Editorial

The End of Liberalism in Honduras?

The Liberal Party wins the presidency two out of every three elections, and so there is always more of a sense of urgency within the Nationalist Party to look for ways to gain an edge whenever and wherever it can. This "edge" may now very well be that segment of the Liberal electorate that is unhappy with and, in fact, hostile toward the Liberal Party.

By Marco Cáceres
The willingness of President Porfirio Lobo to support the process to officially recognize the Popular National Resistance Front (FNRP) -- la Resistencia -- as a political party in Honduras is seen by some as sheer lunacy. They wonder why President Lobo would wish to give legitimacy to a far-left movement like the FNRP, particularly when there is a widely held perception in Honduras that it is a violent and destabilizing force in the country. Some people speculate that Mr. Lobo must secretly sympathize with the FNRP or is being forced by the US government to accept the organization. Why? Well, of course because President Obama is a socialist. ... Hmm, right. (7/19/10)

When the Poor Become Your Neighbors

A common response from the wealthy is to build the "muros" of their homes higher, partly for a sense of greater security (largely misplaced, I think) and partly to block the unpleasant view of the shacks. I think the problem with this strategy is that it is a losing one.

By Marco Cáceres
EEach time I visit my aunt and her family in Tegucigalpa, I observe the increasing number of shacks invading the land alongside the road going up to the traditionally wealthy neighborhood of El Hatillo. The makeshift wooden homes of the poor offer a striking contrast to the sizeable fortresses of the rich, and it graphically tells the story of Honduras' income and power gap... which has always existed, but now only worse. But this is not really meant to be a critique of social inequality in a developing country -- merely a reflection on the fact that two worlds are physically colliding before our eyes. (7/16/10)

Comments (1)

When Silence Screams

I was reminded of the lengths to which the press will go to sugarcoat or suppress certain facts as I watched The Panama Deception the other night while Manuel Noriega was being flown to France to face the same bogus charges that cost him 20 years in US custody.

By W. E. Gutman
UFor independent journalists, a breed apart known for its irreverence and persistence, silence is one loud telltale shriek. "Silence is a scoop," I learned in journalism school, "silence is evidence of collusion. When you hear nothing but the hush of obscurantism, you have a cover-up. Your job is to pull down the covers." Unlike open scandal, which peaks in an orgy of finger-pointing, then dies, silence leaves a trail of speculations and a scent of putrefaction. It's bad enough when elected officials hide behind a wall of secrecy. It's infinitely worse when the press, the conscience of a free society, abdicates its mission and colludes with politicians -- or worse, with its advertisers -- to keep readers marginally informed or misinformed. (7/16/10)

The Good Leadership Gap

... all too often those who have been elected or appointed to lead within institutions grow more interested in protecting their positions than serving the interests of the people for whom the institutions were created to serve in the first place.

By Marco Cáceres
One of my favorite quotes about leadership is from David Plouffe, who managed the presidential campaign for then-Senator Barack Obama. Responding to cynical comments delivered at the Republican National Convention belittling Mr. Obama's experience as a community organizer, Mr. Plouffe said, “Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.” He added, “Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up.” I like this perspective on leadership because it gets to the heart of why so many issues and problems in societies go unaddressed and unresolved. (7/2/10)

Comments (1)

Migration and the Wealth of Nations

These migrants work from sunrise until sunset on farms and construction sites and in retail stores and factories, performing the tasks that others do not wish to do. These are the contributions of migrants that support the accumulation of capital in wealthy nations.

By Alcides Hernández
The 18th century Scottish economist Adam Smith wrote the classic book, “The Wealth of Nations”. His legacy to the theory of market economics was the “growing theory” -- the main thesis being that the wealth of nations had its origin in the quantitative increase of an economy. For there to be growth, the specialization of work, the accumulation of capital, and the free market were necessary. According to Smith, to achieve the welfare state, a society should hope for changes that originate in the individual. Meanwhile, people, in the context of the economical process, should be selfish in their relationships with each other and nobody should interfere in the lives of others. Then, progress would depend on individual initiative and in the mutual understanding between buyer and seller in their trading relations. (6/30/10)

Former Presidents Need Benefits

It has everything to do with the Lobo government not being willing to protect Mr. Zelaya and provide him all the amenities and privileges -- including a life-time salary, a seat in the Central American Parliament (Parlacen), free entry into special events, and a full-time security detail -- normally given to a former head of state.

By Marco Cáceres
Practically no one really believes that former president Manuel Zelaya, who remains in self-exile in the Dominican Republic, would be denied his human or civil rights were he to return to Honduras. Few people truly believe that he would be flogged and then tossed in prison cell by the Lobo government were he to simply choose to board a commercial aircraft and fly to Tegucigalpa like his chief aide, Rasel Tomé, did on March 11 and his wife, Xiomara, did on April 25. Hardly anyone seriously believes Mr. Zelaya would be denied the same genteel and fair treatment accorded to his former top Ministers -- Arístides Mejía, Rixi Moncada, and Rebeca Santos, who have all been charged with criminal acts and asked to submit their testimonies to Honduran magistrates (which they have done without making such a big fuss of it all). (6/29/10)

Comments (2)

More Coca for Evo

The reality is that for a small and impoverished country like Honduras to even qualify for the World Cup is a huge accomplishment that makes any characterization of its team's participation as anything less than successful... absurd.

By Marco Cáceres
Ecuador's Foreign Minister, Ricardo Patiño, added a touch of drama yesterday to the opening ceremony of the ALBA Summit in Quito, Ecuador when he said that the "spirit of Honduras" was present at the gathering even though the country officially withdrew its membership in the alliance on January 27, 2010 and was thus absent. Former president Manuel Zelaya signed Honduras up for ALBA on August 25, 2008, but the relationship quickly soured following Mr. Zelaya's overthrow on June 28, 2009. Today, Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, seemed to be taking his cue from Mr. Patiño when he assigned responsibility to the "dictatorship" in Honduras for the Honduran national soccer team's failure to advance to the second round of the World Cup. It was a strange blow even for Mr. Morales, who has a reputation for saying silly things in public. (6/25/10)

Bruce Harris (1955-2010) R. I. P.

He dedicated his life to ending the persecution, torture and routine murder of street children by Guatemalan and Honduran police. Some 392 cases alleging such offenses were brought to trial. He also testified on behalf of children's rights before international bodies, helping obtain punitive rulings against Guatemala and Honduras by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

By W. E. Gutman
Bruce Harris, the former executive director of Covenant House’s Latin American programs (Casa Alianza), died on May 30, 2010 of pancreatic cancer at his Florida home. He was 55. Born in Scotland, the charismatic and controversial chidren’s rights advocate, served in that post from 1989 to September 2004. (6/14/10)

Roatán and About: Under Heavy Fire

By Don Pearly
WWriters can go for weeks maybe even months with absolutely no reaction from their readers. What does that mean you ask, it might mean we are writing exactly what they want to read, or it might be it is just too much darned trouble to click and send in their feelings for publication. It is sometimes tempting to throw in some controversial issues in order to get a reaction. Well, I think I struck a nerve or two when I made the bold statement about the felons operating on Roatan not being the locals but rather they are Spanish speaking aliens coming up from the south. That straight forward statement prompted a writer to call me a xenophobic and to tell me not to bring my North American thinking to the island. (6/8/10)

Comments (2)

Abuses of the Honduran Army No Secret to CIA

If deposed President Mel Zelaya is to account for the alleged white-collar crimes he committed during his presidency, then scores of high-ranking Honduran military officers, most of them graduates of the infamous US Army School of the Americas (some in blissful self-exile in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, others “retired” on their fincas in the wilds of Honduras) should also stand trial and pay for the horrific blood crimes they perpetrated and the wretched narcotrafficking schemes in which they were complicit.

By W. E. Gutman
Throughout the 1980’s while the US government was bucketing millions of dollars in military aid into Honduras, Honduran armed forces inflicted thousands of human rights violations against its own citizens. So says the CIA. According to newly declassified documents, internal investigations by the CIA reveal that although agency operatives in Honduras knew first-hand that the military operated a US-funded right-wing assassination squad, the officers’ sloppy or evasive reports concerning human rights issues left senior CIA brass “unaware” of their seriousness and magnitude.(6/3/10)

Comments (4)