CNN (Español) using Zelaya imposter

As crazy as this may sound, CNN is using feeds from Hugo Chávez's Telesur network. Telesur have stooped to using a Zelaya impostor in a supposed phone-in interview with the Telesur reporter.

There is no question that it is not Zelaya and I am shocked that the announcers on CNN in Atlanta, who have talked to him so many times do not recognize that. The man has a Venezuelan accent according to El Jefe and sounds nothing like Mel Zelaya.

How can we hope to combat this misinformation when it is being perpetrated by the largest news provider in the world?

Honduras prevents Zelaya plane from landing

In the early hours of Sunday morning, July 5, 2009, Honduras refused permission to land to former President Zelaya's plane in which he was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States and officials from other countries, despite threats from Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Ecuador to take action Honduras if did not restore Zelaya to the presidency.


The OAS was trying to force the return of the rejected president on the Republic of Honduras. The Honduras government feared violence and deaths would result, since Zelaya was calling for his supporters to meet him at the airport and telling supporters to not obey authorities.

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez, who was considered for the position of pope, begged Mel Zelaya that if he loves Honduras, not to come. In a televised announcement to this primarily Catholic country, he reminded Zelaya of three of the ten commandments, "thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, and thou shalt not kill."

As a friend of Zelaya's for many years, he told him that he feared there would be a blood bath in the streets. He asked to respect human life and reminded him that not one death has occurred yet. Cardinal Rodriguez also asked the people of Honduras to be calm and not resort to violence but rather to work together for a more just Honduras. The entire speech can be found here in Spanish.

Additionally, Bishop Juan José Pineda made an emergency call to CNN yesterday which was televised before the OAS meeting. He also pleaded with Zelaya to not come at this time. Evangelical leaders in Honduras, who generally are apolitical, have also issued statements.

Despite those pleas from the churches starting on Friday, around noon today, Zelaya now says that he will return today with the President of the United Nations.

God protect Honduras.

Honduras, alone against the world

Citizen support for the new government

If there are deaths in Honduras tomorrow, it will be the fault of false reports on the part of CNN en Español, particularly Krupskia Alis. CNN is called Chávez News Network here in Honduras.

CNN has a segment called 'keeping them honest'. Who checks on CNN? They will call my claim ridiculous, but there are hundreds of thousands of people in Honduras who know the truth because they watch CNN even though up until tonight's report, they have claimed that CNN was blocked from view in Honduras. Check CNN's iReports and all over the internet and you will read the same plea, "tell the truth about what is happening here!"

Equally responsible will be the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Those organizations claim to be concerned about democracy, yet they have judged and condemned Honduras without any chance to explain what happened or why the government officials believe what they have done was constitutional. None.

It's ironic that on the very day that US Americans celebrate their independence, their government was party to forcing a tyrant upon the Republic of Honduras.

Can people in the United States be condemned with the judge and jury denying a defendant a chance to defend himself? Can you imagine if the OAS told your Supreme Court to reverse a decision or told you that you had to keep a corrupt president? This action is as barbaric as they claim the golpistas are.

Those organizations also claim to be concerned about the human rights of Honduran citizens, but they, with the support of the United States of America, ignore the wishes of the Honduran citizens by trying to force upon them an inept, corrupt, drug-taking president who is said to have ties with narcotrafficking. How can this be? Isn't the United States against drug trafficking?

Also, it seems that if they were truly concerned with the human rights of our citizens, they would not stand by silent while Hugo Chávez of Venezuela threatens to spill blood in our streets. Oh, well, I guess they think that as long as we have TV and no curfew, we'll be free!

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Manuel Insulza, is much more concerned with the damaged dignity of one person, than damaging the future security of 7.5 million people in the second poorest country in this hemisphere. In only six days, our new leaders have uncovered US $31 million of misused funds and found that the President has put the country into a level of debt never seen before. In the six days that he was gone, he ran up a debt of US $80,000 on his government credit card. That amount alone would have fed 32 families for a year.

Our new president has told us that no citizen is above the law in our country. That hasn't been true in the past in Honduras, but this time citizens feel empowered and they are going to hold their president to his word. Despite the threat from Ecuador and Nicaragua, our leaders have said that Mel Zelaya will be arrested tomorrow when he lands in Honduras.

But it won't happen without violence. Groups of criminals and thugs, some who have entered the country illegally from Nicaragua, have been terrorizing Tegucigalpa, encouraged by the CNN en Español reporter, who ignores the hundred thousand peaceful marchers all over Honduras, just as CNN in the US ignores the thousands of internet postings from Hondurans asking for fair coverage. Unless the Honduran military can perform a miracle, people will be hurt or killed tomorrow, July 5, 2009.

Hondurans thought of the United States as a friend. Most thought that they would be supported, not condemned, for their fight for democracy against a tyrant who ignored the laws and constitution and called our highest court "the Supreme Court of Injustice".

Honduras is small, but proud, sovereign country. Honduras will stand alone against the world for as long as it can. Its citizens will be prouder of themselves and their government than they ever have been before. And they will find out who the true friends of democracy are.

Finally, the dirt begins to come out on Zelaya

Patricia Rodas, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs
with ex-President, Mel Zelaya

La Prensa reports today that Manuel Zelaya spent L.1.5 million (US $80,000) in five days on his Honduran government credit card. The government has since cancelled his card as well as that of the former Foreign Minister, Patricia Rodas. The government also canceled the rental of 50 luxury vehicles and 61 mobil phones that have a credit limit of L.47,500, as well as 100 bank accounts backed by government funds.

Enrique Ortez Collindres, Minister of Foreign Relations, assured reporters that the previous government ordered the sacking of L.40 million from the presidential bank account. A vehicle was parked at the presidential palace presumed to belong to Cesar Ham. Within they found a list of illegal payments for support of the 'opinion poll.'

On the day that Mel was removed from his duties, black garbage bags stuffed with large amounts of cash were found in each minister's cabinet and even in their desk drawers.

The auditors and the Fiscalía to date have accounted for L.600 million in 'petty cash' expenses for the illegal poll. During the week, the DNIC and the Attorney General have confiscated documentation and computers as evidence. Checks were issued for L.17 million, 25, 40, and up to L.60 million lempiras which constitute an embezzlement of public funds.

Among the confiscated documents was a listing of payments to journalists during the last 3 1/2 years, showing payments of from L. 2,500 to L. 250,000 per month. Mel left the new government of Honduras with a deficit of L.8 billion (US $423 million). Ralph Flores, subdirector of FOSDEH, said, "This is a historic deficit that we've never had in this country."

Liberal party congressman, Wenceslao Lara, said that it was a true fiesta of corruption for those Liberals in Zelaya's administration to promote the cuarta urna (fourth ballot box) and the illegal poll.

Manuel Zelaya has been charged with 18 crimes, including abuse of authority and treason, but they are discovering more acts of corruption all the time, like the sacking of government business like Hondutel, ENEE, COPECO, and others.

Additionally, L.260,000 in cash was confiscated in a Choluteca hotel room which had been occupied by Rixi Moncada, former head of La ENEE, the state-run electric company. Speculation was that the money, in L.500 notes was to pay voters. Marcelo Chimirri, the former head of Hondutel, the state-run telephone company, was arrested two days ago for receiving bribes in the Latinode case.

Earlier this week, L.270,000 in cash was found in the President's office.

There will be more to report, I'm sure. After all, this was only six days work.

What say ye now world?

Meanwhile, from Caracas, Zelaya announced that he is returning to Honduras as president tomorrow, as ordered by the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

Roatán: The little island that could

Parade for peace and democracy, Island of Roatán,
Honduras, July 3, 2009
Photo courtesy of: Angela Agnew

Largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, Roatán is a beautiful place and Honduras' most popular tourist attraction. The island has had its share of tensions in the past months with a flood of immigrants from the mainland looking for work which wasn't always there.

Yesterday, July 3, Roatán had its peace, pro-government (did we ever think we would say that?) march. Black, brown, and white. Young and old. Rich and poor. Hondurans, Americans, Brits, and a few flags that I didn't recognize. They all came together united in a common cause.

Maybe we should thank Mel Zelaya. He is responsible for a new patriotic pride and empowerment of the people all across the country.

The title of this article came from a sign I saw in one of the parade photos: "The little country that could." That is the attitude that I am seeing. Such pride in the country and the stand the government is taking against the world. Nothing is impossible.

Angela Agnew put together a beautiful photo slide show that can be seen here. Please take the time to view it. You'll enjoy it, I promise, especially if you've been as stressed as I have for the past week. It even has soothing music.

Local Honduran television on the internet

Mel Zelaya announcing his intention to
disregard the Supreme Court's decision
June 25, 2009

A Honduran friend has uploaded some local Honduran television programs so that people from other countries can view it. He has promised to try to upload more.

Most importantly, "Mel and his removal" is the current government's explanation of exactly what happened, why it happened, and why it was legal. He also has 66 minutes of the Tegucigalpa rally on July 1 where an estimated 70,000 people attended.

All of the programs, of course, are in Spanish so they will probably not get much mention in the international media. If you understand Spanish, please check it out. He has promised to continue to add programs as he can.

USTREAM Catracho-Gol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who use Twitter or Facebook, you may want to get the link out to your Honduras friends outside of Honduras.

Honduran Supreme Court rejected the OAS demand to return Zelaya to the presidency

2008 photo of Ex-President Mel Zelaya and his wife with
Presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua

Minutes ago, the Honduran Supreme Court rejected the Organization of American States demand to return Mel Zelaya to the presidency of Honduras.

Originally, after the condemnation of Honduras by the UN and OAS, former President Manuel Zelaya said he would return on Thursday. On Wednesday, he reported that he would respect the 72-hour demand of the UN and return on Saturday. Yesterday, he changed that arrival date to Sunday.

Chancellor of Honduras, Enrique Ortez Collindres, who has become a popular figure among young Honduras for his strength and feistiness despite his advanced age, stated that 25,000 Honduran citizens will be waiting for him at the airport when he comes and that Zelaya will be arrested on 18 counts of illegal activities including violating the constitution which he swore to uphold and being a traitor to the Republic of Honduras.