Published: 14 August 2009 12:15 AM UTCPosted in: Global, Local - NYC, National
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct
the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present
period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its
being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree
of comparison only.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 – 1870)
I am appalled as I watch the news lately.
All these angry people, screaming at the top of their lungs, having so readily digested the lies fed to them by the multibillion dollar corporate interests which are set on keeping the status quo at all costs, via supposedly community organizations in favor of “citizens”, it’s shameful!
How can these people believe such outrageous lies and without fact checking, pounce on others, make a show of themselves in front of cameras, for the world to see their misguided anger and inexcusable rudeness?
Where was that anger when Bush, Cheney and company were trampling our constitution, lying for a profitable war that brought millions to their private companies’ coffers (Halliburton) and death to so many?
Where was this angry mob when the Republican-majority congress rolled over and green-lit every greedy, selfish, corrupt and misguided request of their Republican peers in the executive and legislative branches?
Shameful disrespect for our president - Photo Credit: Erica Stead - Huffington Post
These embarrassing angry mobs are made up of the same people who were happy to stay home and do nothing about the disastrous situation the Republican party was leading our country into for the past 8 years.
It seems so hypocritical to me now that there is a new president making changes and working hard at fixing the mess left behind, now that finally the democrats are truly back in power, only months after their inauguration, how everyone is throwing rocks at the administration, including the media, without giving them sufficient time and space to clean up and undo all the damage left behind by the previous administration.
Did they forget who started the fire on the house and kept it going until it burnt out of control?
The very members of this mob helplessly and lazily watched things burn and get destroyed in Washington by the Republicans and did nothing. Oh yes, they did one thing, many voted for the same gang to keep burning and destroying what president Clinton and the democrats had left behind before the Republicans stole the election in 2000.
We went from a surplus in 1999 to a multi-billion dollar deficit by the time there was a change of power in January 2009. But that wasn’t all.
We were at the brink of a depression, a deep and fast-spiraling recession that had started over 12 months ago, but the Republicans kept denying and doing nothing about!
Photo Credit: WTSP.com - Click on the picture for source article
Where were these angry people? Why didn’t they ask for their “America” back then?
Where were these angry people when the WMDs were found to be a falsehood?
Where were these angry people when Katrina happened?
Anger unleashed - but is it the right time and place?
Where were these angry people when the man they called their president just flew over the largest natural disaster area as he watched from his plane window, so detached, as if it were a TV movie, not happening to his constituents?
Where were these angry people when Dick Cheney and his gang divulged the name of a CIA operative, committing treason and endangering her life and that of those around her?
Where were these angry people when Abu Graib occurred and the shameful pictures were shown and the Republican administration in a gesture of their trademark hypocrisy had the nerve to pick on the low ranking members of the military who were only following orders from the upper echelons?
Democracy at its best and its worst
Where were these angry people when their Republican-led congress passed every initiative and law suggested by the thugs running the country from the White House?
Where were these angry mobs when many attorneys in the White House staff were fired for refusing to yield to their political agenda?
Where were these angry mobs when the elections were rigged in Florida, when the count was unfairly stopped? When proof of election fraud was found in Ohio in 2006?
These people may not get paid to do this, but no doubt their biases & fears are being exploited
Oh! “Americans are cool.” I was told. “They are respectful of the law and order and even if they don’t agree with their politicians, they abide by the democratic process.”
I’m not so sure I can believe this today, as I watch the nastiness, the malicious lines, the lies, the outrageous exaggerations (death panels, socialism).
Are people so desperate to believe anything the mouths of hate tell them, no matter how incredible, so they can have an excuse to hate and look to destroy an administration that is trying hard to put out the fire and fix the mess left behind by the very people they have supported?
They call this a process of democracy. I would like to applaud it but as much as I agree it’s an extreme form of democracy, I feel shivers down my spine because I see the hate and the anger. And like many, I find it disturbing.
How far are we going to let things go?
I try to understand where this anger is coming from. But I can’t excuse the behavior. I cannot understand why are they taking their anger out on the wrong people, on the very people who are trying to fix what’s wrong.
I can’t understand why they continue to be kind to the ones responsible for their woes.
It puzzles me greatly.
And then, I have to unfortunately recognize that the only reason for this irrational behavior, for these mobs to side with the very people responsible for the damage and to yell and scream at those currently in power who are trying hard to fix things, is one thing.
Race.
These mobs are not angry over what’s happened. They are angry that people who do not look like them, who may be of a different culture or color are now in charge and making decisions that will affect their lives.
They fear perhaps that the way they have treated those who don’t look like them, is going to come back and bite them. And so they fight hard and use any excuse, no matter how outrageous the lie, to call for death, for hate, for insurrection, for disorder, against those currently in power, who are trying hard to fix things, who were either powerless or not around –for the most part– when the Republicans (who for the most part look like them) ran things and drove the country into the ditch we’re so hard trying to pull ourselves from.
No doubt that the likes of Limbaugh, Beck and Dobbs (interestingly, white men) have done a good job bringing out the worse in some people, who I’m aware still make up a minority, yet large enough to grab the attention of the sensationalist media that thrives on chaos and ratings.
And I worry.
I do hope that the Democrats and truly independents, as well as those enlightened members of the media and the Republican party (or whatever is left of it) take notice, realize that this hateful and dangerous noise needs to stop. It needs to be diffused because standing in the way of progress is not true democracy, is damaging to the sorely needed process of rebuilding.
I worry because I don’t know who’s watching the mouths of hate, the mouths of those calling for insurrection, calling our still newly elected president a Nazi, among other awful racists and hateful adjectives.
Who’s watching?
Is anyone wondering how far is this going to go?
Guns, righteousness, hate, anger, lack of respect? It’s not a good combination.
He’s only been in power 7 months! And we’re already rating him???
Did we forget it took 8 years to get us into this mess?
I thought only the poor and the ignorant in Latin America could be fed a plate of lies by their so-called “thought leaders”.
North Americans have always been proud and considered themselves more “sophisticated” and “civilized”. But I see there is really no difference when it comes to some people here in the States. I see the pro-Zelaya, pro-Chavez thugs, in Latin America, wearing red, armed with flags, hateful posters, with sticks, guns, spewing hate, calling for insurrection, insulting, screaming and taunting others into violence. I watch these mostly white crowds do the same here in the States, and I cringe.
These are the tactics fed to the mob to unleash them to cause disturbances
I realize that as a human race, we haven’t advanced much from the mob that filled the Roman coliseum centuries ago and delighted on chaos, blood and killing those they didn’t understand.
Unfortunately a thought has begun to percolate through me and thousands of other citizens with whom I share here and in other communities such as Twitter, Facebook, business networks, etc… Having been raised partly in Latin America, race is not how I define someone, and so I have refused to consider race a factor behind people’s mean and irrational behavior, even if it was blatantly in front of me.
But today, after all I see on TV and in the faces of some of the older white folks around, the damaging thought is beginning to seep in my head. Could it be that because now women and minorities seem to be in more prominent positions in government, the less enlightened feel they can yell and scream because after all, they have no respect for them, even if they are now in positions of power?
Could it be that people’s racism has been exacerbated by the hateful rhetoric of the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Lou Dobbs, etc…?
A black family in the White House, a Wise Latina in the Supreme Court, a woman as Speaker of the House. Could it be that some people are getting nervous? And their fear of “losing” their power, “their America” is expressed in the excessive and misplaced outrage many years too late, way after the fire has damaged so much and the new administration is fighting hard at putting it out?
These “outraged” folks are now screaming at the firemen because the house looks messy and burnt?
It is obvious that the desperate attempts of the drowning existence of the fading Republican Party have finally found a cause to get people out. Something finally has caught on and enraged people. The “tea parties” sham didn’t catch on. The birthers were denounced even by some of the more enlightened conservatives.
Spreading lies and disinformation about Healthcare Reform has been the bonanza of the birthers and the tea party crowd, because now the issues are closer to home, enough to bring many of these less enlightened folks out.
The corporate interests were only too happy to pour their millions behind the right wing groups to stir dissent, hate and fear, and send people, who were ripe for it, out like mad dogs after the very people –a very diverse team spanning all races and age range– who are trying to fix the system.
And it seems to be working.
I only hope that this fever pitch has reached its zenith, and more cool heads will prevail.
We NEED health care reform.
We NEED a public option.
And this CANNOT wait any longer.
I was inside corporate America when Hillary care was attempted. I saw the hate and the money behind the effort to defeat the Clintons’ attempts to break the status quo. I saw the joyous celebration of the high ranking corporate executives congratulating themselves on the defeat of Hillary care back then. I saw them get themselves in their limos and celebrate at the most expensive restaurants with the most expensive bottles in the menu. Money of the tax payers, of insurance companies, of hardworking Americans goes to pay these excesses, these multimillion dollar efforts to defeat initiatives for the people.
When are people going to get it?
These so called “citizen” groups are a front for corporate efforts to keep the status quo.
Can’t people see they are being used?
Their emotions, fears, anger and bias have been aroused with lies and are being steered against the very change we voted for.
It’s the old trick that I see typically in South America, used by the likes of Chavez, Zelaya, Correa, Morales, and Castro. Blame it on the other guy!
I really thought all Americans had been inoculated against that.
It’d be a shame when years later, quite too late by then, should these lies-based movements have any success at thwarting progress, people will finally see what our current administration is trying to do: fix what’s wrong, and prevent the catastrophes that are likely to occur in our future if we keep going in the same path as the past 8 years.
Change is not easy, but it needs to happen.
Those daring enough to initiate change have endured the ignorance of those comfortable in the status quo:
1. Remember abolition? Wasn’t that the birth of the Republican party? How far have they strayed from their origins.
2. Remember the Woman’s Suffrage movement and what those brave women endured?
3. Remember the Civil Rights movement and what many brave citizens endured.
4. Norma Rae
5. Ghandi, Walesa, Mandela… yes, change is not easy on those comfortable with the status quo.
The anger needs to be directed to those responsible for the damage, not the ones who are trying to fix things.
Published: 28 July 2009 7:25 PM UTCPosted in: Global
I have invited a blogger from Honduras, who is seeing and experiencing first-hand the effects of the crisis in his country. His Twitter handle is @verbocarne (http://twitter.com/verbocarne ) and you can follow him for updates directly from Honduras. He tweets in Spanish, as well as in English. This opinion piece was originally written in Spanish, and it follows the English version.
July 6th, 2009
A week has gone by, and we all (at least in Honduras) know of the crimes and mistakes. We listen to opinions, see the demonstrations on both sides and we continue to wonder what will happen in the days to come. Upon seeing my city, dirty, reading the phrases and wording that the pro-Zelaya demonstrators have written all over the streets they have passed, upon hearing all they yell, I started asking myself why this “game” was a war with so many participants and how did Zelaya manage to accumulate such sudden popularity?
Before the so called “coupe”, Manuel Zelaya had about 30% approval, according to polls.
Now, it has been shown that this percentage went even further down to 10%. I don’t doubt it. 30% of our population is equivalent to 2.5 million people, and 10% would be 750,000. Perhaps his supporters aren’t so few. Though it is known by the people that many demonstrators attend the rallies because they get paid from L300 ($15) up to L3,000 ($150) or with food just for showing up.
How did Zelaya become suddenly so popular with the people? During his mediocre administration, Zelaya offered free registrations to students in schools, free dinners to children and an increase to the minimum salary to the workers of our country. I’m not against any of those changes, which once implemented cannot be undone, as per our constitution. But it was the last change that broke the camel’s back.
The minimum salary used to be L3,500 ($184 per month) and Zelaya increased it to L5,500 ($289 per month). This was a 64% increase. At that time and at the time of his forced exile, Zelaya had not presented the annual government budget for 2009, which was supposed to have been presented a year in advance. Zelaya kept saying not to worry, that we could just work with the prior year’s budget without any problems. Well, as we now know, he was wrong. The salary increase has represented an 80% increase of the government’s budget. We know that the government cannot pay it, not because they don’t want to, but because they lack the funds to do so.
The salaries of the government employees are paid with tax money, but Zelaya forgot to increase taxes. The decision to increase the minimum salary, earned him what he was after, popularity with the poor and the anger of businesses.
The Business sector expressed disapproval and requested over 300 shelters. I don’t blame them. Let’s remember that employees always look to earn more, and businesses always look to spend less. That’s how it works. If the economy of the country is not doing well, if there is less production, more competition and less investment, a salary increase for all employees of any company becomes a major expense.
Let’s not forget that the people who were earning, as an example, L3,500 ($184) as warehouse assistants, went on to earn L5,500 ($289), the same as an assistant manager. And that is how the domino effect began. Zelaya was looking for businesses to conduct massive layoffs and to earn resentment from the business sector. And it seems to me, based on the graffiti that I’ve seen all over Tegucigalpa, and by hearing what they yell, that he got what he wanted.
Now, perhaps this resentment was there already, but the ex-president helped increase it. It is worthy of mention that I’m not sure whether this graffiti could have been written by Nicaraguans, Cubans, Venezuelans, or Hondurans, because as we have already seen in the media, these foreigners have mixed themselves in with our people.
Upon the approval of this salary increase, the working class saw Zelaya as their solution to get ahead and therefore would support him in whatever he endeavored. This is a clear example of the lack of importance Zelaya pays to the economy and development of the country, placing his own interests ahead of everything. After all, he was being fed by the government and by the Venezuelan narco-jets that frequently landed in our territory, which by the way, stopped “dropping in” a few weeks ago. (Since he’s been gone).
Our country continues to wait and is full of uncertainty. We feel it as we walk the streets, as we speak with each other. Honduras is at half the speed, when we should be working at 100% to move the country ahead. Today I listened to the block of teachers, at least the ones roaming the streets, inviting other teachers to stop going to class and continue the labor strike as pro-Zelaya protest. It seems to me that this is the wrong attitude to take. We cannot expect the government to give us everything, in the case of government employees, and the same for private sector employees in regard to their employers. If a problem arises, we should propose a solution and be part of the change, not make the problem greater.
Situations such as the one we’re going through, chase away investors. And if there is no investment there is no production and in turn no money and no prosperity. The popular block has adopted a negative attitude against the private business sector, when it is this very sector that keeps the economy alive by employing the greater part of the people.
The mid and small businesses are suffering at this moment, and in turn, their employees will suffer as well. It is here where both sides have to change their thinking and behavior. The private sector has to go further to achieve the well-being of their employees, thinking about the greater good in Honduras. To earn your living with the sweat off your brow, and not even get a “thank you” or any other type of incentive, whether in bonuses, a day off, family benefits, medical insurance, training, etc. is no fun.
The workers, myself included, need to be more than just a number, and business leaders need to do more for them, especially in the areas of training and education, so we can walk together forward and make Honduras a better place. On the other hand, we have to propose solutions and not sit on the sidelines resting in our laurels. We have the responsibility to be agents of change, looking for solutions and not only see problems. We need to stand out in our efforts, without expecting anyone to do our part.
To wrap up, we know this cannot be done without bilateral talks and without solidarity. We have to work together with the same purpose, and come to an understanding through patience and humility. The economic, political and social situation in our country is complicated, but I know we all want to get ahead. This country, Honduras, is not only ours but it also belongs to our children, friends and family. Let us not fall into the fog of self-interest, let’s think and most of all, believe that we are a great people, with a rich heritage that goes beyond our borders.
Y AHORA EN ESPAÑOL:
Julio 6, 2009
Ha transcurrido ya una semana, y todos (en Honduras por lo menos) conocemos los delitos, los errores, escuchamos las opiniones, vemos las manifestaciones de ambas partes, y seguimos con incertidumbre de lo que sucederá en los próximos días.
Pero, al ver mi ciudad sucia, al leer las frases y palabras que los manifestantes a favor del presidente destituido Zelaya han escrito por las calles que han pasado y al escuchar lo que ellos gritan, comencé a preguntarme por qué este “juego” era una guerra con múltiples protagonistas y cómo había obtenido tanta popularidad Zelaya.
Antes del “golpe”, Manuel Zelaya contaba con un 30% de aprobación, según las encuestas que se realizaron. Ahora, estudios afirman que ese porcentaje disminuyó a un 10%. No lo dudo. El 30% de nuestra población son 2,500,000 de personas, y el 10% son 750,000. Quizás no sean tan pocos, aunque como ya es de vox populí, muchos de los manifestantes acuden a las marchas porque les han pagado con dinero – desde Lps. 300 ($15) hasta Lps. 3,000 ($150) -, o con comida para hacerlo.
¿Cómo ganó Zelaya la popularidad con el pueblo?
Durante su mediocre gobierno, Zelaya ofreció matrículas gratis en las escuelas, más merienda a los niños, y un aumento al salario mínimo de los trabajadores del país. No estoy en contra de ninguno de estos cambios que una vez otorgados, no pueden ser quitados según nuestra Constitución; pero este último, fue la gota que derramó el vaso y que lo lanzó al “estrellato”.
El salario mínimo antes era de Lps. 3,500 ($184) y Zelaya lo incrementó a Lps. 5,500 ($289). Este fue un aumento del 64% por ciento. Para ese entonces, y para la fecha de su destitución, Zelaya no había presentado el presupuesto anual del gobierno para el 2009, que tenía que presentar con un año de anticipación.
Zelaya siempre dijo que no nos preocupáramos, que trabajar con el presupuesto del año anterior no sería problema. Pues como sabemos, él estaba equivocado. Este aumento, ha representado un 80% del gasto del gobierno. Sabemos que el gobierno no puede pagarlo, y no porque no quiera, sino porque no tiene la capacidad monetaria de hacerlo.
Los salarios de los empleados del gobierno se pagan con el dinero de nuestros impuestos, pero a Zelaya se le olvidó incrementar los mismos. Con la decisión que Zelaya toma al incrementar el salario mínimo, gana lo que buscaba – la popularidad con la gente humilde, y el enojo de las personas hacia la empresa privada. Las empresas privadas manifestaron su desaprobación, y solicitaron más de 300 recursos de amparo. No los culpo.
Recordemos que los trabajadores siempre buscan ganar más, y las empresas siempre buscan gastar menos. Así funciona.
Si la economía del país está mal, si hay menos producción, más competividad, y menos inversión, un incremento a los salarios de todos los empleados de una empresa, se convierte en un gasto mayor. No olvidemos que las personas que ya ganaban Lps. 3,500 ($184), como un ayudante de bodega, pasan a ganar Lps. 5,500 ($289); lo mismo que un asistente de administración por ejemplo, y es así como comienza el efecto dominó. Zelaya buscaba que las empresas hicieron despidos masivos y que creciera un resentimiento en las personas hacia la empresa privada. Me parece, por el graffiti que he visto en Tegucigalpa y por los que he escuchado, que de cierta forma lo logró.
Ahora, quizás este sentimiento ya existía, pero el ex presidente ayudó a que este incrementase. Cabe mencionar que no sé si este graffiti fue escrito por nicaragüenses, cubanos, venezolanos u hondureños ya que claramente hemos visto en los medios, que en medio de los protestantes, hay personas de estos países. Al aprobar este incremento salarial, el sector obrero vería a Zelaya como la solución para salir adelante y lo apoyarían en lo que el quisiese.
Esto es un claro ejemplo de la falta de importancia que Zelaya le da a la economía y desarrollo del país, poniendo sus propios intereses por delante. De todos modos, el comía del dinero del gobierno, y de las narco avionetas venezolanas que aterrizaban con frecuencia en nuestro territorio que por cierto, dejaron de “caer” del cielo hace un par de semanas.
Nuestro país sigue esperando y está lleno de incertidumbre. Se siente al salir a las calles, al hablar con la gente. Honduras está a medio andar, cuando necesitamos estar trabajando al 100% para sacar al país adelante. Hoy escuchaba al bloque de maestros, por lo menos al que anda en las calles, invitar a los maestros a no dar clases y a continuar con el paro laboral como protesta pro Zelaya.
Me parece que esta es una de las actitudes que no debemos tomar. Tampoco tenemos que esperar que el gobierno nos de todo, en el caso de empleados públicos, o que las empresas nos den todo. Si existe un problema, debemos que proponer una solución y ser parte del cambio y no hacerlo más grande. Situaciones como la que estamos viviendo ahuyentan a los inversionistas, y si no hay inversión, no hay producción y por ende no hay dinero ni prosperidad. El bloque popular ha adoptado una actitud negativa en contra de la empresa privada, cuando es esta la que mantiene la economía del país empleando a una gran cantidad de gente.
La pequeña y mediana empresa están sufriendo en este momento, y como otro efecto dominó, sufrirán sus empleados. Es aquí en donde ambas partes tienen que cambiar su forma de pensar y actuar. La empresa privada tiene que ir más allá por el bienestar de sus empleados pensando en el bienestar de Honduras. Ganarse el salario con el sudor de la frente, y no recibir ni un “gracias” o ningún otro tipo de incentivo – ya sea bonificaciones, un día más libre a la semana, beneficios para la familia, seguro médico, capacitaciones, etc., no es agradable.
Los trabajadores, y me incluyo, necesitamos ser más que un número, y los empresarios hacer algo más por ellos, sobre todo en capacitaciones y educación, para que juntos caminemos hacia delante y hagamos una Honduras mejor.
Por otro lado, nosotros tenemos que proponer y no quedarnos sentados en nuestros laureles. Tenemos la responsabilidad de ser agentes de cambio, de buscar soluciones y no solo de ver problemas, y de buscar sobresalir en lo que hacemos, sin esperar que nadie haga las cosas por nosotros.
Para finalizar, sabemos que esto no puede lograrse si no hay relaciones bilaterales, y si no somos solidarios.
Tenemos que trabajar unidos con un mismo propósito, y llegar a un entendimiento por medio de paciencia y humildad.
La situación económica, política, y social de nuestro país es complicada, pero sé que tenemos el deseo de salir adelante. Esta Honduras, no solo es nuestra, sino también de nuestros hijos, amigos y familiares. No nos nublemos ni nos dejemos llevar por nuestros propios intereses, pensemos y sobre todo creamos que somos grandes personas con una riqueza que va más allá de nuestras fronteras.
Para más escritos en español de este joven Hondureño, haga click aquí o siga el enlace abajo.
Published: 26 July 2009 8:53 PM UTCPosted in: Global
As of today, July 26th (almost a month since Zelaya was deposed and exiled), here is what we have:
1. Reconciliation talks, mediated by President Arias of Costa Rica, until now, have not had success bringing a resolution. Zelaya seemed to have been in a rush last week and asked his representatives to call the talks a failure as he proceeded to rush to the next step, a dramatic attempt to walk across the border into Honduras from Nicaragua.
2. Zelaya’s loudest supporters at the International level have been the ALBA-aligned countries. ALBA stands for Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas. Bolivar is the George Washington of the northern part of South America. Venezuelan-born Simon Bolivar liberated Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia & Venezuela, among other countries, from Spanish rule. So, when Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro founded this Alliance in Dec of 2004, they decided to name it after a benign and much admired figure. But in reality, this so called Alliance represents little of Simon Bolivar’s real vision and is more closely aligned with Castro’s. Therefore, the ALBA aligned countries (Antigua, Bolivia, Cuba, Domenica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Grenadines and Venezuela) which up to date are 9, are at this point in every way supporting Zelaya, which in October of last year signed an agreement to have Honduras as a member of this ill-aligned group. Rick Sanchez invited a former American Ambassador to Latin America, Otto Reich, to discuss the situation further, including the ALBA/Castro angle.
3. Within the past 2 weeks, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez has been slowly lowering his noisy support and turned to quietly financing Zelaya’s movements in the region. Since Zelaya’s presidential credit card was canceled by the new Honduras government within a few days after his exile, due to his excessive spending, it is no secret that Hugo Chavez has provided him with all the necessary means to get around and continue his “presidential” lifestyle. Chavez has provided the jets, limos, clothes, hotels, etc… More importantly, is becoming more common knowledge that Chavez is paying people to go to Honduras to stir trouble, which would explain why many Zelaya supporters look more like thugs, throwing rocks, heckling people, starting fires and provoking the military to shoot them.
Zelaya's supporters or thugs? Intimidating Hondurans in the streets. Credit: http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/
4. In addition to the the financial backing, today Hugo Chavez remains the key silent partner and has made an effort not to be seen around Zelaya. However, as of the past few days, Sandinista president, Ortega of Nicaragua (neighbor right at the south of Honduras, and another key partner of Venezuela’s Chavez) has provided him with a place to stay and from where to “launch his return”.
5. Simon Bolivar’s birthday was this past Friday, 7/24 and it was said that Zelaya rushed breaking off the peace talks to have the opportunity to “walk back” into Honduras on Bolivar’s birthday, to add more drama to his defiant imprudence. So, on Friday, he gathered reporters, photographers, called on the media (TeleSur–Chavez-funded TV) and organized his melodramatic walk to the border of Honduras.
6. He was asked by the US and even his buddy in the OAS, Secretary Insulza, not to do it, for it could cause bloodshed. But the fact that he ignored these warnings showed he cares more about himself than about the people of Honduras.
7. Zelaya arrived to the border of Honduras this past Friday 7/24, accompanied by a Venezuelan high official. It was also rumored that members of the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan paramilitia accompanied him in plain clothes, disguised as “supporters.” Some of his supporters waited for him at the border. But they were only a couple of hundred at most.
Zelaya supporters awaiting at the border (note the red flag and hats not Honduras' color)
8. As Zelaya attempted to enter Honduras on Friday afternoon, in other cities of Honduras there were 100’s of thousands of Hondurans demonstrating against his return, and in support of the new government.
People demonstrating against Zelaya as he tried to cross border 7-24-09
July 22nd march against Zelaya & in support of the new gov't. - Credit: http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/
9. There is a zone between Honduras and Nicaragua, deemed neutral territory. Zelaya remained in that neutral territory. From there he phoned the military to announce his arrival but was told he could not enter unless he was willing to be arrested.
Zelaya at the neutral zone speaking to reporters & requesting permission to enter
10. Zelaya, on a move that demonstrated his lack of courage, or imprudent defiance that could have caused bloodshed, walked up to the old iron chain that marks the beginning of Honduras territory, and in a symbolic move lifted it, as if to walk through, held it there for a few minutes while his supporters cheered. It has been said that he did walk a few steps into Honduras territory, but some debate he was still inside a neutral strip, which is why he was not arrested by the military. Others reported that after lifting the chain he walked a few steps to a metal sign that said “Welcome to Honduras” and touched it and walked back to neutral territory soon after.
Soon after that stunt, back on neutral territory, Zelaya spent most of the time on his cell phone talking to the press and apparently his family. Soon after, he went back to his car and drove back to a little Nicaraguan town near the border called Las Manos, where he’s “set up camp.” See what his “camp” looks like. Certainly not identifying with the “poor” for whom he claims to advocate. We all have a good idea of who’s footing that not-so-poor bill.
11. Zelaya’s publicity stunt was called “reckless” by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
12. As he was in the middle of his stunt, on the same afternoon, the highly despised terrorist group gripping Colombia from its jungles, the FARC, issued a statement in support of Zelaya, demanding he be restored to power. This is the same group that has been implicated in kidnappings (see Ingrid Betancourt and the three American contractors held for years), murders, bombs, drug dealing, as well as funding a good part of the presidential campaign of another one of Chavez’ close allies, Correa of Ecuador.
13. In the meantime, statues of Zelaya have been found in the presidential palace, still packaged. Everyone wonders what were the plans of these statues given a president who claimed he had no intentions of running for re-election and supposedly ready to step down in January of 2010. The link in this bullet point takes you to the local Honduras paper. See the pictures to the right of the article. Or see below:
So, when was Zelaya planning on unveiling this? Reminds you of Sadam? - Credit: http://www.laprensa.hn
Now that is a good place to keep Zelaya. Benched. Credit: http://www.laprensa.hn
15. Since his failed return by air, Zelaya has been advocating his supporters to stage “insurrections” from his Nicaragua post, causing that small segment of the population inside Honduras, aided by people sent by the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan regimes, to start violent displays such as burning fires, throwing rocks, harassing peaceful demonstrators, hassling the military and forcing them to respond. Of course, once the military responds, they run to the media to complaint and aid to their case of making the government of Mr. Micheletti look like the bad guys.
Zelaya's supporters following his call for "insurrection". - Credit: http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/
16. It is worthy to note that through this time, the OAS, which seems now under Hugo Chavez and the ALBA control, has its highest representative, Secretary Insulza making terrible mistakes that have only stirred more unrest and unfairly misrepresented the new government as illegal and unconstitutional. He obviously has not read the Honduras constitution. For more details on OAS Secretary Insulza’s erratic and condemnable behavior, please click here for a Washington Post write up.
17. On an interesting update on CNN en Español, Krupskaia Alis, the reporter with Sandinista ties who did such unfair coverage of the initial events from Honduras, was sent to Costa Rica at the beginning of the peace talks, and last I heard, she’s now reporting other things non-related, from Mexico. I commend CNN en Español for listening to the people. I have also seen more balanced reporting, where they now present both points of view. In fact, I am thrilled to see Glenda Umaña and the fine Patricia Janiot turn their fantastic inquisitive reporting skills again on the Honduras issue, to ask the people they interview on the air the tough questions, as they usually do. I am sorry I missed it but I heard on Friday night Patricia Janiot was brilliant asking Zelaya the hard questions. Interestingly enough, CNN en Español continues to source video from TeleSur, but has made an effort to handle the audio from a different, more neutral source.
18. In regards to CNN USA, in English, there is still work to be done. The reporter, Karl Penhaul, which is stationed there continues to report only on Zelaya and his supporters. I don’t see anyone else from CNN USA in English showing the other side of the story in Honduras, covering the thousands of people marching against Zelaya, nor reporting on any talks with the Interim government of Mr. Micheletti. Karl the reporter refers to “the military coupe” and “president Zelaya”, while other reporters use more neutral terminology such as “deposed president Zelaya” and “interim government”. What’s more, in one video he expressed impatience at why Zelaya hasn’t been reinstated yet by using the term “understandibly so”. I heard a segment he prepared yesterday Saturday, during Fredericka Whitfield’s program and I was unable to tweet about the unfairness of his segment, but that needs to be addressed next. Karl is dedicated to telling Zelaya’s story and ignore the thousands of Hondurans who come out to the streets to demonstrate peacefully. It seems like he has allegiance to Zelaya’s people more than to balanced reporting.
19. I continue to commend the fantastic job of CNN USA’s Rick Sanchez for showing the story as it is. Also a huge thumbs up to Dr. Fareed Zakaria of Fareed Zakaria Global Public Square, (another wise International man) who presented the story as is. In fact, here is his 2-minute on-target analysis, which describes the situation in its full context. Then again, I’m not surprised, for Dr. Fareed Zakaria is a man who has a deep understanding of global politics.
As of tonight, Zelaya is still stationed at the little town near the border of Honduras continuing to advocate “insurrection”, backed by the rogue dictatorships of the ALBA, especially Cuba, Venezuela & Nicaragua, in addition to the terrorist guerrilla FARC. Zelaya has absolutely no interest in the safety of the Honduras people. He will push to return to power at whatever cost, and has sworn once back in power to continue in his pursuit to hold the infamous illegal poll that threw him out of power. The interim government, lead by Mr. Micheletti is still considering president Arias’ proposal. I hope they do not allow him back, even with limited power. Doing so would be the equivalent of letting Chavez or Ahmadinejad back in power had the people been successful in removing them. See latest video update from CNN en Español’s Washington correspondent, Juan Carlos Lopez, as he discusses the situation with CNN International.
I will post more updates as they occur. For additional information and coverage from Honduras, please visit La Gringa’s blog, by an American living in Honduras. This blog is full of first hand information, link, videos, photos, etc. Click here to go to La Gringa’s Blog or visit: http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/
As of midnight 7/27/09, Interim Honduras President, Roberto Micheletti just published a great write up in the Wall Street Journal. Here is the link and below if you want to copy and paste:
Published: 20 July 2009 8:10 PM UTCPosted in: Global
I have invited blogger Iran_ALLDAY, who goes by the same name in Twitter to write the opinion below. We are appreciative he was kind enough to share his thoughts with us here. For more detailed information, please visit his blog, http://iranallday.blogspot.com/ constantly updated with the latest on the Iranian movement.
Opinion By Iran_ALLDAY:
In the 30 years of the Islamic republic there have been those in the past that have stood up to the government’s harsh ways. These people stretch from journalists, politicians to young college students. The problem was that these people who spoke against the government never had a strong back up or support of the people, because in the past the majority was scared, so the potential for the uprising of a movement would be zero to none.
It is important to note that during the 80’s there were people who spoke against the government, but due to the 8-year war with Iraq much attention was placed on the war. Then during the aftermath people were just relieved the war was over and did not want to get in the way of the government. Those who were against the government did not have a strong backing to create a movement.
The Sea of Green
What is happening right now is the masses are supporting one another. For the first time in 30 years you have a majority who have broken their silence and finally stood up to this government, and are not afraid anymore.
What is ultimately being seen are two sides: one side is the youth who want to see change and have basic human rights that any other western country has, then the other side, which is more conservative and plan on continuing things the same as ever.
This is a battle of two different worlds with two different ideologies: one of looks to the present and the other looks at the past, as ways to run a government.
It is proven throughout history that when the masses join together, put fear aside and show bravery, they cannot be stopped. No matter how many of them the government kills and imprisons or tortures, it will only anger the people more, and most importantly motivate them to take down an oppressive regime.
The second most powerful man in Iran, Hashemi Rafsanjani, said it best “If we are not fair with the people, they will do to us exactly like they did to the Shah”.
Published: 10 July 2009 2:41 AM UTCPosted in: Global
As a Latin American who grew up there and is constantly traveling between my new home country, the US, and my native one in Latin America, closely following events in the region, political and otherwise, I can talk about this subject with the authority of someone who has experienced the very situation that the Hondurans are trying to avoid by having deposed Zelaya.
I speak to you as a world citizen, born and raised in one of those countries in Latin America, currently ailing of the Chavez/Boliviarian dictatorship which rose under the thin guise of democracy. As a very young child I remember living through military coupes, martial law, elections and have seen first hand how politics in Latin America is a fight of life and death many times. Through my life here in the states I have come to appreciate the politics of this country I now call home, the gift that is the Declaration of Independence, the American Constitution, its Amendments and the freedoms the wise founding fathers of this country fought for over two hundred years ago.
Therefore, my analysis is that of a Latin American who grew up and studied there, fascinated by the regional history, having lived the politics, having done business in the region and having voted in elections there. During my time here in the States, –thanks to satellite– I continue to be in touch with all the Latin American news networks such as CNN en Español, Globovision, Galavision, Univision, Teleamazonas, RCN, etc… Not only do I read the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal but also El Diario La Prensa, El Comercio, El Mercurio, which keep me abreast of the daily events that have built to what’s happening in Honduras right now, thus bringing the attention of the world, as if a snapshot of a long ongoing movie.
To the average American, who knows that Mexico is to the South of the border –and there is a bunch of other Spanish speaking countries further south– Honduras is just another name of those Spanish speaking countries, and likely considered just another Banana Republic.
Sadly, it seems the Bush/Cheney administration saw Latin America the same way and during these past 8 years allowed anti-USA sentiment grow to the point where the poor and the ignorant, or both, were exploited by being told the rich, the Americans and Bush were to blame for their woes. On election day they’d be given a pound of rice, or of sugar, would get picked up from their homes, treated like VIPs, given T-shirts, hats, enough incentives to buy their vote and put these Castro-sympathizing, America-hating politicians into power. And once they were put “legitimately” into power, by “the vote of the people”, they proceeded to take steps to achieve a more “mild” form of the Castro example in Cuba, this time by “democratically” holding “referendum” after “referendum” to legalize and consolidate their absolute hold of power.
They start off by dissolving congress, firing every judge, getting rid of people in government and the military who may pose a threat to them. Since most of these countries have had some degree of corruption, many people may applaud getting rid of bad judges and corrupt politicians, yet seem clueless and naive to the larger plan. These newly elected presidents hold a referendum to change the constitution, a constitution that gives them unlimited terms and unlimited power. Regardless of how the vote goes, they declare a new constitution shortly after. They start taking land from “the rich” and giving it to “the poor” to consolidate popular support. It is true, some in this rich group are corrupt and deserved to have their land taken back, but many in the middle classes suffer as well. Next, they begin cracking down on freedom of expression, they start closing down news networks that have a more “independent view”.
They align themselves with anti-American governments such as Cuba’s Castro, Iran’s Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah, Russia, China, etc. They kick out American presence from these countries and begin to refer to the United States as “The Empire”. Most Latin Americans, who have grown up watching The Brady Bunch, NCIS, MTV, CNN, who always have looked to the big countries in the north: Mexico, The United States and Canada as the older siblings –understanding there is CIA presence here and there looking out for American interests– are friendly to the North Americans for the most part, perceiving them as benign. Yes, I will admit there is a small part of the population, and I will say it is a small percentage, that admires Che Guevara, Castro and are anti-American. Those are usually children of leftist/communist sympathizers, who won’t hesitate to spew their contrary views. But thanks to American/French libertarian ideals of long ago, they are free to express without fear of retaliation. They take advantage of the very freedoms their ideology would take away if they were allowed into power.
Chavez and his leftist socialist anti-American gang with Zelaya to the far right.
This is the current new and growing wave of leftist governments growing south of the border, what I consider part of the failed Bush legacy. These governments truly DO NOT represent the majority of their citizens. By the time these leftist presidents have clearly become members of the Chavez/Castro club, and consolidated their power within their respective countries, it’s too late for the people to have a leg to stand on and take them off power. This has happened in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and it’s coming to other countries quite soon. Don’t be surprised if Argentina and Uruguay are next.
And that is what the wise Hondurans saw coming this past June. Their president Manuel Zelaya (AKA Mel) had at one time been elected under the premise of change, just like we elected Mr. Obama. Hondurans were tired of the corruption. And Mr. Zelaya came to power supported by his party, congress, and the people. But over time he started making “new friends” outside of Honduras. These new friends were Chavez and his gang. Over time Hondurans saw the overtures their president was making towards Venezuela and they got very nervous. They knew what was coming. After all, they saw it happen in Nicaragua, right south of their border. They read about what’s happened and happening in Venezuela. They don’t like Chavez. They don’t like Castro. They saw what’s happening in Ecuador, in Bolivia and they are not liking it one bit. They like their American friends. They want to stay neutral. They don’t want to be opressed the way they see their Bolivian, Ecuadorian, Venezuelan & Nicaraguan brothers and sisters are.
When Zelaya announced he wanted to hold a “referendum”, asking the people if it’d be ok to hold a vote, which would allow him to eventually form a new government under a new constitution –just like Chavez and his gang have done–they did not like it one bit. What’s more, holding a referendum of that type was unconstitutional as per Honduran law, which clearly stated that should a president hold such an event, he’d lose his power and be deposed.
Of course, like in other countries, there is a segment of the population that welcomes the Chavez mentality because they would benefit from it. They would “inherit” land from the “rich” without working for it. But sadly even these people have been fed a plate of lies. After all, they have been quite hungry, in every sense. They have been taught, like in the other countries, to hate “the rich” and middle classes, to blame their woes on them and on the Americans. So, these are the people who were willing to come out and vote on that fated Sunday June 28th. But they were the minority, for the majority knew their likely fate. Rumors ran that the poll was coming from Venezuela.
But Zelaya didn’t care. As president he felt he was above the law. He sought funding for his illegal poll from funds that otherwise would have gone to other sorely needed national projects. Many people were nervous. Rumors ran rampant that he was ready to dissolve congress and the judiciary right after the results of the poll would be announced, likely in his favor. They sensed Venezuelan presence behind this. He asked the military forces to distribute the voting urns and monitor the polling. When his top military guy, General Vasquez, refused to follow him on this illegal pursuit, obeying orders from the courts, he fired him. He was ordered by the court and congress to return Vasquez to his post. He refused. It was also said all government employees were forced to participate or else they’d lose their jobs.
It was the kind of situation that makes you nauseaus because you know it’s going to get ugly. It was said that up until the day before that fated poll Sunday, they tried to negotiate with Zelaya, to make him understand he could not force a vote on the people. Forget that he had already broken many laws and he was flaunting himself as the highest executive and therefore above the law, Zelaya did not seem to care and was moving forward with his plans, trampling the laws and the will of the people.
As a Latin American living in NY, I was closely following that situation, feeling already bad for the Honduran people, who seemed to be next. They knew they were being forced into a fake exercise of democracy that would inevitably lead them down a well-known and feared path. I remember waking up that Sunday morning, tuning to CNN en Español for an update, and being delighted to learn that the Hondurans had gotten rid of Zelaya that early Sunday morning, and what’s more, had been smart enough to get him out of the country in a matter of hours.
Many do not understand why it was necessary to take Zelaya out of the country. But you gotta give it to the Honduran people. They had done their homework. They knew arresting Zelaya and leaving him inside Honduras would be a threat to their success. Only a few years ago, Venezuelans had finally managed to stage a coupe and arrest Chavez. They immediately named an interim president and placed Chavez in the hands of the military. A few days later, Chavez had managed to sweet-talk, threaten and manipulate the military to support him back into power. After all, he was a military guy who had tried to stage a coupe himself almost a decade before. Hondurans realized the mistake of the Venezuelans, which is why they had to surprise Zelaya, and take him out of the country incommunicado, no cell, and put him in neutral turf, the Switzerland of Latin America, Costa Rica.
To my dismay, CNN en Español and its reporters did not sound too happy about that, and it clearly showed in their words, their tone, their inferences, their analysis, their reporting. While in my house we were cheering, in awe of the Hondurans desperate but smart and cunning move, we were at the same time appalled to hear how immediately all the other Latin American “leaders” pronounced themselves against what was now deemed a “coupe”.
Translation: “CNN, it is a coupe against dictatorship”.
Soon after, CNN en Español gave deposed Zelaya, ample time in the air to depict his dramatic exit, in pajamas, at gun point, out of the country, without his adored cell phone, gaining international pity and pulling all other international leaders to pronounce themselves immediately for him. Yet, CNN en Español did not bother to speak to the other equal branches of power who had deposed Zelaya. It was understandable when Hugo Chavez was the first to condem the situation, blaming the United States and offering his army to invade Honduras to help Zelaya return to power. The nerve! His little click of followers (Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Argentina, etc,) predictably so, also pronounced themselves against the “coupe”.
Source: Washington Times
To my further dismay, Mr. Obama joined the chorus of dissaproval, withdrawing support from Honduras and not recognizing the newly formed interim civil government. How dissappointing! Then Mexico, Colombia and all the others followed. I tried to be understanding of their situation as I realized they feared if they supported the new Honduran government they’d give anyone license to do the same to them in their respective countries. But still, didn’t Mr. Obama have intelligent advisors guiding him to a smarter more neutral pronunciation? I was truly dissappointed at our president, who proceeded to withdraw all assistance to the new Honduras government.
Thankfully a “Wise Latina” (LOL!! Sorry! I couldn’t help myself), US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, explained to our president, in a letter, why he should hold off any further criticisms until he understood the situation better. And gotta give it to Obama. He’s good at listening and being cautious. Hugo Chavez didn’t like it one bit. When Obama did not press further in his condemnation of the so called coupe, he started jeering at him, calling him names and inciting him by stating that his lack of support for Zelaya only meant he was behind the coupe. Thankfully, as we say in Spanish “Al loco se deja hablar y al burro rebuznar” (let the crazy man talk away and the ass bray away), Mr. Obama did not react to Hugo Chavez’ provocations.
Interim Honduras President Micheletti
In the meantime, Hondurans were relieved, relieved they had gotten rid of the Chavista (Chavez ideology sympathizer) president. They were happy to stay home that Sunday as their congress unanimously voted to accept Zelaya’s resignation by letter, and swear in a new president, in absence of his vice president, all that same Sunday in the afternoon. It is worthy to mention that the new president Mr. Micheletti, is from the same party as Mr. Zelaya. It’d be the equivalent of having removed Bush from power, and in the absence of Cheney, electing Bahner –had he been the majority leader of the house– as the new president. This was NOT a political fight. This was a fight for their political lives and for the freedoms the Honduran people knew were at risk.
To my sadness and dissappointment, as well as that of thousands and thousands of Hondurans, CNN en Español, which until then had been revered as the legitimate authority of the news in Latin America, had a reporter in Honduras by the name of KRUSPKAIA ALIS, which according to sources, born in Cali, is daughter of Sandinista parents and also married to a leader of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. Her reporting was so slanted, so clearly pro-Chavez and pro-Zelaya, that it aroused the anger of many Hondurans, who poured it onto the CNN en Español page in Facebook. Interestingly enough, Krupskaia Alis’ slanted reporting echoed to the anchor desks of CNN en Español in Atlanta, and those formerly beloved CNN en Español anchors such as Patricia Janiot,Claudia Palacios, Glenda Umaña came crashing down in the eyes of many Hondurans who did not hesitate to express their sadness and dissappointment.
Unfortunately that was not the extent of CNN en Español’s major failure in impartial reporting. They brought in “analysts” who first of all were not even Honduran, to condemn the move as a coupe, as something evil, and present “poor president Zelaya” as the victim. Many Hondurans, here in the states and over there were horrified. To add insult to injury, a few days later I discovered that CNN en Español was sourcing the majority of their footage, additional reporting and video from TeleSur! TeleSur!! That would be the equivalent of having Iran State News Media as the source of information on the Iran election and demonstrations that followed soon after. What was CNN en Español management thinking??? Like many Hondurans and many other Latin Americans, I was livid at the unfairness and very short-sighted reporting.
TeleSur, to quote Wikipedia, (The New Television Station of the South) is a pan-Latin American terrestrial and satellite television network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. teleSUR is intended to be an instrument toward the “concretizing of the Bolivarian idea” through the integration of Latin America, and as a counterweight to what the governments that funds it consider a “distorted view of Latin American reality by privately run networks that broadcast to the region” [3] such as CNN and Univisión, and public ones such as the BBC, TVE and Deutsche Welle.
La Nueva Televisora del Sur, C.A. is, according to its website a public company which has Latin American governments as its sponsors. Its sponsors are the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The channel’s news coverage focuses mostly on the countries participating in its financing, giving particular emphasis to the countries’ presidents and the social and political progresses their governments carry out and when covering news about Latin American countries with pro-US governments like México, Colombia and Peru, they do so in a highly critical way.
What were the producers of CNN en Español thinking??? It is no surprise that shortly after such monumental reporting failures, CNN was renamed by many Hondurans as the Chavez News Network.
CNN for Hondurans = Chavez News Network
But it seemed too many people wrote in that they had to begin to tip the scale to the other side as well, and began bringing in more informed analysts such as one from the CATO institute who clearly explained the situation in a more balanced manner, another guy, Vargas-Llosa, as well as the Chief correspondent of the Economist in Latin America, who presented a more balanced outlook of the Honduras situation.
Claudia Palacios began to finally challenge Zelaya in an interview, presenting the complaints and issues of many Hondurans that were writing in dissent of the pro-Zelaya coverage. When he felt challenged, he immediately attacked CNN’s coverage, accusing them of supporting the coupe against him. At that point I felt bad for poor Claudia, for she was getting heated letters from the Honduran people and now was getting unfairly beat up by the deposed president, who obviously had been too busy talking and not listening to CNN en Español’s slanted coverage. Unfortunately that was not enough, for they kept reporting the rest of the week on the Honduran situation still linking to Telesur and kept the Sandinista influenced reporter, KRUSPKAIA ALIS, in Honduras, focusing on the pro-Zelayan “demonstrations” while ignoring the larger pro-new government crowds.
From L to R: Zelaya, Chavez & OAS Sec’y Insulza. Credit: AFP Photo – Jairo Cajina – Click on photo for source
This Honduras situation is certainly not over. Zelaya/Chavez’ gang, who now dominates over the OAS (Organization of American States), and who had recently requested the readmission of Cuba (surprise surprise!), was now ready to kick Honduras out and not recognize the new government. Towards the end of the week of July 4th, they had agreed to send in their Secretary, Miguel Insulza, who unfortunately was an old Zelaya friend, to supposedly speak to the new government headed by Mr. Micheletti, but instead and predictably so, did not listen one bit to the new Honduran government and instead went back to the OAS in Washington DC to push for a vote to kick Honduras out of the organization. Micheletti and his new government, foreseeing the move, snubbed the OAS by withdrawing Honduras’ membership first. The OAS –in a high school-level move– refused to recognize the withdrawal citing that they did not recognize the new government, only that of Mr. Zelaya. So, they stayed up until very late over the weekend and voted to kick Honduras out, which also meant Zelaya was out. Are you all still with me over this soap opera?
It is truly apalling, to see the lack of support the Hondurans have received so far from the international community, and it reminded me of the Iranians, left on their own, in isolation and injustice left to fight for their own freedom from tyranny. At least the Iranians seem to have more support from the major news networks such as CNN and BBC.
Pro-NewGov’t Rally in San Pedro Sula – July 2nd 2009
Peaceful march in support of new Honduran government
Hondurans marching in support of the new government
A sea of white and blue in support of the new Honduras government
Huge and peaceful support of the new Honduras government
Even though peaceful demonstrations had begun to take place in Honduras and in the US, where Honduran communities exist, with the majority wearing white, showing signs and the blue and white flag, angry mob-like groups began to fill the streets, armed with sticks, stones, wearing red, in support of Zelaya. The difference was clear. While supporters of the new government, every day men, women, children came out dressed peacefully in white, an angry, mob-like crowd wearing red, inciting violence, throwing rocks, burning businesses perceived as supportive of the new government, came out in support of deposed Mel Zelaya.
Pro-Zelayan supporters
Pro-Zelaya supporters setting fires
Pro-Zelaya crowd trying to break airport wall to invade landing field
In one of the Facebook pages of CNN en Español, I found an entry by a Venezuelan radio Disc Jockey. He said he had been mistakenly sent a message to his cell phone, inviting him to a free tour for 2 to Honduras for the weekend of July 5th. He reported this mistaken message to the Hondurans in Facebook, alerting them that the Venezuelan government was likely behind these free “tours” to Honduras. He expressed his opinion stating he’d prefer Venezuelans stayed out of the Honduran situation, something which their government can’t do. Interestingly enough, the Honduran military has also claimed to have arrested citizens from Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela who have entered the country illegally in the past week.
Pro-Zelaya Chavistas demonstrating in Costa Rica
Today, the famous Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Dr. Oscar Arias, president of the Switzerland of the Americas, Costa Rica, offered to mediate talks between both deposed Zelaya and the new Honduran president, Micheletti. While some had faith in success, given his prior accomplishments, there were many of us who doubted it, regardless of his talents. It is obvious that Zelaya, once he has consolidated his pity party from the international community, feels rightfully entitled to being put back in power. It is ironic how he and his band of dictator friends so freely and conveniently use the word “democracy” as they so fiercely are against it when no one is looking.
Zelaya has dug in. He will accept nothing short of being back in power. Micheletti, rightfully so, said he would accept nothing short of keeping Zelaya out of power, and even reminded him that if he were to return to his country, he’d be arrested for the many crimes for which he is being sought. Unfortunately, Zelaya went first in the talks with Arias. Micheletti went second. And after 3 hours with the Costa Rican president, Micheletti got back on a plane and headed home, clearly showing there was no chance of sitting down with Zelaya.
I have to give it to CNN USA’s Rick Sanchez, who covered the situation in a short segment this week, but in a more fair outlook than his peers at CNN en Español. He brought in an “analyst” who clearly was clueless about the overall political picture in Latin America, yet as this so called “analyst” presented his views supporting the “legitimacy” of Zelaya’s presidency, calling the Honduran situation an illegal coupe, Rick did a nice job presenting the view of the Hondurans, who according to their constitution, had no legal process to get rid of a law-breaking president like Zelaya. I felt Rick’s analysis was the most fair by a CNN anchor since he was able to present both sides of the story and allow people make up their own mind.
As a Latin American citizen, raised both in Latin America, as well as here in the United States, with my native country now under a pro-Chavista, anti-American administration which has already changed the constitution, dissolved congress and the judiciary, and now is proceededing to start suppressing freedom of the press, I acknowledge that I cannot present what an outsider would consider an “impartial” point of view. Though I observe the dictates of journalism, by always checking on my references and referencing my sources, this remains an opinion page, as the theme of this site says, it is “The World through the Eyes of an Opinionated New Yorker”. This situation is how I see it, how I’ve experienced it, and how many Hondurans see it and have experienced it as well, which enables me to sympathize with their plight and disdain any “experts” and so called “analysts”. After all, the majority of these “experts” are foreigners who have studied Latin America and analyze it from the comfort of their US based homes and offices. It is likely these experts have not lived there nor are they in daily close contact with the people, the culture and many don’t even speak the language and are clueless about the differences between TeleSur, GloboVision, TeleAmazonas, Galavision, etc. I don’t understand why CNN keeps putting those people –who are so out of touch with the reality of the lives of Latin Americans– in front of American audiences to spew legal garbage that clearly doesn’t cover the dangerous situation the Hondurans cunningly pulled themselves out of.
The American guy CNN sent in to Honduras recently, whose name I forget at this moment, in his attempt to be more fair than his Sandinista peer, Krupskaia, presented the situation as that of a class war between the rich and the poor. And his naivetee irritated me. Obviously this guy has not studied enough Latin American politics to see that the poor are being used as instruments to put these dictators in power. These guys are the least interested in the poor. Perfect case and example, Castro in Cuba, who lives like a millionaire while rationing his people. The same goes for Chavez and his lifestyle. Just this week in Honduras, they discovered records and video of Zelaya’s presidential minister just a few days before being ousted, making a withdrawal of about 10 million dollars from the Honduras Central Bank, the bank of the people. No one knows where the money went. Mel Zelaya, who claimed recently to be a humble farmer with a home in a middle class neighborhood in the capital of Honduras, which in reality is an upper class neighborhood, managed to splurge on his presidential credit card at the tune of 80,000 dollars during his first few days out of the country in Costa Rica, Washington DC and New York. $80,000 is quite a sum of money, something is known, takes many Hondurans to earn over their lifetime. And Zelaya, supposedly a humble farmer that favors the poor managed to spend $80K of the people’s money in 3 days before the new government shut down his credit card. Sure this is a class clash!!! Only the naive and untrained eye could fall for that. No one in educated Latin America would fall for that, rich or poor. The truth about Honduras is that this is a fight to remain free of Chavez’ increasing power in Latin America. The Hondurans clearly don’t want it.
And I would strongly advise the extreme right wingers or left wingers residing in the United States, who want to take sides pro or against Zelaya, depending on their leanings to support their domestic agendas here. Be careful of how you view the right and left in Latin America. For if you think of yourself, as a far left or even average leftist, and you feel you should support Zelaya, please be aware that the left in Latin America is true socialism, closer to Cuba’s comunism and they are very anti-American. The supposed left in the United States could easily be considered centrist in Latin America. So, I ask the average leftist here, please be aware of the differences.
Now, to the right wingers in the Republican party who want to take this issue against Obama, I’d say also be careful. Please know that Chavez blames the right wing for all the woes in Latin America and calls you all crazy. Supporting Zelaya would be supporting Chavez. Besides, there is information we don’t know just yet in regards to the real participation behind the scenes, of the United States in this situation. After all, you all know well the US has a military base in Honduras. So, please abstain from using this international conflict, which really has nothing to do with the right wing of Republican leanings of the American public, as propaganda to feed fires against the Obama government.
This is not a fight over the legality of a coupe. This is a struggle to remain truly democratic and independent. It is not about Republican versus Democratic ideals the way they are perceived here in the States.
So I sit here tonight, in awe and respect of the brave Hondurans and Iranians, who fight hard to take back the government by the people and for the people, who fight hard to regain those precious freedoms we so much take for granted here, and I pray, hoping the wave of understanding and support will eventually go their way, for unfairly so very unfairly, international support is sorely lacking.
For the next update on Honduras, as of July 27/2009, click here or go to:
Correction: A picture of Zelaya with Micheletti, was wrongly captioned as Zelaya with Insulza. Diana, a Honduran reader pointed out the error and it has been corrected. I thank you all dear readers for your contributions, comentary and feedback.
Published: 14 June 2009 6:57 PM UTCPosted in: Global
Watching the events unfold in Iran via CNN and in cyberspace, I can’t help but feel a bit more hopeful than in the past, whenever this type of situation has arisen in other countries.
The story has been basically the same. Some extreme right-wing or left-wing leader rises to power in the middle of an election looking for a change of direction, and suddenly, part of that change also means breaking away from friendly countries, taking away the rights of the people, and aligning themselves with rogue regimes around the world.
Let’s start off with Venezuela. It used to be a thriving country in Latin America. Venezuela is where South Americans in neighboring countries went if their visa to enter the United States was turned down. There was a large middle class and many in the rich ranks. But there was also poverty and discontent in the larger population. Chavez, being a military leader, rose to power after a failed coup and eventually having run for president. As a leftist, promising to take care of the large poor class, Chavez got enough votes to win. That was in 1999. He’s been in power since then, and even has managed to re-write the constitution, extending his terms and the reach of his mandate. Despite many attempts from people, the electorate, his opponents, to depose him, to question his “elections”, he remains in power. Chavez has it down to a science. I have no doubt that being under the tutelage of Castro he will remain in power for a long time, and will hamper world peace, even though this is not the will of the Venezuelan people. Due to the unfortunate presence of Bush and his cowboy policies in the world stage, Chavez has managed to endear himself to many, among them peers in Latin America, who have become his supporters.
With Chavez leading Venezuela to the left and pulling away from a formerly good relationship with the US, outside of his region, he has reached out to Cuba, China, Russia, Iran, and made alliances with these country leaders to foment strong relationships that will benefit them in commerce, warfare and space exploration.
He has taken under his wing the less experienced presidents of his neighboring countries: Correa in Ecuador, Morales in Bolivia, and Ortega in Nicaragua. They often visit each other’s countries and have open trade amongst each other. Chavez, having excellent relationships with China, Russia and Iran, has also opened the door for his allies. Last Fall, I visited Ecuador and saw an unusually high number of Chinese tourists peppered throughout the streets of Quito, side by side with the usual northern Europeans, Germans and American backpackers. It surprised me to see so many. A young architect who lives there, informed me that Correa has an open visa travel agreement with the Chinese, where all they need to do is present their passport to be admitted to Ecuador. The Venezuelans have started investing in Ecuadorian infrastructure, brought in the Chinese and Russians as investors, and the same is happening with the other Chavez-friendly countries. Recently China launched a first satellite on behalf of Venezuela. All this is happening while Bush/Cheney were distracted “fighting terrorism” in other parts of the world.
Even though Colombia and its president, Alvaro Uribe, remain aligned with the United States, especially in their fight against the drug cartels, it is no secret that the FARC –based in the jungles of Colombia– are aligned with Chavez. And evidence has been found that they even have had dealings with Correa in Ecuador, something which he denies heatedly. But evidence is evidence and you can’t dispute it. What’s more, after the visit of Ahmadinejad, it was also rumored that the FARC received money from Iran, as well as help with weapons, warfare technology and “training”.
Correa was up for “re-election” in Ecuador, on April of this year. Despite the fact that people who voted for him the first time did not vote for him again, he “won” anyway. Last Fall he held a referendum to change the constitution, a constitution rumored to have been crafted in Venezuela, and again, according to his administration, there were enough votes to pass the new constitution, which gave him an extended mandate and extended time should he be re-elected. So, it was no surprise that even though his support among the electorate had dwindled, he remains in power. And while in power, despite the opposition of the people, he managed to kick out the United States Air Force base that had been set up in Manta, a thriving city in the Pacific coast, which has greatly benefitted from and welcomed the American presence.
Morales and Ahmadinejad
In Bolivia, another member of Chavez’ club, the story is similar. Supposedly a referendum passed the new leftist constitution –also rumored to have originated in Venezuela– that also expanded Morales’ mandate and his time in power if re-elected. And, of course, Morales was re-elected even though the cries of irregularities were loud. He continues to remain in power today, and a special member of Chavez’ club. This country has received special attention from Ahmadinejad.
As per Monsters & Critics, Ahmadinejad opens wallet for Bolivia on visit to South America. I’m sure that does not go over too well with the Iranians at home, whose economy is struggling. As per M&C, “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged 1 billion dollars for the development of Bolivia’s economy and pledged to work more closely and fight imperialism with its leader and the president of Venezuela during visits to La Paz and Caracas.”
Ortega and Ahmadinejad
In Nicaragua, another stop along Ahmadinejad’s tour, it was time for re-election last November. And guess what? Same situation. Among ugly maneuverings, and claims of voter fraud, he claimed to have won re-election. See The Economist Article titled, Nicaragua – How to steal an election.
Do you see the pattern here?
So, despite my outrage upon hearing the unfair results of an effort to oust Ahmadinejad, he’s aligned with cheaters who likely share a playbook on how to stay in power, regardless of opposition. I have no doubt that Ahmadinejad, a billion dollar member of the cheaters club, is well supported and will do all necessary to remain in his seat. If Chavez, Castro, Correa, Morales and Ortega have done so successfully, despite the opposition of the electorate, why wouldn’t he?
It is an unfortunate similarity to Bush and Putin’s “re-elections” in the past decade.
So, we can’t be surprised, when after all the noise and all the demonstrations and legal challenges, Ahmadinejad is likely to remain in power, because of his special membership in the cheaters club. They support each other, and will do all necessary to cause as much damage before they leave.
The saddest thing is that even the United States no longer has moral ground to interfere. George Bush and his horrendous legacy has made sure of it.
Even though I am not as acquainted with the politics of Iran, I only hope that the people of Iran have a greater will and endurance than the people of the Americas, and given their success 30 years ago, perhaps they’ll have a better chance to break this ominous pattern. Otherwise, the Obama administration is certain of having its cup of international challenges, runneth over. I’m just glad the Clintons are in his team.
Published: 13 June 2009 10:12 PM UTCPosted in: Global
Cyberspace has done the wonderful thing of making the world a local cyber-neighborhood, where conversations of all origins and topics occur and many of us have learned to care more often about what goes on beyond our borders.
On December of 2007 I wrote my first political post here at MariaNYC.com, moved by an unfortunate trifecta of bad news for women in politics around the world. Since I lost that article due to computer malfunctions, here and in cyberspace, I will summarize it by saying that in that sad December 27th of 2007 three things had occurred, which made me lose hope in humanity and the future of women in leading roles.
The media’s constant beating and negative portrayal of Hillary Clinton, as she was running her primary against all the other democratic contenders at the time. And even in my beloved CNN, the portrayal was mainly negative. It bothered me because here was the first woman getting this far in a key presidential contest, and was fighting –what I sensed at a womanly level to be–common subconscious sexism.
Added to that was the recent publication at the time, of photos showing one of my favorite all-time former presidential contenders at the international level, who during her brave campaign in Colombia, had been ruthlessly captured by the FARC, still in captivity 6 years later, looking sad and emaciated. It broke my heart to see Ingrid Betancourt, such a dynamic, progressive woman, reduced by nameless, worthless excuses for human beings, to just bones, skin and no spirit.
I remember the title of that first post being, “What the Hell is Going On?”. I questioned at the time the humanity subconscious in trying to suppress these up and coming female leaders in a contentious world stage. Of course I ended my article also pointing at the flickering light of hope that existed in knowing that Angela Merkel in Germany, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, Michelle Bachelet in Chile and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina were proof that it was worth holding on to hope that there will be a better balance of women and men in power in global politics. Yet, I have to face the fact that the balance is by far still yet to be achieved.
I was a bit slow coming around to supporting then candidate Obama, at the time fresh out of a bloody primary. As a Hillary supporter I ended up weighing my options and concluding that –despite the feminine presence at the bottom of the Republican ticket–there was no other way than to support the Democrat ticket on the final round of the election. And it was a worthwhile choice. Even though my initial choice for candidate did not win the primaries, watching Mr. Obama, as President, work hard at keeping his promises and not losing his common touch with those who put him in office, I’ve become a huge admirer of his. Listening to his speeches and watching the reaction of people, my own among those, has helped me overcome my initial despondence about the events of December 2007 and have hope for a more balanced mindset in world leadership. God knows how much we need it.
Dr. Deepak Chopra talked about this need for balance of power in the world stage with Larry King, a couple of weekends ago. He said that men have been in power too long –as a result we have seen wars and the avarice and aggressive gambling that went on to cause the economy to falter. He said that it is time that women take leading roles too, because women tend to look for consensus, as compared to the aggressivity of many male leaders who tend to gamble what they have, have an aggressive and competitive stance and tend to push their agenda on others, shunning the spirit of cooperation on behalf of world peace for their own advancement and reputation. And I agree with him! But I don’t think it is necessarily about our physical gender differences as much as it is about our mental attitudes, which unfortunately tend to be associated with male or female mindsets. Of course, in general it tends to be that way, but there are many exceptions to that rule. Sarah Palin is a perfect example of that exception. If she ever made it to the world stage as a leader, God help us! So, being a woman is not necessarily a guarantee that you’ll be a consensus maker. But in general, it tends to be the case, just like it tends to be true of many older and wiser men.
Although Hillary didn’t make it to the White House, Mr. Obama has proven to be the kind of leader Dr. Chopra said the world needs right now.
Obama may not be a female leader, but in all the “man” he is, he’s not on testosterone overload. He’s not a warmonger, nor the cowboy “my-way-or-the-highway” type. He is more sophisticated than that and he’s serious about world peace. I love his mindset, and his gender doesn’t seem to define his attitudes, for the most part. We needed someone like that to change the tone of the prior testosterone-overloaded macho administration that has caused so much damage in the cause of world peace. Obama is a great representation of this new type of leader. So having someone like him in power put me at ease that we wouldn’t be entering the world stage again with our fists up, ready for another fight. I truly saw the shift in the feedback from the leaders of countries that have normally been anti-US. After Mr. Obama’s election win, comments from the likes of Chavez, Cuba’s Fidel Castro and his brother, and even Iran’s president, began to signal a new tone.
Right around the same time there was a slight glimmer of hope for another leader who believes in consensus. In Israel the Kadima party held a leadership vote, won by Tzipi Livni, one of the nation’s leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has earned a reputation as honest, clean, and sticking to her principles, but her chances were shut down. How it went down, it’s summarized in the excerpt below:
While election results gave Kadima the most seats in the Knesset, parties to the right in Israel’s political spectrum gained enough seats that a coalition government under Kadima leadership was unlikely. As a result, Israeli president Shimon Peres asked Netanyahu and [his party] Likud (which received one less seat than Kadima in the elections) to form a government; this is the first time in Israel’s history that the party with the most seats was not asked to govern.
(Quote from Wikipedia, which used as sources The International Herald Tribune and The Associated Press, 02/20/09.)
Netanyahu is a hard liner who does not believe in the two-state solution and as per The Washington Post’s article, believes the “U.S. backed peace talks a waste of time”. Many will point to inane excuses for this strange turn of affairs where this woman leader, who believes in consensus, despite being voted in the majority, was unable to obtain her deserved position, which instead was given to a hard-liner, an old guy with last century’s political mindset, who is certainly not likely to help the Middle East peace process with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s right-wing hard-line coalition reminds me of the right-wing hardliners here in the US, which were in charge during the past 8 years and had a huge hand on the spiraling down of world peace into the dangerous levels it is today. The damage caused by the misguided conduct of the Bush/Cheney administration, many agree have caused formerly friendly countries to stop supporting the US –many in Latin America– and we all agree it cannot be overturned overnight.
Those who rose to power in the midst of the discontent with the US foreign policy are doing all possible to hang on to it today, legitimally or not. Chavez got “re-elected”, to complete his 10th year in office, despite protests and contests of the “election results”. Correa in Ecuador –Chavez’ little “pup”–not only got “re-elected” this year, but through a misleading referendum for a new constitution–rumored to have been authored in Venezuela– under the promise of more jobs, land for the poor, better healthcare and social security, buried a clause that secured his “presidency” for terms longer than the two-allotted terms, with Nicaragua and Bolivia going down the same path.
Watching Obama in the world stage in Cairo and seeing the results of the Lebanese elections soon after, lean their newly elected leadership pro-west and defeat the dangerous hardliners, made me hopeful, that perhaps there would be a turn around towards overall world peace. The events that unfolded on the days leading to the Iranian election yesterday, made many of us feel even more hopeful, that despite the growing threat of North Korea, Al Qaeda and the extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iran could come around and become an important ally in the troubled Middle East. I even had hoped that the lives of thousands of women in Iran would be improved under the modern progressive thinker Mousavi seems to be.
I was patiently watching the events of the election, ready to unfold an article –after a likely Mohadinejad defeat– about a new more hopeful era, where the beacon of cooperation and mutual respect among nations had begun to lead us into world peace. The election of Mousavi in Iran would have meant a total rejection of another right-wing hardliner, a war monger like Bush and Cheney, aligned with the religious right, who only cares to secure his own agenda without truly caring for the citizens nor the rest of the world.
To my dismay, the news today has been a setback to the hope of many. I remember well how sad, surprised and hopeless I felt for the people –and the women– of Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. My feeling is similar today in regards to the results of the Iranian elections. As many of you know I am not from the Middle East, yet as a New Yorker with Latin American roots, I consider myself a citizen of the world and so I carefully follow world affairs, because it’s no surprise that sooner or later world events affect us all, no matter what corner of the world.
What’s more, as a woman I follow the plight of other women around the world. I cheer for those who are bold enough to take on political leadership roles, despite the odds, and hope for their success. Like the wise Dr. Chopra, I agree that there is a need for a more balanced mentality in world leadership, and the feminine mentality can bring that balance. I also feel for the sad situation of so many women around the world, who are still powerless, in the lowly status of second-class citizens, who in many occasions are even treated as property. There is still a long way to go for this other half of the world.
I was hoping to write a more cheerful post today, pointing at what could have been an election that clearly showed the will of the people and one more positive step to help women in that corner of the world. Today’s fraudulent “re-election” of the right-wing sponsored, hardliner Ahmadinejad in Iran is a blow and a mockery of the concept of democracy.
Unfortunately this is not new, yet it never ceases to surprise me. And as much as I wanted to write about the presidency of Mr. Obama, having lit a bright beacon of hope, leading the world up the higher road of peace and cooperation, I can only say that at best, right now the light of hope, for world peace, international good will, and the cause of women around the world, is flickering, yet it remains alive, for I believe he’s not the only one working hard out there looking to make a positive difference.
Tomorrow is a new day, and as much as I didn’t think I’d get through after the John Kerry defeat in 2006, life will go on for most of us, and we can only hope for a better day, for the emergence of enlightened leaders and better balance in the mindset of the world stage, where women can gain the overdue and well-deserved respectful place. Having Mr. Obama at the White House remains a hopeful beginning. I can only hope others like him will follow sooner rather than later, for there seems to be too many bad guys with selfish and backward agendas out there.
Published: 07 June 2009 3:28 PM UTCPosted in: Global
This is a re-write of an article written shortly after Obama’s speech. Given that I wrote it still in awe, I forgot to back it up. When I lost the data of my site this past Friday, I am seeing myself forced to re-write about certain events that are worthy of comment. Obama’s speech in Cairo is one of those, one that is still being discussed, specially today on the Sunday talks.
No doubt, Mr. Obama is the ultimate statesman, a gifted speaker, and he is indeed an American treasure, which we should all be proud of. His speech, peppered with so many touching moments, addressing sore points and wounds, long open and unhealed, no doubt marked a new beginning between the USA and the Islamic world. This jaded New Yorker couldn’t help but feel hopeful that his tone, his words will inspire a new wave of cooperation and goodwill among the majority of people, here in the US and in the Muslim world.
Of course there will always be the plethora of detractors, here and over there, who relish and benefit from war, and profit by incentivizing disdain for our multinational differences. Unfortunately many of these detractors are in leadership positions and will be leading in thought. But president Obama, with his new tone and attitude is taking away one reason these leaders could successfully persuade their followers to go down the path of hate.
Many are saying that Obama shouldn’t be apologizing. But let me address that here, because I believe many of us living in the USA would agree with me. Obama is not going out there, hat in hand, apologizing. What he is doing is changing the tone, from the negative bullyish tone of the former administration, which we all know has caused so much damage to our standing around the world, to one more conciliatory. And he is doing it from a position of strength. Isn’t that what the best statesmen do?
Of course the bullies are going to say that anything that does not mirror their behavior equals apologizing. They see diplomacy as a weakness. They believe in settling things with fists, threats and brawn. They are the very people who are prone to use their power for selfish, short-sighted ends, instead of putting it to the service of the people who elected them. I’m not only talking about those here, but also the bullies over there.
Obama comes across as someone who doesn’t forget the people who elected him. His tone and diplomacy are daring and inspiring. So, when we hear speeches of hate, thinly disguised in the words of the extremist leaders (again, here and over there), we can think of Obama’s words and know we have a committed world leader who has the best of intentions in his decisions. He sounded sincere, worldly, aware of our differences and our commonalities, and ready to lead us into a more desirable direction, regardless of our difference in views and beliefs.
Though normally I’m very skeptical of speeches, even of Obama’s past speeches, I was inspired by this one, and happy to feel that I was part of history, having watched it live. No doubt his words in Cairo will likely mark the beginning of new hope for not just the USA, but others out there whose voices and sentiment were lost in the sounds of war and greed.
Thank you Mr. Obama. You represent us well, at least the majority of us here, regardless of cultural backgrounds. You are a true leader of the new century, a peacemaker.
Links:
To view a video of the speech, alongside the text, visit the NY Times page by clicking here, or copy and paste into your browser the link below:
