H/T: Theo Spark
I've seen this before...many times..lol.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday Hero Blogroll
Yeah I know it's Thursday...
I was kinda busy yesterday and didn't get around to posting this.
I actually posted my own tribute to Shifty Powers a little bit back....
This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Deb
SSgt. Darrell "Shifty" Power
86 years old from Dickerson County, Virginia
E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
June 17, 2009
The world lost one of it's true heroes a couple of weeks ago. Darrell "Shifty" Powers passed away on June 17 of cancer. "Shifty" was part of the famed E Co/2/506 of the 101st Airborne Division. Easy Company. The Band Of Brothers.
"I loved everything about my daddy," said Margo Johnson, daughter of SSgt. Powers. "He never bragged about what he did in the war. And for a lot of years, he never even talked much about what he did – unless someone asked him about it. But he truly was a hero to me. Just like he'd been to the people who know him as a soldier in a [mini-series]."
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
I was kinda busy yesterday and didn't get around to posting this.
I actually posted my own tribute to Shifty Powers a little bit back....
This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Deb
86 years old from Dickerson County, Virginia
E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
June 17, 2009
The world lost one of it's true heroes a couple of weeks ago. Darrell "Shifty" Powers passed away on June 17 of cancer. "Shifty" was part of the famed E Co/2/506 of the 101st Airborne Division. Easy Company. The Band Of Brothers.
"I loved everything about my daddy," said Margo Johnson, daughter of SSgt. Powers. "He never bragged about what he did in the war. And for a lot of years, he never even talked much about what he did – unless someone asked him about it. But he truly was a hero to me. Just like he'd been to the people who know him as a soldier in a [mini-series]."
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Monday, July 27, 2009
National Korean War Veteran's Armistice Day, 2009
H/T: The Armorer over at Castle Argghhh!
Fifty-six years after the signing of the Military Armistice Agreement at Panmunjom, Americans remain grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our Korean War veterans. More than 600,000 United States and allied combatants lost their lives in Korea during the 3 years of bitterwarfare that ended on July 27, 1953. Many were also injured, taken as prisoners of war, and missing in action. These dedicated servicemen and women, under the banner of the United Nations, fought to secure the blessings of freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula, and they deserve our unending respect and gratitude.
-------NATIONAL KOREAN WAR VETERANS ARMISTICE DAY, 2009- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATION
Fifty-six years after the signing of the Military Armistice Agreement at Panmunjom, Americans remain grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our Korean War veterans. More than 600,000 United States and allied combatants lost their lives in Korea during the 3 years of bitterwarfare that ended on July 27, 1953. Many were also injured, taken as prisoners of war, and missing in action. These dedicated servicemen and women, under the banner of the United Nations, fought to secure the blessings of freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula, and they deserve our unending respect and gratitude.
Every day we are reminded of the selfless service of these veterans. The Korean War Veterans Memorial stands in our Nation's Capital as an enduring tribute to them. Marching among juniper bushes and rows of granite, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmensilently remind all who glimpse their faces of the great challenges that so many Americans overcame. The strong partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea is also a proud testament to our men and women in uniform.
Today we remember and honor the valor of Korean War veterans and the extraordinary sacrifices that they and their families made in the cause of peace.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 27, 2009, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. I call upon all Americans toobserve this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor and give thanks to our distinguished Korean War veterans. I also ask Federal departments and agencies and interested groups, organizations, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on July 27, 2009, in memory of the Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
...
A Shameless Plug for....
My good friend Jesse Mathewson.
Jesse has a great blog called Is the World ready for this?
He's a helluva constitutional scholar and he is a darn good writer.
He just recently started penning a column for the examiner.
You can find it here.
His Column is called the Cochise County Libertarian Examiner. Check it out.
And tell him I sent ya!
...
Jesse has a great blog called Is the World ready for this?
He's a helluva constitutional scholar and he is a darn good writer.
He just recently started penning a column for the examiner.
You can find it here.
His Column is called the Cochise County Libertarian Examiner. Check it out.
And tell him I sent ya!
...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wednesday Hero Blogroll
Assoluta Tranquillita did a post a few days ago and after last week's Wednesday Hero felt it would be good to profile Sgt. 1st Class Gabe of the 178th Military Police Detachment, 20th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. Is it wrong to be jealous of a dog? Be sure to read the Defend America article linked to in the post.These brave men and women, and dogs, sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Judging by....
The Obama administration's stance towards the Honduran's interim government, appears to me that if the precedent is set here, in Honduras, that a criminal president, by his own actions, removes himself from office, according to the Honduran constitution, are we next?
By supporting the soft communists in Latin and South America, have we removed our mantle as the supporter of free countries and peoples and joined the totalitarian regimes?
The question here, and I might add, a very tough question to ask as an American, is this:
Why is the current administration in Washington pressuring a sovereign nation to reinstate Zelaya, against the laws of their country, against the highest law of Honduras?
I cannot believe that as incompetent as I think they are, they don't know that the Honduran government's ouster of Zelaya, and his deportation was actually perfectly legal. And the deportation was meant to prevent bloodshed.
Why are we siding with Chavez and Castro and Ortega and the rest of those socialist commie bastages?
It occurs to me, and I really hate even contemplating the possibility, but to not suggest it would be to ignore what's happening, that the reason for our government's stance on this is that perhaps, just perhaps there is a possibility of the Dems, and the kool-aid drinking Obama zealots trying to get a similar resolution passed to amend the constitution to extend or abolish term limits on the Presidency? Well, there's already a resolution that's been introduced in the House as of January of this year. And there is an advocacy group for abolishing the 22nd amendment. They even have a website end22.com. google it.
Folks, large things are afoot in the world and this country and what I am seeing is something I never would have dreamed possible in these United States. The move towards socialism has been happening at a snails pace, but it's been happening now it's here. Just look at what's happened in the first 6 months of the Obama presidency. Nationalized Banks, Nationalized Auto industry, and now the big push for Nationalized Health Care. And the whole "spreading the wealth around by robbing those who've worked for their wages and giving it to those who have not. Where does it end? Where is the spirit of America?
A perfect example of how the issue gets confused to the average news consumer...
An article from AP: US turns up pressure on Honduras coup government
The article in it's entirety are reprinted below:
emphasis mine.
US turns up pressure on Honduras coup government
By MARK STEVENSON (AP) – 1 day ago
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The United States is turning up pressure on the Honduran government installed by a coup — and the businessmen who support it — warning that they will face severe sanctions if ousted President Manuel Zelaya is not restored to power.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called interim President Roberto Micheletti to say there would be serious consequences if his government ignores international mediation for Zelaya's return.
Her call on Sunday came as talks mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias stalled due to the refusal of Micheletti's delegates to accept demands for Zelaya's return.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that Clinton helped "helped him understand the potential consequences of a failure to take advantage of this mediation."
Honduran business leaders, meanwhile, say U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens has called them into meetings to warn that Honduras — impoverished and highly dependent on exports to the United States — could face tough sanctions if the interim government continues to refuse Arias' compromise proposal for Zelaya to return as head of a coalition government.
The European Union added to the pressure on Monday by announcing it was suspending $93.1 million (65.5 million euros) in aid to Honduras.
No government has recognized Micheletti, and the United Nations and Organization of American States have called for the return of Zelaya, who was arrested and hustled out of the country by the army on June 28.
But Micheletti vowed not to stand down — and implied that the United States is betraying one of its staunchest allies. Honduras allowed its territory to be used as a staging area for U.S.-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua during the 1980s, and more recently it sent troops to Iraq.
"We have received pressure from all sides," Micheletti said in a speech before cheering supporters Monday. "One learns in life that people who seem to be friends are not really friends, but are only interested in what you can do for them or give to them."
Referring to Clinton's call, Micheletti suggested she send an envoy to Honduras to verify that his government is not persecuting opponents.
"I told her to please send someone she has confidence in, someone she can really talk to, down here to say whether it was really true that people are being killed all the time," he said.
He vowed to stay in power until the scheduled Nov. 29 elections. The United States has suggested it may not recognize that vote because it will be held under a de facto government.
"We are going to go with life, we are going to go on with our government, we are going to go on with the next presidential elections on Nov. 29," he said. "They have to respect us."
Business leaders — a key sector of support for Micheletti — also vowed to tough it out, hoping that the U.S. government is as wary as they are of Zelaya, who has aligned himself with leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington's biggest antagonists in the region.
The interim government has launched a lobbying effort against sanctions, betting they wouldn't play well with U.S. conservatives or business interests.
"Honduras is a small, poor country," said Amilcar Bulnes, the head of the Honduran Council of Private Business. "The world would look very bad if it takes out its wrath on this country."
Bulnes attended one of the meetings with Llorens last week, and said the U.S. ambassador told businessmen that "there could be consequences for Honduras. ... They could be very tough."
"Implicitly, he was saying there may be U.S. economic sanctions within the framework of an action by the (Organization of American States)," Bulnes said.
He said such sanctions could draw resistance from investors in the country's key assembly plant sector, who are overwhelmingly American.
"I imagine there would be some reaction from them," Bulnes said.
The U.S. Embassy said it would not comment on the meetings.
On July 8, the U.S. government announced it had suspended $16.5 million in military aid, and had placed a hold on development aid expected to total about $180 million. But it has not yet threatened to cut off trade or remittances, a move which analysts say could quickly bring down Honduras' economy.
"The U.S. could make this be over in a second if it imposed strong sanctions," said Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University. "But in doing so it would hurt the poor, it would hurt our allies."
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner announced the aid cut from Brussels, calling the standoff "a crisis which Honduras can ill afford."
Adolfo Facusse, the head of Honduras' National Association of Industries, was defiant:
"We prefer sanctions to Zelaya's return," which he said would bring the "loss of liberty, dictatorship, communism."
Zelaya angered many here by ignoring the objections of the courts and Congress to try to hold a referendum on changing the constitution, which many saw as an attempt to impose a Chavez-style socialist government.
Bulnes said the damage to Honduras' image since Zelaya's ouster had already hurt the country's tourism, hotel and restaurant industries, but he said that farms and factories were still operating normally.
Seventy percent of Hondurans live in poverty and the per capita gross domestic product is just under $4,000 per year.
"Neither Micheletti nor Zelaya gives me anything to eat," said street vendor Oscar Quintanilla, who is struggling to raise four children amid constant protests. "I don't care about constitutional referendums, all I care about is the welfare of my family."
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
So, the article makes a great deal in the opening paragraphs of showing how the whole world is essentially supporting the return of Zelaya. Only at the very bottom of the article does it mention the reason he was ousted, and nowhere in the article does it mention that Zelaya essentially impeached himself by insisting on violating the constitution of Honduras.
I think a very telling quote from Micheletti the interim President is this:
"We have received pressure from all sides," Micheletti said in a speech before cheering supporters Monday. "One learns in life that people who seem to be friends are not really friends, but are only interested in what you can do for them or give to them."
What the hell is our country coming to when we cannot even tell the truth and outright support a wannabe dictator's return to power?
Stay vigilant fellow patriots...
And die with your boots on...
....
By supporting the soft communists in Latin and South America, have we removed our mantle as the supporter of free countries and peoples and joined the totalitarian regimes?
The question here, and I might add, a very tough question to ask as an American, is this:
Why is the current administration in Washington pressuring a sovereign nation to reinstate Zelaya, against the laws of their country, against the highest law of Honduras?
I cannot believe that as incompetent as I think they are, they don't know that the Honduran government's ouster of Zelaya, and his deportation was actually perfectly legal. And the deportation was meant to prevent bloodshed.
Why are we siding with Chavez and Castro and Ortega and the rest of those socialist commie bastages?
It occurs to me, and I really hate even contemplating the possibility, but to not suggest it would be to ignore what's happening, that the reason for our government's stance on this is that perhaps, just perhaps there is a possibility of the Dems, and the kool-aid drinking Obama zealots trying to get a similar resolution passed to amend the constitution to extend or abolish term limits on the Presidency? Well, there's already a resolution that's been introduced in the House as of January of this year. And there is an advocacy group for abolishing the 22nd amendment. They even have a website end22.com. google it.
Folks, large things are afoot in the world and this country and what I am seeing is something I never would have dreamed possible in these United States. The move towards socialism has been happening at a snails pace, but it's been happening now it's here. Just look at what's happened in the first 6 months of the Obama presidency. Nationalized Banks, Nationalized Auto industry, and now the big push for Nationalized Health Care. And the whole "spreading the wealth around by robbing those who've worked for their wages and giving it to those who have not. Where does it end? Where is the spirit of America?
A perfect example of how the issue gets confused to the average news consumer...
An article from AP: US turns up pressure on Honduras coup government
The article in it's entirety are reprinted below:
emphasis mine.
US turns up pressure on Honduras coup government
By MARK STEVENSON (AP) – 1 day ago
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The United States is turning up pressure on the Honduran government installed by a coup — and the businessmen who support it — warning that they will face severe sanctions if ousted President Manuel Zelaya is not restored to power.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called interim President Roberto Micheletti to say there would be serious consequences if his government ignores international mediation for Zelaya's return.
Her call on Sunday came as talks mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias stalled due to the refusal of Micheletti's delegates to accept demands for Zelaya's return.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that Clinton helped "helped him understand the potential consequences of a failure to take advantage of this mediation."
Honduran business leaders, meanwhile, say U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens has called them into meetings to warn that Honduras — impoverished and highly dependent on exports to the United States — could face tough sanctions if the interim government continues to refuse Arias' compromise proposal for Zelaya to return as head of a coalition government.
The European Union added to the pressure on Monday by announcing it was suspending $93.1 million (65.5 million euros) in aid to Honduras.
No government has recognized Micheletti, and the United Nations and Organization of American States have called for the return of Zelaya, who was arrested and hustled out of the country by the army on June 28.
But Micheletti vowed not to stand down — and implied that the United States is betraying one of its staunchest allies. Honduras allowed its territory to be used as a staging area for U.S.-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua during the 1980s, and more recently it sent troops to Iraq.
"We have received pressure from all sides," Micheletti said in a speech before cheering supporters Monday. "One learns in life that people who seem to be friends are not really friends, but are only interested in what you can do for them or give to them."
Referring to Clinton's call, Micheletti suggested she send an envoy to Honduras to verify that his government is not persecuting opponents.
"I told her to please send someone she has confidence in, someone she can really talk to, down here to say whether it was really true that people are being killed all the time," he said.
He vowed to stay in power until the scheduled Nov. 29 elections. The United States has suggested it may not recognize that vote because it will be held under a de facto government.
"We are going to go with life, we are going to go on with our government, we are going to go on with the next presidential elections on Nov. 29," he said. "They have to respect us."
Business leaders — a key sector of support for Micheletti — also vowed to tough it out, hoping that the U.S. government is as wary as they are of Zelaya, who has aligned himself with leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington's biggest antagonists in the region.
The interim government has launched a lobbying effort against sanctions, betting they wouldn't play well with U.S. conservatives or business interests.
"Honduras is a small, poor country," said Amilcar Bulnes, the head of the Honduran Council of Private Business. "The world would look very bad if it takes out its wrath on this country."
Bulnes attended one of the meetings with Llorens last week, and said the U.S. ambassador told businessmen that "there could be consequences for Honduras. ... They could be very tough."
"Implicitly, he was saying there may be U.S. economic sanctions within the framework of an action by the (Organization of American States)," Bulnes said.
He said such sanctions could draw resistance from investors in the country's key assembly plant sector, who are overwhelmingly American.
"I imagine there would be some reaction from them," Bulnes said.
The U.S. Embassy said it would not comment on the meetings.
On July 8, the U.S. government announced it had suspended $16.5 million in military aid, and had placed a hold on development aid expected to total about $180 million. But it has not yet threatened to cut off trade or remittances, a move which analysts say could quickly bring down Honduras' economy.
"The U.S. could make this be over in a second if it imposed strong sanctions," said Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University. "But in doing so it would hurt the poor, it would hurt our allies."
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner announced the aid cut from Brussels, calling the standoff "a crisis which Honduras can ill afford."
Adolfo Facusse, the head of Honduras' National Association of Industries, was defiant:
"We prefer sanctions to Zelaya's return," which he said would bring the "loss of liberty, dictatorship, communism."
Zelaya angered many here by ignoring the objections of the courts and Congress to try to hold a referendum on changing the constitution, which many saw as an attempt to impose a Chavez-style socialist government.
Bulnes said the damage to Honduras' image since Zelaya's ouster had already hurt the country's tourism, hotel and restaurant industries, but he said that farms and factories were still operating normally.
Seventy percent of Hondurans live in poverty and the per capita gross domestic product is just under $4,000 per year.
"Neither Micheletti nor Zelaya gives me anything to eat," said street vendor Oscar Quintanilla, who is struggling to raise four children amid constant protests. "I don't care about constitutional referendums, all I care about is the welfare of my family."
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
So, the article makes a great deal in the opening paragraphs of showing how the whole world is essentially supporting the return of Zelaya. Only at the very bottom of the article does it mention the reason he was ousted, and nowhere in the article does it mention that Zelaya essentially impeached himself by insisting on violating the constitution of Honduras.
I think a very telling quote from Micheletti the interim President is this:
"We have received pressure from all sides," Micheletti said in a speech before cheering supporters Monday. "One learns in life that people who seem to be friends are not really friends, but are only interested in what you can do for them or give to them."
What the hell is our country coming to when we cannot even tell the truth and outright support a wannabe dictator's return to power?
Stay vigilant fellow patriots...
And die with your boots on...
....
Finally...
CNN actually has someone on that clearly explains the situation in Honduras.
H/T: Fausta
I'm rooting for the freedom lovers in Honduras.
If only our own Government would back them up...
...
H/T: Fausta
I'm rooting for the freedom lovers in Honduras.
If only our own Government would back them up...
...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wednesday Hero Blogroll
"I asked Greg if anything ever happened to him where he'd prefer to be buried," Sgt. Rodriguez's wife, Laura, told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, "and he told me Arlington, as he wanted to be among the best and the brave.""Rod," as he was known to his Army buddies, was a Red Wings fan who loved to hassle fans of other hockey teams he met during his military career, said Laura. "Greg loved to push everyone's buttons and get people going with his rare, unique sense of sarcasm," she said. At the same time, her husband, a military police dog handler whose dog, Jacko, survived the fatal ambush, was "a very committed, loyal individual and could be counted on whenever needed."Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez died of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire."My brother liked to be the law," said Lisa Dombrowski. "He liked justice. If it wasn't right, he made it right."He is survived by his sister, wife and three children.Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Hero Died Today...
One of America's Heroes joined his brothers today...
Darrell "Shifty" Powers died today.
A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life."
I stole this blatantly from a post at Blackfive...there was no author attributed to it, but I've finally got a reason to use it. I personally think it's beautiful and appropriate.
Lo, There Do I See My Father…
Lo, There Do I See My Mother…
And My Sisters and My Brothers…
Lo, There Do I See The Line Of My People Back to the Beginning…
They Do Bid Me To Take My Place Among Them…
In The Halls of Valhalla
Where The Brave May Live Forever
RIP "Shifty"...
May we meet someday in Fiddler's green...
A good article about 'Shifty' cna be found HERE
...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I'm Doing a Little Maintenance....
So, things may look a bit strange for a while here. My apologies...
Things will return to normal eventually...
hehehe...yeah right.
...
Things will return to normal eventually...
hehehe...yeah right.
...
Wednesday Hero Blogroll
21 years old from Rochester, New York
2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
August 7, 2007
Reynold Armand didn’t want to wait until he turned 18 to join the Marines. He persuaded his adoptive mother to sign papers allowing him to sign up a year early.
"I'm very proud of him," said his father, Carl Armand. "When he was home, he gave no sign of being afraid." Armand didn’t speak much about his experiences in Iraq, according to family members, saying only that most Iraqi civilians he encountered were very nice.
"We used to send him a lot of candy," said his mother, Alma Armand. "He would pass it out."
Manny Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester met Armand five years ago at New Day Church in Rochester, where both young men were members of the youth group. "He was such an amazing all-around person. He was so easy and comfortable to be around. He liked people for who they are."
No definitive report could be found on how Cpl. Armand died. Some report that he was killed when shot and others report that he was killed by an IED that exploded near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq.
All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com with help from Kathi
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
My Personal Outrage at the coverage and treatment of Honduras actions against Zelaya....
Alot of the info I got from Gates of Vienna.
Go check out their site...well worth the read.
I've been reading all kinds of BS about the supposed "military coup" in Honduras.
I am frankly disgusted with the media portrayal and our own government's reaction to the actions taken by the Honduran Government.
First of all, the actual attempted coup was by Zelaya himself. Blatantly breaking of Honduran constitutional law. The Supreme Court of Honduras gave the military their orders to arrest and deport Zelaya due to his brazen attempt to circumvent the Honduran constitution. The facts in this case are actually quite clear. Zelaya tried to force a populist referendum that was illegal and the government..all branches opposed him as it was unconstitutional.
This si a travesty. What is happening now is that our own government is allying with Hugo Chavez, Castro, Daniel Ortega and a whole host of socialist dictators on reinstating a criminal to the presidency of Honduras.
We should be applauding them for upholding the democracy not demonizing them as fomenting a coup on their own people. The fact is the overwhelming majority o Hondurans support his ousting and the entire government apparatus, to include the members of their congress in hios OWN party are against his move to secure his personal power in the country.
Liberty or Tyrrany...that is the question. And the Hondurans overwhelmingly chose liberty. We should be supporting this wholeheartedly, despite what the dictators and communists say.
But our current regime in Washington has no balls, or maybe, they support the ousted president because they have the same idea.
anywho, whatever you think about this, the fact is it was a legal removal of power from a criminal president. period.
You want some facts from the front, go read Fausta's blog.
Here is an excerpt of facts about the actual occurences there in Honduras:
More background information on the events prior to Zelaya’s removal from office:Here is more information on Mel Zelaya’s move:
Zelaya couldn’t get the ballots printed in Honduras since the referendum had been pronounced illegal by the country’s Supreme Court AND the electoral board. Therefore, the government couldn’t print them. No private printer was willing to break the law, either. So Zelaya had the ballots printed in Venezuela and flown in.
The Supreme Court instructed the military (who would be the ones doing the job) NOT to distribute the ballots to the polling stations.
Zelaya then
led thousands of supporters to recover the material from an air force warehouse before it could be confiscated.
His supporters broke into the military installation where the ballots were kept.
Zelaya’s supporters started distributing the ballots at 15,000 voting stations across the country. This act placed him in outright defiance of the law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court.
When the armed forces refused to distribute the ballots, Zelaya fired the chief of the armed forces, Gen. Romeo Vásquez, and the defense minister, the head of the army and the air force resigned in protest. The country’s Supreme Court voted unanimously that Vásquez be reinstated.
Tuesday last week the Honduran Congress, led by members of his own party, passed a law preventing the holding of referendums or plebiscites 180 days before or after general elections.
The Honduran Congress, led by members of his own party, named a commission to investigate Zelaya. The Commission found (my translation: If you quote it, please credit me and link to this post)
Zelaya acted against the mandates of legal and electoral laws, the Public Ministry, the National Congress, the Attorney General, and other institutions of the State, which had declared the poll illegal
On Thursday (h/t GoV) the Attorney General requested that Congress impeach Zelaya
The position of the Honduran Congress, the Supreme Court, and the attorney general is that the Constitution is to be strictly adhered to.
This is why Zelaya was removed from power: all branches of government and the country’s institutions recognized that he had broken the law.
Again, the military - by placing him in an airplane to Costa Rica early Sunday morning before he carried through the unlawful poll - acted in compliance with the Supreme Court and the Honduran Congress.
Enforcing the Honduran Constitution:Mary O’Grady, in today’s Wall Street Journal, writes (emphasis added),
Honduras is fighting back by strictly following the constitution. The Honduran Congress met in emergency session yesterday and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward. The Supreme Court later said that the military acted on its orders. It also said that when Mr. Zelaya realized that he was going to be prosecuted for his illegal behavior, he agreed to an offer to resign in exchange for safe passage out of the country. Mr. Zelaya denies it.
Many Hondurans are going to be celebrating Mr. Zelaya’s foreign excursion. Street protests against his heavy-handed tactics had already begun last week. On Friday a large number of military reservists took their turn. “We won’t go backwards,” one sign said. “We want to live in peace, freedom and development.”
Besides opposition from the Congress, the Supreme Court, the electoral tribunal and the attorney general, the president had also become persona non grata with the Catholic Church and numerous evangelical church leaders. On Thursday evening his own party in Congress sponsored a resolution to investigate whether he is mentally unfit to remain in office.
And,
Former Argentine Ambassador to the U.N. Emilio Cárdenas told me on Saturday that he was concerned that “the OAS under Insulza has not taken seriously the so-called ‘democratic charter.’ It seems to believe that only military ‘coups’ can challenge democracy. The truth is that democracy can be challenged from within, as the experiences of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and now Honduras, prove.” A less-kind interpretation of Mr. Insulza’s judgment is that he doesn’t mind the Chávez-style coup.
The struggle against chavismo has never been about left-right politics. It is about defending the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators. This crisis clearly delineates the problem. In failing to come to the aid of checks and balances, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Insulza expose their true colors.
Zelaya couldn’t get the ballots printed in Honduras since the referendum had been pronounced illegal by the country’s Supreme Court AND the electoral board. Therefore, the government couldn’t print them. No private printer was willing to break the law, either. So Zelaya had the ballots printed in Venezuela and flown in.
The Supreme Court instructed the military (who would be the ones doing the job) NOT to distribute the ballots to the polling stations.
Zelaya then
led thousands of supporters to recover the material from an air force warehouse before it could be confiscated.
His supporters broke into the military installation where the ballots were kept.
Zelaya’s supporters started distributing the ballots at 15,000 voting stations across the country. This act placed him in outright defiance of the law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court.
When the armed forces refused to distribute the ballots, Zelaya fired the chief of the armed forces, Gen. Romeo Vásquez, and the defense minister, the head of the army and the air force resigned in protest. The country’s Supreme Court voted unanimously that Vásquez be reinstated.
Tuesday last week the Honduran Congress, led by members of his own party, passed a law preventing the holding of referendums or plebiscites 180 days before or after general elections.
The Honduran Congress, led by members of his own party, named a commission to investigate Zelaya. The Commission found (my translation: If you quote it, please credit me and link to this post)
Zelaya acted against the mandates of legal and electoral laws, the Public Ministry, the National Congress, the Attorney General, and other institutions of the State, which had declared the poll illegal
On Thursday (h/t GoV) the Attorney General requested that Congress impeach Zelaya
The position of the Honduran Congress, the Supreme Court, and the attorney general is that the Constitution is to be strictly adhered to.
This is why Zelaya was removed from power: all branches of government and the country’s institutions recognized that he had broken the law.
Again, the military - by placing him in an airplane to Costa Rica early Sunday morning before he carried through the unlawful poll - acted in compliance with the Supreme Court and the Honduran Congress.
Enforcing the Honduran Constitution:Mary O’Grady, in today’s Wall Street Journal, writes (emphasis added),
Honduras is fighting back by strictly following the constitution. The Honduran Congress met in emergency session yesterday and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward. The Supreme Court later said that the military acted on its orders. It also said that when Mr. Zelaya realized that he was going to be prosecuted for his illegal behavior, he agreed to an offer to resign in exchange for safe passage out of the country. Mr. Zelaya denies it.
Many Hondurans are going to be celebrating Mr. Zelaya’s foreign excursion. Street protests against his heavy-handed tactics had already begun last week. On Friday a large number of military reservists took their turn. “We won’t go backwards,” one sign said. “We want to live in peace, freedom and development.”
Besides opposition from the Congress, the Supreme Court, the electoral tribunal and the attorney general, the president had also become persona non grata with the Catholic Church and numerous evangelical church leaders. On Thursday evening his own party in Congress sponsored a resolution to investigate whether he is mentally unfit to remain in office.
And,
Former Argentine Ambassador to the U.N. Emilio Cárdenas told me on Saturday that he was concerned that “the OAS under Insulza has not taken seriously the so-called ‘democratic charter.’ It seems to believe that only military ‘coups’ can challenge democracy. The truth is that democracy can be challenged from within, as the experiences of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and now Honduras, prove.” A less-kind interpretation of Mr. Insulza’s judgment is that he doesn’t mind the Chávez-style coup.
The struggle against chavismo has never been about left-right politics. It is about defending the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators. This crisis clearly delineates the problem. In failing to come to the aid of checks and balances, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Insulza expose their true colors.
If you want to know more...to educate yourself, follow these links
Fausta has all the up to date info in both Spanish and English.
Her home page is here.
Wednesday Hero Blogroll
Members of the force protection team at Camp Eggars, Afghanistan, assess damage resulting from an explosion near the gate. A vehicle-born improvised explosive device exploded near the German Embassy and a U.S. base. Eliminating threats such as the VBIED is the focus of Army's 3rd Counter-IED Conference that was scheduled July 28-30.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
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