The People of Honduras Rise-up

Against U.S. Trained General’s Coup

Corporate and public (NPR) media distort the facts

We stand before history once more and we will be judged not by our thoughts, but by our actions.

President Obama’s insists that the United States does not support the coup against Honduras’ democratically elected president. Yet Democracy Now reports that lobbyists with close ties to the Clinton family are not representing the coup leadership in an effort to gain Washington approval for the military regime: “US Lobbyists with Clinton Ties Hired to Defend Honduran Coup Regime”). And recent reports indicate that the U.S. continues to educate Honduran soldiers (“U.S. continues to train Honduran soldiers”).

Meanwhile, the mainstream media including NPR continue distort the facts by repeating that the ouster was motivated by president Zelaya’s power grab. The facts flat-out contradict this assertion. Journalist Benjamin Dangl writes:

As one media analyst pointed out, while many major news outlets in the US, including the Miami Herald, Wall St. Journal and Washington Post, said an impetus for the coup was specifically Zelaya’s plans for a vote to allow him to extend his term in office, the actual ballot question was to be: "Do you agree that, during the general elections of November 2009 there should be a fourth ballot to decide whether to hold a Constituent National Assembly that will approve a new political constitution? (“Showdown in Honduras: The Rise and Uncertain Future of the Coup”)

While the tainted Iranian election made headlines throughout the mainstream news, the gun-barrel deposing of Honduras’s elected president continues to receive little to no attention. And when a media outlet does pay attention, they some how fail to seriously consider or give voice to the popular struggle taking place by the Honduran people against the coup. The death of one protestor during Iranian protests made headlines for days. But the death of two people in Honduras is ignored (with the exception of independent media outlets such as Democracy Now: “Honduran Coup Regime Blocks Ousted President Zelaya’s Return; Troops Open Fire on Supporters at Airport, Killing Two”).

Perhaps Hondurans are being punished for their lack of prowess in twittering; or perhaps a Honduran military dictatorship is more profitable for U.S. interests than democracy and reformers such as Zelaya.

U.S. industry including apparel companies have been angered by the ousted president Zelaya’s success at increasing minimum wage. Nikolas Kozloff reports that Chiquita banana “was very unhappy about President Zelaya’s minimum wage decrees, because they said that this would cut into their profits and make it more expensive for them to export bananas and pineapple” (http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/21/from_arbenz_to_zelaya_chiquita_in).

Americans have a responsibility to what’s happening in Honduras because our military trained the general who led the coup against the Honduran president. In an interview with Democracy Now, Father Roy Bourgeois explained the connection between the U.S. run military school formerly known as the School of the Americans, now WHINSEC.:

This school is well known in Latin America as a school of coups, a school of dictators, a school of torture....The two main players in this coup in Honduras that ousted President Zelaya are two generals, well-known graduates of the school: General Romero Vasquez, who’s the commander-in-chief, the head of the military, not only a graduate, a two-time graduate; and, of course, also General Luis Suazo, a graduate of the school in 1996, who’s the head of the air force (“Generals Who Led Honduras Military Coup Trained at the School of the Americas”).

School of the American’s Watch is specifically calling on the Obama administration to do the following:

* Insist upon the immediate and unconditional return of President Zelaya
* Recall the U.S. ambassador and embassy staff
* Withdraw U.S. troops from Palmerola
* Expel Honduran troops from SOA/WHINSEC

(“Honduras Emergency Response Delegation Report”)

After taking notice, Americans need to take action in solidarity with the Honduran people. If there is one thing U.S. citizens can do to lift the bloody shroud of brutal U.S. militarism from the world, it’s to speak out and decry our government’s training of murderers and destroyers of other people’s democracy.

To this end SOA Watch South Florida, Miami for Peace, and CODEPINK: Miami have initiated a solidarity march in support of the Honduran people’s resistance to the coup. The protest will take place Saturday, July 25 in Miami. Participants will meet at the corner of NW 87th Ave and 36th Street and then march to Southern Command. Southern Command is responsible for commanding U.S. military forces in Honduras and throughout Latin America.

For more information Call Ray Del Papa 754-423-0051 or Linda 305-801-0245.