Responses to the Coup d'etat in Honduras on Sunday June 28, with special emphasis on producing English-language versions of commentaries by Honduran scholars and editorial writers and addressing the confusion encouraged by lack of basic knowledge about Honduras.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Guatemala will not recognize elections; El Heraldo complains

Even pro-coup media like El Heraldo have to report the news when it is this clear; Guatemala will not recognize the elections.

So, how did this pro-coup outlet spin the clear and principled stand of Guatemala-- which I defy any of our commentators to dismiss as merely a leftist dupe (while recognizing they likely will reject it as a country of no importance, continuing to exhibit their "pragmatism" which in fact is an embrace of a specific global political order)?

Simple: Guatemala's declaration described the decision as in agreement with the OAS position. The Heraldo report then goes on to say
It is worth pointing out that the secretary general of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, aserted on numerous occasions that he would endorse the elections if the Hondurans achieved an accord, which they did, to resolve the political crisis.



The accord was signed but Manuel Zelaya, on understanding that it was unfavorable, decided not to send the list of candidates to make up the Cabinet of Unity and National Reconciliation.

In other words: OAS is going back on its promise to recognize elections as long as there was an accord; because the official story in Honduras is that Zelaya was the one who broke faith with the accord. While the international community, including OAS and members of the verification commission, say otherwise, don't expect the pro-coup media to cover that.

More: this noxious little story goes on to spread the big lie that everyone in Honduras is firmly committed to going to the polls:
In Honduras, all the political, economic, and social sectors maintain firm their position to go to the polls the 29th of November, in the way that the Constitution of the Republic ordains.
Now, outside Honduras, we know that isn't true, because we have seen the letter from 300+ candidates withdrawing from congressional and local races, and the statement of the Frente de Resistencia about not participating. But of course, these do not constitute part of the "political and social sectors" recognized by the editors of the pro-coup newspapers. But surely, some of their readers will put two and two together and wonder, if this is true, why are there those reports of the police putting together lists of people to be picked up for advocating election boycotts?

The surrealism of the pro-coup spin continues with one sad line:
The US maintains firm its position to recognize the process.

Yes indeed. Notice what has been lost in translation and left along the side of the long road down for US policy: apparently, we will recognize the elections no matter what; fraud or no fraud; violence of no violence. Of course, we have been honing our ability to recognize new governments that result from fraudulent elections while trying simultaneously to take the high moral ground recently, so maybe State will manage the miracle of recognition without approval that seems to be the new normal here.

And we cannot leave out the next piece of the Heraldo's attempt to minimize the statement of the government of Guatemala that it will not recognize the elections:

On Guatemala's part, the elections will be observed by members of the Committee of Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations.

So there, official government: we don't need you, we have your businessmen and bankers. New world order, anyone?

There is another curious detail about this news item, that draws out the semiotician in me: the line above the headline irrelevantly notes that Patricia Rodas, Zelaya cabinet minister, attended a conference of "leftist parties". The first sentence of the actual article cites the Guatemalan chancellor, who is coincidentally named Rodas as well-- Haroldo Rodas. This is a brilliant piece of guilt by association: a syllogism, I think (readers with better knowledge of classic logic correct me, please): if Patricia Rodas is a leftist, then all Rodas's are leftist, so Hector Rodas is a leftist...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Caceria humana. 8:40PM Resistance leaders Freddy Sanchez and Carlos Guzman captured. Lisa Sarmiento shot at. Francisco Batres expelled.

--Charles

Ossama said...

in my opinion as a philosophy scholar ,It is false analogy
usually used by comedians like Woody Allan to show the fallacies of certain situations
like in his famous film
Love & death
http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=love+and+death
1975
sry for the intrusion

Unknown said...

The bigest problem is the very low turnoutin the last election. Ordinary people had felt disenfranchised and disillusioned with the political process. They were given some hope by Zelaya.

There ia no guarantee that the turnout will be significantly worse this time so the pro coup regime will be able to claim the elections as an endorsement. This will be a travesty and a mockery. It will rightly lead to further disillusionment within the country and to further unrest.

Anonymous said...

Now Radio Globo off the air. There is almost no media delivering concurrent information. The situation is ripe for manipulation by the dictatorship.

BTW, my previous post was on Radio Globo at 8:55PM Eastern.

--Charles

RAJ said...

@Ossama:

Yes a false analogy but also it turns out a syllogism (a categorical syllogism as defined here:

All terriers are dogs.
All terriers are mammals.
Therefore, All mammals are dogs.


Syllogisms, I learned by stopping being lazy and researching it, three categorical propositions (two premises and a conclusion) in which there appear a total of exactly three categorical terms, each of which is used exactly twice.

Patricia Rodas is a leftist.
Patricia Rodas is a Rodas.
Therefore, all Rodases are leftists...

???

Ossama said...

RAJ
you are right
it is a categorical syllogism as well
which also means not true or a false analogy
anyhow the post was great as usual
but I think the whole farce will continue and I thing also that the next president of Honduras will suffer a lot
I might also add that this is a proof of the hollow character of was termed in the 80s fledgeling democracies