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Obama and Clinton Ignore Democrats' Pleas to Stop the Killing In Honduras
Hondurans are still suffering from the effects of the June 2009 military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of President Manuel Zelaya. The coup has unleashed a wave of violence against political opposition, journalists, small farmers and others, with impunity for the security forces that have been implicated in these killings. This is exactly what those who opposed the coup regime – and its consolidation of power with marred "elections" in November 2009 – feared would happen.
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, left, meets with Honduran President Porfirio Lobo earlier this month. (AFP/Getty)
On the wrong side of this fight was the Obama administration, which – after some hesitation – made some statements against the coup but went on do quite a bit to help the coup government succeed. Nearly three years and hundreds of political murders later, it seems that this administration is still on the side of repression and denial of Hondurans' basic human rights.
Nothing has made this clearer than the attempts of Democratic members of the US Congress to pressure the administration to change course. On 9 March, 94 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her "to suspend US assistance to the Honduran military and police given the credible allegations of widespread, serious violations of human rights attributed to the security forces".
The members of Congress note a "pattern of human rights violations in which human rights defenders, journalists, community leaders and opposition activists are the subject of death threats, attacks, and extrajudicial executions". They call particular attention to the situation in the Bajo Aguan region, about 350 miles north-east of the capital, where "45 people associated with peasant organizations have been killed." This violence, which is committed by landowners' gunmen and security forces against peasants struggling for land rights, is a direct result of the coup; under the Zelaya administration, there were negotiations taking place to resolve the disputes peacefully.
The letter from members of Congress is politically striking because it is signed by close to half of all the Democrats in the House, including some in leadership positions. This is an election year, and these people are not eager to fight with their president over an issue that is not likely to be a key concern in their districts. So they must have been quite convinced that these are outrageous violations of human rights – on which our government has a responsibility to act.
But the major media in the US did not seem to notice this letter or its political significance. And there were no reports at all on a similar letter to Secretary Clinton four days earlier, from a number of US senators who expressed their concern over "credible reports of killings and violent attacks that allegedly involve police and military agents", and "the failure of [Honduran] state authorities to prosecute violators and protect the rights of victims and their families".
These omissions are even more striking as Vice-President Biden travelled to Honduras on 6 March, putting the country in the news cycle. The major media serve as enabler in this circumstance by not reporting this congressional action by so many members of President Obama's own party. The administration looks to the press and, seeing nothing, reasons that if nobody heard this big tree falling in the forest, then it didn't happen.
There has been no response so far from the State Department, other than a highly misleading statement regarding what the 94 members of Congress were asking for. Whereas the letter call for a suspension of US assistance to the Honduran military and police, as long as the killings continue with impunity, spokesperson Victoria Nuland said:
"I think the concerns that we have with this particular proposal is that it calls for a cutting of all aid to Honduras … this recommendation to cut it all off is a relatively blunt instrument." (Emphasis added.)
Worse, in fact, the Obama administration has increased requested military aid for Honduras for fiscal year 2012 – one of only two increases in the region (the other being Mexico). The excuse, of course, is the infamous "war on drugs". One has to wonder what the US government would do if the violence associated with drug-trafficking were ever to subside. It has been so convenient to the US in building up its military and security presence in the region – and the political influence that goes with it. Perhaps that is part of the reason why the Obama administration has been so cold to talk of legalization of some drugs, which we've heard even from US-supported presidents such as Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala and Juan Manuel Santos in Colombia, as well as a number of prominent former presidents and leaders.
In the past decade-and-a-half, South America has liberated itself from Washington, winning a historic "second independence" that makes it almost impervious to the kind of US-supported coups that threw Honduras into this wave of violence and repression. These governments unanimously distanced themselves from Washington by demanding the unconditional return of President Zelaya in 2009 and opposing the "elections" held that year to consolidate the coup government.
But the nations of South America need to do much more, and begin to see Central America and the Caribbean as part of their region, and not, as Washington sees it, "our little region over here, which never has bothered anybody". The Cartagena agreement that allowed for Zelaya's return contains human rights guarantees, and authorises other South American countries (besides Colombia and Venezuela, which brokered the agreement) to participate in ensuring compliance.
Hondurans are fighting courageously for their human rights and national sovereignty. With help from South America, and from all the organizations and activists who succeeded in getting 94 members of the US Congress to challenge the Obama administration over their complicity, they will put an end to this violent repression.
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14 Comments so far
Show AllSince when does a US Administration ACTUALLY give a crap about human rights? They pay lip service to it when it's politically useful, but other than that, I don't think they really care. The US has been in bed with some seriously disturbed regimes, so we shouldn't expect that to change anytime soon.
In my opinion, not only is the US government actually ok with nasty regimes, the wish they could behave similarly. Slowly but surely, consecutive administrations have been consolidating dictatorial powers, while claiming they'll "never use them". I believe it's just a matter of time before activists are being assassinated, rather than spied upon and prosecuted/persecuted, in the United States.
The article fails to mention that Biden went to Honduras to twist arms in the war on drugs. Many leaders in central and South America have started talking about legalizing drugs as a means to reduce rising crime.
The USA runs the drug business and makes huge profits out of it for the 1%. Little doubt exists about this fact. Sure, private individuals participate in the drug business, but it takes an army to move hundreds of thousands of tons of heroin, coke, meth, marijuana, and other forbidden drugs.
In 1998, the CIA itself acknowledged they had covered up cocaine trafficking by the Contras for years. We have occupied Afghanistan for 10 years and the heroin trade has grown.
Our one great ally in South America, Colombia, has the most repressive government in the region that has fought a civil war against the peasants for over 60 years. And coincidentally, our ally Colombia controls the cocaine trade.
"We have occupied Afghanistan for 10 years and the heroin trade has grown."
Before the US invasion, poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was at an all time historic low, and pretty much eradicated. After the US invasion, cultivation is at an all time high. It's not a far leap in logic to assume that the US government is involved.
One of the more interesting things I've heard proposed is NOT to eradicate the cultivation of opium poppies, but to redirect it from heroin production, to production of opium for the manufacture of medical opiates.
The other line I found striking in the article was this:
"This is an election year, and these people are not eager to fight with their president over an issue that is not likely to be a key concern in their districts"
Right, so people in their "districts" don't give a crap that their government is supporting atrocities overseas. As long as the price of gas doesn't rise, all is well.
I do find it interesting that these senators are raising the issue at all.
That line caught my attention too.. I have two problems with it: 1) in non-election years, I really didn't see the Democrats pick a fight with Obama; and 2) are they more interested in doing the right thing and serving the public, or getting re-elected to serve their own interests?
bUSiness as u$ual.
Good article! But worse than this is happening in Colombia. That dope pushing, kill crazy regime has likely the worst record of any government on this planet yet outside of some European human rights types and maybe a few European media including to its credit, Red Pepper few media have covered these swine who are outdoing El Salvador from the 1980s. Meanwhile what is US policy there? Why! The Cold War has been for too long for this insanity.
Ohhhh, but we approved this cocaine 'mill' recently for the US' NAFTA agreement. I mean, with 7 Colombian military bases in Colombia that 'war criminal' and 'cocaine kingpin' (And ex-president Alvaro 'baby' gave us permission to 'take over' ) we can now (after the 4th fleet is up and runing - real soon), be able to haraess Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador and, with a little luck, Peru, Argentina and Nicaragua too, LOL!
The US/NATO terrorists rushed to Georgia because 'puppet' Mikheil Sasskavilli was practicinng his state terror on heavily Russian populated Ossetia and Abkahsia. Then the Russian bear growls and let's 'pipsqueak' Sashkavilli know he's messing with BIG trouble. In a panic the US/NATO/Israeli terrorists rush war materials to the hated despot Sashkivilli while threastening the Russians for putting out a fire at their front door-step and the world wonders why these NATO thugs are 'bothering' Russia in their 'sphere of influence' i.e. their front door.
In Haiti and Honduras the Great Satan destroys their democratically elected governments (Arastide flown out in the middle of the night in a CIA airplane for US 'directed' exile in South Africa and the Honduran president is 'ejected' to Costa Rica 'on another CIA airplane, of course) and no one can object (Russia, too far, France too close to US foreign policy and Britain? Well, this troika' of predator bass-terds hang together like stink on sh*t).
The Honduran government was (((toppled))) by the Obama CIA mafia because the president took a photo hugging Hugo Chavez. So, what did the US do? It promoted the reimmersion of the reichwing criminals that soaked Honduras in the peoples blood in the 1980's under 666's (Reagan) CONTRA's and other 'death squads' financed by the US and armed by the Jewish rats who were 'working' near-by in Colombia, arming and training the Pablo Escobar and Cali drug Cartel's. Today, the US promoted reich wing government of Honduras is murdering the 'resistence.' That's the local journalists that have been reporting all the reichwings corruption, murder and mayhem that has over-taken Honduras in epidemic form. And what is the US doing? Selling Honduras oder free Dow Corning zippered body bags - and not much else.
Yassar folks, the 'rogue' Great Satan today, is but a mere shadow of its former (Post WW II) self. A low life thug that murders and maims innocents throughout the planet with the most innovative and sophisticated weapons and munitions the 'broke' US tax-payer can (barely) afford - with impunity. One has to wonder why WTC II & III have not already arrived by now and why its been so late in arriving. We now have a government that like the Nazi's in Hitler's Germany 1933 leaves the people of this country trembling in fear lest they be declared an enemy combatant and thrown is a dungeon somewhere in the US, or God knows where under the new (and improved 2011 Patriot Act), without the benefit of 3 squares, sunlight or the right of writ of Habeus Corpus (Right Bradley Manning?). Indeed, this Obama government is a frightening 'gang' of war criminals that are committiing murder and mayhem (as we speak) and covering up the war crimes of the previous resident of the Whitehouse - the 'idiot savant' George 'W.' and his minions and CIA criminals.
Indeed, we are a war addicted criminal nation and it seems to go down hill from there. It was Reverend Wright in 2008 that made the best comment regarding this once decent country: "God damn AmeriKKKa." Indeed, Reverend, indeed.
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This line caught my attention:
"Nearly three years and hundreds of political murders later..."
Most USAns don't recognize that there have been hundreds of political murders in the USA in recent years.
And the US regime is a stinking ugly and evil morass. Pretty much as putrid, destructive and megalomaniacal as any ugly regime in history. Worse and worse all the time.
Clinton is a chicken hawk neocon supporter of war and the American military empire and if you don't believe me go back and read her enthusiastic speech in favor of the Iraq war and later her push yo get the generals what they wanted in Afghanistan. Obama has been pandering to the military ever since he was elected strictly as a political strategy. He is a corrupt politician.
hmmm,
those gringo *hr activists* are busy championing another us sponsored un resolution [sic] , hehehe
http://tinyurl.com/7p6y9rv