Honduras In Focus

I'm going to make a prediction that tomorrow's headlines, and the future reporting of the situation in Honduras, will focus on what the military is doing. The articles will start with describing what the military did, then add a few small paragraphs, by which time people will not bother to finish reading since it will be little details, on what the "new" government is doing. The only thing new is the president. However, you will see headlines about the clash of the military and protestors.

I fully condemn the strong use of the military as the force to stop the violent protests. What needs to be made clear is how the protests became violent, then the military acted. The first reports I saw today showed the fires and barricades set up by the protestors with the military standing at watch. This lasted for about eight hours before the military acted against them.

I will not support the use of violence against the protestors, but I also do not support the protestors methods of holding protests with the specific purpose of confronting the military forces at the presidential compound. The media blackout is also what I am against. However, while these violations make the new government violators of the nation's constitution and reduce their legitimacy, Zelaya's government is no more legitimate. It violated the Constitution and needed to be removed. The first mistake of the new government was ordering his exile instead of his impeachment.

This is not a blank check to the new regime, and the 60 injured so far, and possibly 1 dead (reports conflict over death by a truck accident or an intentional death by being run over, 9 reports, and its a 2 for intentional, 7 for accident) are deplorable results. For a solution, an emergency presidential election within a month. A new president. Zelaya may not run, and Roberto will agree to return to his post in the Congress and not run for president himself.

More as I hear it, the current government is losing my support with its heavy handed approach to keeping order, but I know the previous president has no place in the country at all.