What Media Bias? Part 154

Posted by Mark Noonan in Foreign Affairs, Media on July 24th, 2009 at 12:07am with 9 responses.
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In the form of an AFP report on Honduras – adjustments to make it a true story are in italics:

Honduras’s de facto government has shot down a last-gasp deal to resolve the country’s global left’s political crisis, insisting ousted President Manuel Zelaya cannot return to office.

The return of Mr Zelaya as president was impossible, interim foreign minister Carlos Lopez Contreras said on CNN’s Spanish station, effectively killing hopes of a settlement an outsider-enforced coup.

Crisis mediator and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has proposed a fresh plan for Zelaya’s return Wednesday, with concessions for the interim government, which backed ordered the army’s June 28 expulsion of the Honduran leader.

Arias’s plan called for Zelaya’s return to the country as president in a national unity government, until his term ended in January.

In return, the current de facto leadership would see sanctions against the country lifted, a limited amnesty for political Zelaya’s crimes and a bar on Zelaya seeking constitutional reforms designed to let him seek another term in office.

But negotiators for the de facto government returned to Honduras saying the deal presented in Costa Rica would not be signed by their leader President Roberto Micheletti.

“As I see it, it will be difficult for him to sign up,” spokesman Mauricio Villeda said…

… Hondurans remain deeply split over opposed to the possibility of his return. Many fear it are certain would provoke more violence after Zelaya’s spectacular first attempt left at least one protester dead in clashes with soldiers.

On that occasion, troops had blocked the runway of the airport where he tried to land.

Hundreds Tens of thousands of white-clad demonstrators on Wednesday protested against Zelaya’s return in the capital, where the situation has become increasingly polarized clear that Zelaya is not wanted.

“We don’t like you, Mel,” one banner read in Wednesday’s demonstration, using Zelaya’s nickname.

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Mark Noonan is co-author (with Matt Margolis) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at Nevada News and Views. Follow Mark on Twitter.

9 Responses to “What Media Bias? Part 154”

  1. frenchstudent says:
    July 24, 2009 at 2:06 am

    Hey look ! Omniscient Mark knows better than the actual journalists that were actually there !

  2. Mark Noonan says:
    July 24, 2009 at 2:09 am

    french,

    Did you click on the link to see what AFP described as “hundreds” of anti-Zelaya demonstrators?

  3. bozo says:
    July 24, 2009 at 2:47 am

    Republicans like them some dictators followed by mob rule. They’re glad rich-dude Michelleti, who couldn’t even get his OWN party to nominate him in the last election (that’s how unpopular he is) used guns and generals to install him as el Presidente.

    Hey Mark, is that what you’re hoping for here? Are you calling for the destruction of American Democracy? When the minority doesn’t like election results, they should get guns and take over? Are you saying it’s not one-man-one-vote, but one-bullet-one-vote?

    I expect to see you rioting in the street of New York when Bloomberg pulls the exact same stunt Zelaya tried to pull.

    God bless democracy. God bless America.

  4. Mark Noonan says:
    July 24, 2009 at 2:55 am

    bozo,

    Ah, but that isn’t what happened at all – Zelaya was plotting a coup using a pre-rigged vote to get himself installed as President-for-Life on the model of Hugo Chavez. The Honduran democracy thwarted him – Congress, Courts and Army uniting against the would-be tyrant.

  5. Sergei Andropov says:
    July 24, 2009 at 3:48 am

    their leader President Roberto Micheletti.

    How is Micheletti the President? Zelaya has not resigned. He has not been convicted of any crime. Although the process to remove him was begun, it was never completed. The Honduran Constitution does not give the Supreme Court the power to remove the President. It does however say this:

    Nadie debe obediencia a un gobierno usurpador ni a quienes asuman funciones o empleos públicos por la fuerza de las armas o usando medios o procedimientos que quebranten o desconozcan lo que esta Constitución y las leyes establecen. Los actos verificados por tales autoridades son nulos. el pueblo tiene derecho a recurrir a la insurrección en defensa del orden constitucional.

    No one owes obedience to a government that has usurped power, or to anyone who has assumed their position and authority through force of arms, or through means and procedures that violate those set forth by the Constitution and the law, or that are not found therein. Actions taken by such authorities are without legal weight. The people have the right to engage in insurrection in defense of the constitutional order.

  6. Mark Noonan says:
    July 24, 2009 at 3:52 am

    Sergei,

    Which, in a way, is precisely what they did – and if the Honduran authorities style Micheletti as President, I’m not going to dispute them – just as I don’t dispute Chavez’ title, even though he’s clearly a tyrant.

  7. bozo says:
    July 24, 2009 at 7:57 am

    The big banner they’re parading behind says “Honduras – the first and the last of Chavez.”

    ???

  8. William Teach says:
    July 24, 2009 at 9:43 am

    That last part is interesting. “White clad demonstrators.” Looks like AFP was going for the KKK racism method. Of course, most KKK members were Democrats.

  9. Sergei Andropov says:
    July 25, 2009 at 1:27 am

    Which, in a way, is precisely what they did

    Since you seem to have missed it the first time:

    o usando medios o procedimientos que quebranten o desconozcan lo que esta Constitución y las leyes establecen.

    or through means and procedures that violate those set forth by the Constitution and the law, or that are not found therein.

    The fact that you do not like Zelaya, and the strong possibility that he was going to commit an impeachable offense, do not change the fact that his removal was a blatant violation of the Honduran Constitution. The rest of the government knew what it was supposed to do. They decided instead to sic the Army after him. They have therefore lost the right to call themselves a government.