Monday, June 29, 2009
Emergency Honduras Update
I have confirmed through various news sources (a vast majority) that Venezuelan troops are stationed in Nicaragua. What I have yet to confirm is a battle between Nicaraguan, Venezuelan troops against civilians in a town called El Paraso (Paraiso?). If the battle did take place, the civilians most likely lost. Anyhow, the speculation over possible truths or rumors could take up a whole million years worth of blogging. However, the Venezuelan troops, either being there before this or going there in response to the violence in Honduras, are on high alert. We will see how this continues to develop.
Cancer Treatment
The future of cancer seems to be heading towards more treatable, 99% survival rates. A new treatment, used for the past two years in mice, has had a 100% survival rate. It does a one two punch, where one nano cell disables the cancer cell and a second targets and kills the cancer cell with chemotherapy. It will focus chemotherapy, unlike today where it attacks both kinds of good and bad cells. In the next few months human trials are going to begin, and it will be interesting to see how this moves forward.
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.
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.
Lies, Rumor, and Crisis
The War in Georgia was the first time I saw how the media bias worked on issues outside of the United States. Now, with Honduras, I see it again. Aljazeera has reported that the Honduran military is choosing the next president, while the truth is the Honduras Congress voted in Roberto Mitcheletti as the successor until January when the next president, following the scheduled November election, will be inaugurated. The military is not behind the removal of the president of Honduras. It is the checks and balances system within the Republic style government of Honduras that has protected its constitution.
So why have the military arrest him? Because his personal bodygaurd was too much for the local police to handle on their own. The military fought a twenty minute gun battle, reports on casualties I've yet to find, before they arrested him. The military sent him to Costa Rica. The referendum on the alteration of the Honduras Constitution that would allow former President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was timed within six months of a presidential election. The timing was unconstitutional but the president insisted on the referendum. I will go as far to say that he violated the constitution and was, upon resisting the Supreme Court and Congress, illegitimately in power. Due to this illegitimacy, he was removed from office and replaced.
I am not saying the way the military is conducting the shift is good, they are doing quite the botch job actually. However at the end of the day the military is still following orders from the government, not its own commanders. They are told to do something from the Supreme Court, Congress, and new President, and they will. Their generals still follow the orders, instead of making them. That is what makes this accusation of a coup entirely wrong.
The protestors outside the Presidential house were not prevented by the military at the house from burning tires and protesting in the street outside. This is not Iran. Another note, why has the world attention diverted onto Honduras' Constitutional dilema from Iran's massacres of protestors? Why has the world defended, in contrast to Russia's invasion of Georgia, a leader who is very critical of the United States and a strong ally of Venezuela?
Domestically I inquire:
Why is it that Hillary Clinton can call this a coup, yet the State Department does not formally list it as a coup and shut off all aid to the country?
Why did Hillary say we are not demanding that Manuel Zelaya be returned to power yet we signed onto a statement by the Organization of American States that did?
Globally I question:
How can Zelaya say he wants to alter the Constitution because it favors the countries elites in a way that allows him to remain in power, and thus elite, longer?
Then why does Hugo Chavez place his military on high alert and say he is willing to defend Zelaya from this rebellion of the poor when it is the elite that Zelaya stated he opposed?
Conclusion:
I believe Zelaya, regardless of the details of how he was removed, presuming non-violence is preferred option by the military, should not be president of Honduras. As the military is following orders from the Supreme Court and the Honduras Congress, this is not a coup. The military is following orders from a civilian government. It has a job to do and will do so. Five days, the same time it took Obama to critisize Iran, should be given to this new government to determine if it is legitimate as I claim, or if the military will make a grab for power that they have not done yet.
So why have the military arrest him? Because his personal bodygaurd was too much for the local police to handle on their own. The military fought a twenty minute gun battle, reports on casualties I've yet to find, before they arrested him. The military sent him to Costa Rica. The referendum on the alteration of the Honduras Constitution that would allow former President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was timed within six months of a presidential election. The timing was unconstitutional but the president insisted on the referendum. I will go as far to say that he violated the constitution and was, upon resisting the Supreme Court and Congress, illegitimately in power. Due to this illegitimacy, he was removed from office and replaced.
I am not saying the way the military is conducting the shift is good, they are doing quite the botch job actually. However at the end of the day the military is still following orders from the government, not its own commanders. They are told to do something from the Supreme Court, Congress, and new President, and they will. Their generals still follow the orders, instead of making them. That is what makes this accusation of a coup entirely wrong.
The protestors outside the Presidential house were not prevented by the military at the house from burning tires and protesting in the street outside. This is not Iran. Another note, why has the world attention diverted onto Honduras' Constitutional dilema from Iran's massacres of protestors? Why has the world defended, in contrast to Russia's invasion of Georgia, a leader who is very critical of the United States and a strong ally of Venezuela?
Domestically I inquire:
Why is it that Hillary Clinton can call this a coup, yet the State Department does not formally list it as a coup and shut off all aid to the country?
Why did Hillary say we are not demanding that Manuel Zelaya be returned to power yet we signed onto a statement by the Organization of American States that did?
Globally I question:
How can Zelaya say he wants to alter the Constitution because it favors the countries elites in a way that allows him to remain in power, and thus elite, longer?
Then why does Hugo Chavez place his military on high alert and say he is willing to defend Zelaya from this rebellion of the poor when it is the elite that Zelaya stated he opposed?
Conclusion:
I believe Zelaya, regardless of the details of how he was removed, presuming non-violence is preferred option by the military, should not be president of Honduras. As the military is following orders from the Supreme Court and the Honduras Congress, this is not a coup. The military is following orders from a civilian government. It has a job to do and will do so. Five days, the same time it took Obama to critisize Iran, should be given to this new government to determine if it is legitimate as I claim, or if the military will make a grab for power that they have not done yet.
California
Shame on you all. From the governor, to the legislature, to the people and even the illegals, you screwed up. You ruined your state and now turn your backs on those who need help. I sure hope you help the people you are making homeless when you see them begging door to door. Fifty years you have had the same situation, and now you reap the rewards of your failure. The people refused to be even higher taxed (being some of the highest taxed already) and the response is a complete suspension of the safety net. What the hell are you spending the rest of the money on? If your state has incredibly high taxes, and you have no state safety net, where the hell is all that money going? Seriously, wherever it is going I think I am certain it isn't helping the people of California. Cut the crap, not entire programs helping those who need the most help. You have actually driven me to work on creating a priority list of people who need to be helped by the government in times of need. Single mothers with jobs, sorry, but not as sad a story as the disabled blind guy down the street living under the box. For your state to have made me think of which people to help, while being the 6th largest economy in the world, is appalling. In the land of the free, the United States, such a situation is the result of pure incompetence. Fifty years you had the problem, and all across the state from the top to the bottom nobody fixed it. Shame on you all.
Honduras
The events taking place in Honduras are not a coup. They are the legitimate upholding of the nation's Constitution ordered by the Supreme Court of Honduras. Former President Zelaya violated the nation's constitution by having a referendum vote to overturn the Constitution within six months of a presidential election. His reason for the overturn was to remove the ban on re-elections (so he could stay in power.) The planned Novemeber election will go forward, and I urge the U.S. to defend the nation's legitimate leadership now in power. Should Venezuela invade, as they have threatened by placing their armed forces on high alert over the incident, we should defend Honduras.
Zelaya says the Constitution should be overturned because it benefits the countries elites. Hugo Chavez, the reports I've read, says he defends Zelaya against a revolt by the region's poor. This makes no sense to me. Our leaders in the United States have called it a coup and deny any involvement in its occuring. While I know we had nothing to do with it, this was not a coup. More as I get it later. Thank you for reading.
Zelaya says the Constitution should be overturned because it benefits the countries elites. Hugo Chavez, the reports I've read, says he defends Zelaya against a revolt by the region's poor. This makes no sense to me. Our leaders in the United States have called it a coup and deny any involvement in its occuring. While I know we had nothing to do with it, this was not a coup. More as I get it later. Thank you for reading.
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