http://www.slate.com/id/2222241/

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/07/2009748853243871.html

And it’s a good thing, too!

The entire world? A trifle exaggerated, no?

What is interesting is that so many Americans feel a right to comment on and be taken seriously about affairs in other countries.

Hablan espanol, ustedes?

You keep saying that was his purpose, and many of his opponents say that was his purpose, but where is the evidence?

It is clear now why this is such a muddled affair with such conflicting claims – there was never a legitimate trial to uncover exactly what was being violated!

A coup this most definitely was.

It is not illegal to propose a reform. To do so, the initiative must be taken by Congress. Zelaya defied this clear rule for the purposes, with the help of Chavez, to remain in power.

I’m glad the people and the democratic institutions of Honduras – once again, from all across the political spectrum, including the former president’s political allies – decided this was unacceptable. Who are you to call it “nutty”? Who is Chavez to meddle in their affairs?

What a laughable irony to be railing against “imperialism” !

I am grateful for those who have chosen to bring the Honduran Constitution and the interim governments actions within that Constitution into the light here. While I will acknowledge the sequencing of the Congress and Supreme Court’s legal actions and their “modo de proceder” was not the best when one considers how ideologues would like to present the situation, this new government is both Constitutional and has overwhelming popular support of the people. Our people on the ground, who are anything but political, affirm this fact.

With all due respect, I would suggest the writer of this article avoid writing on topics which he clearly knows little about. His prejudices seem to lead to automatic assumptions (i.e. because a few individuals involved went to the School of the Americas, therefore they are inherently bad) which are unfair and even inaccurate. Even more so, describing the Honduras Constitution as “nutty” shows a condescension and lack of respect for an entire people. There is nothing in Honduras’ Constitution which goes against Church Teaching… so what right the writer, or anyone for that matter, has to pass judgment on it is beyond me, and in this case, these statements fall outside of proper charity and respect of cultures.

If our US Government, the UN, and the OAS continue on the course they are on, which is forcing a socialist-dictator-to-be to be reinstated against the will of all Honduran branches of Government, Zelaya’s own party, as well as the people, there will not only be bloodshed in the immediate, but it will essentially seal the fate of Central and South America in their digression towards socialist dictatorships which are not only hostile to the Catholic Church, but to the very nature of the human person — regardless of how they choose to use their manipulation and supposed championing of the poor to advance their agendas.

I would ask all people to pray and fast, seeking God’s will and not our own in this situation. Honduras is the location of the very first Catholic Mass on the American mainland, and as such, I feel holds a very special place in our hemisphere for our Catholic Faith.

I found that many people(whether left or right) had different views after they learned all the facts. That is this was not some military typical coup but had the support of the Civilian Govt because the President went beyond his powers.

For all the talk of how “Latin America simply has not mattered very much to most North Americans, including North American Catholics” as you put it I have not noted one post from you talking about the situation in that Country or the ciris was developing. So please leave your Holier than thou attitude at the door. I think many of us were trying to figure out the situation. A situation that appeared a heck of a lot more complex than when the story first broke

I am seeing a ton of those people celebrating this and that gives me pause that perhaps you are wrong.

Perhaps applauding it, which reveals their hypocrisy.

And what kind of a nutty “constitution” is this, and how, exactly is it “democratic,” when it’s illegal to PROPOSE a reform?

Exactly.

“Honduran law does allow for a constitutional rewrite, yet the power to do so does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly must be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.”

Mr. Jonathanjones, isn’t there some kind of a contradiction there?

And what kind of a nutty “constitution” is this, and how, exactly is it “democratic,” when it’s illegal to PROPOSE a reform?

1. Zelaya did not receive due process, something that should be guaranteed by any constitution.
2. Roberto Micheletti didn’t even win his party’s nomination in the last election. Why him?
3. The basic constitutional rights that have been nullified in recent crackdowns reveal how this is not simply a matter of “preserving the constitution”.
4. It appears that Congress voted Zelaya out of office on the very day he was kidnapped!

Actually the medai was all over this hours after it happened. Now not so much because they seemed to bne caught so aware they got some basic facts wrong from the beginning. Who wants to report their own incompetence.