave out free school lunches, provided milk for the babies and pensions for the elderly, distributed energy-saving light bulbs, decreased the price of public transportation, made more scholarships available for students, fixed the roads, put schools in remote rural areas that never had them before, let anyone go into the Presidential Palace and converted it from an elite residence to the people's house.

[crush2496]

This is the faith that was awaiting for Honduras

Hugo Chavez closes 285 radio and Tv stations in Venezuela.

Article in Spanish
http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/090703/latinoamerica/ams_gen_venezuela_medios

How about the mayor in Venezuela writing a letter of complaint to the OEA regarding abuses from Chavez against his office a month after chavez took control of all the airports and ports in the main cities.

http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/090703/latinoamerica/ams_gen_venezuela_alcalde

I guess now that Izulsa is here he can look into this too. Yeah right

[joze14rock]

What the wretched "world community", pomping itself with humanitarian nonsense and tyrannic idiocy, is doing
is giving Honduras the hemlock and shoving it down the Honduran People's throat.

Honduras: The last country free from the Chavez Axis of Socialist despotism.
Supporting the ideals of freedom propogated by the United States and the demands of Democracy,
has found itself betrayed by that very nation and it's amateurish President.

IT IS NOT A COUP!!!

Isn't it wonderful how the world, including the Democratic run U.S. government, is going to let people starve for the sake
of an illusion of "democracy" orchestrated by Socialist Despotism?

It's sickening. And I must sadly admit, that although I love the United States with all my heart
and even joined the military to defend such a great nation,
for a fraction of a second
I was ashamed to be an American.

The Honduran people are showing a perseverance and a will that makes even the greatest of nations tremble.
For the sake of freedom from tyranny, Honduras is frowned upon by the rest of the ignorant world who refuses to view the situation in context.
How utterly disgusting.

[TreeHugger14]

See, what I find much more disgusting is the spin used to deny reality and live within this dream that a) The United States is a proponent of democracy around the world, b)This coup some how represents the voice of the Honduran people, and c) somehow we are betraying Honduras...Get real
First of all, more than half of the Honduran population finds itself steeped within dire poverty, the effects of this Neo-Conservative globalization approach that is used to exploit smaller third world nations. All he wished to propose to his people was a small act of democracy, an act that was quickly undermined by the elite in Honduras, you know the politicians, judges, the wealthy, and the military..to see someone somehow sickened by Obama's response to a military ousting of a democratically elected official is beyond belief to me. You should be ashamed of yourself to ignore the past 8....no, the past 30 years of a conservative socio-economic and geo-political policies that has created the proto-facist and corporate controlled nation we are immersed in today, yet be ashamed of your country for not backing a military coup. I am shocked at your assertions, and, in your own words, utterly disgusted

[crush2496]

So it is ok to do a small act of democracy by breaking the law.
another small act by firing a General for not following his illegal orders
Breaking into a warehouse and take the ballots that were confiscated by the supreme court.
60,000 dollars cash in his office.
What happen on June 29 is nothing compared to have he has been doing to us.
I agree no president can support this action, because every country will and can follow suit. We as Hondurans have to respect that. But this is changing the face of Honduras. We might be alone right now, but we will probe right in the future.
For the first time in my country Justice has been serve, you might find the constitution different than yours but is our constitution and is supported by the mayority believe it or not. Check some honduran papers for pro and against Zelalya photos.

[mpak]

To change the constitution the Legislative branch in Honduras needs a 2/3 majority to present a referendum to the people.

Zelaya didn't get the votes he needed in the legislature, so he decided to pass out referendums himself. The Judicial branch of Honduras ruled his actions illegal and the legislative branch chose to take him out of office and take away his citizenship which is lawful according to the Honduran constitution as seen in the comment Ill post below.

Zelaya obviously can't be in office if he is not a Honduran citizen. Unfortunately Honduras has no impeachment process, so the only way to take him out of office was through the military. There is no doubt that both the legislature and judicial branch in Honduras found Zelayas actions illegal.

[mpak]

ARTICULO 42.- La calidad de ciudadano se pierde: 5. Por incitar, promover o apoyar el continuismo o la reelección del Presidente de la República

[This says that if a citizen incites, promotes, or supports "continuism" (which means essentially the office of a president-for-life) or (even just) the reelection of the president of the republic, then he/she loses his/her citizenship. ]

and

ARTICULO 239.- El ciudadano que haya desempeñado la titularidad del Poder Ejecutivo no podrá ser Presidente o Vicepresidente de la República.

El que quebrante esta disposición o proponga su reforma, así como aquellos que lo apoyen directa o indirectamente, cesarán de inmediato en el desempeño de sus respectivos cargos y quedarán inhabilitados por diez (10) años para el ejercicio de toda función pública.

[The citizen that has (once) held (a title of) executive power may not then be president or vice-president. Whoever breaks this law or (even) proposes its reform, as with those that directly or indirectly support such a reform, cease immediately to hold their positions and are prohibited for the period of ten years from holding any public function.]

http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Honduras/hond05.html

[loki]

well Bush didnt even say a word when the Military took over Thailand , why would you think GOP would say anything about this coup. Besides, I wouldnt be surprised if the GOP is building up Blackwater to do the same here in the US. Probably why Bush had put most of our forces and reserves overseas. For the Neo Con New World Order military coup. Thank god Obama got in to stall the process. But Im sure IF that is what they want, the GOP will still try it. Hopefully it will go like everything else they do, and fail.

[mpak]

The military didnt take over in Honduras...

The new president is the head of the supreme court

[joze14rock]

that has nothing to do with any of this!! Are you serious??

[Whitley2009]

Sen. DeMint forgets that both the USA and Honduras are signatories to the Charter of the Organization of American States. It reads, in part, to have the following purposes:

"a) To strengthen the peace and security of the continent;

b) To promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention;

c) To prevent possible causes of difficulties and to ensure the pacific settlement of disputes that may arise among the Member States;

d) To provide for common action on the part of those States in the event of aggression;

e) To seek the solution of political, juridical, and economic problems that may arise among them"

The OAS has held the removal of Zelaya was illegal. What they and the US are saying is go back, and do it in a LEGAL manner under the terms of the OAS Charter.

[Zatara]

Please note,

- Chavez has warned the OAS that he would create his own organization unless Insulza agreed more openly with him. And what happened shortly thereafter? Cuba was allowed to come back to the OAS although it's not in compliance with the LA democratic charter. Fraud.


- Until two nights ago who was SICA president? Daniel Ortega


- Miguel D'Escoto, the current President of the United Nations General Assembly (the guy making a fool of himself at the UN is a Nicaraguan who: 

a) was appointed foreign minister after the Sandinista triumph in 1979.

b) served as foreign minister in Daniel Ortega's FSLN government from 1979 to 1990

c) received the Lenin Peace Prize for 1985-1986

[Whitley2009]

It might pay to deal with the matter at hand rather than bringing in Chavez and every fruit loop in SA and CA. Let's see what the OAS is going to do. They have intervened 100 times since 1962, and they have a rather good record except in the most difficult cases. And, the fact is that the USA and Honduras have agreed to work within the OAS in such matters before accelerating matters.

[Prattvictory2]

What your saying is if democracy involves someone you don't like, Ortega, Castro or Chavez you can ignore it.

Cuba rejected OAS membership. They aren't a factor in the OAS other than the OAS would like to cultivate a relationship with them.

You throw these names around as though mere mention is supposed to arouse a reaction. Being on the other side of these names are to be on the side of right. Being on the other side of these people justifies a military coup?

Wrong

[pmretep]

You sound like a guy from Honuras whose family's ill-gotten riches are in jeopardy. Does your family live behind big high walls with barbed wire across the top guarded by a paramilitary force?

[mpak]

Please show me the impeachment process in Honduras. The coup was legal because there was no other way to take Zelaya out of office

[cinemabon]

I'm a life-long democract and Obama supporter. However, the facts in this case do not add up. The Supreme Court of Honduras ordered the military to arrest the president. Technically, that is not a coup d'etat. A coup involves the illegal overthrow of a government. In this case, the president tried to force through a referendum that violated constitutional law. I hate to say this, but the Republican might just be correct in this case. The State Department may have jumped the gun.

[Zatara]

They did jump the gun, but no one blames Obama. All he knew was that Zelaya was taken out of the country by the Honduran military. But this is what exactly happened,

Imagine Obama announced that he was going to hold a referendum on legalizing a third term for himself. Imagine that even his attorney general Eric Holder advised him that it was illegal. Imagine that the Supreme Court ruled that holding the referendum was unconstitutional. In spite of that, let's imagine that Obama coerced the FEC to hold the referendum any way. Then we found out that the referendum was being financed by Hugo Chavez. What should the Joint Chiefs do? That is exactly what has occurred in Honduras to a tee. The Honduras Attorney General and their Supreme Court did exactly that. Their Generals did what they had to.

[julessiegel]

Zelaya did not announce a referendum on legalizing reelection (for a second term. not a third). It was an encuesta -- a survey -- by the National Institute of Statistics -- on public opinion about putting an option for a constituent assembly on the November ballot. He has never even mentioned reelection, as far as I've been able to determine, except to assert that he does not seek it. His term ends in January 2010, which is before any constiuent assembly could be convoked. After he announced the survey, the Honduras Congress passed a law forbidding referendums or plebiscites within 180 days before a national election. It did not mention the very specific Spanish term encuesta, nor does the constitution, which defines referendums and plebiscites in Article 5. Encuestas are clearly protected in the constitution under the guarantee of freedom of research.

[nick1936]

I am with you on this one we should be backing the supream court and the congress of this country.

[Weirdwriter]

The U.S.State Department did what was logical in this case -- it saw the removal of an elected leader at military gunpoint and thought "coup," because by most modern countries' legal definition, that's what it was.

The Honduran administration's response to criticism was muddled. If this sort of action is provided for in their constitution, they should have provided the reference immediately. They miught have avoided a lot of misunderstanding by now.

Otherwise, you have to wonder what the hurry was and why Z's opponents couldn't just impeach him for alleged illegalities.

[Sarge0311]

You are abolutely correct here.
Zelaya was attempting to subvert their constitution and place himself in absolute power. He has been Chavez's lapdog for the last 3.5 years and wanted the same dictatorial powers that Chavez has created for himself. Hence, Hugo's support for Zelaya.
Zelaya ordered his generals to violate the constitution and fired them when they refused. The AG, the Congress and the Supreme Court all told him it was illegal. He still tried.
The Hondurans did not have a "bloody" coup. They arrested him and sent him into exile.
The military was ordered by the courts to arrest him for violating the constitution.
We should be supporting the now legal government of Honduras. Which has already stated that they would be willing to hold elections earlier than scheduled in order to resolve the situation internationally.
Doesn't sound like a military Junta to me.

[vortac2101]

Just because the Honduran Supreme Court and Honduran National Congress are complicit in the coup doesn't mean it isn't a coup. They basically impeached Zelaya without an impeachment trial, ostensibly for the violations of Honduran law by Chavez, Correa, and Morales.

[mpak]

But what is wrong with coup when it is the only way to take a president out of office when he has acted illegally?

[lightningbolt]

Republicans love dictators and hate democracy. They still think Chavez is a dictator. They think a coup is democracy. Their whole world view is upside down.

[blakestone]

Chavez has absolute power and control over Venezuela and you are telling us he is not a dictator?

[lightningbolt]

That's what you would think if you watched faux news. Stop getting your news from that channel. Chavez does not have absolute power.

[Zatara]

1. Chavez led a coup in 1992 against Perez and failed.

2. Chavez was jailed.

3. Chavez lied three times saying he wouldn't seek re-election, wouldn't nationalize any private company, and wouldn't close broadcasting news medias. Since then Chavez has modified the constitution so that if any media or anyone says anything negative about him or his government they will be imprisoned. While in power he has closed numerous news agencies and victimized news reporters in the name of his Revolution. The only new agency the is free and independent is Globovision, which is being closed by Chavez soon.

4. Chavez modified the constitution thus doesn't have to run for reelection. He controls everything from the ballots to the Electoral Tribunal.

5. Chavez modified the constitution so that he doesn't need the Courts or Congress to pass a law.

So you are saying Chavez isn't a Dictator?

[lj9283]

1. After the 1992 failed Chávez was sent to Yare prison; meanwhile, Pérez, the coup's intended target, was impeached a year later.

2. After a two-year imprisonment, Chávez was pardoned by President Rafael Caldera in 1994.

3. Chávez went on to win the 1998 presidential election on December 6, 1998 with 56% of the vote.

4. Following Chavez's inauguration in February 1999, a referendum for a new constitution was soon passed, and a constitutional assembly formed. The resulting 1999 Venezuelan Constitution was approved by the public in another referendum on 15 December 1999. The new constitution included an increase in the presidential term from five to six years, a new presidential two-term limit, and a new provision for presidential recall elections,

5. Chavez survived the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt back by the Bush Government.

6. In 2006 Chavez won re-election with about 63 percent of the vote.

7. On August 15, 2007, Chavez proposed a broad package of measures as part of a constitutional reform. Among other measures, he called for an end to presidential term limits. A referendum was defeated, with 51% of the voters rejecting the amendments proposed by Chávez.. Chavez accepted the electoral defeat.

Dictators don’t accept defeats.

[JulieSA]

Chavez is a would-be dictator. Everything he has done while in office has been done to concentrate power in his office, eliminate crucial checks and balances, and make himself president-for-life. Worse, he spreads this to other countries using oil money.

[Vieux Charles]

Oil money is only bad when we use it - to invade countries to take their oil - even though we haven't taken any.

...urhh nevermind

[Sarge0311]

In what world are you living in?
Chavez IS a dictator by every definition of the word.
Republicans love dictators? That is certainly among the most idiotic statements I have ever seen. And I've seen plenty of those here.

[elzeke]

It is really not that complicated.

The guy was kicked out by the other branches of our government.
Never mind all the specially selected excerpts from our Constitution posted here. Our scholars, who are the ultimate experts, all agree with our Congress and Supreme Court.
The One Term limit, which Zelaya was well on his way to eliminate it, was implemented specially for leaders like Zelaya. I should know, I remember when our Constitution was crafted and followed the event closely.

Obviously a very unpopular decision among the so called "free world", but nevertheless a legal one.

We can now only hope that our government can withstand the pressure led by the Latin American left.

"Mejor seis meses de presion, que 20 años de represion".

[snesich]

Goober Pyle, eh, I mean Jim DeMint, of course, would support a group of thugs with weapons who overthrew an democratically elected leader. Why would this surprise anyone?

DeMint's support of these thugs just reaffirms his retrograde, backward, anti-democratic view of the world.

It was written that during the 1964 Republican Convention, there was a "whiff of fascism" in the air; with DeMint, it's more than a "whiff"---the stench of his fascism makes the entire room unbearable.

[blakestone]

Wiki Fascism and then come back on here and write something that is a bit more intelligent.

[cheisdead]

Comrades - Long Live Ze CHE Ya !

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/ekattan/2-Partidarios-de-Zelaya-piden-su-re.jpg

[lj9283]

Article 5 of the Honduran "Civil Participation Act" of 2006 allows all public functionaries to perform non-binding public consultations to inquire what the population thinks about policy measures. This act was approved by the National Congress and it was not contested by the Supreme Court of Justice, when it was published in the Official Paper of 2006.

"Furthermore, the Honduran Constitution says nothing against the conformation of an elected National Constituent Assembly, with the mandate to draw up a completely new constitution, which the Honduran public would need to approve. Such a popular participatory process would bypass the current one specified in article 373 of the current constitution, in which the National Congress has to approve with 2/3 of the votes"

http://rebelreports.com/post/133319827/why-president-zelayas-actions-in-honduras-were-legal

The exact wording of the non binding resolution is:

"Do you agree with the installation of a fourth ballot box during the 2009 general elections so that the people can decide on the calling of a national constituent assembly? Yes or no."

http://www.poliblogger.com/?p=16138

Nothing about extending a presidential term, but calling for a poll to see if a constitutional convention should be voted on in the November (the election that will vote Zelaya out of office as his term will expire and he cannot run).

[Zatara]

- The act was made Binding by the Executive office when it was printed officially in the governmental newspaper La Gaceta on June 26th. Thus ILLEGAL. Just like Correa and Morales have done down to the letter in Ecuador and Bolivia respectively.

[Liberal2]

Well, of course a conservative endorses a military coup. Hell, they tried one in this country against FDR. Luckily, the man they contacted Marine General Smedly Butler was a man of ethics and true patriotism: He contacted authorities.

[raven119]

A Republican who's pro coup. Hope it's not a trend or the beginning of RNC policy.

[1dogs2]

The BEGINNING of RNC policy? This used to be the policy of BOTH parties, which is how the US earned its lousy reputation in Central and South America. Never saw a military coup we didn't love. Thank goodness the WH is now occupied by someone with a better understanding of what democracy requires, such as honoring constitutional law and free elections, even when we don't like the resulting choice.

[blakestone]

I am sorry, but the Honduran Constitutional law was upheld but here comes Barrak meddling in foreign governments, contrary to what he said he would not do in Iran.