copy of the letter from the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee sent to Pres. Obama

I cannot verify the veracity of this letter, however, I did speak to Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen's office early this week and they mentioned that she was aware of the situation and taking steps to reach Pres. Obama with our opinion. I received it from a reliable source.

Carta que la Congresista Ros-Lehtinen le entregara personalmente hoy al Presidente Obama sobre la situacion en Honduras

Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 22:48:20 +0000

The Honorable Barack H. ObamaPresident of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I would like to take this opportunity to raise growing concerns about the U.S. approach to human rights, democratic principles, rule of law, and constitutional institutions in the Western Hemisphere, focusing on your Administration’s response to the constitutional crisis in Honduras and the U.S. role at the Organization of American States and the United Nations with respect to this situation.
I expected the Administration to adopt a deliberative, responsible approach to developments in Honduras. However, the U.S. stance from the onset appears to have been focused on supporting one individual, President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, irrespective of the Honduran constitution, rule of law, and democratic institutions. This myopic, Zelaya-centric approach has intensified in the last 72 hours since reports surfaced that the Honduran military had taken Mr. Zelaya into custody and that Mr. Zelaya had departe d Honduras.
There are numerous conflicting reports about the events that have transpired in Honduras in the last few days. Facts are in dispute. Yet, there has been no apparent attempt by the U.S to discern the truth about the status of democratic and constitutional order in this Central American country, before making summary conclusions and issuing condemnations based on incomplete information.
However, Mr. President, the constitutional crisis in Honduras did not commence on Sunday, June 28^th but, at least, three months earlier, when Mr. Zelaya issued his Executive Decree on March 23^rd of this year calling for a referendum to extend his presidential term to be held before July. Despite the clear limitations established in Article 5, Article 374, and other articles of the Honduran constitution concerning the presidential term and parameters for a referendum, the United States appeared to unconditionally embrace Mr. Zelaya’s plans. The Honduran Supreme Court, the Administrative courts, the Attorney General, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Electoral Tribunal, and the National Congress all declared the referendum to be illegal. Additional legislative action was taken by the Honduran National Congress on June 23^rd to prevent Mr. Zelaya’s violations of Honduran rule of law and constitutional precepts. The U.S. failed to take effective steps, bilaterally or through the Organization of American States, to support these legitimate efforts by the other co-equal branches of Honduras’ democratic government to enforce Honduran law. On Friday, June 26^th, Mr. Zelaya issued another decree ordering government employees to participate in the “Public Opinion Poll to convene a National Constitutional Assembly,” which would have reportedly triggered Article 239 of the Honduran constitution requiring he be relieved of his duties and office. The U.S. failed to respond. This marked a serious failure in U.S. diplomacy and democracy advocacy. As such, many would argue, that the U.S. is complicit in the escalation of the constitutional crisis in Honduras.

At the OAS and the UN General Assembly this week, the U.S. accepted resolution texts drafted by Mr. Zelaya and his immediate advisors and agreed to proposals put forth by the leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia—all for the sake of consensus. Joining the “race to the bottom” or serving as an echo chamber is not helpful to our political, economic, or security interests in the region.

Looking forward, it is my hope, Mr. President, that your Administration will not have the U.S. response hinge on unconfirmed reports and accusations by sources with a vested interest in ensuring a particular outcome that may, or may not, be in the interest of the United States. <> Instead, we must work together to advance core U.S. principles and achieve the stated goal of consolidating and strengthening the rule of law and democratic institutions in our Hemisphere.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN
Ranking Member
Alex J. Cruz
Director Of Communications
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
4960 SW 72 Avenue, Suite 208
Miami, Florida 33155
Press Line 305-668-5994
FAX 305-668-5970
Cell 202-225-8200

LETTER

HELLO EVERYONE,

THIS IS OUR NEWEST LETTER TO BE SENT OUT TO CONGRESS AND THE OBAMA ADMIN. PLEASE GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS. THE CLOSING AND OPENING NEED HELP, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BUFF THOSE UP BEFORE WE SEND. ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED:

The recent events in Honduras have opened up a great discussion in both Central America and the United States of America. To this dialogue we wish to add our comments:

1. The Honduran people have been under the budding dictatorship of Mel Zelaya for the past three years. He has outright defied the wishes of the populace and the government.

2. The general public does not wish for Zelaya to return. Forcing Honduras to return him to the presidency would be a rejection of democracy and their sovereignty as a nation.

3. The referendum he had proposed for Sunday, June 28^th would have dismantled the congress and by the end of the day the Honduran democratic structure would have been completely dissolved. Very similar to measures taken by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. The people of Honduras were left little opportunity but to arrest President Zelaya. The referendum had to be stopped and there was absolutely no time to begin the impeachment process. Both the Supreme Court and the Congress denied Zelaya the approval for the referendum. He ignored their ruling and declared that he would continue with his referendum.

4. Within the very day of Zelaya’s removal, the proper successor according to the constitution was sworn in and the democratic process began yet again. The successor was the next in line and was also a member of Zelaya’s political party. None of this implicates a military coup as the United States and OAS has been calling it. The democratic process continues. Elections in November will occur and the new president will be sworn in in January.

5. Due to the fact that this was unequivocally not a “military coup”, the United States should not withdraw international aid previously offered to Honduras. They have not broken any of the requirements agreed upon between the two countries.

6. The Honduran people responded to the criminal behavior of its president within legal parameters. They are now requesting that international governments and organizations support their decision to stop his criminal behavior. They are asking to maintain the peace that they have been able to maintain through this complicated time. With the proper support of the international community, peace will continue in Honduras.

7. The United States should be honoring the peaceful way in which Honduras managed the arrest of Mel Zelaya. For the first time in Central American history, we see a potentially explosive situation handled in a peaceful manner. Bloodshed has been the result of any prior political change in Central America, in particular when it comes to people resisting dictatorial behavior. The fact that this did not occur last Sunday should leave us all honoring Honduras for the way in which they showed the rest of the world how modern democracy can work.

8. It is our opinion that Honduras remains an important ally for the United States. The United States should continue to validate the new temporary government and uphold the proper standard of democracy that they have now set. The United States has also relied upon the country of Honduras as a strategic location in Central America. This continues to be important for both countries.

9. It is imperative that Honduras not succumb to Ex-president Zelaya and Hugo Chavez. This would present a loss of sovereignty to Honduras. This would mark the end of democracy in Honduras.

10. Hugo Chavez and his anti-American sentiment present a threat to U.S. citizens. The known alliance between Venezuela and Iran should also be considered when deciding which side to support. Having known administrations with high anti American sentiment in the United States’ backyard should not be an option. Protecting American citizens from this vulnerable position should be first on the US administration's list. Honduras has worked hard to help us with this and the United States should support their efforts.

Thank you for taking the time to read our concerns. The result of this situation in Honduras has consequences for the United States and for the Honduran people.

irony

Hello everyone,

In two days the OAS will send a Representative to Honduras to demand that Zelaya be returned to power. The US has issued a statement that if Honduras does not comply, they will cut off all aid to Honduras. Those of us who know Honduras know that this could present a real crisis for the country. I don't know what we can do about it, but we probably should be spending the next 36 hours passing on our message of support to anyone that will hear us. Now is the time, guys, for us to make our statement. People are beginning to pay attention, but it is not enough. Until the USA changes its condemnation of Honduras, the Little Country That Could is in jeopardy.

We perhaps should also be considering something I mentioned earlier in my facebook page- the irony of this situation. Over 200 years ago our country stood up for freedom and democracy, and although we are really, truly not perfect, we still have been a safe place for humans seeking democratic refuge (among other things). So, I ask, what is going on here? We take a soft stance on Iran and their brutalization of peaceful protesters demanding a recount on an illegitimate vote count. We take a position of non interference and let the people's voices be squelched by brute force. Then, we have Honduras. On Sunday, they removed a criminal from the presidency. Rather than brutalize human beings, they arrest a criminal president. Not only do they not hurt him, but they ask him if he would prefer to leave the country or prefer to be arrested. Well, he chose to leave the country. Had the people not taken into consideration Zelaya's dignity they would not even be in this position. I don't know, but I suspect that his arrest would have been investigated in a different way and perhaps the international community would have a totally different perspective on this situation. At the very least, had he been arrested and kept inside the country, he would not have been given this opportunity to play the "poor country farmer- victim of a military coup" role. The fate of the people of Honduras is now in the hands of people that have given Zelaya a sympathetic audience for 4 days. So, we have a peaceful change in power and an immediate return to democracy and the USA condemns it AND supports known dictatorships. Just how far gone are we?

I don't want to make this too long. I just ask for everyone to consider what this means for us as a people. I welcome all thoughts and ideas. Also, I will try NOT to only post opinions up here, I will try to place as much fact as I can. I just have this sense of urgency right now that I can't shake. It is because I see the faces of all those people we love and I fear for them. I, and I know many of you reading this, have dedicated much of my life to helping make their lives better and it is time for us to use our voice as best we can. We still have freedom of speech, so let's use that powerful weapon to help these people. I don't know what is going to happen after Saturday, so perhaps our greatest effort should be for the next day and a half. I don't know how much our words will matter if the US and OAS hold on to their demands. I suspect we will know more very soon. I welcome all ideas and comments.

Blessings,

Christina

HONDURAN CONSTITUTION

Under the Honduran Constitution, what really happened here?

WRITTEN By Octavio Sanchez[1]

If you are not familiar with the country’s history and the Honduran constitution it is almost impossible that you would understand what happened here this past weekend. In 1982 my country adopted a new Constitution to allow our ordered return to democracy. After 19 previous constitution -two Spanish ones, three as part of the Republic of Central America and 14 as an independent nation- this one, at 28, has been the longest lasting one. It has lasted for so long because it responds and adapts to our changing reality, as seen in the fact that out of its original 379 articles, 7 of them have been completely or partially repealed, 18 have been interpreted and 121 have been reformed.

It also includes 7 articles that cannot be repealed or amended because they address issues that are critical for us. Those unchangeable articles deal with the form of government, the extent of our borders, the number of years of the presidential term; two prohibitions -one to reelect presidents and another one to change the article that states who can’t run for president- and one article that penalizes the abrogation of the Constitution.

In these 28 years Honduras has found legal ways to deal with its own problems. Each and every successful country around the world lived similar trial and error processes until they were able to find legal vehicles that adapt to their reality. France had 13 Constitutions between 1789 and the adoption of the current one in 1958 which has passed 22 constitutional revisions. The USA had one before this one which has been amended 27 times since 1789 and the British –pragmatic as they are- in 900 years have change it so many times that they have never taken the time to compile their Constitution into a single body of law.

Having explained that, under our Constitution, what happened in Honduras this last Sunday? Soldiers arrested and took out of the country a Honduran citizen that, the day before, through his actions had stripped himself of the presidency of Honduras.

These are the hard facts. Last Friday Mister Zelaya, with his cabinet, issued a decree ordering all government employees to take part in the “Public Opinion Poll to convene a National Constitutional Assembly” (Presidential Decree PCM-020). The decree was published on Saturday on the official newspaper. With this event, Mister Zelaya triggered a constitutional protection that automatically removed him from office.

The key legal elements for that constitutional protection to be triggered are the following ones. Constitutional assemblies are convened to write new constitutions. In Honduras, you have 365 articles that can be changed by Congress. When Zelaya published that decree to regulate an “opinion poll” about the possibility of convening a national assembly he acted against the unchangeable articles of the constitution that deal with the prohibition of reelecting a president and of extending his term. His actions showed intent.

How is that kind of intent sanctioned in our Constitution? With the immediate removal of those involved in the action as stated in article 239 of the Constitution which reads: “No citizen that has already served as head of the Executive Branch can be President or Vice-President. Whoever violates this law or proposes its reform, as well as those that support such violation directly or indirectly, will immediately cease in their functions and will be unable to hold any public office for a period of 10 years.” Notice that the rule speaks about intent and that it also says immediately –as in instant, as in no trial required, as in no impeachment needed.

This immediate sanction might sound draconian, but every country knows its own enemies and it is the black letter of our supreme law. Requiring no previous trial might be crazy, but in Latin America a President is no ordinary citizen, it is the most powerful figure of the land and historically the figure has been above the law. To prevent that officer from using its power to stay in office Honduras has constitutional rules such as the mentioned one.

I am extremely proud of my compatriots. Finally, we have decided to stand up and become a country of laws, not men. From now on, here, no one will be above the law.

---

[1] Lawyer (J.D. Universidad Nacional Autonóma de Honduras; LL.M. Harvard Law School). Former Presidential Advisor (2002-2005) and Minister of Culture (2005-2006) of the Republic of Honduras.

"HONDURAS DEFIANT"

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY Phil Wier. Honduras Defiant By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Wednesday, July 01, 2009 4:20 PM PT Democracy: Nations aren't usually put to the fearsome test to "live free or die." But Hondurans are accepting it as the world pressures them to reseat a potential dictator in office. They aren't bending. Read More: Latin America & Caribbean On Tuesday, all 192 members of the U.N. General Assembly voted to condemn Hondurans' removal of President Mel Zelaya from office. He was ousted this week after brazenly defying a Supreme Court ruling against a reelection referendum. Using the language of the effort's ringleader, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, the U.N. called the constitutional act "a military coup." The same day, the Organization of American States gave Honduras three days to reinstall Zelaya as president or its membership would be suspended. The World Bank "paused' lending until Zelaya is back. The Inter American Development Bank followed suit. Standard & Poor's warned of a credit downgrade. Tourists were told by embassies to leave. Three bordering nations cut off trade. Nations pulled ambassadors. Venezuela's despot, Hugo Chavez, cut off cheap oil. He now bucks for an OAS-led military invasion if his leftist pal Zelaya is not restored to power. The U.S. has its own bag of potential sanctions for Honduras, although as new facts emerge about Zelaya's involvement in the drug trade and his mental instability, doesn't look as though it intends to use them. Still, the Sword of Damocles over Honduras could mean a suspended free trade treaty, a cutoff of its $200 million in aid, and an end to its immigration agreement with the U.S. As the world follows Chavez's lead in trying to force Honduras to accept a lawless man as its leader, disasters for Honduras loom. The tiny country is impoverished. Its seven million people have a per capita income of just $1,635 a year. Its economy has been enfeebled by Zelaya himself. He has fixed prices and wages, and opened the door to drug traffickers, creating a burgeoning narcostate. It seems impossible that Honduras could withstand new draconian pressure and isolation over taking Zelaya back. Yet evidence shows that Hondurans consider the latter fate worse. If Zelaya is restored as president, he will resume his dictatorial ambitions while Hondurans lose their future freedoms. Oh, the OAS will tell them "dialogue" will solve it. But Hondurans know better: If the rule of law won't dissuade Zelaya from being dictator, why would sweet talk work? Honduras' new, constitutionally appointed leader, Robert Micheletti, defied the global blowhards sitting in judgment of Honduras and said he wasn't leaving. To Chavez, he said: "You don't scare me." He also warned Zelaya that if he flew back to assume office, he'd be arrested. Honduras' Congress, and its Supreme Court are holding the line, too. This can only be happening because they are listening to the only people whose opinion matters: Hondurans, some 80% of whom approve of the Court action. "Everyone here is celebrating," a business leader told Latin Finance. Tuesday, thousands of these Hondurans peacefully rallied in the streets, in vivid contrast to the 200 pro-Zelaya thugs who trashed fast food joints and burned garbage a day earlier. Hondurans will have to prove it. Accepting a fate as an international pariah state bears a hefty price. But plucky Hondurans have made their choice, valuing freedom over world esteem. If against all odds they win, their choice will strike the biggest blow for democracy since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The chain reaction that ensues may topple the false democracies in Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Cuba. Just as Hondurans aided freedom fighters to crush Sandinista communism in the '80s, they'll now turn back the tide of false democracies. If only America could be at their side for the victory this time.

Hello ALL:

If we do not support Hondurans and their fight for democratic freedom exhibited in their arrest of the president on Sunday, this is what North America will get:

1. 1. A very leftist Central and South America whose governments treat forceful control of the people as acceptable in order to pursue their dubious goals. Limiting liberty and freedom is paramount to the Venezuelan and Cuban regimes in order to maintain their control. Those of us that live or have lived in Honduras cannot even fathom what that would be like for the people we love. Their already daily struggle for survival- to find food, protect themselves from gang violence, provide healthcare for their babies-would become far more difficult. I suppose they already know that and this is why there has been an amazing public outcry.

2. 2. A Central America that hosts terrorists and any other entity that promotes anti American activity. We already know that Ahmadinejad’s allies are well established within the ALBA nations. (take a look at how well they handled their citizens when they disagreed) Honduras has been a long time ally of the United States. We are in an era when diplomacy is not what it used to be.

Pay attention America, this is not just a small country’s fight for freedom and democracy, it is a fight against non democratic and anti-American regimes. Do we really want these guys as our neighbors?

On a side note:

I am extraordinarily proud of the Honduran people for standing up for themselves. I have lived among them for many years and know that often they will allow themselves to be the abused because they fear the abuser and because they do not generally believe they have a fundamental right to fight. Their proactive statement of defiance has more meaning for me because of this awareness. I am also proud to see a rather united Honduras. I have never seen so many Honduran people standing up and stating what they want, in unison and with conviction. That alone is a reason for helping them fight.

general info

I would like to request that those of you that agree with the following message pass it on and request that they to pass it on.:

It is my opinion that those of you concerned for Honduras should amp up letters, phone calls, posts and emails for the next couple of days. We don't really know what will happen on Saturday with Mel's return to Honduras, but perhaps it would be best to use this time in a proactive manner. Communicate- email, phone, internet posts, etc.- with friends, family, newspapers, government officials or anyone else; you never really know when you will touch someone that can help you make a difference. The Committee of Foreign Affairs phone numbers are 202-225-5021 and 202-226-8467. It is also pretty easy to reach your congressperson at www.house.gov and http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/. Remember that there is a peaceful demonstration in front of the white house tomorrow (july 2) at 3pm. There are other demonstrations occurring around the U.S. and information has been sent out through Hispanic radio channels.

If you are unsure of the situation or need help with anything, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or anyone else that you think might have information on this matter. This is an important issue. Hondurans are important to us and Honduras is an important U.S. ally for multiple reasons.