Honduras Living

BBC: "Latin American poverty at new low"

2011-11-30T07:27:00.001-08:00

I was happy and excited when I saw this article in the BBC's online edition today, until I got to the sentence that read, "Poverty increased only in Honduras and Mexico".

A sign of the times

2011-09-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

One day this week, my family and I were driving on the 'anillo periferico' in Tegucigalpa. We passed a motorcycle with two men on it. My wife immediately cried out, "Did you see that? The man in the back is carrying a pistol..." For the benefit of full disclosure, I must admit that I did not see the gun as my attention was somewhere else. She went on, "They're looking for someone to mug...He just has the gun in his hand with his arm down by his side."

I replied, "Well, how come he doesn't at least hide it?"

My wife continued, "He has to be ready when the opportunity arises..."

Well, I guess this was just another typical day in the city, and a sign of the times in Honduras...

The Story of Don Jose, an unknown artist from Guarita, an unknown town; or Honduran Patrimony that could be saved but probably won't

2011-08-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I recently had an exchange on my high school's virtual reunion site on Facebook with another alumni. Now, you must know that I went to high school in North Carolina, so I found it a pleasant surprise to find another former student sharing somewhat my passion for all things Honduran. Our exchange went something like this:

DG: I'm living between New Orleans and Tegucigalpa...

Trish: What were you doing in Tegucigalpa? One of my favorite restaurants is there!

DG: My family is in Honduras and I live in New Orleans and commute back and forth. But my home is Tegucigalpa because home is where the heart is...What is your connection with Honduras?

Trish: ...I was part of a foundation to save the murals of an "outsider" (untrained) artist in Guarita, a little village in the highlands near the border of El Salavador. He had painted his entire colonial home (with 12' walls) in "mud paintings" made from the local pigments...

DG: How are the murals now? Were they saved? Unfortunately, Honduras' patriomony is decaying from neglect....would love it if you could email some photos of the murals as I collect tidbits about Honduran culture, history, and art...

Trish: Unfortunately not. We had two meetings with the Minister of Culture and she sent people from the Ministry of Anthropology and Archaeology to look at the site. There was even talk of adding this to their project called the "Lenca Trail" but basically I think they were hoping we were going to be able to find funding for the project. With the economy as it is in the US people aren't very receptive to spending money on the arts, especially in another country!...I traveled with a professional photographer and we have an amazing folio of the murals...

Well, my interest was tweaked and I googled it. I found the following:

The House as a Book: Colonial History and Reading in the Outsider Art of Jose Expectacion Navarro (Gauarita, Honduras)

"In the small town of Guarita, Honduras, is a house that from the outside, looks like most of the other small adobe and stucco house in town. However, inside, the walls of this house are covered with murals and text depicting such subjects as the Virgin of Suyapa; the pre-Columbian history of the Mayas; the Spanish conquest of the Americas, especially Central America; Honduran independence in 1821; the arrival of the three kings at the birth of Christ; and much more, all intermingled with personal history from the family of the artist who created all of these scenes, Jose Expectacion Navarro. Don Jose, who passed away in 2002, was a history teacher and principal of the local school as well as having served as the secretary of the municipality. When his wife passed away in 1984, he began to paint his murals as a way to deal with his grief. The results are a fascinating blend of pictures and text giving a personalized view of Honduran history both politically and religiously.

The murals that Don Jose created are the work of both a widower working through his loss and the expression by a local intellectual of how personal and local history connect to the wider history of the region. By turning the inside of his house into a history book, Don Jose interprets the past, especially through the adaptation of colonial forms of presentation, whether from his native Honduras or from other parts of Spanish America."

And yes, my new Facebook friend sent me some great photos which I'm pleased to share below.

Wouldn't it be great if my fellow expats and those interested in Honduran culture and art could find a way to help save this valuable work before time destroys it? Please leave comments.

So Sad...!!!

2011-07-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Clinica Esperanza to Shut Its Doors After Today

Posted on July 8, 2011 by roatanreporter

Bogged down by red tape, Nurse Peggy can no longer operate the clinic

BY JEFF STRATTON

Unused and unlicensed: The upstairs of Nurse Peggy's clinic, waiting since March for approval to open

A press release issued by Nurse Peggy Stranges at 8:30 a.m. today:

“It is unfortunate that we are closing Clinica Esperanza on Monday. We have worked with the Ministry of Health since before March to acquire our license for the clinic without success. We also have a container with necessary equipment for the municipal hospital and Clinica Esperanza that has been here since April and has not been released. The Ministry of Health has been working on a dispensa for the container since February. We can no longer sit by idly while the people of Roatan suffer for these two pieces of paper.

I want to thank Julio Galindo and the Grant family for donating the land that made Clinica Esperanza a reality. I want to thank deputado Romeo Silvestri, Dr. Fermin Lopez and Mr. Clinton Everett for all their help in dealing with the license and the container

release.

I am sorry for any inconvenience this causes our patients but we can no longer continue under the present circumstances.”

My comment: Too bad Pepe's administration isn't as competent in helping improve life for Hondurans as he is in getting impunity for corrupt ex-presidents.

Agents 'let cartels buy US gun'- BBC News online

2011-06-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

15 June 2011 Last updated at 16:17 ET

Hundreds of US guns were bought, resold and sent to Mexican drug cartels in an Arizona sting operation while US firearms agents were ordered not to intervene, Congress has heard.

Three firearms agents said they were told to track the movement of the weaponry, but not to make any arrests. US lawmakers expressed outrage at the details of Operation Fast and Furious.

The news comes one day after a report suggested Mexican drug cartels have armed themselves with US weapons. The report suggests some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing came from the US.

On Wednesday, congressional lawmakers concluded that Fast and Furious, which was designed to track small-time gun buyers to major weapons traffickers along America's south-west border, never led to the arrest of any major traffickers.

The guns tracked by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were reportedly used in numerous killings in Mexico.

Lawmakers on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee said they demanded answers from the Obama administration about why no arrests were made while investigators were tracking the firearms.

"We monitored as they purchased handguns, AK-47 variants and .50 caliber rifles, almost daily at times," ATF agent John Dodson told the committee. He added that though he wanted to "intervene and interdict these weapons", his supervisors told him not to make any arrests.

At a hearing prior to the panel, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said "hundreds upon hundreds of weapons" destined for cartels in Mexico were purchased in gun shops in Arizona. Operation Fast and Furious was designed to track weaponry as it moved from small-time gun buyers to major traffickers, who have often avoided prosecution.

In December two US assault rifles were found at the scene of a shootout where Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry was killed.

"We ask that if a government official made a wrong decision that they admit their error and take responsibility for his or her actions," Robert Heyer, the deceased agent's cousin, told the panel on Wednesday.

Nearly 35,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, and many of the killings have been carried out with guns smuggled in from the US.

U.S. guns fuel Mexico violence

2011-06-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

A U.S. Congressional study reports that some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 can be traced to the U.S. (According to today's BBC website).

My take... if the U.S. is not willing to curb the flow of guns to Mexico and Central America, then the countries that have been victimized by these guns should legalize the drug trade and end the senseless violence that has resulted from the 'drug wars'. The drug trade is fuelled by American demand, and to add insult to injury, the US supplies the guns to the drug gangs. Why should innocent Latinos pay the price with their blood?

A solution to police corruption?

2011-06-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone complains about police corruption in Honduras, whether it's having to pay 100 Lemps when stopped by traffic cops or perceived police involvement in more serious crimes such as kidnappings and robberies. A partial remedy to this problem, or at least a step in the right direction is simple and cheap.

Last month, I was in Ecuador as part of a business trip. I noticed an article in the local paper announcing that as part of a government effort to 'increase public confidence in the police, insure a police force of high moral character, and to eradicate corruption', all police would have to undergo polygraph tests. What a brilliant idea...both cost effective and an efficient deterrent!

Since Honduras is a poor country with meager resources, this type of preventive measure can be introduced without a great expenditure of public funds. A private company could be contracted to administer the tests in order avoid any potential conflicts of interests or collusion.

I hope Oscar Alvarez will read this post and consider the idea, and that some of my readers will help to further publicize this idea and push for its implementation.

As an aside, the editorial cartoon that day was priceless. It showed a large woman towering over her smaller husband who was sweating profusely during her interrogation, with the caption, 'poligrafo casero' (household polygraph).

William Walker, RIP

2011-05-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

The tomb of William Walker, Trujillo, Honduras

The tombstone reads:

William Walker
Executed
12 September 1860

Why, oh why?

2011-05-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

One of my family's favorite escapes from the daily grind of Tegucigalpa is dining out, but I guess that's going to change...

This past Sunday, on Mother's Day, my favorite seafood restaurant, Tony Mars, was assaulted. According to El Heraldo in Monday's edition, two people were killed. It seems the assailants were disguised as police. One of the patrons was armed and a gun battle ensued.

I had heard of restaurants being assaulted with all the patrons being robbed before, but I never thought much about it. I guess it really hit home this time because I've eaten at Tony Mars many times. Their fried shrimp are simply the best I've had anywhere...

Also, they had private security, but the assailants were disguised as police so, so much for the security.

Even though we weren't there at the time, we could have been. That's how random the violence has become in Honduras. While you may not be an intended target, you are always at risk.

Somehow I feel violated myself...and I guess our nights out on the town will be dramatically reduced. In the long run, that means we'll save a little money, but that's also bad for the economy...less money being spent means less income for restaurants, waiters, fewer jobs, etc., etc.

How can Honduras be 'open for business' if you can't feel safe eating dinner with your family?

Whether rain, sleet, or shine; the mailman never comes...

2011-04-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

In the comments section of another Honduran blogger, I opined that I've come to the view that Honduras is a 'semi-failed state', on the road to full-fledged 'failed state' status. Things just don't work in Honduras, basic things, uncomplicated things... The list is quite long...education, lack of security, sanitation, water, etc., etc. On top of it all is the endemic corruption that is pervasive throughout the country, at all levels of government and society.

Last year, Honduras had an exceptionally rainy wet season, but yet was unable to fill its reservoirs. Due to a lack of maintenance, it had to release the water and now faces water shortages again. Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world and is unable to provide security to its citizens.

But one of the symptoms of its 'semi-failed state' status that really bugs me is the fact that its postal system doesn't work. According to stories I've heard, it used to work...albeit 30-40 years ago. Then there was so much corruption and theft in the post office that people were afraid to mail anything, assuming that it would be stolen and never reach its destination. So people quit utilizing the postal system, and little by little it quit functioning.

The result is that now, whenever you want to pay a bill, instead of dropping a check in the mail, you must go to a bank, wait in line for 20-30 minutes to pay your bill. The chances are that the bank's system is down, but you don't know this until you've waited for what seems an eternity. So, you have to go back the next day and try again. To make it worse, you can't pay all your bills at just one bank. No... This is Honduras. It just has to be time consuming and frustrating. So you pay your water bill at one bank, school tuition at another, electric bill at another, and cable bill somewhere else, etc., etc.

If all the hours wasted by literally hundreds of thousands of people monthly, doing nothing but standing in lines over and over again were funneled into a productive activity, something could actually be accomplished. But no, since people can't trust the post office, it has withered away into nothingness and a whole nation is condemned to waiting in useless lines.

Someday, I'm going to do an experiment and post a letter to my father in law since I know he actually has a 'buzon' (mailbox). I will let you know whether it is ever received and how long it takes.

High Coffee Prices

2011-03-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

According to the March 8, 2011 edition of the Wall St. Journal, a headline reports 'Arabica Coffee Prices Near a 14-Year High'. Bad weather in Central America and Columbia have kept prices high with Arabica rallying 46% over the past six months.

Obviously, high coffee prices are good for Honduras where coffee is a major export crop. My question though, is how much of the higher prices will actually benefit small farmers and producers and trickle-down into the wider economy as a whole?

Finding a Needle in a Haystack

2011-03-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

I really like honey, I mean I really like honey. And, it's always irked me that the only honey I could find in Honduras is just 'miel de abeja' (often sour tasting or watered down), no other varieties such as clover, orange blossom, wild flower, etc., etc. as this is one specialty that I've always thought that Honduras could produce given the array of agriculture and vegetation throughout the country.

One of my favorites has always been 'orange blossom'. Whenever I'm in Florida, I always buy a few jars to bring home. So I've often complained and wondered why they didn't produce it in Honduras since there are so many orange groves in the northern part of the country. It would be a great artisanal item, and I'm sure I'm not alone in my appreciation of it's unique flavor.

Well, I'm glad to report that my wife was driving past Lake Yojoa recently and stopped at a small stand by the road. She's well aware of my honey fetish, and saw that they had three types of honey ranging from dark to a light amber. The honey was in plain jars without any labels or markings. She asked the vendor what each type was, and sure enough, one of them was 'orange blossom'.

So she bought a jar. The price was about half of what you pay for generic honey in a Honduran supermarket

The flavor was suberb, actually better than much of the honey in Florida, as it was not pasteurized and was totally natural...not as highly processed as in the States, just rich in flavor (and probably more nutrients).

I wish they could improve their packaging somewhat as it would be great for retail in supermarkets and specialty shops.

My wife found me that always elusive 'needle in the haystack'.

As seen in Lyon, France

2011-01-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

Just thought everyone would like to see that Honduran products can actually sell in upscale stores. My wife and I saw this sign during a recent trip to Lyon. I must admit we felt a certain hometown pride when we ordered an espresso made with the coffee of the month, Honduran coffee that is...

Distressing Statistics

2011-01-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

According to 'El Heraldo' (Jan. 13, 2011), the annual murder rate in Honduras is 77 per 100,000 people, and has doubled in the past five years. That's one murder every two hours!!!

In Honduras's two largest cities, the statistics are even more grim. San Pedro Sula has a murder rate of 125/100,000 making it the third most deadly city in the world (after Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and Kandahar, Afghanistan). Not wanting to be outdone, Tegucigalpa ranks no. 6 worldwide with a murder rate of 109/100,000 (edging out Guatemala City which is no. 7).

This upward spiral in violence started its dramatic increase under the regime of Mel Zelaya. It simply amazes me that Pepe Lobo's main focus is bringing Mel back to Honduras, instead of focusing on security for Honduras' citizens. Does Pepe have a poor sense of prioritization, or what...?

Los Jabones de Mis Hijas

2010-12-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

This past September, I was in San Salvador for business. Close to my hotel, I stumbled upon a jewel of a boutique, specializing in handmade soaps called, 'Los Jabones de Mis Hijas'. It's located in the 'Zona Rosa', and is run by three sisters. They have over 30 varieties of soaps available, all handmade by the sisters. The soaps all cost $3.50 per 100 grs. I bought mango, honey and beewax, coffee, and rose.

If you're traveling to San Salvador, I highly recommend stopping in as the soaps make great gifts! The quality is what you would expect to find in a specialty boutique in France or Spain.

My only question, why don't Honduran artisans make unique, quality products that travelers actually want to buy?

The blog their shop is: www.losjabonesdemishijas.blogspot.com

Also, check out their Facebook page.

Ya Abrimos!!

2010-12-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

The Tegucigalpa branch of the Guatemalan steak house 'Hacienda Real' (*****/$$$, Blvd Juan Pablo II, tel. 2239.6860) recently opened. Sure enough, my expectations were exceeded. You see, I go to Guatemala City every year for business, and I always eat at least one meal at the 'Hacienda Real' in Zona 10. I've been doing this for over ten years!! Recently, during my last trip to San Salvador, I also dined at the branch there. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw an advert in Taca's Inflight magazine and I noticed a small blurb saying 'proximente Tegucigalpa'.

Why do I like 'Hacienda Real' so much? For all the reasons that make a restaurant a great dining experience...

First, the food is amazingly good. All the steaks are grilled on an open bbq pit in the middle of the restaurant, the portions are generous and the meals are consistently good- consisting of quality meats, cooked to the specified temperature, tender and juicy. (Obviously, I'm not a vegetarian). The meals are always introduced with a cup of complimentary broth served as soon as you are seated.

Secondly, the ambiance is informal yet elegant, decorated in a colonial Spanish style. You can eat inside or on the terrace. There is even a rooftop terrace here in Tegucigalpa offering cozy, romantic dining in the evening.

Third, you receive real value for the price. While 'Hacienda Real' is not cheap, it is not overly expensive. Most items cost less or the same as other similar restaurants in town.

Finally, 'Hacienda Real' raises the bar on the level of service if offers its patrons. The wait staff actually knows what they are doing and are eager to please...attentive without being overbearing, friendly in a sincere sort of way. They even walk differently from waiters in other Honduran restaurants, not the typical slouchy walk that connotes 'I'll eventually get to your order, but don't bother me too much'. Instead, its a determined gait that makes you know they are ready to serve and are good at what they do.

As an aside, my wife commented that it's impossible to find waiters like this in Honduras, and she was skeptical as to whether they were actually Honduran or not. So I told her to ask, and sure enough, all the waiters are from Guatemala. They come here for rotating three month stints. While I feel bad that the management does not feel that they can find competent locals to do the job, I also feel reassured that they are so quality conscious as to their product, that they make sure every detail is just perfect, even down to importing the wait staff.

I'm sure diners will notice the difference in the level of service, and maybe, just maybe, they will start to expect the same level at other establishments. If so, other restaurants will feel the pressure and be forced to actually 'train' their staff. Imagine that...going to restaurants in Honduras where the staff is competent, knowledgeable, and make you feel welcome.

New standards have been set for Tegucigalpa dining, and I highly recommend 'Hacienda Real' to all (even non-carnivores as the salads will most certainly please).

'Hacienda Real' is one of Don Godo's favorites.

Driving in Honduras 1.01

2010-12-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

While I've always known driving in Honduras to be a somewhat dangerous activity, I've still presumed that the rules of the road are somewhat universal...but, boy am I wrong on that!!

Driving Tip #1 When turning to the left on a country road, put on your left turn signal, pull to the right, look for cars coming from the opposite direction and look for cars coming behind you, if no cars are coming then turn left. If cars are coming from either direction, wait for them to pass, then turn left. Reason: Cars will try to pass you on the left, even though they 'know' you are turning left.

My wife has long told me to do this, but in my stubbornness, I believed that if you are turning left, that if no cars are coming from the opposite direction, then just go on and turn and the cars behind would slow down or stop...But no. They will pass on the left, even though on the surface that seems suicidal.

I learned the hard way. Not too long ago, I was turning left, I put my blinker on, slowed down to turn and started turning. At that point I saw the car spending up behind me to pass on the left-hand side, so I immediately slammed on my brakes in order to let him pass. At the same time the driver behind evidently realized I was going to turn so he slammed on his brakes too, and a third car coming from behind plowed into the car behind me. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, and I didn't get hit.

I bet the other two drivers will be more careful in the future.

Imagine that...good Italian food, no, I mean 'really' good Italian food

2010-11-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

La Ghiottona, a new Italian restaurant has opened in Tegucigalpa in the Col. Palmira. Although the decor is simple, the food and service more than made up. My wife had 'carpaccio salmon', and my children ate 'ravioli marisco' and 'spaghetti vongole', while I ate a 'filetto' served with 'real' mozarella cheese as the side. When my family keeps talking about how much they enjoyed a place, I know that's a really good sign that the restaurant will be around for a while. In this case, everyone was ready to go back again a few days later.

This restaurant has elevated Italian cuisine to a new level in Tegucigalpa. It's dishes are much more genuine and innovative that the traditional Honduran Italian eatery. Imagine an Italian restaurant in Honduras without pizza as their main forte or even on the menu! (****/$$$, Ave. de Mexico, tel. 2236.5513)

The 'Grand Slam' is here!!

2010-11-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

What could be more exciting than the return of the 'McRib' sandwich? The opening of a new Denny's in Tegucigalpa, that's what...and the introduction of the 'Grand Slam' breakfast to Catracholandia...

While my wife still anxiously awaits the coming of an 'IHOP', this at least fills the void in the interim. Just opened, still sparkling clean, and not as 'greasy spoon' as in the States, 'Gourmet Grill' now has some serious Sunday morning breakfast competition. It's located just down the block from the Marriott Hotel on Blvd. San Juan Pablo. (***/$$, tel. 2232.5410)

As seen on a shop window in Panama City's Casco Viejo

2010-10-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

CITY WITHOUT PATRIMONY

CITY WITHOUT SOUL

Wake up Tegucigalpa before it's too late...

BREAKING NEWS: REALLY GOOD PIZZA

2010-09-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Finally a restaurant has opened in Tegucigalpa with really good pizza!! Piola (***/$$, tel. 243.0645/42, www.piola.it) recently opened at the new Novo Centro mall behind Los Proceres. It's a franchise restaurant with locations in the USA and several Latin American countries. I won't hold being a franchise against it in this case since the quality of the pizza more than compensates. The key here is that the restaurant has a authentic wood burning pizza oven and the pizza's quality reflects it. The crusts are thin and slightly charred, and the ingredients are all premium quality. The list of pizza options is extensive. I had a pizza with shrimp and mushrooms, and my children had one with artichokes, olives, and feta cheese. Both were delicious. The small pizzas (four slices) run in the L.180-230 range and the medium pizzas (six slices) are around L.300. The menu also has pastas, etc., but really, this the place to come for pizza! The service was good, and my only complaint is that I found the music a little too pulsating for my taste.

Piola's is now on my list of Don Godo's favorites.

Rapidly going downhill

2010-09-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

In the July/August issue of 'Foreign Policy' (FP) magazine, the cover story is 'Failed States'. There is a smaller article within the main feature called 'Watch List' in which Honduras and Guatemala are cited as two of four countries in 'big trouble'. The other two are Nigeria and Iran.

The article states: "A mere 1 percent of South American cocaine went through Central America as recently as 2007; today, somewhere between 60 and 90 percent does. Cartels from Mexico,...have moved south, while Columbian traffickers have moved north."

It goes on to say that the only place where the violence may be worse than Guatemala is neighboring Honduras where "the country of just 7.3 million sees 15 murders per day...the state has very limited control over entire chunks of the territory...they are very weak states by almost any indicator."

One authority is cited as saying that the task is daunting because "a lot of people in the Honduran Elite are doing business with drug traffickers."

This says a lot and paints a very pessimistic picture, but I truly hope our future in Honduras will not be so bleak...

Pepe wake up!!!

The more things change, the more they stay the same

2010-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

I was in Managua a couple of weeks ago on business, and couldn't help thinking about while some things change, they are still the same...There's a sad consistency to history repeating itself.

You may remember that the Sandinista revolution was all about change...The dictator Somoza was corrupt and had his hand in every business. Now it seems that Daniel Ortega (and the Sandanistas) has become quite the businessman. He owns a hotel, bank, oil company, and the list goes on and on. He seems to have his hand in everything. And guess what? Just like good ole Somoza didn't want to give up power, Ortega doesn't want to give up power either...so the Sandanistas rigged the last municipal elections, and had the Surpreme Court rule that the constitution didn't mean what it said regarding the president's ability to run for reelection.

At least one local has seen the irony in all this. There is ton of FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional) graffiti everywhere. It seems someone has been busy with a paint brush turning the S in FSLN into a $ sign, so that now much of the graffiti reads F$LN.

VIVA F$LN!

That's some name for a new town

2010-08-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

In 1578, the Spanish founded the city, La Real Villa de San Miguel de Heredia de Tegucigalpa. Today the city is simply known as Tegucigalpa or 'Tegus'.

I prefer the modern name...

'In search of Mel Zelaya' or 'What Tegucigalpa could be, but never will'

2010-08-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm in Santo Domingo searching for Comandante Mel, but so far no luck. Where is he hiding? What is he afraid of? Well actually, I am in Santo Domingo, but really do not care to see Mel. If per chance, I saw him in a restaurant or shop, I'm sure I would give him a piece of my mind and that would not be good...

Having been in Santo Domingo now for a few days, I have a couple of observations. First, and foremost, this place is just too nice for Mel. A more fitting locale for Mel's retirement haven is Port au Prince.

Apart from that, I have really been impressed with the city. The colonial section has been painstakingly restored and as a result, tourism is booming. The city is non-threatening and there are tourist police everywhere. In Honduras, there are tourist police in some areas, but you never actually see them. They are there in name only.

Not only is it safe, it is relatively clean. Hey, that's a novel idea. I wonder why they never thought about that in Honduras! You know, putting trash into trash cans on the sidewalk instead of simply throwing it whereever and everywhere.

I guess it takes a certain national pride to restore a nation's patrimony and to keep a city clean. If only Honduras had pride about some other than soccer...

Beware of that Gringo you meet at the local expat watering hole...

2010-08-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Below is a BBC article published on BBC's website on Aug 4.

Panama 'serial killer' case: more bodies recovered

Mr Holbert was arrested in Nicaragua. Panamanian authorities say they have recovered three more bodies on the property of a US man accused of murdering fellow American expatriates. The bodies of a man, a woman and a child were found buried in the grounds of a hostel owned by William Holbert in the Bocas del Toro archipelago. Two other bodies were found there last month, sparking a search for Mr Holbert and his wife.

They were arrested in Nicaragua last week after fleeing Panama. Prosecutors say Mr Holbert, 30, has confessed to killing five people to steal their money and property, and has been giving them information about where to find the bodies.

"He has explained what he did, how he did it and why he did it", assistant prosecutor Angel Calderon told the Associated Press. His wife, Laura Reese, 27, has also been charged over the murders. Mr Holbert is also the main suspect in the disappearance of two Panamanians.

Murder in paradise

The case began when the authorities found the bodies of a man and a woman buried behind Mr Holbert's hostel on a small island in Bocas del Toro, a Caribbean archipelago popular with tourists and US expats.

The woman has been identified as Cheryl Lynn Hughes, from St Louis, Missouri, who had been living in Panama for 10 years but has been missing since March. The man was identified as Bo Icelar, who has been missing since November and is thought to be from New Mexico.

Prosecutors allege Mr Holbert befriended Ms Hughes and Mr Icelar by posing as a potential investor before murdering them and taking over their properties - a hotel and a house.

Mr Holbert and his wife went on the run after the bodies were discovered, but were arrested by Nicaraguan police as they tried to enter the country from Costa Rica, and extradited to Panama in chains.

The three bodies found on Tuesday are thought to belong to another US man, Mike Brown, and his wife and son. Prosecutors allege Mr Holbert - known to his neighbours as "Wild Bill" - befriended Mr Brown before shooting him and his family in the head after discovering they had a lot of money in bank accounts.

The couple were using false documents in Panama and living under the aliases William and Jean Cortez, police said. Mr Holbert is also wanted in the US for allegedly selling a house that did not belong to him in the state of North Carolina, as well as for alleged car theft.

Memory Lane

2010-07-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Both of my children were born in the United States and have U.S. citizenship, however, my wife is Honduran and we wanted our children to have dual nationality. Under Honduran law, my children were entitled to Honduran citizenship since the mother is Honduran. So soon after the second child was born, my wife went to the Honduran consulate in New Orleans, and asked about the process, what she had to do, etc.

The lady at the consulate looked at her, looked at the children, and then asked if they had U.S. citizenship. My wife responded in the positive, that yes, they were U.S. citizens. The consul worker then looked amazed and asked, "But why then would you possibly want them to have Honduran citizenship?"

Beyond the obvious putdown that the consul worker implied about Honduras, there are many reasons:

My wife is Honduran and proud of it, so we wanted to pass that on to our children.
Dual nationality opens up additional options. What if the U.S. is in a war when they are eighteen? What if there is a draft?
They can apply to an university as a Honduran, and maybe this will give them an extra edge in admissions (if the university is concerned about diversity, or attracting international students.
When they are grown, they will have the opportunity live in either country, depending on where they find more opportunities. (Personally, I believe developing countries present more opportunities to suceed and make money if a person is well educated and has an entrprenurial spirit).

The list can go on...

There was a lot of paperwork, and it all had to be done in Honduras. The consulate was of absolutely no use and could do nothing, not even give directions as to where she needed to start. So my wife consulted an attorney friend in Honduras, stood in many lines for countless hours as various government offices in Tegucigalpa, filled out many forms, and today my children have dual nationality and two passports.

As to the consul worker...Well, this happened many years ago, and consul employees change every four years with every change of government in Honduras (Its a financial perk for being friends with the winner).

I guess one lesson that can be learned is that a 'professional' civil service has merits, and maybe secondly, that Honduran consulates (from my experience) are generally worthless...

Top Ten Things I Like About Honduras

2010-07-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

10- Quirky Thirld-Worldness of it all
9- Climate. It seems just about perfect, except for when there is a drought or constant rains from tropical depressions.
8- Colonial villages. My family loves visiting small little colonial villages for an afternoon diversion. And they are everywhere, each unique in its own way. I especially like Santa Lucia, Valle de Angeles, Cedros, Copan Ruinas and Ojojona. Still waiting to visit Gracias.
7- Mayan history. It seems as if I can't visit Copan enough times. There are also some secondary sites such as El Puente that few people visit, but are diamonds in the rough nevertheless.
6- Natural Beauty. Honduras is absolutely beautiful, whether it's the Bay Islands or the Mountains.
5- Cost of Living. I can live much better in Honduras. In the USA, I simply can't afford the same lifestyle.
4-The private bilingual school system. My kids are getting a much better education in Honduras then they would in the USA. But, I regret the public school system doesn't afford any opportunities whatsoever for the average Honduran.
3- Pace of life. Sure, I like the hustle and bustle of the States from time to time, but the slow pace of Honduran life adds an immeasurable boost to my overall quality of life.
2- Family values. The sense of family is much more important in Honduras than in the USA. Children live at home longer, extended family (cousins, 2nd cousins,uncles, aunts, etc.) are all best friends.
1- My wonderful Honduran wife. What else can I say? God really blessed me on this one!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!!!

2010-06-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to all my fellow 'Golpistas'!!! I never thought of myself as a coup monger, but since everyone who supported the restitution of democracy and opposed a 'caudillo', self-enrichment, corrupt style dictatorship in Honduras was labeled a 'golpista', I guess I'm a 'golpista' and damn proud of it!!!

Happy Anniversay Y'all!!!

Feliz Anniversario!!!

Register Mobile Phones

2010-06-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Below is from the BBC. Is this an idea whose time has come for Honduras? Would this help to control the upsurge in crime? Your comments please...

Kenya registers mobile phones to cut crime
Page last updated at 16:20 GMT, Monday, 21 June 2010 17:20 UK

About half of Kenya's population has a mobile phone Kenya has started to register all mobile phone numbers in a bid to cut crime.

Users will have to supply identity documents and proof of address before they get a number.

Any numbers still unregistered at the end of July will be disconnected, the government says.

The BBC's Odhiambo Joseph in Nairobi says many people there support the move, hoping it will make life more difficult for criminals.

Kidnapping gangs often use unregistered mobile numbers to text ransom demands, he says.

Police commissioner Mathew Iteere told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that mobile phones must be registered because they could now be used like computers.

"It has become a tool of banking, it can be used to steal data, [to] transmit unauthorised information and perpetrates huge frauds."

Information ministry official Bitange Ndemo last week said registering the numbers would help the authorities tackle terrorism, drugs-trafficking and money-laundering, as well as the sending of hate messages.

Neighbouring Tanzania has already started a similar exercise, so our reporter says it is not controversial.

He says the outlet he visited was packed with people registering their numbers.

Between 97-99% of mobile-phone users in Africa use pre-paid vouchers, reports the news agency Reuters.

It is easier to use pre-paid vouchers without registering an address.

However, some analysts say registering people in some African countries may be difficult if they do not live in a house with an official address.

When will it stop?

2010-05-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm devastated, upset and mad. My wife just told me that the body of an acquaintance who had been kidnapped about a month ago was just found. His name was Peter. He was a really nice guy... friendly, intelligent, honest. He worked hard as a farmer. He was also the father of five children and a husband.

The family paid the ransom about a week ago, and everyone had been praying for his release...Then today, the news came that everyone was dreading...His body had been found...

When will it stop? This culture of violence is destroying the fabric of Honduran society. Now there are five more traumatized children without a loving father and a wife without her partner. It's so senseless, why? The kidnappers got the money they wanted so why kill him?

I'm not the type of person that hates, but I hate the people that did this...I hope their souls burn in hell for eternity...

Readers, I ask that you join with me in praying for Peter's family during this difficult period, and that you also pray for an end to the violence that plagues Honduras.

Mr. Lobo, if by chance you read this, please do me a favor: Quit obsessing with bringing Mel Zelaya back to Honduras, instead obsess yourself with ending the rampant crime that is destroying this beautiful country.

When is a Star a Star?

2010-04-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

On the road from Valle de Angeles, driving towards Tegucigalpa, there is a large billboard advertising the 'La Quinta Real' hotel in La Ceiba. The sign advertises the hotel as La Ceiba's only 'five star' hotel.

After La Quinta Real first opened, my family and I spent a few days there. We enjoyed it immensely, and it is true that the hotel is La Ceiba's finest 'big' hotel. It's on the beach, has a nice pool area, and has a full service restaurant... But five stars? Believe me when I say the La Quinta Real is not a Ritz Carlton or a Four Seasons hotel. It's nice, but it's not five stars (at least by international standards)...Maybe four stars?

This begs the question, who determines how many stars a hotel in Honduras is assigned? Is this done by the Ministry of Tourism (as in many Western European countries), or does the hotel itself decide how many stars it deserves? If Honduras is serious about tourism, shouldn't there be a well regulated system to determine how many stars a hotel deserves, and shouldn't all hotels be required to post the star ranking at a prominent place, visible to all, at the entry of the hotel?

Wouldn't this be an inducement for hotels to always strive to be better? Maybe then they would focus more on service, providing adequate training to their staff, refurbishing rooms when necessary, etc.

It should be noted that there are two small hotels in La Ceiba, namely 'The Lodge at Pico Bonito' and 'La Cascada', that while small, are truly luxury hotels.

Tourism, Tourism, Tourism

2010-03-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Honduras has so much to offer the world as a tourist destination...beautiful beaches, perfect scuba diving, rain forests, cloud forests, mountains, colonial towns, pre-Columbian ruins. The list could go on and on. Honduras should be able to be a top competitor to Costa Rica for tourist's dollars, euros, and pesos.

Although there are those that believe tourism would ruin Honduras' beauty, I disagree. If properly managed, tourism could become a driving force in Honduras' development and progress. Recently, I was reading an old issue of Conde Nast Traveller magazine and came across a quote from Ruben Blades, the former Panamanian minister of tourism, better known as one of the world's greatest salsa musicians, who said:

"Tourism is the fastest way to distribute wealth on a national level. It helps everyone, from cabdrivers to maids, managers, restaurateurs, and curio sellers. It's a chimney-free industry. There's nothing like it."

He listed Panama's immense opportunities...adventure tourism, ecotourism, agrotourism, ethnotourism, therapeutic tourism (referring to Panama's mineral hot springs and medicinal plants). "Where else can you surf in both oceans, or see Atlantic and Pacific marine life in the same day?" Well, to me the obvious answer to that question is Honduras.

After this, though, there is one glaring and unfortunate contrast. Blades also aims to offer something to foreign tourists that Honduras is unable or maybe just unwilling to offer, a safe vacation refuge. According to Blades: "Unprecedented security. I want any traveler who enters Panama insured by the Ministry of Tourism against accident or assault, and guaranteed instant legal assistance should something unfortunate happen. Tourists should feel protected, not all alone."

Now, wouldn't that sentiment be refreshing to hear in Tegucigalpa? Are you listening Messrs. Lobo and Alvarez?

What I Learned From the Events of June 28, Part I, Mr. Tetovski was Right

2010-02-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

Mr. Tetovski Was Right.

Many years ago, actually during the early '80's, I was a graduate student in Cairo. One of my best friends was from Bulgaria. This was during the era of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was behind the 'iron curtain'. One evening I was having dinner with her family at their flat, and after a few drinks, a discussion of politics and media ensued. I don't remember the exact context of the discussion, but I remember Mr. Tetovski telling me that Time magazine was far more dangerous than Bulgarian journals. He knew that I read Time every week and believed what I read to be just as true as if were the Bible.

I asked him how could that be, and he told me that the Bulgarian press was so full of propaganda, and that the propaganda was so blatant that everyone knew how to disregard the fact from the fiction. Time, on the other hand, (and yes he admitted to reading it on occasion) was written in a much more sophisticated manner, so it was much more difficult to discern the truth from the biases. Because of this, he argued, Americans tend to believe everything they read in their media as the complete truth, when in reality, it was just as biased as the Bulgarian media. Since bias was more sophisticated, it was inherentedly more dangerous.

I pondered what Mr. Tetovski said, and knew that it somehow made sense. At any rate, I filed the conversation somewhere in the back of my mind and never forgot it. Now, some 25+ years later, after reading the American press' accounts of what happened in Honduras on and after June 28, 2009, and knowing the Honduran reality first hand versus the blatant media bias, I can now say, "Mr. Tetovski, you were absolutely right..."

Lesson learned: Don't believe the mainstream Western media.

Why Mexico?

2010-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Mel finally left Honduras yesterday en route to the Dominican Republic, and from there he plans to continue on to Mexico where he will settle down and undoubtedly live a life of luxury. My question, and maybe my readers can help answer, is why Mexico? Why not Cuba or Venezuela? Wouldn't life on a Cuban collective be happier than a bourgeois life in Mexico City? Wouldn't the electrical outages in Caracas remind him of home in Honduras? Or maybe, just maybe, Mexico is where the business is with the narco-cartels...? Hmmm...

Game Over, Honduras is Victorious!!

2010-01-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

Finally, we get to see the back of Manuel Zelaya. The game's over. Honduras won!! The final scores:

THE WINNERS

HONDURAS- The clear winner, it scored a major victory. It did not capitualate to Zelaya, Chavez, the OAS, the USA, or Brazil.

ROBERTO MICHELETTI- Honduras' first hero of the 21st century. They should put a bust of him on the Blvd. de los Proceres in Tegucigalpa.

THE LOSERS

MANUEL ZELAYA I trust he will be miserable in his exile given the anguish that he has put Honduras through...He proved himself to be a selfish, egotistical, SOB.

CHAVEZ- Honduras checked his influence. Is 'Chavismo' dying? Please see the recent election results in Chile.

THE OAS- All I can say is poor Insulza...

THE USA- We already knew that America is a power in decline, that the American century had ended...Now, to be beaten by poor little Honduras...Talk about a bruise to the ego...

BRAZIL- Now we know exactly where Brazil's influence ends: in the jungles of Guiana and Surinam.

History of Honduras

2010-01-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Over the past fourteen years of marriage to my beloved Catracha (yesterday was our 14th wedding anniversary), I have become fascinated by Honduran history...everything, from Mayan, colonial, intervention of the banana companies, to the present day.

Recently, I found a jewel of a website that has a fantastic collection of articles about Honduras' past. The link is as follows:

www.historiadehonduras.hn/

Enjoy!!

When In Tegucigalpa, If You Want To Eat...

2010-01-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

MEXICAN

While Cebollines or Casa Mexicana may be the best known Mexican restaurants in Tegucigalpa, LOS NOPALITOS (Calzada Republica de Uruguay, No. 219, Colonia San Carlos, behind Centro Comercial 'Los Castanos', tel. 221.0584, 252.5474) is by far the most authentic, and in my opinion the best. This restaurant is owned and operated by a Mexican couple in a renovated house. The menu is authentic, yet extensive. The prices are very reasonable, yet the quality of the food ranks four stars. This is definitely not the typical Tex-Mex place. I don't even know which dish to recommend because it's all good! Think home style Mexican cooking with a sophisticated touch! This is another of Don Godo's Favorites! (****/$$$).

Casa Mexicana has good food and is probably our second choice, but in the evening it is more of a bar scene than restaurant. We don't go to Cebollines any more. They increased their prices and reduced the size of their portions. To add insult to injury, Ceobollines no longer gives complimentary chips and salsa (unless you beg!). One other alternative is Clarita's on the road to Valle de Angeles (km. 6). While I have never eaten there, my wife and kids say it's good.

When In Tegucigalpa, If You Want To Eat...

2010-01-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

PIZZA

There are many places to get pizza in Tegucigalpa, ranging from franchises like Pizza Hut, Dominos, and Little Caesar's, to Honduran restaurants such as Tito's, La Trattoria, Mia Pappa, La Fontana, and Claudio's. However, Don Godo's family prefers IL PADRINO. It's right off of Blvd. Morazan, just behind Pollo Campero (tel. 221.0198). It's an Italian restaurant with all the typical dishes, but this is where we go for pizza. My kids really like the shrimp pizza, and all the other non-pizza dishes we have tried were quite good as well. The ambiance is a little lacking, kinda like a big box room with Italian decor, but it still rates being one of Don Godo's favorites. ($$$/****)

For me, La Trattoria is a close second. Claudio's is the only pizza place with a wood burning pizza oven, but while the pizza was quite good, we thought it was overpriced. The last time we went to Tito's, they had quit giving crushed peppers and parmesan cheese with pizza (claiming they could only offer it with pasta dishes).

Parading Past Mel's Security Outside the Brazilian Embassy

2010-01-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

The Five Lempira Note and the Battle of Trinidad

2010-01-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

I've often wondered about the battle scene on the reverse of the five lempira note, so I couldn't resist the temptation recently to take a small detour to see where the battle took place. From Tegucigalpa, on the road to the south, a few kilometers past Ojojona, there is a sign indicating that to the right, 2 km. down a small dirt road, is a monument to the Battle of Trinidad. About a km. down the road is a small, unassuming house with a larger than life statute of Francisco Morazan. I guess the owners are really proud of their heritage.

A minute further down the road, we get to the sight of what is probably the most important battle in Honduran history, the Battle of Trinidad, which was fought on Nov. 11, 1827 between the liberal forces led by Gen. Franscisco Morazan against the Conservatives. Morazan's forces won and this battle catapulted him to power. The battlefield is very modest, no visitor's center, no tourists, just one single monument...But the detour is well worth the extra ten minutes or so in order to put the five lemp note in it's proper historical context.

I'Golosi's Is Now Amanda's

2009-12-31T09:10:00.000-08:00

I'Golosi Restaurant is now Amanda's!!! It was a pleasant surprise to see the complete overhaul of I'Golosi. The restaurant has been expanded and now opens to the street. The decor of the expanded restaurant is tastefully done while the original dining room maintains it's original decor. The restaurant now shares the name of the adjoining gift shop which has been reduced in size to make room for the expanded dining area. The outdoor terrace in the front is one of the most pleasant in Tegucigalpa. Most importantly, the menu maintains it's consistency of reasonably priced dishes ranging from kibbeh and homous, to overstuffed sandwiches, pasta, meats, pastries and espresso. Being from New Orleans, one of my favorites is the mufaletta sandwich. I normally order the large and split it. To top it off, the service is among the best I've experienced in Honduras, friendly but not overbearing.

Amanda's continues to be one of Don Godo's Favorites!!! If you've never been to Amanda's, check it out in Col. Palmira, Ave. Rep. de Argentina, casa no. 1902, tel. 239.1841. (****/$$$)

Mass Repression in Copenhagen

2009-12-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

From news reports I have seen, there appears to be brutal repression and mass arrests of demonstrators at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen...Where is Amnesty International? Why hasn't the new EU President come out forcibly against the oppression? Why don't I hear Obama and Clinton condemning these attacks against free speech? Shouldn't the world have the same commitment to human rights for protestors in Europe as they do for protestors in Honduras?

From 'Human Events'

2009-12-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Honduras Tears Down a Berlin Wall
by Wendy Wright
12/06/2009

After the polls closed on the evening of Honduras’ historic election, a beaming clerk at my hotel exclaimed, "We won. We didn’t know if we’d ever get to vote again. Just by having the freedom to vote, we won."

In Honduras as an international election observer, I witnessed what could be called a re-birth of a nation. Criticized by other nations, cut off from U.S. aid, shunned by the Organization of American States, Honduras stood virtually alone. Yet Hondurans willingly risked the wrath of the international community for one purpose: to retain their freedom by upholding their Constitution.

"We'd rather be isolated from the world than under Hugo Chavez for years," Martha Lorena de Casco, Honduras Deputy Foreign Minister, said.

Five months before, President Manuel Zelaya had attempted to amend the Constitution which limits presidents to one four-year term. Written in 1982 after decades of coups and dictators, the Constitution carefully lays out protections against future power-grabs. Hondurans understood what Zelaya was trying to do. The year before he had aligned with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s ALBA, a block of socialist countries. Now he was following Chavez’s pattern of changing the nation’s Constitution to stay in power.

Instead, Honduras showed the world how to unite against a would-be dictator.

Honduras’ Congress, which must approve referendums, voted against Zelaya’s attempt to re-write the Constitution. The Attorney General filed suit and secured a court order halting the referendum planned for June 28. Zelaya changed the name from “referendum” to “opinion survey” The court ruled that this was still illegal. Zelaya had the ballots printed in Venezuela and ordered the chief of the armed forces to proceed with the survey. When the general refused, Zelaya fired him. The Supreme Court ruled the firing was illegal and reinstated him.

The ballots were seized by customs. On June 25, Zelaya organized a mob to break into the warehouse and grab the ballots. At that point the Attorney General asked the Supreme Court for an arrest warrant on charges of treason, abuse of power and other crimes. The court directed the army, which, under the Constitution, is responsible for enforcing compliance with presidential succession, to arrest Zelaya.

The military went one step farther than it should. Rather than take him to jail to stand trial, they whisked him out of the country. Some feared that if Zelaya were in the country he would incite violence to reinstate himself.

Following the Constitutional line of succession, the leader of the Congress Roberto Micheletti became interim president. The military remains under civilian control. Preparations for the November 29th elections for president, congress and mayors went forward -- even though Zelaya had previously refused to release the funds to pay for the elections. The two major presidential candidates (neither Zelaya or Micheletti were running) had been chosen nearly a year before.

Yet the international community labeled this a “coup.” Some called the scheduled elections illegitimate and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated. Ignoring Zelaya’s numerous offenses and obvious intents, and the meticulous legal steps taken by the Congress, Attorney General, and Supreme Court and overall restraint of the military, these critics in high places revealed their own disrespect for the rule of law.

One young woman recounted to me that Hondurans couldn’t understand why the international community did not criticize Zelaya’s actions. “It was when the Supreme Court ruled against him that the people regained their confidence,” she said.

It was clear: The election became a referendum on the Honduran government. The citizens would not just be electing a president. Their participation would be a vote for freedom and the rule of law.

Thousands peacefully demonstrated in support of the interim government. A small group of citizens traveled to Washington, D.C. to explain to congressmen and civil society leaders what the mainstream media was not reporting. TV shows explained the voting process step-by-step to encourage people to vote. A meticulous system was arranged to guarantee the transparency of the election.

Zelaya snuck back into the country and hid in the Brazilian embassy. He told people to boycott the elections and staked a claim upon every non-voter as a show of support for himself. His followers and Honduras’ detractors warned of violence.

Honduras became a magnet for people fighting for freedom. Nearly 400 international observers traveled to witness and ensure the integrity of the election. And, for many, to show Hondurans that they were not alone.

Armando Valladares, who spent 22 years in Cuba’s prisons for refusing to display a sign promoting communism, came. A former Attorney General in Venezuela who fled Chavez’s rule and lives in asylum in the U.S. came. Cuban exiles under the banner of Mothers Against Repression came. Nicaraguans opposing Daniel Ortega (who recently had their Constitution reinterpreted to allow him to run for president again) came.

A former member of Bolivia’s Congress, who resigned when President Evo Morales began consolidating power like Chavez had, came. "They tried to build a Berlin Wall and Honduras tore it down," he told me.

Working with the weight of global suspicion and the fate of the country on their shoulder, the Supreme Election Tribunal consulted with U.S. and other officials to organize an election that would be beyond reproach.

A few weeks before, I had served as an election official in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. The system set up by Honduras was similar but in some ways superior.

Each polling place was manned by six people from different political parties. Each voter had to show photo I.D. The voter rolls list not only names and addresses but also pictures of the voters. The ballots included pictures of the candidates.

The ballot boxes had translucent windows. The counting of the ballots was open to the public. Curtains were pulled back to allow people to peer into the rooms. One at a time, the ballots were removed, read aloud, held up for others to see, then passed to several poll workers to tally.

At polling places my team visited we found that about two-thirds of the people had voted. An astonishing turn-out considering that every adult is on the voter rolls (unlike the U.S. which is comprised of those registered to vote).

That evening at the central hotel headquarters, the Supreme Election Tribunal announced the victor. But among the hundreds gathered for the celebration, who would be the next president was an afterthought. “We won,” reverberated throughout. “Democracy won.”

But one step remained.

A U.S. brokered agreement required Honduras’ Congress to vote to reinstate Zelaya until the new president is sworn in on January 27, 2010. Three days after the election, Congress assembled. One by one, they recounted his misdeeds for the record, for the world to hear, then voted.

Putting a nail in the coffin of Zelaya’s attempt to stay in power, Congress voted 111 to 14 against reinstating the Hugo Chavez wanna-be.

Perhaps God is smiling on this poor country. When Evangelical and Catholics pastors learned about Zelaya’s referendum, they jointly called for a week of prayer and fasting. A few days into it, Zelaya was ousted.

The struggle is not over. Other countries that tried to block the election refuse to recognize the results. Many Hondurans realize they have a new challenge of rooting out a culture of corruption. But they’re emboldened by this fresh start.

“Honduras didn’t have an identity before. Now it does,” a pastor told me. Another woman elaborated, “Before we were known for corruption. Now we have a new image and we must nurture it.”

I'm Really Beginning to Respect Honduras

2009-12-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

I like this quote from an article in the Wall St. Journal today:

"Honduras's refusal to buckle startled the U.S."

Vive Honduras!!!

Election Day, November 29, 2009

2009-11-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

Today will prove to be a truly historic day in modern Honduran history. It's a turning point...One of those rare days when everyone knows history is being made and that they are all a part of it. People had been both nervous and euphoric leading up to today's vote. Anxious and tense because of predictions of violence by the 'resistance', yet happy and content because Honduras is turning an important page in its 21st century history.

Hondurans are rightly proud of the fact that following their constitution, they removed a would be tyrant from office, replaced him with the constitutionally designated president of the congress, and are now voting in the election that had been previously ordained by the constitution with candidates selected by last year's primary. Honduras stood up to tremendous pressure from the world's most powerful countries and proved that she is truly 'the little country that could'...

It is with this background that I accompanied my wife to vote this morning. I had a sense of euphoria as I knew I was observing history being made even though we were only at a small polling station in the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. My wife had thoroughly researched all the candidates and voted for candidates from four of the five parties. Although I'm not a trained election observer, the elections appeared to be 'free and fair' to me. There was no intimidation, quite the contrary, people seemed genuinely pleased to be there. The atmosphere was happy, almost festive.

One old lady summed it up best...When she exited, she looked directly at me, the lone foreigner, held up her ink stained finger and said, "Viva Honduras". I smiled back at her and said "Viva Honduras".

How Popular is Mel Zelaya and his Call for Constitutional Reforms?

2009-11-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Most of the media claims that the presidential election scheduled in Honduras for this Sunday, Nov. 28, is between two conservative candidates, Pepe Lobo (Nationalist) and Elvin Santos (Liberal). While it is true that Pepe Lobo is ahead in the polls with a double digit lead, there are three other candidates in the running as well. One of these candidates is Cesar Ham of the Union Democracia (UD). Mr. Ham is a leftwing candidate and a supporter of Mel Zelaya. In fact, his party's platform calls for the constituent assembly as espoused by Zelaya to re-write the Honduran constitution.

Of the five candidates running in the election, Mr Ham and the UD is the only leftist option. The moderate and conservative votes will necessarily be split between the other four candidates with Mr. Ham free to attract all of Comandante Cowboy's leftist and populists supporters for his UD party. Thus, his success in Sunday's polls can be seen as a proxy for Mel's support and whether there is a grassroots desire for a constituent assembly.

If Cesar Ham garners 40-50% of the votes, then it will be obvious that Mel had genuinely appealed to the people and that they support his agenda of constitutional change, Alba, and moving Honduras into the Chavez/Castro orbit. If Mr. Ham wins less than 5-10% of the vote, then that will say volumes as to Mel's popularity and grassroots support.

Why is the OAS not sending observers for this Sunday's presidential election?

2009-11-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

The OAS has announced that it will not send observers for this Sunday's presidential elections. Why? The answer is obvious..

From all the preparations and open and free campaigning that has been going on here in Honduras, Mr. Insulza knows that the elections are going to be free, open, and fair. If the OAS sends observers, then the OAS will be in the position of having to report that the election process was free and fair. He does not want to do that...In essence, Insulza is more concerned about Honduras becoming a Venezuelan client state than he is about democracy.

The more important question...Is the OAS still relevant in today's world after it's anti-democratic orientation has been exposed?

I hope the newly elected government in Honduras will reject any invitation to rejoin the OAS.

Honduras gears up for elections, rebuffs Zelaya

2009-11-23T17:44:00.001-08:00

The linked editorial is one of the best I've read regarding the events in Honduras. Please read it and feel free to leave any comments...

Honduras gears up for elections, rebuffs Zelaya

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DeMint credited with helping change U.S. approach to Honduras | islandpacket.com

2009-11-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

DeMint credited with helping change U.S. approach to Honduras | islandpacket.com

'the back of Mr. Zelaya'

2009-11-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Finally, a mainstream weekly tells the truth... I picked up a copy of 'The Economist' this weekend, and in an article entitled "Zelaya'a scrap of paper", it states, "the courts, the army, and a seeming majority of Hondurans have been determined to see the back of Mr. Zelaya."

Yes, that's so, so true. The majority of Hondurans only want to see Meloco's back as he goes to prison or leaves the country...

Game over Commandante Cowboy...Maybe, you can get asylum in Burkino Faso...

Sen. Vitter supports Honduras, Sen. Landrieu does not

2009-11-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

I wrote letters to both of my senators regarding the situation in Honduras. Sen. Vitter replied, Sen. Landrieu did not (even after a follow-up email). I hope the Honduran community in Louisiana (the nation's largest) will remember this in the next election.

Below is Sen. Vitter's reply:

Thank you for contacting me in opposition to President Zelaya being reinstated in Honduras. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you know, the high court in Honduras ruled that President Mel Zelaya had committed crimes including violations against the Honduras constitution, corruption, and abuses of power and he was removed from power.

You may be pleased to know I recently signed a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing my concern for her agreement to meet with Zelaya and the lack of United States action in supporting the government's action. I believe that the Honduran government operated under its own constitutional authority, and the removal of Mr. Zelaya from power was legal. Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the U.S. Senate considers the situation in Honduras.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you.

Sincerely,

Senator David Vitter
United States Senator

Meloco's Panicking!!

2009-11-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's now looking increasingly doubtful that the Honduran Congress will reinstate Meloco. Mel thought he had clinched a deal, so now he's panicking...

The current score in this three way match:

Honduras 1

USA 0

Zelaya and Chavez -1

Sam 'the Bananaman', RIP

2009-10-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

A Change in Tone

2009-10-29T09:56:00.001-07:00

I've noticed lately that many news organizations are now referring to Pres. Micheletti as 'interim' leader instead of 'de facto' leader. 'De facto' is defined as 'existing in fact, whether with lawful authority or not', while 'interim' is defined as 'temporary or transitional'. While this is all semantics, I find the use of the word 'interim' to be more accurate and also more positive. The shift to the new adjective has been subtle, but I believe significant in that it reflects a more realistic view by the media...

Have Zelaya and Allies Launched a 'Dirty' War?

2009-10-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Alfredo Jalil, 81, father of Honduras' Deputy Defense Minister was kidnapped on Tuesday in Tegucigalpa. This past Monday, the body of interim President Micheletti's nephew was found in some woods in Choloma. He had been killed execution style. On Sunday, a colonel of the Armed Forces was murdered in front of his home in Tegucigalpa.

Coincidences? Alfredo's wife, Gloria Mejia publicly blamed paramilitaries of Venezuela, Nicaragua or El Salvador that might be involved. I'm sure these attacks will not go unanswered.
Has Meloco and company started a 'dirty' war? Are they trying to instigate a civil war?

If restored to power, Meloco would only have three months to serve, so what would be the purpose of trying to destablize the country and foment violence? The only explanation would seem to be that if he succeeds in regaining power, he has no plans to leave office in only three months.

Honduran Crime Rate Under Meloco

2009-10-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

According to an AP report yesterday ("Nephew of Honduran interim president shot dead"), "Honduras has the highest homicide rate in Central America,...Some 7,235 people in the country of 7.7 million were killed in 2008, a 25 percent surge from 2007." And guess who was president at the time? Yes, you guessed it...Mel Zelaya was president and this sickening statistic was happening under his watch.

What did Comandante Cowboy do about the spiraling crime rate? Nothing as far as I know...He was too busy travelling and enjoying being president to care about the destruction of Honduran civil society...

Ortega, President for Life

2009-10-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Now that Nicaragua's Supreme Court has ruled that Daniel Ortega can run for re-election in violation of that country's constitution, what will be the world's reaction? Specifically, the Sandinista appointed court determined that the constitutional ban on re-election was 'unenforceable'.

A predictable reaction on the part of the US State Dept.... It will aggressively seek to give the justices 10 year tourist visas to the USA (and maybe platinum American Express cards courtesy of the American taxpayers).

Crying 'Wolf''

2009-10-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've been out of the country for the past three weeks, so I've neglected this blog during my absence.

As I was travelling, one thing that kept bugging me was the State Department's 'travel advisory' issued on Honduras after the events of June 28. Honduras is just as safe a place to travel to now as it was prior to June 28 (probably safer), yet the USA government is discouraging Americans from travelling to Honduras. This seems particularly odd given that most Americans travel to Roatan in the Bay Islands or the Mayan Ruins in Copan. These two destinations are particularly safe and relatively secluded from the problems in the urban area (Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula).

Why would the US government issue a travel advisory when they know it is safe? The only possible reason is to discourage travel to Honduras for political reasons in order to pressure the tourist industry and to place economic hardship on the people employed in this sector. The problem with this is that Americans depend on these travel advisories when planning international trips, and if the travel advisories become political, they lose their credibility. Just like in the story about the shepard boy crying wolf, people will begin to ignore them. Then in some future 'very unsafe situation', the warnings may not be heeded and innocent lives may be lost.

It's a shame that our State Dept. is playing politics with a service that is supposed to be apolitical, and thereby threatening the lives of the very people these advisories were developed to protect.

Congratulations Honduras!!!

2009-10-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Honduras for qualifying for the world cup!!!

Once again, Honduras is the little country that could...!!

Democractic elections in Honduras deserve America's support -- chicagotribune.com

2009-10-15T01:07:00.001-07:00

Democractic elections in Honduras deserve America's support -- chicagotribune.com

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Brazil will never be a leader of Latin America at this rate

2009-09-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

According to 'The Economist' magazine article 'Zelaya swaps exile for embassy', dated Sept. 24, 2009, "Brazil has, in practice, granted diplomatic asylum to Mr. Zelaya (although its foreigh ministry said he was just a guest). This means that under the terms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Mr. Zelaya should abstain from political declarations."

But isn't this exactly what Meloco has been doing everyday since he arrived at the embassy? Yesterday he called on his followers to come to Tegucigalpa for the 'final offensive'. Brazil complains to the UN about harassment of its embassy, but at the same time it is not abiding by its own obligations under the above mentioned international treaty.

Talk about hypocracy...

Restitution the Right Way

2009-09-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

While Meloco calls for restituiton to the presidency, I would encourage the Honduran government to impose a condition on Brazil that prior to any future normalization of relations between the two countries, Brazil would be required to pay restituiton and damages to Honduras for the destruction caused by Brazil's involvement in the recent events.

By allowing its embassy to be used as a base for Zelaya's calls for insurrection, many innocent people were harmed. Homes close to the embassy were invaded by Zelaya's thugs, businesses were looted, window were broken, a curfew had to be imposed nationwide (with damages to the national economy estimated at $50,000,000.00 per day), schools were closed so that innocent children were deprived of an education, and the government had to use scarce public resources for security operations close to and around the embassy that could have been used for better purposes.

All of this because Brazil wants to impose a 'caudillo' on Honduras. The Honduran government should tally all of the direct and indirect costs and present a bill to the Brazilian government, and Brazil should not be allowed to have normalized relations with Honduras until the debt is paid. In turn, the Honduran goverment should use the funds to compensate the direct victims of Brazil's complicity with Meloco.

That's my idea of restitution Mel...

Are Meloco's Supporters Racist?

2009-09-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

Honduran businessmen at center of coup dispute

By MARK STEVENSON (AP) – 53 minutes ago

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Die-hard supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya are increasingly turning their anger toward the country's wealthy business elite, a small but powerful cadre believed to solidly back the interim government that removed him at gunpoint three months ago.

The capital is now covered with graffiti demanding "Turks out! — apparently a reference to the Central American country's large number of business people of Middle Eastern descent — and on Saturday pro-Zelaya marchers lashed out at the elite's dominance over wealth in a country where millions are poor.

"They own almost the whole country," pro-Zelaya protester Arnoldo Pagoaga, a medical doctor who marched in his white uniform, said Saturday. "They're terrorists. ... They own the army, and sic it on us."

Fellow demonstrator Rafael Alegria complained that Honduras "has a large immigrant community that owns everything: commerce and industry."

"We don't really have our own economy," Alegria said. "We have to set that right."

Shame on Nike!!!

2009-09-26T10:58:00.001-07:00

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009944398_guests26godoy.html

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Jonathan Kay on Manuel Zelaya, the latest left-wing anti-Israel conspiracy theorist - Full Comment

2009-09-25T13:39:00.001-07:00

Jonathan Kay on Manuel Zelaya, the latest left-wing anti-Israel conspiracy theorist - Full Comment

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'Meloco'

2009-09-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

Now that Comandante Cowboy has shown the world that he is certifiably crazy with his comments to the 'Miami Herald' yesterday with all his talk about mind rays, radiation, and Israeli mercenaries; I came up with a new name for the man in a Stetson- 'Meloco'. Mel + loco (crazy) = Meloco.

What do you think readers? Is this an appropriate name?

I encourage you to read the editorial in the Wash. Post today where even the mainstream media is coming around and recognizing that this guy is not stable.

Is the Media Honest?

2009-09-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Now that the curfew has been suspended, my wife will be participating in a peace march in Tegucigalpa today, along with other 'white shirts'. Go girl go!!

I'm just curious to see how much coverage the march gets in the international media. I predict that there will be more participants in this march than in the pro-Zelaya rallies, but that this march will get only very sparse attention in the international media in comparison.

Hmmm... I wonder why. Is there a media bias by chance? Prove me wrong media. Go out there and cover the march so that the rest of the world will know that the majority of Hondurans do not want Mel back, they just wish he would simply disappear...

Beam Me Up

2009-09-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

In an interview with the Miami Herald, Comandante Cowboy asserts that Israelis are torturing him with mind rays and toxic gases. He alleges his throat is sore from toxic gases and "Israeli mercenaries" are torturing him with high-frequency radiation that alter his physical and mental state.

I don't know about his physical state, but his mental state was altered long, long ago.

Beam me up Comandante Cowboy!!

CRS Report: Honduran 'coup' appears legit | Washington Examiner

2009-09-24T08:43:00.001-07:00

CRS Report: Honduran 'coup' appears legit | Washington Examiner

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Former president Manuel Zelaya plays politics in Honduras | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com

2009-09-23T15:22:00.001-07:00

Former president Manuel Zelaya plays politics in Honduras | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com

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Hitler was Democratically Elected too!!

2009-09-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

I just returned to New Orleans Sunday night after spending two lovely weeks with my family in Honduras. I was struck by the graffiti everywhere, on every wall, all over the city. Graffiti was not only on the stucco walls which can easily be painted over, but also on many lovely stone walls which cannot be so easily cleaned or removed. Thus, showing the total lack of respect that Mel's supporters have for private property and their sense of vandalistic compulsions.

What also struck me was the outright racist nature of some of the graffiti towards the local Arab (or 'Turco' population). In many of Comandante Cowboy's speeches he tried to stroke class conflict and hatred by placing the blame for all of Honduras' many problems on the business class. Since much of Honduras' business class is of Arab descent, I assume many of Mel's followers equate this with Mel blessing anti-semitism (yes, Arabs are Semites also), and thus the racist graffiti.

Knowing how the European community has insisted on Mel being restored to power and after seeing the racist graffiti sprayed on the walls, I couldn't help but remember that Adolf Hitler was also democratically elected the chancellor of Germany in the 1930's. Is the world better off since the Germans did not remove a democratically elected politician from power, or would the world have been better off if he had been removed? Of course the question is just rhetorical because we all know the answer.

But maybe people just don't learn from history. The world is insisting on Mel's reinstatement, while at the same time, the graffiti sprayed on the walls of Tegucigalpa show the clear racist sentiments of many of his followers. 'Kristallnacht' anyone?

AVOID COL. PALMIRA

2009-09-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Zelaya is reportedly in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, which is situated on Calle de Republica de Brazil in the Col. Palmira. I recommend avoiding this area because of the potential for violence

I trust the Honduran gov't will immediately suspend diplomatic relations with Brazil and declare their personnel 'persona non grata'. It should also take a page from the US playbook during the US invasion of Panama when it was trying to get Manuel Noreiga to leave the Vatican Embassy. In that situation, the US military surrounded the embassy, played very loud music 24 hours per day, and made life very difficult for those inside. No one can complain if Honduras does the same thing because it is now totally acceptable behavior since this is what that bastion of human rights and democracy, the USA, did...Oh and while they are at it, they should cut off water and electricity too.

How the US deepened the crisis in Honduras | csmonitor.com

2009-09-17T17:35:00.001-07:00

How the US deepened the crisis in Honduras | csmonitor.com

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Iran and Honduras: Inconsistencies in US Foreign Policy - HUMAN EVENTS

2009-09-16T06:42:00.001-07:00

Iran and Honduras: Inconsistencies in US Foreign Policy - HUMAN EVENTS

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Honduras Supports Rule Of Law, Infuriating The Obama Administration

2009-09-16T06:36:00.001-07:00

Honduras Supports Rule Of Law, Infuriating The Obama Administration

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An Open Letter to Senator Landrieu (D, LA)

2009-09-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Senator Landrieu,

As you are probably aware, the New Orleans area has the largest Honduran population in the USA, so the current events in Honduras are of great interest to Louisiana. Personally, I'm an American citizen married to a Honduran woman and both of my children have dual nationality...

Unfortunately, I believe the Obama administration policy has been very misguided vis-a-vis the situation in Honduras today. The former president (Mel Zelaya) is a power hunger 'caudillo' wannabe who has no respect for democratic institutions including the Supreme Court and the Congress.

He ignored rulings of the court and bills passed by Congress. He encouraged class conflict, and the reputation of his government was one of extreme corruption and ineptitude. Crime was rampant and I had to always fear for my children's safety. (kidnapping for ransom became commonplace under Zelaya's rule, and they recently had begun kidnapping children attending bilingual schools). Poverty increased considerably under his regime while he misused scarce government funds for his own benefit.

While he should not have been exiled, the military was acting under orders of the Supreme Court when they removed him from office. Unfortunately, the Honduran Constitution does not provide for impeachment. Elections are scheduled for November and a new democratically elected president will take office in January 2010.

The current president, Pres. Michiletti, has been cracking down on public corruption and is proving an adept interim leader.

I have not seen or heard of any repression as reported in the international media. To the contrary, things seem very 'normal', and business goes on as usual. In fact, people seem optimistic about their future for the first time in the many years I have been traveling and residing in Honduras. People see the events of June 28 and the beginning of a brighter future for their nation and people.

I trust you will use your good offices to convince Pres. Obama and Sec. of State Clinton to change their current policy regarding Honduras and to embrace the positive changes in Honduras, or at least not to impede them.

If you take the opportunity to discuss this issue with the Honduran population in New Orleans, I'm sure that you will find that the majority shares this view.

Further, I hope and pray that you will use your position in the Senate to take a positive stand for Honduras's future. We do not want Honduras to become a Marxist state allied with Hugo Chavez rampant with corruption and crime. We do not want the return of Mel Zelaya.

I look forward to your response, thoughts and position on this issue which so clearly impacts thousands of New Orleans area residents.

With Friends Like This, Who Needs Enemies?

2009-09-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Over the years, the USA has constantly intervened in Honduran and Central American affairs in order to protect its interests without regard for the consequences on the local population. Whether the intervention was to support corrupt dictators, the US marines in Nicaragua, Bananaman Sam in Honduras, support of the overthrow of Arbenz in Guatemala, etc., etc., the US has always behaved as if it could act with impunity and total disregard of human dignity.

Obama promised to be different. He promised an end to US intervention, to let Latins handle their own affairs. Well, he lied...The USA is back to its old ways, trying to intervene in Honduras to impose a corrupt, self-declared Marxist with utter contempt for democratic institutions and norms onto the Honduran people. To make matters worse, in the name of democracy, the USA says it will not recognize a free and fair election in Honduras unless it is overseen by that same corrupt, anti-democratic government led by the discredited 'caudillo' wannabe Zelaya. (Talk about letting the fox guard the hen house.)

Personally, I don't understand the reason. Is it because it sets a bad precedent for a president to be bound by Supreme Court decisions? Does Obama somehow feel uncomfortable about presidential limits imposed by a constitution? Does the concept of 'checks and balances' make him nervous? Or is it simply that he wants Honduras to be a Marxist state allied with Chavez? Does this mean that Obama is a closet Marxist, but just won't admit it to the American people?

The reason really doesn't matter. What does matter is that it is time for Honduras to learn from this, and realize that America is not the friend it claims to be. It's time for Hondurans to understand that America's commitment to democracy is in name only. America likes to spread the perception that it believes in freedom, democracy, and human dignity. Americans like to believe this about themselves and their nation.

The fact of the matter is that this is only a perception... to be blunt, its bullshit. And its time for Hondurans to realize this.

Bravo to the brave and unbowed - Washington Times

2009-09-14T15:22:00.001-07:00

Bravo to the brave and unbowed - Washington Times

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Op-Ed from From the Cato Institute, Sept. 8, 2009

2009-09-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

What Principle is Guiding Obama’s Honduras Policy?

Posted by Juan Carlos Hidalgo

The Obama administration is threatening not to recognize the result of Honduras’ presidential election in late November unless Manuel Zelaya returns to the presidency beforehand.

The presidential poll was already scheduled prior to Zelaya’s (constitutional) removal from office last June. The candidates had already been selected by their parties through an open primary process. The current civilian interim president, Roberto Micheletti, is not running for office and plans to step down in January as stipulated by the Constitution. Both major presidential candidates supported the ouster of Zelaya. The political campaign is playing out in an orderly manner, and there’s a significant chance that the candidate from the opposition National Party will win the presidency. The independent Electoral Tribunal is overseeing the process.

And yet the U.S. Department of State is signaling that it won’t recognize the result of the poll in the name of defending Zelaya’s return to power. However, the administration’s defense of ousted leaders seems to have some caveats.

Last July, The Economist reported that Mauritania’s General Muhammad Ould Abdelaziz, the head of the military junta who led the coup that overthrew that country’s first democratically-elected president, got himself elected as civilian president after an election that the opposition called an “elected coup.” However, despite “a certain number of irregularities,” Washington recognizedAbdelaziz’s election as a reflection of the “will of the Mauritanian people” and stated its willingness to work with his government.

Why is it that the election in Mauritania—with its many blatant flaws—passed the Obama administration’s legitimacy litmus test but the one in Honduras already seems set to fail it? What foreign policy principle is the administration applying in Honduras? Certainly not respect for democracy or the rule of law, both of which Zelaya was trying to subvert when he was removed from office.

Mel Lived High on the Hog While the Poor Ate Rice and Beans

2009-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Honduras targets deposed leader over expenses

(AFP) – 2 days ago

TEGUCIGALPA — Honduras' de facto government attacked deposed President Manual Zelaya on Saturday for wasting six million dollars of public funds on horses, vacations and Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Government officials distributed a lengthy list of what they claimed were Zelaya's pet luxury items, including cash for the upkeep of his horses as well as airline tickets, jewelry, the use of a private helicopter, and his own top-of-the-range motorbike, local media reported.

In an audit of Zelaya's expenses by judicial authorities, the mustachioed leader -- who was ushered out of the country on June 28 in a military-backed coup -- also spent money on expensive wines renting high-end real estate.

"By next week the High Court of Auditors will provide a report on each part of the investigation, and whether a criminal prosecution is appropriate," said Renan Sagastume, the presiding judge for Honduras' Superior Court of Auditors.

U.S. support for ousted Honduran leader baffling

2009-09-08T07:38:00.001-07:00

U.S. support for ousted Honduran leader baffling

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Pass That Joint to Me

2009-09-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Brazil suspended visa-free travel for Hondurans today. According to the BBC, "by blocking new visas for Hondurans, Brazil hopes 'to promote the immediate restoration of ... Zelaya to the functions to which the Honduran people elected him,' the country's foreign minsitry said in a statement."

What have they been smoking at the Brazilian foreign ministry? The Honduran people elected Mel as a right of center candidate, not as a firebrand socialist. Once Mel knew that his ideology had changed, if he had any ethics, he would have resigned. Mel broke his covenant with the Honduran people.

Honduras: A Truth Stranger Than Fiction?

2009-09-03T07:39:00.001-07:00

Honduras: A Truth Stranger Than Fiction?

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Chavez: Commandante Cowboy Unlikely to Return to Office

2009-09-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Don Hugo is currently in Libya for a love fest with its great leader, Col. Qaddafi. Together they are celebrating 40 wonderful years of Libyan bliss and good karma under the colonel's altruistic leadership. Taking a few moments for a telephone call to Venezuelan television, Chavez admitted, "Regardless of whether Zelaya returns or not, and really, at this point, that's hard to imagine, Honduras will keep up the fight."

Thanks for the honesty and candor Hugo...

I guess when you say "Honduras will keep up the fight", you mean President Micheletti and the Honduran people will continue to resist the Zelayistas in the OAS.

Thanks again Hugo for being the bearer of such good tidings!!!

Commentary: Let people decide Honduras' future, sooner not later | McClatchy

2009-08-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

Please click on the link below and read this excellent commentary. Feel free to discuss in the comment section.

Commentary: Let people decide Honduras' future, sooner not later | McClatchy

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Shopping is Good in Panama City

2009-08-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

So the USA is suspending the issuance of visas in its consulate in Tegucigalpa...

Who needs Miami anyway?

While shopping might be good in Miami, it's just as good in Panama City...so if you were planning a shopping trip stateside, think outside the box and go to Panama instead...you'll be glad you did. It's a nice place...modern, safe, good restaurants, and excellent shopping!!

And while you're at it, buy that condo in Panama City...they're a better value for the money than Miami.

Bottom line, if the U.S. government wants to hurt ordinary people, don't let them do it. Vacation, wine, dine, shop, and invest elsewhere...Let them be the ones to suffer instead.

Impressions of Tegucigalpa

2009-08-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Below are excerpts from the blog Inside South America by Tyler Bridges, a journalist based in Caracas

Honduras: Tegucigalpa

I'm supposed to report on South America in this blog. But since I find myself reporting from Tegucigalpa this week, I thought I would extend the blog's boundaries as well.

I find Tegucigalpa to be an unlovely city. The setting is pretty, nestled in the hills. But there seems to have been too much U.S. influence in the city's development.

As with Houston and too many other U.S. cities, Tegucigalpa expanded without planning controls. Most of the downtown colonial buildings have been lost. The central square lacks harmony and is uninteresting, other than the cathedral.

And there are fast-food franchises everywhere: McDonald's, of course, but also Burger King, Popeyes, Subway, Quizmos, Little Caesars, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Applebee's, Dunkin' Donuts, Pizza Hut. There's even a Dunkin' Donuts directly across the street from the Casa Presidencial.

The best thing about Honduras that I've found in my short term here: the people. They are quite friendly.

Mel...o drama

2009-08-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

There's an article in this month's 'Vocero' magazine, a bilingual, freebie publication that you pick up in coffee shops by Gaspar Vallecillo Molina entitled 'Mel...o drama. Su ultimo acto. Un teatro de lo Absurdo' (Mel...o drama. His last act. Theatre of the absurd).

I just like the name...'Mel...o drama'...so fitting and so aptly put.

BBC, Where Are You?

2009-08-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

The homepage on my computer is BBC News. It's been my homepage for many years because the depth of their international coverage is much greater than the American news sites which tend to be extremely domestic oriented, or when they do cover international news, they tend to only cover areas such as Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Much to my dismay, the BBC's coverage of the crisis in Honduras has been extremely biased in favor of Comandante Cowboy and his followers. They have tended to report on every small protest involving Zelayalistas and portray them as brave victims while ignoring the tens of thousands of peaceful pro-government supporters.

So it comes as a great surprise that BBC didn't have a report on yesterday's demonstrations showing the random attack and burning of a bus (with people on board scrambling to get off) and the burning of a restaurant as well as other random destruction of property. Well, actually, it wasn't a demonstration or protest; it was riot. And, to make matters worse, many of the rioters were reportedly paid to participate, so it wasn't out of conviction. They are kinda like football (soccer) hooligans.

So what happened to your reporting BBC? Did your reporter just forget to file his report for the day or was it his day off? Or maybe, just maybe, the Zelayalistas didn't appear as sympathetic as you wanted (or needed)? Maybe their burning and violence didn't serve as good propaganda or garner support for the cause? Mr. BBC editor, please feel free to leave your comments in my comment section.

It's Only a Movie!

2009-08-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Reuters article

2009-08-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

U.S. appears to soften support for Honduras's Zelaya

Wed Aug 5, 2009 2:52pm EDT

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. policy on Honduras' political crisis is not aimed at supporting any particular individual, the State Department said in a new letter that implied softening support for ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

The letter to Republican Senator Richard Lugar contained criticism of Zelaya, saying the left-leaning former leader had taken "provocative" actions ahead of his removal by the Honduran military on June 28.

The State Department also indicated severe U.S. economic sanctions were not being considered against the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti, which took over in Honduras after Zelaya removed from office.

"Our policy and strategy for engagement is not based on supporting any particular politician or individual. Rather, it is based on finding a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations," Richard Verma, the assistant secretary for legislative affairs, said in the letter.

"We have rejected calls for crippling economic sanctions and made clear that all states should seek to facilitate a solution without calls for violence and with respect for the principle of nonintervention," he said. The letter was dated Tuesday and obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama has condemned Zelaya's ouster, refused to recognize Micheletti, cut $16.5 million in military aid to Honduras and thrown his support behind the mediation efforts of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, whose proposals include Zelaya's reinstatement.

Last week the U.S. government announced it was revoking diplomatic visas for several members of Micheletti's administration.

REPUBLICAN THREAT

But the State Department letter, while "energetically" condemning Zelaya's ouster on June 28, noted that the coup had been preceded by a political conflict between Zelaya and other institutions inside Honduras.

"We also recognize that President Zelaya's insistence on undertaking provocative actions contributed to the polarization of Honduran society and led to a confrontation that unleashed the events that led to his removal," it said.

Zelaya was pushing for constitutional reforms that included changing term limits for presidents. His opponents accused him of trying to seek re-election, but he denies the allegation.

The Supreme Court ordered his arrest and the Honduran Congress later approved his ouster.

In the letter to Lugar, the State Department also indicated the Obama administration has still not made a definite decision as to whether Zelaya's ouster constituted a coup.

"We have suspended certain assistance as a policy matter pending an ongoing determination under U.S. law about the applicability of the provisions requiring termination of assistance in the event of a military coup."

Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had asked the government to explain its policy on the Honduran political crisis, warning that Senate confirmation may be delayed for a diplomatic nominee for Latin America without it.

The letter appeared to be a response to this request.

Because of U.S. support for Zelaya, conservative Republican Senator Jim DeMint has threatened to delay a Senate vote on the nomination of Arturo Valenzuela to be assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs.

DeMint welcomed the State Department letter but said the Obama administration had not gone far enough.

"I'm glad to see the State Department is finally beginning to walk back its support for Manuel Zelaya and admit that his 'provocative' actions were responsible for his removal," he said through a spokesman.

"These admissions are helpful, but what is necessary is for President Obama to end his support for Zelaya who broke the law and sought to become a Chavez-style dictator," DeMint said, referring to Venezuela's socialist president Hugo Chavez, an ally of Zelaya.

Some Good News!!!

2009-08-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

According to a report in Reuters today, American support for Zelaya has softened. This is cause for drinking a six pack of Imperial because this means Comandante Cowboy will not be returning to Honduras as president. Without U.S. pressure or sanctions, Mel doesn't have a chance on his own (or with Chavez's and Otega's support) of a successful return. Although long past due, in a letter to Senator Richard Lugar, the U.S. finally admits that much of Zelaya's problems were of his own making and that the U.S. doesn't have any intention of imposing crippling sanctions.

I'm sure Comandante Cowboy has already read the article or heard the news, so he must going into severe depression now. (It's time to get on the prozac, Mel).

Sweet dreams, Mel.

Three cheers and hip, hip hooray!!!

Also, my public thanks to Senators Mack and DeMint for their support of Honduran democracy.

Please read the article at: www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSTRE5744L120090805

Graffiti, a Sign of the Times

2009-08-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

My wife returned to Honduras yesterday after spending a wonderful summer with me here in New Orleans. She hasn't had the time to get out and about in Tegucigalpa since her return, but she did make one observation en route from the airport to home: Tegucigalpa is now full of pro-Zelaya graffiti. Every possible wall seems to have been defaced...so I guess the spray paint merchants are doing a good business.

Take a Stand Columbia

2009-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Chavez axis with Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Bolivia has led to very rocky relations with Columbia. Recently, Venezuela has been accused of supplying anti-tank rocket-launchers to Farc rebels, and Mr. Chavez has frozen diplomatic relations with Columbia as a result. Ecuador has not had diplomatic relations with Columbia since March 2008 when the Columbian air force bombed a Farc camp just inside Ecuador. Nicaragua has had a soverignty dispute with Columbia over some Caribbean islands for some time.

All this diplomatic rancor has led to economic consequences for Columbia. Ecuador has imposed tariffs on Columbian goods and Chavez is threatening to do the same. (Please see BBC News article "Columbia's Rocky Regional Relations", dated July 30, 2009).

Wouldn't this be a good time for Columbian President Alvaro Uribe to strike a blow at the Chavez axis by recognizing the new anti-Chavez government in Honduras? Come on Mr. Uribe, take a stand for democracy: Recognize the Honduran Government.

Menage a trois

2009-08-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

How do you say 'menage a trois' in Spanish?

Two Thumbs Up

2009-08-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday night is movie night!

A Behind the Scenes Look at the Recent Action in Costa Rica

2009-08-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Don Godo has been able to obtain behind the scenes footage of the recent action in San Jose. Steamy stuff...No wonder Xiomara stayed in Teguz...!!!

Honduras Libre

2009-07-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows, a 'Cuba Libre' is a cocktail consisting of rum and coke with a twist of lime. But that's Cuba's drink. From now on, I intend to celebrate Honduras' liberation every June 28, but need an appropriate 'Honduran' drink.

So I would like for all readers of this blog to submit suggestions in the comment section for concocting the perfect 'Honduras Libre' drink. My suggestion is that it should be rum based, since rum already seems to be the unofficial drink of Central America and the Caribbean. Also, since Honduras is rich in fruits, maybe some native type of fruit would be an essential compliment.

I look forward to your suggestions (and to trying out the various concoctions!!)

"Venezuela Mulls Tough Media Law"

2009-07-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

The above is the title from a news article from BBC today. It further states "A tough new media law, under which journalists could be imprisoned for publishing 'harmful' material, has been proposed in Venezuela.

Journalists could face up to four years in prison for publishing material deemed to harm state stability."

Just a look into my 'crystal ball' regarding Honduras' future if Chavez and Comandante Cowboy have their way...