Military officers swear an oath (here and I would assume there is a similar oath in the Honduran Army) to support and defend the constitution. A good example to use (albeit a smaller scale) is the use of the National Guard to enforce the Supreme Court ruling on desegregation in schools.

It is sad that our administration is supporting Zelaya in his attempt to subvert his country’s laws. At the same time they choose to support a president in Iran who is subverting his country’s election laws.

Goes to show you how much respect they have for constitutional law.

Again, the media ( except for the WSJ), has been woefully inadequate in providing the full story

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623220955866301.html#mod=article-outset-box

I know some press reports describe Zelaya supporters as breaking into a military base for the ballots. Tht’s not quite accurate as Zelaya himself led his followers to the Air Force base to get the ballots (printed in Venezuela btw).

My point is that the Honduran military practiced a lot of restraint in the face of Zelaya’s provocations. Even in the aftermath, they are keenly aware of how it will play out if they get heavy handed with the protectors.

My sources tell me that the opposition party and members of Zelaya’s party are staying cool and off the streets. Their strategy is to let Zelaya’s supporters express themselves and not allow a confrontation in the streets happen.

Zelaya brought this on himself and I understand the accusation from the Attorney General about his mental fitness. What the hell was he thinking! My source next to the air base in Tegucigalpa that on Thursday night, the military was already deploying their forces. He defied the military and his own government, he got what he deserved and is lucky to be alive. IMHO.

This is condescending and based on what I’ve read simply wrong. The Honduran military didn’t step in at the drop of a hat; they waited for the Supreme Court to rule against the president. And in fact it appears that the first act of naked aggression here was not by the military, but involved Zelaya’s supporters breaking in to a military facility to grab some ballots that the military was holding. The deal is that Zelaya wanted a referendum held to extend his rule, but the Honduran constitution doesn’t allow itself to be amended in this way (hence the military wasn’t going to let Zelaya use the ballots he had printed up).
Further, the military didn’t appoint some general to replace Zelaya – they put the head of Congress in charge, again consistent with their constitution. If the military there (like ours) takes an oath to uphold the constitution, I’d say they discharged it perfectly.

ytba said…
BANANA REPUBLICS SHOW COMMON SENSE, WHILE THE “LEADER” OF THE FREE WORLD RUSHES TO SUPPORT THE WRONG SIDE.

2:31 PM 6/28/09