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Honduras Elects a New President!

Posted by Roberto on Monday, December 07, 2009 8:46:22 PM
In the "Telenovela" that is Honduras, the latest chapter provides us with a positive turn of events.The Presidential election is over and Porifirio Lobo of the National Party led with 56 percent of the votes, defeating Elvin Santos of the Liberal Party which had 38 percent. The interesting part of this is that both former president Manuel Zelaya and interim president Roberto Micheletti were members of the Liberal Party.

The National Party is more of a center-right party than the Liberal Party. It seems that most Hondurans are ready for a change of party as well as presidents.

Former president Manuel Zelaya, the troublemaker who started all the drama called for a nationwide boycott of the elections. His calls were rebuffed. Election officials said that 60 percent of registered voters voted in this election, higher than the previous election. 400 foreign observers from the USA, Latin America and Europe were on the ground.

So now we can all be happy about Honduran Democracy beating back the sneaky hand of Socialism? Not so fast. Yes, this is great turn of events. Yes, President Lobo, who will take office in January of 2010 has asked for all of Hondurans to unite so that they can move on from the very controversial power transfer last June.

The fight is not over yet. It all depends on the United States. First, it sided against interim President Roberto Micheletti, then it said it would support the election that took place last Sunday. But it's been quiet from Washington D.C. Some Latin American countries such as Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia have supported the election. Others, such as Brazil, Argentina and Spain have not. Mexico and Canada are on the fence but they will probably follow the USA's lead on this one, assuming that we show leadership on this one. It goes without saying that Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is angry but he has his own issues with his crumbling state run economy. He should put down his copy of "Das Capital" and pick up a copy of "Wealth of Nations."

But I digress............

Honduras needs the USA to lead and boldly support this election so that most of the world can follow. People's lives are at stake here. Honduras has a poverty rate of 70 PERCENT. SIXTY PERCENT of it's exports go to the USA. They send us everything from bananas to Fruit-of-the-Loom underwear.. One million Hondurenos in the USA send money home to Honduras. Honduras might only have 7 million people but they need jobs to pay the bills like everyone else on this planet.

We haven't heard the last of Zelaya. The Honduran Congress will meet as early as tomorrow about reinstating him temporarily until January. If this happens, I fear that he might not want to step down when he needs to but we will see. He can finish his presidency as a stateman or as a divisive politician. It's up to him.

The USA needs to lead the way on bringing Honduras out of the Diplomatic Deep Freeze.

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A recovering Die Hard Liberal

Posted by Roberto on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 12:11:04 AM
When I was a teenager, I remember reading a newspaper between the impending Presidential Election of 1984. Ronald Reagan was running for re-election versus Walter Mondale. I remember reading the positions that each of them had on the economy, national defense, taxes, etc. I was very supportive of almost everything that Walter Mondale stood for! How was I to know that he would end up being crushed by Reagan. The only state that Walter Mondale carried was his very Liberal home state of Minnesota...

I was a Liberal and proud of it. I took after my very Liberal Father. I was not some "Progressive." I embraced my Liberalism. I saw "Big Business" as an evil entity that needed to be controlled by the Federal Government. The Federal Government was our protector! I was Pro-Choice, I wanted higher taxes (on those filthy Rich, of course) and was skeptical of the Yuppies climbing the Corporate ladder. My friends were Liberal, like me.
I knew it all, of course...
 
Then something strange started to happen. Life was running pretty well until I went to college. College was a ball. Going to parties, sleeping in, and to take a quote from the movie "Officer and a Gentleman" I was sitting around "Watching MTV and badmouthing my country." My major was Political Science. For the first time I seriously studied the origins and realities of Democratic, Democratic Socialist and Marxist/Communist political systems. I studied Economics, Supply and Demand, and History. While I was still comfortable with Liberalism, I found myself with colleagues that were downright Radical..
 
The first chink in my Liberal Armor was Gun Control.  Fellow students were telling me that the world would be better without guns. HMMMMM. Wait a minute. I had relatives in the Mexican Military. My father had a Colt .45 and I enjoyed my time at the gun range. I read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Take away our guns? I don't think so.
 
Then my rose colored view of Abortion began to change. My Grandmother, one of the most devout women of faith I have ever known reminded me of the sanctity of life, but it took a while to sink in... People around me such as friends or friends of friends found themselves pregnant. I finally understood that this issue went beyond a legal topic of, it was a real life and death issue. I remember thinking to myself one night - "what did this innocent unborn child do to deserve a death sentence?" I could not find an answer. How could I be all upset about Canadians clubbing baby seals to death but then ignore the fact that baby humans were being killed as well? It didn't add up...
 
Finally, after I got a real job, paid taxes and held my first born son in my arms. I really questioned what life was all about. I started to see what the Government was doing with my taxes. I saw all the waste and inefficiency in the system. I saw and felt the importance of faith and values in my life. Faith gave me a moral compass. It didn't make better than other people. It helps be coupe with all the curve balls that Life throws at you. Sometimes life is pain...
 
It's not easy, being mostly Conservative in a mostly Liberal ethnic group. But Democrats better not take Hispanics for granted. We are not a monlithic Bloc of liberal robots.. We are family oriented. We have deep religious values. We like babies. We believe in the American Dream. This is more attuned to the Conservative and Republican point of view..
 
I truly think that Conservatives do not give us enough credit. We have a great work ethic. We are not all illegal. We have been in the United States for over 400 years. Immigrants are not the enemy. We DO want to speak English. If you grew up speaking it, more power to you. But it is NOT an easy language to conquer...
 
It pains me to see and hear so few Conservative Latino voices but our numbers are growing...........
 
Conservatives of Latino descent and Anglo descent share the same values, of this I know.......................
 
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Former Honduran President Zelaya throws a fit

Posted by Roberto on Friday, November 13, 2009 10:50:42 AM
Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is getting more and more frustrated with his ally, the Obama Administration. He stated today that "The United States has weakened in the face of the dictator." The "dictator" he is describing is interim President Roberto Micheletti.
 
Interim President Micheletti and Former President Zelaya reached an agreement on October 30th. The US supported this agreement. The Presidential Election is set for the 29th of this month and neither Zelaya or Micheletti are on the ballot. The agreement stated the possibility of Mr. Zelaya being reinstated but the decision was left up to the Honduran Congress. Congressmen are waiting on an opinion from the Honduran Supreme Court regarding the constituionality of this agreement.  
 
Now, Zelaya wants to be reinstated as soon as possible. He and his supporters know that time is not on their side. Due to the Honduran Constituions' term limit for the Presidency, his term ends in January of 2010. So the tension is building again between Zelaya supporters and supporters of Honduran Democracy. Remember, Zelaya started this crisis when he proceeded to ignore the Congress and the Supreme Court of Honduras and continue with an illegal "National Referendum" vote to change the term limits.
 
Zelaya's allies are such "defenders of liberty" such as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba. 
 
In a blatant show of partisanship, on Novermber 12th, US Congresswoman  Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said "the (Honduran) Congress needs to move forward quickly...to re-install Zelaya as President, and the democratic order needs to be restored." Maybe the Honorable Comgresswoman needs to be reminded that only the Honduran Congress has the power under the Honduran Constiution to change it. Seeking an opinion from the Honduran Supreme Court makes sense since it's responsibility is to clarify this agreement's constitutionality. Honduras is following the democratic order of things.
 
This is a positive step for Honduras. So far, despite immense US political pressure such as Congresswoman Schkowsky's (which smacks of Monroe Doctrine style heavy handedness) small, and stubborn Honduras is still walking the path of Democracy.
 
Watch out for more street demonstations or possible violence from Zelaya's folowers as they try to intimidate the democratic process....
 
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Political Correctness killed our Fort Hood Soldiers

Posted by Roberto on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:52:58 PM
Now that some time has passed from the killing of 13 soldiers and injury of 42 others at Fort Hood, TX, some more information is coming to light.
 
It appears that Major Hasan has made dangerous and controversial  statements in the past without anyone saying a word.
In June of 2007, Major Hasan was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center giving a presentation to fellow soldiers the topic was  "religious  conflicts that Muslims might have with the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan" per the Washington Post. He made a statement that Muslims should as a group be able to declare themselves exempt from the 2 wars. No one filed a complaint against him. Why? Were they worried about being labeled a bigot or anti-Muslim?
 
In 2008, he was investigated by the Defense Department's Criminal Defensive Services, assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Why? Because Major Hasan communicated with the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-waki. For some unknown reason nothing came out of this. We need to know who was responsible for not persuing the investigation and why. Even with all this, no one from the Criminal Defensive Services told the US Army about this walking time-bomb of an "officer".
 
Do you remember the "War on Terror?" due to political correctness the current administration last May started calling it an "Overseas Contingency Operation" The OCS. Hmmmm. The OCS sounds like a part of my car that needs tuning. I can hear it now from my mechanic: "Sorry Sir, your OCS went bad and caused the rattling sound, but it can be replaced in a jiffy."
 
There is no evidence that Major Hasan was an official member of Al Qaeda unlike those cowards that attacked us on September 11th. But make no mistake, this was a Terrorist Act. It doesn't matter if he acted alone or not. He was a believer of radical Islam and then he acted upon his murderous beliefs. That's what a Terrorist is. It's very simple. They believe the twisted Ideology and kill an American. That's all they need.
 
Why are we worried about offending Muslims? I believe that most American Muslims would understand that if the FBI has questions about communications with a Radical Cleric, they would be helpful to the FBI. I think most Muslims are just fine. I think the ultra-sensitivity comes more from the Liberal Media. The problem lies with a small but Radical portion of Islam. If a Catholic Bishop would announce that it was permissable to kill Muslims since they were non-believers, trust me, he would get a phone call from the Pope ASAP. We don't have an issue with Episcopalians or Methodists shouting "Jesus is the only way" and blowing themselves up.
 
It is so sad that the current adminsitration is afraid of calling this act "Terrorist" and that's because they would feel the pressure to DO something about it.
 
The War on Terror continues, too bad that our leaders in Washington D.C. have lost the Will to fight....
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The Chicago Way and President Obama

Posted by Roberto on Wednesday, November 04, 2009 12:04:06 PM
I grew up in Chicago. I don't live there anymore but I still occasionally miss the food and the people, or enjoying Wrigley Field and watching the Cubs lose (again). What I don't miss are it's politics. It's known as the Chicago Way.
 
The Chicago Way encompasses one major unwritten law - "Don't make no waves, don't back no losers". I borrow that phrase from the book titled "Don't Make No Waves, Don't Back No Losers" written by Milton Rakove. It's one of the best books ever written about Chicago Machine politics. A great read. 

The Machine, as it's locally known, is aptly named, due to it's efficiency in keeping all the political power and financial power controlled in the vice grip of City Hall. In a nutshell, the Mayor runs the show. While Richard J. Daley has passed away a long time ago, in fine Chicago tradition, his son, Richard M. Daley is the Mayor now. Chicago is divided into 50 Wards, run by Aldermen. These people are the ones that everyone gets to see, but a huge amount of power is behind the scenes. Besides the Aldermen, there are also Ward Committeemen and Precinct Captains. No one ever gets to important positions of power unless they are agreed upon by the Mayor and the Aldermen. Precinct Captains are famous for getting out the vote on Election Day. They are rewarded with City jobs. While the positions are not always the best, it's a job you can have for life, unless you are too dumb not to follow orders from above. Heaven forbid you grow a conscience.
There is no notion of reform with Chicago politicians. It's about money and power. Yes, they talk a good game. They "fight for the little guy" while crushing him with more city taxes. They rail against "corporate greed" but go golfing with the CEO of the company they supposedly hate. It's all a business to them, and the people pay the tab. The politicians get elected and vote the way the Mayor wants. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are few. If you are loyal and make no problems for the Mayor, you can go far. No one gets elected to congressional districts or state senate or state house districts unless they are loyal.
 
Politics is a blood sport in Chicago. They fight dirty. They play hardball. That's just the way it is.
 
Before President Obama was the leader of the Free World, he was a State Senator in the Illinois 13th district. It sits in the South Side of Chicago. He held that post from 1997-2004. The Illinois State Senate is run by John Cullerton. He is an ally of the Illinois Speaker of the House, Michael Madigan. Michael Madigan has been the Speaker of the House since 1983 and a member of the House since 1971. He serves the Illinois 22nd district which resides within Chicago. He is an ally of Mayor Daley.
 
While President Obama can be charasmatic and is a great speaker with the help of his teleprompter, he is a student of the Chicago Way. His role is to play the "Good Cop" while sending his White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel and Senior, David Axelrod to play the "Bad Cop" roles. They are his bomb throwers on the Sunday morning talkshows. Watch them and you will see. What they say does not have to be true, it just has to inflict pain on their political rivals. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are on board as well. Take the Health Care bill on the table. President Obama will speak of "Choice and Competition" while his allies Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are offering carrots and sticks to the Congressmen and US Senators in order to ram this nightmare of a bill through.  
 
Don't think for a minute that simply because the Democrats lost 2 Governorships in Virginia and New Jersey yesterday that it will slow down the President and his allies. If anything, they will speed up the process and increase the pressure to pass the Health Care Bill and the rest of their agenda. They know the Honeymoon is over now and they will hit the opponents of this bill harder until they get it done. It has a real chance of passing.
 
The American people need to understand that if you opposite the Obama Agenda that it will be a hard fight. It means playing hardball.
Are we as a people prepared? I hope so. Keep the pressure up on your Congressmen and US Senators. Get involved locally. Discuss your thoughts with friends and family. They can be defeated.
 
Thank God I live in Texas now.
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Possible deal in Honduras

Posted by Roberto on Friday, October 30, 2009 2:09:13 PM
The newspapers are hailing a possible impasse in the crisis regarding Honduras.
 
For those that don't know, a quick recap:
Manuel Zelaya was democratically elected in Honduras in 2005. Great, good for the Honduran people. But then a problem started to grow. You see, the Honduran Constitution allows for the President to serve only ONE term, no re-election. It is limited per the constitution, sorry. But Mr. Zelaya wanted it changed. He proposed a national referendum to change the term limits. Problem. Only the Honduran Congress (yes, they have one) has the power to change the constitution. Another problem. Mr. Zelaya is a big fan of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. A leader that while was first elected democratically, has since used democratic means such as referendums to change the Constitution. President Chavez has since swept away those pesky term limits in Venezuela. He used Democratic means to destroy democracy.

Back to Honduras. The issue went to the Honduran Supreme Court, (yes, they have one of those too) and President Zelaya lost his attempt to change the constitution. Mr. Zelaya started the crisis by declaring his intent to go forward with the referendum no matter what the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court said. What is a democracy with separation of powers to do? The military had the right to enforce the Supreme Court decision, the Supreme Court publicly stated so. On June 28th of this year, the military picked up the President in his pajamas and flew him to Costa Rica. Not nice, but he was not imprisoned, tortured or beaten, simply removed. The Military did NOT take over. The soldiers returned to their barracks. There is no military junta running the country. Roberto Micheletti, who is of the same political party as Mr. Zelaya, was sworn in as Interim President and elections are set for this November. No military men are on the ballot, Mr. Micheletti and Mr Zelaya are not on the ballot either. The candidates on the ballot have been campaigning since last year.
You would think that the Obama Adminsitration would support Honduran Democracy against a creeping totalitarianism but alas, no. The Obama Administration found itself in the strange situation of being on the same side of such "champions" of democracy as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Raul Castro of Cuba!
 
Mr. Zelaya sneaked back into Honduras on September 21st. He is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. The United States, The Organization of American States and the United Nations are all squeezing Honduras to give in.
 
Yesterday, Interim President Micheletti and Ex-President Zelaya declared agreement on the situation. The agreement consists of:
  • A "National Reconciliation" Government. Who is included in this is unknown. It's possible that Zelaya will be allowed to return as President until January of 2010, when his term was up.
  • The November 19th 2009 Election will go forward. This is good since the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said prior to this agreement that the Obama Administration would NOT consider this election legitimate.
  • No "Constitutional Assembly" will take place. Good, it was this request from Zelaya that started this crisis. He was using the "popular will of the people" angle to call for an assembly in order to change the Constitution.  He had no constitutional right to do this.
IF Zelaya and Micheletti are both kept off the election ballot and a new President is elected, then it will end up being a victory for Democracy in Honduras.

We will wait and see!
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Do you love Potatoes? Hug a Peruvian!

Posted by Roberto on Friday, October 30, 2009 1:30:04 PM
There is a good chance today that you will eat potatoes. Maybe it will be in french fry form at Lunch time, or potato chips with your sandwich, or mashed potatoes as a side dish at Dinner.

Most Americans automatically think of Potatoes coming from Ireland. The Irish do eat a lot of Potatoes. Or Western Europe. Think about all the dishes in German, Polish, French or Russian food that use the noble spud. But it does not come from Europe at all.

The Potato is Peruano. Yes, it's Peruvian. It originated from the highlands of Peru about 10,000 years ago. The native Incas of Peru called it PAPA. They even buried their dead with them. The Spanish brought it back with them to Europe in the 1500's and the love affair began. Since it was easy to grow, many Europeans became familiar with it. Unfortunately for the Irish, it was also prone to a disease called Late Blight and they suffered through the Great Irish Famine of 1845. The English took the Potato with them all the way to Australia. Today, thousands of types of Potatoes exist (even a purple colored variety, I have seen it myself. It tastes like a regular Potato) but most of the Potatoes we eat today comes from a Chilean variety. Yes, as in the country of Chile, the southern neighbor of Peru.

The first type of french fry came from Belgium while the Spanish ruled it for a while back in the 1800's. I had some french fries yesterday as a matter of fact.

So, with all due respect to the citizens of Idaho, or Ireland, or France, the next time you find yourself in the presence of a Peruvian (they come from Peru, not Peruvia) give them a hug and a Thank You. What the heck, hug a Chilean too.
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New to the Townhall

Posted by Roberto on Friday, October 30, 2009 1:19:19 PM
Hello All:
 
I'm new to Townhall.com. Hopefully my blogs will be informative and entertaining.
 
I little about me. I grew up in Chicago, a die hard Liberal, now happily live in Texas. As I grew up, started paying taxes, got married and had children, I started to ask more and more questions about what our Federal Government does with our money. I wasn't impressed with government waste, spending and fraud.
 
I started to question myself as to what I believed in and why. I found out to my shock, that I am more moderate to conservative on most issues, something of a minority among my own Hispanic family and friends. But not to worry, I believe that there are more moderate to conservative Hispanics than people are led to believe. Also, would love to be a conduit of information and understanding between Latinos and non-Latinos. Believe it or not, we have some real differences but we have a lot more similarites.
 
I was born in the USA and love being an American.
 
Thanks for your time.
 
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