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Americans should support the Honduran people and their legitimate leaders in their brave and heroic stand for freedom and the rule of law

By: Senator Jim DeMint (Diary)  |  July 2nd, 2009 at 01:47 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

The people of Honduras have struggled too long to have their hard-won democracy stolen from them by a Chavez-style dictator. The Honduran Congress, the Honduran Supreme Court, and the Honduran military have acted in accordance to the Honduran constitution and the rule of law.

For weeks leading to his arrest, Zelaya flouted the constitutional authority of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court, and claimed for himself extra-constitutional control of his nation’s military and political institutions. Every institution from the Electoral Tribunal to the Supreme Court ruled that his actions were unjustified and illegal. Zelaya’s open defiance of democratic norms has set Honduras on a path toward violence, instability, and tyranny.

I am hopeful that as President Obama grows in office, he will eventually turn away from despots like Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, and Zelaya, and give the United States’ full-throated support to the people of any country who are fighting for the same values we cherish and defend in America. The people fighting for freedom around the world, in Iran and Honduras, should never have to wonder which side America will choose between freedom and tyranny.

President Obama’s call for the reinstatement of Zelaya is a slap in the face to the people of Honduras. And the resolution written by the Organization of American States tramples over the hopes and dreams of a free and democratic people.

The rule of law is working in Honduras. President Obama should not undermine the democratic institutions that guarantee freedom by forcing an illegitimate President back into power.

This is not an ideal transition, but Hondurans are adhering to their constitution. The United States should support the Honduran people and their legitimate leaders in their brave and heroic stand for freedom and the rule of law.

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COMMENTS

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  • http://www.obandcompany.com daezy

    Sen DeMint is the man. Thank God we have someone with the backbone to speak out. Shame on all the spineless clowns in Congress who do not!

  • izoneguy

    Zelaya was just another wannbe tinhorn dictator. What went down in Honduras could be a preview of what will happen in America unless men like you stand up now and call out Obama for what he really is.

  • Skanderbeg

    Thank you, Senator. PLEASE keep shouting loudly on this one – it’s pretty clear who was siding with the rule of law and who wasn’t, and we need to stick to that, and not abandon the Honduran people.

    Asking the Honduran people to take back Mr. Zelaya would be like asking the Romanian people to take back Mr. and Mrs. Ceausescu in 1989….

  • Common_Cents

    Can we get a constitutional amendment proposed like Honduras has?

    Let’s also add term limits for congress as well. It should not be a long term career for anyone. It places our elected elite at odds with the very same people who put them into office.

  • djemi

    I’ve being saying the same thing since I first heard about what had happened down in Honduras. (H/T Moe Lane)
    http://www.redstate.com/moe_lane/2009/06/28/turns-out-that-honduras-did-not-have-a-coup-after-all/

  • zeebeach

    Bravo! Please continue to challenge our own “dictator in training”. You’re one of the (few) good guys.

    • http://minorcan-maven.blogspot.com/ minorcanmaven

      We need more like you! Don’t give up!

      I’m disappointed, but not surprised that Obama has taken the wrong side in Honduras and in Iran. And YES, he DID take the WRONG side in Iran, bc he waited far too long to speak out, and then when he did it was all sorts of weak and watered down. Him and his stupid ice cream cones. Iran killing it’s own people, and charging the parents for the bullet fees. Shutting down communications…

      I appreciate you Sen DeMint, but don’t be looking for Obama to change his colors. Not going to happen.

  • Karina

    I’m very grateful I can call you “mine” as a resident of SC. You have made me proud for the tough stands you have made through the past few years. I appreciate your willingness to listen to the people you represent and keep your integrity and honesty with us.

    The problems with Honduras must be broadcast all over our country. Without extreme pressure from you in Congress, Obama and his administration will continue to support the president. You can not rely on him to wake up one day and turn away from his support of these dictators. These are the people he emulates. He has shown through his ties to various groups and his own words that his foundation is in progressivism and Marxism. Congress must put enough politcal pressure on him that he has no choice but to reverse his stance.

    Best of luck to you, sir. We’re behind you!

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    …by American troops? …by Venezuela? …by an OAS-sanctioned invasion force?

    Are you prepared to assemble a Congressional brigade to go to Tegucigalpa and publically stand next to the leaders of that nation if an invasion looks imminent to draw attention to that nation’s plight and stand up for democracy? Have you decided who will go, and what will be you signal to go (since if you wait for an actual invasion, then it will be too late)?

    If not, you should be thinking about this and start planning this weekend.

    RedState postings and press releases, meritorious as they are, are scant compensation for Chavez achieving regional hegemony and a secure base for lauching his revolution elsewhere in Central and South America. We need to throw a wrench into the Obama adminstration’s efforts to overthrow Honduras – and that will take more than words.

    In brief, what actions do you have in mind personally to oppose Obama’s effort to undermine democracy and spread dictatorships throughout the world?

    • Doc Holliday

      you should ask the same of yourself. We all should be coming up with ideas, we all should be willing to do more than type. The Senator is taking a much bigger risk than we are by opposing Obama publicly. He should do more, the rest who have done nothing should to a lot more, and we should do more.

  • Doc Holliday

    together and protest Obama on this! Republican leaders need to go to the floor, they need to stand on the Capitol steps, they need to go on all news outlets and say they support the Honduran democracy!

    I am sickened that Obama has the authority to bully Hondurans because one of his Marxist buddies broke the law. I can not believe we have suspended military relations and there is a threat to cut off aid to Honduras. Is this going to be the 2000s version of the 1980′s Sandinistas and Contras fights? If so, we are ready to fight, if you and other leaders defy this president on Honduras, we WILL STAND WITH YOU!

    If Obama cuts off aid, then conservatives should start a fund to give aid! If Obama and his buddy Chavez want to invade Honduras, we should support Honduras. I can’t believe the leftists in this country that always decry US “meddling” in Latin America are now so glad to have a president that is willing to threaten Honduras to break their own constitution! Is this America?

  • ashevillelib

    No, you’re not going to use our site to lash out at a Senator for your own insecurities re: foreign policy. Get lost ? Neil Stevens

    Senator, I think a kidnapping and military coup is what you are supporting here. I think history will prove this to be true.
    • Scope

      Here’s the USA Today article-

      http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-07-02-honduras_N.htm?csp=249-RM_Exclude=Juno

      In the above article, Insulza said that his mission will likely meet with rejection, bringing diplomatic and economic punishment for the impoverished Central American Nation. Hasn’t President Obama and Hillary Clinton already backed the reinstatement of Zelaya? Why would they do this, especially in light of the fact that they denied any support for the freedom fighting Iranians?

      I found some interesting articles on Insulza. Here is his biography-

      http://oas.org/documents/end/biography_sgInsulza.asp

      I picked up on the 5th paragraph, last sentence- “He is a member of the Socialist Party” in Chile.

      More interesting is an article I found from 2005, it is an eye opener- America’s protean left: Jose Miguel Insulza and the OAS

      http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-protest/left_2698.jsp

      If this doesn’t scare the crap out of every USA citizen, you are numb and apathetic.

      I know you know all this Senator DeMint, and I applaude you for standing up for Freedom for everyone. Maybe this may have been your impetus.

      • ashevillelib
        • Doc Holliday

          some of us our experts in pushing deep cover troll buttons and flushing them out. Hmm, let’s see

          1) new member? check

          2) already warned by Moe? check

          3) most posts contradicting others and not conservative? check

        • pilgrim

          GO AWAY, TROLL!

          • ashevillelib

            [Blah blah blah]

          • Doc Holliday

            I think you are talking about Scope, but how this is relevant to your position and statements I do not know.

          • ashevillelib

            [Nope]

          • Doc Holliday

            and read. I know that Chavez, Castro, and Obama are angry, that tends to make me happy. I don’t see the Honduran military attacking freedoms, in fact, they installed a temporary president almost immediately.

            I know that Obama should not be making threats and suspending military ties, he seems to have no clue about Honduran law. I don’t recall the Hondurans asking us to meddle in their affairs, it is the left that wants to screw with them.

          • Jack_Savage

            That Obama was so quick to meddle in this country and so eager not to “meddle” in Iran.

            Coward.

          • djemi

            BO must have read that book that Hugo gave him, what was it called again?

          • djemi

            http://www.redstate.com/senator_jim_demint/2009/07/02/americans-should-support-the-honduran-people-and-their-legitimate-leaders-in-their-brave-and-heroic-stand-for-freedom-and-the-rule-of-law/#comment-46

          • Doc Holliday

            and don’t try to make a mess of our house. You denied it and are making a huge mess of a welcomed diary from one of our Senators.

          • DONTREADONME
        • Aaron Gardner

          Oh and to call this a military coup is false on it’s face since the military did not take control. It simply complied with the other two branches of government. And once that was done control was re-established by the new interim President.

          • Scope

            but I do agree that this was not a Coup. If anything it was a failed Coup on Zelaya’s side.

          • Aaron Gardner
          • DONTREADONME

            please don’t hit me.

          • Aaron Gardner

            I will even buy her a drink….although I will not hold her hair if she pukes….I have a wife after all,,,;^)

          • DONTREADONME

            to make it down to the party I wanted to, but alas my work wants me to travel that weekend, yeah! You know I was supposed to meet someone from Redstate at her place of employment because I had a meeting there, she stood me up, yeah I am talking to you ocleverone, :) maybe the 6’4″ 220lbs long haired dude scared her a little? Yeah, I can be scary, but then again get on my good side and I am as harmless as liberal fist fighting.

            Good luck and have fun down there, glad to see the hatchet is buried, at least I think it is?

        • Scope

          You are more of the same from the lying Liberals. Why ever would anyone even consider your source Miguel Tinker-Salas when he is obviously a LIBERAL teacher from a Liberal College, who happens to speak Spanish.

        • Jack_Savage

          Of course, people on your side never let the rule of law or a silly constitution get in the way of a power grab, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

    • Doc Holliday
      • ashevillelib

        [Possible copyright infringement redacted]

        • Doc Holliday

          And I don’t by the claim in the other thread the your name ending in “lib” stands for librarian. Unless you are an expert on Honduran law, you have little standing here. The former president of Honduras was trying to change a portion of the constitution that is not allowed to be changed. The Honduran SC said it could not be changed, so the former president was breaking the law.

          It does not matter whether the proposed vote was binding, it was an attempt to break his nation’s law. AshvilleLIBERAL, are you on the side of Chavez, Castro, and Obama? Or do you stand for freedom and the rule of law? See, one vote is not liberty, liberty is the freedom to have many votes and many choices. Liberty is about following a Constitution that reduces the chance of tyranny.

          I am no expert on Honduran law, but it seems the Honduran military and Supreme Court probably know a few things about it. Fidel and Chavez are spitting mad, that makes me think the Senator is on the right side.

        • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

          First, your comments are in left-wing code, not in libertarian code.

          Since you didn’t provide a link to this transcript excerpt, I had to do some internet searching to locate the full transcript, which I found on Real News Network.:

          Military coup in Honduras

          And perusing the other articles, reading the statement of purpose, and checking out the Board of Directors (which reads like a who’s who of the far left, not libertarians) gives a consistent portrait of the far left and Marxist analysis, not libertarians.

          For instance, the TRNN Board of Directors list includes many Candians with whom I’m not familiar, but their American members include Jonathan Schell, and Makani Themba-Nixon (Executive Director of the Praxis Project).

          More about Makani Themba-Nixon from the Praxis Project website:

          Makani was previously director of the Transnational Racial Justice Initiative (TRJI), an international project to build capacity among advocates to more effectively address structural racism and leverage tools and best practices from around the world. While at TRJI, she co-authored and edited a “shadow report” on institutional racism.

          Prior to that she directed the Grass Roots Innovative Policy Program (GRIPP) a national project to build capacity among local organizing groups to more effectively engage in media and policy advocacy to address institutional racism in welfare and public education.

          And the TRNN Mission statement is full of left-wing code wordst, not libertarian, including this gem:

          The movements for the rights of working people, women, children, immigrants, indigenous people, for freedom of religion and conscience, for moral and spiritual values and for peace and against racism are news. The health of our planet will be a story, day after day.

          No libertarians here

          rex ipse loquitur

          • DONTREADONME
          • Doc Holliday
          • DONTREADONME
          • Doc Holliday

            kind of de rigeur. so she is a Liberian, libertarian, librarian, who is not Liberal…it is possible I guess. :)

          • DONTREADONME
          • Jack_Savage

            Good work, civil.

            On another note, I often wonder about the mental state of people who come here to troll or moby. I suppose they are so used to the lack of vetting by their side when it comes to someone who spouts the party line that they must expect the same lax standards here. Oh well.

          • Doc Holliday

            I actually told this troll I would get her banned in this thread, and dang if it did not happen. I appreciate Civil and all who took part in helping get rid of another troll, but the thread speaks for itself. Again, I am just playing around here, but I still stand by the fact that I have a 6th sense about trolls. Hey, throw me a bone people :)

          • DONTREADONME

            Joy!

          • Doc Holliday

            yeah I was feeling needy, very unlike the Doc. I now return to my lone wolf status, hooahh.

          • DONTREADONME

            well, two weeks for that matter, sometimes you just need to laugh once in a while and we all need to find reason to keep on keeping on, to borrow from Joe Dirt. Plus validation is necessary from time to time.

          • Doc Holliday

            as part of a team. Some are in the limelight, some prefer to be on the edge of a party; to borrow a line from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. BTW, have a great Independence Day celebration.

          • mbecker908
          • DONTREADONME
        • DONTREADONME
      • Martin Knight

        It’s only natural that ashevillelib would be mourning the escape of the Honduran people from tyranny.

        • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
          • Skanderbeg

            Thanks, Neil.

            I’m just glad that clowns like that guy weren’t around back in 1989 in any positions of authority – they would have been similarly demanding that Nikolai and Elena Ceau?e?cu be returned to power as the “legitimate” leaders of Romania.

            I hope the Hondurans can hold the line here – since if they don’t the payback will be horrid. Hopefully good people like Sen. DeMint will keep being very vocal about this one and not let that happen.

          • redneck_hippie

            Our elected representatives need to take every opportunity to make the voice of the American people heard loud and clear, particularly as the bully pulpit has it wrong on so many things.

            Realizing the immense load of work the administration’s disastrous policies are causing, I personally would love to see all senators doing as Doc above suggests. Take it to the floor, the steps and every outlet presented. If the media tries to filter this from coverage, frame the topic in a way it can’t be ignored. Have a senatorial tea party on the capital steps.

    • Scope

      and if that doesn’t convince you, then I suggest you read just a little more into the situation beyond what Obama and Clinton have said. Your name speaks for itself.

    • Scope

      and if that doesn’t convince you, then I suggest you read just a little more into the situation beyond what Obama and Clinton have said. Your name speaks for itself.

  • olsmithie

    It is pleasant reading to hear from one of the few Republicans with a spine.
    Please keep up the good fight .

    You have my full support and encouragement.

    Regards

  • jyalai

    You are one of the few who are willing to make a difference in DC. Keep up the good work.

    As far as Honduras goes, I think you may be giving Barry a little too much credit. This man likes Chavez, Zelaya, Daniel Ortega, and what they are doing. His response to Honduras is not surprising seeing the Marxist moves he is making in our own country.

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    just sayin’ …. Not like anyone is/was formally challenging the Presidential Term Limit here – yet – or really demanding a change (though it has been tossed about a few different times, by both sides when they have a 2nd term President) but I think everyone understands and appreciates what I’m saying.

    It would be nice if we gave a tad more concern for challenging things and folks on those grounds here a bit more from time to time.

  • jyalai

    I appreciate the post here, but opposition to Obama’s response to Honduras needs to go public. The Honduran people need to know that they are not alone in their fight with the rest of the Marxist world (UN), and Obama’s stance is not the American people’s stance.