In the "Telenovela" that is Honduras, the latest chapter provides us with a positive turn of events.The Presidential election is over and Porifirio Lobo of the National Party led with 56 percent of the votes, defeating Elvin Santos of the Liberal Party which had 38 percent. The interesting part of this is that both former president Manuel Zelaya and interim president Roberto Micheletti were members of the Liberal Party.
The National Party is more of a center-right party than the Liberal Party. It seems that most Hondurans are ready for a change of party as well as presidents.
Former president Manuel Zelaya, the troublemaker who started all the drama called for a nationwide boycott of the elections. His calls were rebuffed. Election officials said that 60 percent of registered voters voted in this election, higher than the previous election. 400 foreign observers from the USA, Latin America and Europe were on the ground.
So now we can all be happy about Honduran Democracy beating back the sneaky hand of Socialism? Not so fast. Yes, this is great turn of events. Yes, President Lobo, who will take office in January of 2010 has asked for all of Hondurans to unite so that they can move on from the very controversial power transfer last June.
The fight is not over yet. It all depends on the United States. First, it sided against interim President Roberto Micheletti, then it said it would support the election that took place last Sunday. But it's been quiet from Washington D.C. Some Latin American countries such as Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia have supported the election. Others, such as Brazil, Argentina and Spain have not. Mexico and Canada are on the fence but they will probably follow the USA's lead on this one, assuming that we show leadership on this one. It goes without saying that Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is angry but he has his own issues with his crumbling state run economy. He should put down his copy of "Das Capital" and pick up a copy of "Wealth of Nations."
But I digress............
Honduras needs the USA to lead and boldly support this election so that most of the world can follow. People's lives are at stake here. Honduras has a poverty rate of 70 PERCENT. SIXTY PERCENT of it's exports go to the USA. They send us everything from bananas to Fruit-of-the-Loom underwear.. One million Hondurenos in the USA send money home to Honduras. Honduras might only have 7 million people but they need jobs to pay the bills like everyone else on this planet.
We haven't heard the last of Zelaya. The Honduran Congress will meet as early as tomorrow about reinstating him temporarily until January. If this happens, I fear that he might not want to step down when he needs to but we will see. He can finish his presidency as a stateman or as a divisive politician. It's up to him.
The USA needs to lead the way on bringing Honduras out of the Diplomatic Deep Freeze.
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Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Honduran Ex-President Zelaya throws a fit
Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is getting more and more frustrated with his ally, the Obama Administration. He stated today that "The United States has weakened in the face of the dictator." The "dictator" he is describing is interim President Roberto Micheletti.
Interim President Micheletti and Former President Zelaya reached an agreement on October 30th. The US supported this agreement. The Presidential Election is set for the 29th of this month and neither Zelaya or Micheletti are on the ballot. The agreement stated the possibility of Mr. Zelaya being reinstated but the decision was left up to the Honduran Congress. Congressmen are waiting on an opinion from the Honduran Supreme Court regarding the constituionality of this agreement.
Now, Zelaya wants to be reinstated as soon as possible. He and his supporters know that time is not on their side. Due to the Honduran Constituions' term limit for the Presidency, his term ends in January of 2010. So the tension is building again between Zelaya supporters and supporters of Honduran Democracy. Remember, Zelaya started this crisis when he proceeded to ignore the Congress and the Supreme Court of Honduras and continue with an illegal "National Referendum" vote to change the term limits.
Zelaya's allies are such "defenders of liberty" such as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba.
In a blatant show of partisanship, on Novermber 12th, US Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said "the (Honduran) Congress needs to move forward quickly...to re-install Zelaya as President, and the democratic order needs to be restored." Maybe the Honorable Comgresswoman needs to be reminded that only the Honduran Congress has the power under the Honduran Constitution to change it. Seeking an opinion from the Honduran Supreme Court makes sense since it's responsibility is to clarify this agreement's constitutionality. Honduras is following the democratic order of things.
This is a positive step for Honduras. So far, despite immense US political pressure such as Congresswoman Schkowsky's (which smacks of Monroe Doctrine style heavy handedness) small, and stubborn Honduras is still walking the path of Democracy.
Watch out for more street demonstations or possible violence from Zelaya's folowers as they try to intimidate the democratic process....
Interim President Micheletti and Former President Zelaya reached an agreement on October 30th. The US supported this agreement. The Presidential Election is set for the 29th of this month and neither Zelaya or Micheletti are on the ballot. The agreement stated the possibility of Mr. Zelaya being reinstated but the decision was left up to the Honduran Congress. Congressmen are waiting on an opinion from the Honduran Supreme Court regarding the constituionality of this agreement.
Now, Zelaya wants to be reinstated as soon as possible. He and his supporters know that time is not on their side. Due to the Honduran Constituions' term limit for the Presidency, his term ends in January of 2010. So the tension is building again between Zelaya supporters and supporters of Honduran Democracy. Remember, Zelaya started this crisis when he proceeded to ignore the Congress and the Supreme Court of Honduras and continue with an illegal "National Referendum" vote to change the term limits.
Zelaya's allies are such "defenders of liberty" such as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba.
In a blatant show of partisanship, on Novermber 12th, US Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said "the (Honduran) Congress needs to move forward quickly...to re-install Zelaya as President, and the democratic order needs to be restored." Maybe the Honorable Comgresswoman needs to be reminded that only the Honduran Congress has the power under the Honduran Constitution to change it. Seeking an opinion from the Honduran Supreme Court makes sense since it's responsibility is to clarify this agreement's constitutionality. Honduras is following the democratic order of things.
This is a positive step for Honduras. So far, despite immense US political pressure such as Congresswoman Schkowsky's (which smacks of Monroe Doctrine style heavy handedness) small, and stubborn Honduras is still walking the path of Democracy.
Watch out for more street demonstations or possible violence from Zelaya's folowers as they try to intimidate the democratic process....
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Do you love Potatoes? Hug a Peruvian!
There is a good chance today that you will eat potatoes. Maybe it will be in french fry form at Lunch time, or potato chips with your sandwich, or mashed potatoes as a side dish at Dinner.
Most Americans automatically think of Potatoes coming from Ireland. The Irish do eat a lot of Potatoes. Or Western Europe. Think about all the dishes in German, Polish, French or Russian food that use the noble spud. But it does not come from Europe at all.
The Potato is Peruano. Yes, it's Peruvian. It originated from the highlands of Peru about 10,000 years ago. The native Incas of Peru called it PAPA. They even buried their dead with them. The Spanish brought it back with them to Europe in the 1500's and the love affair began. Since it was easy to grow, many Europeans became familiar with it. Unfortunately for the Irish, it was also prone to a disease called Late Blight and they suffered through the Great Irish Famine of 1845. The English took the Potato with them all the way to Australia. Today, thousands of types of Potatoes exist (even a purple colored variety, I have seen it myself. It tastes like a regular Potato) but most of the Potatoes we eat today comes from a Chilean variety. Yes, as in the country of Chile, the southern neighbor of Peru.
The first type of french fry came from Belgium while the Spanish ruled it for a while back in the 1800's. I had some french fries yesterday as a matter of fact.
So, with all due respect to the citizens of Idaho, or Ireland, or France, the next time you find yourself in the presence of a Peruvian (they come from Peru, not Peruvia) give them a hug and a Thank You. What the heck, hug a Chilean too.
Most Americans automatically think of Potatoes coming from Ireland. The Irish do eat a lot of Potatoes. Or Western Europe. Think about all the dishes in German, Polish, French or Russian food that use the noble spud. But it does not come from Europe at all.
The Potato is Peruano. Yes, it's Peruvian. It originated from the highlands of Peru about 10,000 years ago. The native Incas of Peru called it PAPA. They even buried their dead with them. The Spanish brought it back with them to Europe in the 1500's and the love affair began. Since it was easy to grow, many Europeans became familiar with it. Unfortunately for the Irish, it was also prone to a disease called Late Blight and they suffered through the Great Irish Famine of 1845. The English took the Potato with them all the way to Australia. Today, thousands of types of Potatoes exist (even a purple colored variety, I have seen it myself. It tastes like a regular Potato) but most of the Potatoes we eat today comes from a Chilean variety. Yes, as in the country of Chile, the southern neighbor of Peru.
The first type of french fry came from Belgium while the Spanish ruled it for a while back in the 1800's. I had some french fries yesterday as a matter of fact.
So, with all due respect to the citizens of Idaho, or Ireland, or France, the next time you find yourself in the presence of a Peruvian (they come from Peru, not Peruvia) give them a hug and a Thank You. What the heck, hug a Chilean too.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Health Care debate: Where is the transparency?
I remember that the new administration vowed to show more transparency in passing laws and government spending.
In the United States Senate today, Senator Max Baucus (D.,Montana) has convened the Senate Finance Committee to vote on the Health Care Bill. The bill from this body of lawmakers will cost $829 Billion. There are 13 Democrats on the committee and 10 Republicans. Due to having more votes, and the possibility of having a lone Republican (maybe Senator Snowe (R.,Washington) vote their way, the Democrats bill is expected to pass.
Then it gets really interesting. The few nuggets of information coming out of this bill is that eligibility to Medicare will be expanded. Tax breaks would apply to families to help out with the mandated insurance coverage. The Senate Finance Committee version then needs to be reconciled with another version of a Health Care bill coming out of the Senate Health Committee.
It gets better. The House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.,CA) will have an even more liberal and possibly more expensive version with the infamous "Public Option" version in it.
While the final votes of the final version of these bills are still at least some weeks away, why aren't these bills not on the White House website in a PDF Form? I know that they are hundreds of pages long, but as taxpayers, we will have the burden of paying for all this government "reform". We should be able to read the information and be able to call our representatives to tell them if we do or don't agree with the bills. We should be able to read about all the sweetheart deals and goodies that all the politicians from both parties are adding to the bill as it grows and grows.
If we were truly focused on reform, why don't we focus on the situations when catastrophic medical situations crush families? Why don't we have any Tort reform? The reason most doctors run so many tests on their patients is because if they are ever wrong, the plaintiff lawyers are on the wings, ready to file lawsuits. If you think that it's hard to fight an insurance company with a claim now, good luck if we then replace the insurance company with a bureaucrat that will answer to no one.
This has nothing to do with reform. This has to do with more Federal Government intrusion and control over our lives. We have to remind ourselves that political leaders in fact, work for us, we do not work for them. We are more than piggy banks that they can shake and shake as our tax money pour out.
There has been no change here, just the same government indifference and largess. We should be able to see all the bills and their amendments to have a real debate on this issue.
In the United States Senate today, Senator Max Baucus (D.,Montana) has convened the Senate Finance Committee to vote on the Health Care Bill. The bill from this body of lawmakers will cost $829 Billion. There are 13 Democrats on the committee and 10 Republicans. Due to having more votes, and the possibility of having a lone Republican (maybe Senator Snowe (R.,Washington) vote their way, the Democrats bill is expected to pass.
Then it gets really interesting. The few nuggets of information coming out of this bill is that eligibility to Medicare will be expanded. Tax breaks would apply to families to help out with the mandated insurance coverage. The Senate Finance Committee version then needs to be reconciled with another version of a Health Care bill coming out of the Senate Health Committee.
It gets better. The House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.,CA) will have an even more liberal and possibly more expensive version with the infamous "Public Option" version in it.
While the final votes of the final version of these bills are still at least some weeks away, why aren't these bills not on the White House website in a PDF Form? I know that they are hundreds of pages long, but as taxpayers, we will have the burden of paying for all this government "reform". We should be able to read the information and be able to call our representatives to tell them if we do or don't agree with the bills. We should be able to read about all the sweetheart deals and goodies that all the politicians from both parties are adding to the bill as it grows and grows.
If we were truly focused on reform, why don't we focus on the situations when catastrophic medical situations crush families? Why don't we have any Tort reform? The reason most doctors run so many tests on their patients is because if they are ever wrong, the plaintiff lawyers are on the wings, ready to file lawsuits. If you think that it's hard to fight an insurance company with a claim now, good luck if we then replace the insurance company with a bureaucrat that will answer to no one.
This has nothing to do with reform. This has to do with more Federal Government intrusion and control over our lives. We have to remind ourselves that political leaders in fact, work for us, we do not work for them. We are more than piggy banks that they can shake and shake as our tax money pour out.
There has been no change here, just the same government indifference and largess. We should be able to see all the bills and their amendments to have a real debate on this issue.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Obama Administration takes wrong stand on Honduras
For all those who didn't follow what was happening last June, you might have heard of a "military coup" in Honduras. The US State department condemned the taking of President Manuel Zelaya to Costa Rica via some help from the Honduran military. On the outset, it sounds pretty sinister. Latin America has a long history of military leaders trampling on democratic administrations, that is a fact. But upon closer review, the military actually protected the Honduran Constitution and it's Democracy.
Let's start at the beginning. Manuel Zelaya was elected democratically as President of Honduras in 2005. Great, good for the Honduran people. But then a problem started to grow. You see, the Honduran Constitution allows for the President to serve only ONE term. It is limited per the constitution, sorry. But Mr. Zelaya wanted it changed. He proposed a national referendum to change the term limits. Problem. Only the Honduran Congress (yes, they have one) has the power to change the constitution. Another problem. Mr. Zelaya is a big fan of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. A leader that while was first elected democratically, has since used democratic means such as referendums to change the consititution. President Chavez has since swept away those pesky term limits in Venezuela. He used demcratic means to destroy democracy.
Back to Honduras. The issue went to the Honduran Supreme Court, (yes, they have one of those too) and President Zelaya lost his attempt to change the constitution. Mr. Zelaya started the crisis by declaring his intent to go forward with the referendum no matter what the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court said. What is a democracy with separation of powers to do? The military had the right to enforce the Supreme Court decision, the Supreme Court publicly stated so. The military picked up the President in his pajamas and flew him to Costa Rica. Not nice, but he was not imprisoned, tortured or beaten, simply removed. The Military did NOT take over. The soldiers returned to their barracks. They is no military junta running the country. Roberto Micheletti, who is of the same political party as Mr. Zelaya, was sworn in as Interim President and elections are set for this November. No military men are on the ballot, Mr. Micheletti and Mr Zelaya are not on the ballot either. The candidates on the ballot have been campaigning since last year.
You would think that the Obama Adminsitration would support Honduran Democracy against a creeping totalitarianism but alas, no. The Obama Administration finds itself in the strange situation of being on the same side of such "champions" of democracy as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba. Who is running Latin American affairs for the US? Bozo the clown? Very strange.
Former President Zelaya has since sneeked back into Honduras a couple of weeks ago and is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. Discussions are ongoing between him and Mr. Micheletti, and I will review the latest info. Hopefully, Mr. Zelaya will honor the presidential term limits but I wouldn't hold my breath. He is the most dangerous of politicians, the ones that stay on beyond their welcome.
Viva la democracia Hondurena!
Let's start at the beginning. Manuel Zelaya was elected democratically as President of Honduras in 2005. Great, good for the Honduran people. But then a problem started to grow. You see, the Honduran Constitution allows for the President to serve only ONE term. It is limited per the constitution, sorry. But Mr. Zelaya wanted it changed. He proposed a national referendum to change the term limits. Problem. Only the Honduran Congress (yes, they have one) has the power to change the constitution. Another problem. Mr. Zelaya is a big fan of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. A leader that while was first elected democratically, has since used democratic means such as referendums to change the consititution. President Chavez has since swept away those pesky term limits in Venezuela. He used demcratic means to destroy democracy.
Back to Honduras. The issue went to the Honduran Supreme Court, (yes, they have one of those too) and President Zelaya lost his attempt to change the constitution. Mr. Zelaya started the crisis by declaring his intent to go forward with the referendum no matter what the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court said. What is a democracy with separation of powers to do? The military had the right to enforce the Supreme Court decision, the Supreme Court publicly stated so. The military picked up the President in his pajamas and flew him to Costa Rica. Not nice, but he was not imprisoned, tortured or beaten, simply removed. The Military did NOT take over. The soldiers returned to their barracks. They is no military junta running the country. Roberto Micheletti, who is of the same political party as Mr. Zelaya, was sworn in as Interim President and elections are set for this November. No military men are on the ballot, Mr. Micheletti and Mr Zelaya are not on the ballot either. The candidates on the ballot have been campaigning since last year.
You would think that the Obama Adminsitration would support Honduran Democracy against a creeping totalitarianism but alas, no. The Obama Administration finds itself in the strange situation of being on the same side of such "champions" of democracy as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba. Who is running Latin American affairs for the US? Bozo the clown? Very strange.
Former President Zelaya has since sneeked back into Honduras a couple of weeks ago and is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. Discussions are ongoing between him and Mr. Micheletti, and I will review the latest info. Hopefully, Mr. Zelaya will honor the presidential term limits but I wouldn't hold my breath. He is the most dangerous of politicians, the ones that stay on beyond their welcome.
Viva la democracia Hondurena!
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