In Defense of Honduras

The Honduran military should be congratulated on its recent action in deposing a want-to-be dictator and enforcing the will of the Honduran congress and Supreme Court. By expelling former president Manuel Zelaya from the country, the Honduran military acted in the interest of the citizenry’s liberty and the preservation of the nation’s constitution.

At the time of his expulsion, Zelaya, a close ally of Hugo Chavez, was moving forward with an illegal plebiscite to change the constitution and allow himself to serve another term. He had already disobeyed the ruling of the Supreme Court and fired the head of the military for refusing to enact his illegal orders.

For these reasons, the Supreme Court ordered his ouster.

But President Obama, who took so long to condemn the brutality of the Iranian dictatorship, swiftly spoke out against Zelaya’s ouster calling it an illegal coup and said, “We always want to stand with democracy.”

But President Obama has rarely stood with democracy in his short time in office. He has pressed for closer relations with Cuba, continued to refer to the Iranian theocratic dictatorship as a republic and now he is courageously supporting a close ally of Chavez’s in Honduras.

What’s worse is that Obama is not alone in his hypocrisy. The Organization of American States that most recently lifted a ban on Cuba’s participation in the organization is now supporting Zelaya.

They have condemned the Honduran military’s actions as antidemocratic and are threatening to suspend Honduras from the organization if they don’t reinstate Zelaya. Similarly, the United Nations General Assembly voted to deny recognition to any government but that of Zelaya.

Obama and the world community have revealed themselves as the morally bankrupt puppets of dictatorships and strongmen. Too afraid to stand up to Iran, Cuba or Venezuela, the international community and Obama have instead assaulted the legitimate Honduran government.

But while Obama and the world community condemn the Honduran military for taking part in a coup, I celebrate their actions as safeguarding the liberty of a nation on the brink of socialist dictatorship.