Honduran hit and run

One of my commentators seems to think I have nothing to do all day but answer their specific comments.  I spend more time than is healthy (or economically prudent) on this site, but try — within reason — to at least read the comments.

As to lingering questions of whether or not the U.S. has recognized the coup in Honduras, and responded appropriately,  “El Duderino” (Abiding in Bolivia) has the best response:

Obama spilled some real idiocy the other day about Honduras and how pro-democracy, pro-Zelaya critics of US policy are “hypocritical”.

The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who say that we’re always intervening and the Yankees need to get out of Latin America. You can’t have it both ways…If these critics think that it’s appropriate for us to suddenly act in ways that in every other context they consider inappropriate, then I think what that indicates is, is that maybe there’s some hypocrisy involved in their approach to US-Latin America relations that certainly is not going to guide my administration’s policies.

First of all, this statement assumes the US is currently not involved in Honduras and that the military coup is not supported by powerful interests in the United States, which of course it is. Believing otherwise would require total ignorance of the modern history of US involvement in Latin America. Someone needs to read their copy of The Open Veins of Latin America.

Second, when we say “the Yankees need to get out of Latin America” the prejorative yankuí is specifically used, that is the “ugly American”. I am a gringo living happily in Latin America and no one has ever told me to go home, but I also don’t go around overthrowing democratic constitutions, training mass murders, or giving covert support to fascists. Maybe, just maybe if you respected your neighbors democracies, they wouldn’t mind inviting you over now and again.

Third, if we are “hypocrites” then so is US Law which requires the United States to cease economic and political relations with countries after a military coup, but of course the United States is the only government in the world which has refused to label the “defacto government” a military coup.

Lastly, remember that the “hypocritcal critics” Obama is refering to does not just include me and my unwashed hippy friends, those critics include President Zelaya himself and nearly every other government in Latin America, including Brazil- remember, the gaint of the south.

Read a book dumbass.