tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post3218339468505114764..comments2023-09-12T01:15:08.356-07:00Comments on Honduras Coup 2009: Vapid US Policy StatementRAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097415587406899236noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-31525693843098553602009-11-16T16:02:39.636-08:002009-11-16T16:02:39.636-08:00Panama's conservative President Ricardo Martin...Panama's conservative President Ricardo Martinelli has been <a href="http://en.mercopress.com/2009/11/16/panama-anticipates-it-will-recognize-honduran-election-and-winner" rel="nofollow">quoted</a> as recently as November 16 as saying he "anticipates" his country will recognize the Honduran elections. However, the reports I have found are in conservative news sources, and the direct quotes stop short of saying Panama will absolutely do so; they are all hedged.<br /><br />I have seen no recent reports that the nation of Colombia-- as opposed to the city of Columbia, Missouri-- has said it will recognize the elections.<br /><br />I will be happy to check out any source for this report that you can provide. But the issue of legitimacy cannot be papered over by isolated recognition, especially if it breaks along predictable ideological lines-- or, in the case of Colombia, a state that peers in Latin America are viewing as so closely tied to the US as to not be independent.RAJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00097415587406899236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-49608626020203587612009-11-16T15:42:29.734-08:002009-11-16T15:42:29.734-08:00I see that Panama and Columbia have already said t...I see that Panama and Columbia have already said that they will recognize the results of the elections. I expect to see more of this as the elections get closer and especially afterward is they are peaceful.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14039295868021929399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-13751626230515851992009-11-16T12:15:24.875-08:002009-11-16T12:15:24.875-08:00You can find translations of documents from Cathol...You can find translations of documents from Catholic Church sources - from many different poitns of views - at http://honduraschurchdocuments.blogspot.com/<br /><br />There are strong statements against the coup from the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán, as well as a statement from the conference of religious men and women of Honduras - which, unfortunately, the cardinal did not allow them to publicly announce it. (But it had already gotten out on the internet.)John (Juancito) Donaghyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12711543214465586727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-9995925253326178172009-11-14T14:58:22.281-08:002009-11-14T14:58:22.281-08:00BoRev continues to provide some of the sharpest co...BoRev continues to provide some of the sharpest comic underlining of the black humor in these events. I laughed out loud at the creative retitling of the noxious original, and hope every reader here goes to the source. I kind of think that is <i>precisely</i> the sentiment being expressed. "We tried to help you annoying Hondurans, now go away and be more appreciative of us".<br /><br />And the tragedy is, of course, the "us" whose Voice this is speaks for you and me whether we like it or not.RAJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00097415587406899236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-49587871031416732122009-11-14T12:39:12.362-08:002009-11-14T12:39:12.362-08:00BoRev commented on the VOA editorial.BoRev <a href="http://www.borev.net/2009/11/and_now_a_very_important_messa.html" rel="nofollow">commented </a> on the VOA editorial.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-14700926359743466752009-11-14T10:53:10.983-08:002009-11-14T10:53:10.983-08:00I acquiesce to your caveat about seeing the bishop...I acquiesce to your caveat about seeing the bishops as some monolithic entity. And you are certainly correct that several priests and bishops have spoken out against the coup. However, the case of Padre Tomayo is perfect example of what I am talking about. As you noted in your post from 9/7, only the Vatican hierarchy had the power to remove him from his parish. To me, this indicates a real awareness on the part of the church of what's going on. It is also a clear endorsement of Micheletti's regime.<br /><br />Perhaps there is a danger of being over-suspicious of Vatican meddling. However, I have watched Catholic policy in Latin America (and elsewhere) enough to know that very little can be accomplished without the most powerful bishops in a given country assenting to it. <br /><br />At any rate, the blog is still great and you guys are managing it very professionally. Thanks for the articulate response.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903525298588963429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-59969460239568227742009-11-13T07:49:00.385-08:002009-11-13T07:49:00.385-08:00We have commented on the role of the Honduran Card...We have commented on the role of the Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga in the coup. Not only did he induce the Honduran Conference of Bishops to release a pro-coup statement after June 28, but he also was a key actor in whipping up public concerns about President Zelaya's supposed plans. A topic that deserves more attention is the role of secular members of Opus Dei in the cabal that carried through the coup; for example, Marta Lorena Alvarado's anti-contraception campaign makes more sense if her extreme religious views are taken into account. It is entirely credible that one of the bases of the fanaticism of some of the other intransigent coup participants comes from similar conservative religious views.<br /><br />But the Roman Catholic church in Honduras is not hegemonic in its views. Bishop Luis Santos of Santa Rosa de Copan has courageously spoken against the coup; and Padre Tamayo, who just lost his Honduran citizenship in retaliation for his ministry against the coup. <br /><br />Another problem with taking religion, and as framed here, "the bishops" (implying Roman Catholic hierarchy) as a single force in Honduras is that, like much of Latin America, religious diversity is actually quite high. The 2008 US State Department <a href="http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108530.htm" rel="nofollow">report</a> on religious freedom cited CID Gallup poll numbers from 2007 says<br /><br /><i>47 percent of respondents identify themselves as Roman Catholics, 36 percent as evangelical Protestants, and 17 percent either provide no answer or consider themselves "other."</i><br /><br />That matches our own experience over the past 30 years. If we use medically-recognized contraception, for example-- frowned on by the Roman Catholic church-- as a measure of secularism, we would note that UNICEF <a href="http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/honduras_statistics.html" rel="nofollow">reports</a> prevalence rates of 65% as of October 2008. <br /><br />So we don't think, as social scientists, that it is possible to simplify the impact of the religious community in this crisis, and it is possible to over-state the influence specifically of the leadership of the Roman Catholic church. While conservative and absolutely implicated in the coup-- and thus likely to further weaken institutional Roman Catholicism in the country-- it is not some sort of shadow leadership.RAJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00097415587406899236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341954168256070610.post-10094692567668400642009-11-13T07:13:08.088-08:002009-11-13T07:13:08.088-08:00Love the blog, been following for a few months now...Love the blog, been following for a few months now. The only problem is that you don't give enough respect to the power of Honduran bishops--power not only among the people but also in the halls of government.<br /><br />There is no way that they will let Zelaya back in. I said that weeks ago when the so-called "agreement" was reached. Micheletti is their man, and hence Micheletti will stay where he is. The U.S., I think, recognizes this fact (whether they realize that the opposition is coming from the bishops or not, I don't know), and has essentially given up on imposing an outside solution.<br /><br />In Latin America, one cannot simply watch secular politics and expect to offer full explanations of events. The Vatican lobby is extremely powerful, and without the approval of the bishops very little gets done.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903525298588963429noreply@blogger.com