Against the coup

On Wednesday – a national day of protests against this summer’s coup in Honduras – half a dozen plus Louisville folks – including Crescent Hill’s Bartlett brothers and Elmer, a former Crescent Hill visitor – rallied in the plaza outside the Mazzoli federal building and then sent half of the protestors in to talk with an aide to Congressman John Yarmuth.

While Andrew stayed outside taking videos, Stephen and Elmer led the charge. Elmer, like our friend Soila, a Honduran native, had been to Honduras twice this year, including one time since the coup, and has kept up with news on the Web. Stephen also brought telling color photos, blown up to 8 ½ by 11. The group pushed Yarmuth to support House Resolution 630, which would have the U.S. government recognize the coup as a coup with more aid cutoff implied. (Stephen had observed that the Honduran government – besides lobbying Republican U.S. senators and Bush Administration holdovers in the State Department – had implicitly threatened to throw out the U.S. military base in Honduras.) They also asked Congressman Yarmuth to push the government to keep its promise not to recognize the results of the scheduled Honduran election, which allies of ousted President Zelaya are boycotting.

I also drew the parallel between Honduras and Guatemala (and even the United States) and said that – from the U.S. government’s ambiguous position – Latin American leaders may get the idea that ousting elected center-left governments by calling in the military is OK.

Yarmuth’s aide was noncommittal, expressing patience with the Obama administration approach and citing the U.S. aid to Honduras that the government has cut off (not mentioning the aid that continues to flow).

Two days later – on Friday – word is that Zelaya and the de facto president have made a deal that may restore Zelaya and will provide a framework for all sides to recognize the election. Neither the Army nor Zelaya may be immune from subsequent prosecution, including for the Army/government’s killings of more than 100 Zelaya supporters, arrest and torture of many others, shutting down of pro-Zelaya newspapers, etc.

Not sure that Congressman Yarmuth, feeling pressure from constituents in Louisville, pushed President Obama and Secretary Clinton to press both sides for a deal. But who knows?

Let’s hope and pray for peace and justice in Honduras.

-- Perry