(Untitled)

[crashska]

So, last time I posted, it was about the new Presidential policy of non-interference.

Then, the Honduran Supreme Court and the Honduran Legislature declared that the Honduran President was attempting to circumvent the Constitution, and got the Army to remove him- which they did with a bit too much gusto, picking him up in his PJs and tossing him

Comments

[teekachu]

I'm not so much embarrassed as I am just... really disappointed in what he's done so far. : /

Maybe in the next 3.5 years he'll get something right, but I'm about to the point of saying "fuck politics, I'm building a bunker, filling it with food, and waiting till space aliens take over Earth before I come out." I'm tired of getting my hopes up only to be horribly disappointed in the end. Sigh.

[crashska]

I don't really know what to say... I know you had high hopes while I had great fears. I think a lot of people had more hope than realistic expectations. I had concerns based on his past statements, associations, and actions, but for a lot of people the fervor of the moment and the sense of being part of something big encouraged them to overlook those clues and assign their own hopes and expectations to a candidate who had done an excellent job of saying nothing concrete in a convincing way.

[teekachu]

I don't know that it was so much a "being part of something big" as it was just thinking I saw an honest politician for once, and yes, it gave me hope. I have an easier time being optimistic than pessimistic sometimes, and this was one of those moments.

Naive? Yes, when it comes to this stuff :P

[crashska]

By no means was I trying to suggest that's what drove your decision, Teek. I was talking about the electorate in general, based on grumbling and quiet conversations I've had with some people. I don't know anything about what influenced you, but I am sure you felt he was the better choice as a leader.

Like I said, when I looked at the scant record, I saw someone with little legislative or executive experience, deep ties and political obligations to people and organizations whose goals I oppose, and a history of adopting politically expedient positions and policies. Personally, I would not trust him with a City Council position.
But many people looked at the some of those things and thought it made him more qualified for the Presidency. Suffice to say, my views of the proper role of government in our lives and of the United States in international affairs differs markedly from those of many, but not all, Obama supporters.

[twapa]

Maybe people will learn something about all of this. Like about VOTING WITH THEIR BRAINS RATHER THAN THEIR STUPID EMOTIONS.

They elected this guy BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK and because they hated Bush. WOW. Those seem like really amazingly good reasons to make somebody president!

[teekachu]

That isn't why I voted for him at all, but I'm sure that's why a lot of people did. Oh well.

[terrycloth]

I'm really hoping there's something we don't know about the Honduras situation that makes it actually a coup, and not just the same fucking mistake America *always* makes, which is basically 'prop up the dictator'.

I don't really believe that, though.

[crashska]

I tried to read info from various sources, including people who are actually IN Honduras (but whose article I can no longer find). Several of them said clearly that the Supreme Court had declared several of Zelaya's actions illegal: His order for the Army to distribute ballots for his referendum and his attempt to fire the head of the Army after his order was refused. The second one, according to one source, was explicitly in contravention of their Constitution- apparently the power to appoint and remove the head of the Army lies with the Legislature. This makes sense in the context of the history of Presidents in Latin America- they tend to rise to power and stay there, changing a democracy into a dictatorial state.

What I haven't seen much of yet is analysis of the situation that Zelaya created and the Constitutional issues raised. From what I can find, he clearly was breaking the Constitution, and should have been charged/censured/removed in a way that would follow the laws of Honduras. I am not sure why the military (or the

[sheepdog]

My brain hurts...

[crashska]

That's because your nose is not a french fry storage bin- I don't care what they told you in the lunchroom.

[sheepdog]