DISQUS

hn^3 · 5 months ago

Thought question: If the US President was impeached and removed from office by Congress after trying to get around term limits, and the Supreme Court agreed that the removal was lawful and then asked the military to forcefully remove him from the White House after he refused to vacate, would you call that a military coup?

ekwhite · 5 months ago

Yes

hn^3 · 5 months ago

So you'd call the removal of the President under procedures outlined in the US Constitution as a coup?

Remember, under this scenario, the military is only following the orders given it by the other 2 branches of the government. It played no role in the legal procedures and POTUS is no longer CINC because he has been constitutionally removed from office.

richardgrabman · 5 months ago

Had Mel Zeleyas been impeached (which he wasn't) the argument might hold water... but seeing he wasn't, it's moot.

hn^3 · 5 months ago

I've read through the Honduran Constitution: http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Hondur...

It has no provisions for/against impeachment as we understand it here in the US. However, it does clearly state that anyone promoting the extension of the presidential term (Article 42) loses their citizenship, that the head of the military (which is the national police force and is in charge of directing elections - Article 272) is elected by the Congress, whom Zelaya tried to fire after he refused to help Zelaya defy a Supreme Court order on the illegitimacy of his proposed ballot.

Zelaya broke several very clear clauses in the Constitution, and tried to get away with it but the Supreme Court called his bluff. He ignored them and the military took the (maybe too much) initiative to remove him from office after the Congress agreed with the SC's decision.

scottinsf · 5 months ago

By using hypothetical gymnastics in comparing your "thought question" to the current events in Honduras you're failing miserably.

Indigo · 5 months ago

"Intimidating journalists using guns is so retro," true . . . and it works every time.

ekwhite · 5 months ago

Yet another coup in Honduras. We can have a leftist in "America's Backyard," can we?

dula · 5 months ago

Two of the lead perps of this coup are from the School of the Americas...Right Wing terrorist training organization based in Georgia that is/was responsible for most attacks on democracy in Central America. The Honduran Constitution was created in 1981 by their military dictatorship...term limits(1) were designed to prevent power from getting out of the hands of the military. The ousted Prez was trying to ammend the Constitution toward Democracy. It's heartening then that Obama supports the ousted leader. I guess Barack isn't totally in the hands of the Right.

dula · 5 months ago

BTW, I got that info from The Mike Malloy Show. If you've never listened to his radio show, give him a try. He's very well researched and for a Straight dude he really understands the struggle of GLBT Community...also covers the disregard of the Gay Community by the Obama Admin. consistently. He covered the Prop. 8 issue more thoroughly than anyone else in the media. He's a loyal supporter; Show him some back.

walter · 5 months ago

Chris, I hope that you patiently explain what is really going on down there to John A. I really dont want to be reading and supporting a blog that supports murderers

serge · 5 months ago

Sounds a little too much like the movie, Under Fire, about the fall of Nicaragua. That's just fiction, though realistic; this is for real...

ComradeRutherford · 5 months ago

President Bush brought back a lot of things that civilization had buried, such as torture and permanent imprisonment without Habeas Corpus.

Since the Leader of the Free World thought it best to reverse civilization itself, other nations are just following his lead.