Honduran President Ousted Ahead of Vote to Extend His Power

A vote their Supreme Court declared was illegal. Hugo Chavez blames the "rich people".

Does that sound familiar?

The AP applies banana republic spin (shocka!). They're as dependable as the State Department.

The first military takeover of a Central American government in 16 years drew widespread condemnation from governments in Latin America and the world, and Chavez vowed to overthrow the country's apparent new leader.

President Manuel Zelaya was awakened Sunday by gunfire and detained while still in his pajamas, hours before an unpopular constitutional referendum many saw as a power grab. An air force plane flew him into forced exile in Costa Rica as armored military vehicles with machine guns rolled through the streets of the Honduran capital and soldiers seized the national palace.

Zelaya tried to pull a Chavez and was stopped. And yet, the State Department of the United States of America condemned it. The new interim President of Honduras, who was sworn in to finish out Zelaya's term and no more responded thusly: "I don't think anyone here, not Barack Obama and much less Hugo Chavez, has the right to come and threaten (Honduras)."

It's a sad goddamn day when central America teaches us lessons about controlling power grabs. Thank goodness we aren't meddling in the affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

posted by Dave In Texas at 09:53 PM

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