But why? In short, we have collectively bought into Marxist propaganda of distortion and disinformation. You see, Marxists everywhere and in this case Leftists in Latin America HATE their Militaries because the Militaries are the only thing standing in their way towards their Socialist utopia. Because civilian political institutions are weak, The Military is the only effective stabilizing institution that they have. Remember, while the Militaries create order, Marxists thrive in chaos. A constant misinformation campaign upon their Militaries, has convinced us that the Military is composed of nothing but:
A) Bumbling amateurish fools, or
B) Thuggish greedy megalomaniacs.
Latin American Military institutions are by-in-large conservative professional in nature. Just like in the U.S. they pledge an oath to protect and defend their respective flags and constitutions – Not a particular individual. As a rule of thumb, Latin American civilian politicians whore themselves and the future of their countries with reckless abandon. As a matter of course, they routinely tear-up their constitutions. In Latin America, it is not The Supreme Court, nor Congress, but The Military that keeps the country in an even keel. Thus, whenever a particular civilian administration goes too far in assaulting their constitutions, reluctantly their Militaries raises-up in their (the constitutions’) defense.
There are exceptions to this rule of thumb. At times Militaries have been abusive and over-reaching. In 1948, the Costa Rican Military got itself entangled in a failed Coup which cost them their institutions themselves. As a result, Costa Rica abolished its Army, and their democracy became very stable. During the 1970’s the Military Juntas in Brazil and Argentina sent their countries into a hyperinflationary tailspin, as they vainly tried to hang-on to power. They flooded their countries with gobs of new money in a vain attempt to bail-out their cronies (sounds familiar?). How about Drug Dealing Noriega? And of course, who can’t forget The Falklands War. The Argentinean Junta crafted that ill begotten adventure in a last ditch effort. A Swan Song so to speak, in a vain attempt to rally the flagging support of their countrymen, into a patriotic war of liberation.
Those four terrible examples are the exception, not the rule of Latin American Military involvement in politics. Mostly however, they detest having to get themselves out of garrison, and take over the Capitol and Presidential Palace. In most cases, whenever there is a political crisis of some sort, a well placed grumble from the Casern is enough to set the politicians straight. If the politicians don’t take the hint however, they are forced to roll TANKS onto the streets.
The period of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s were truly dark for Latin America. While the U.S. was too self-focused in being defeated in Vietnam, Marxists throughout the region were busy spreading chaos everywhere. Leninists in agitated for revolution in Brazil. Maoist Urban Guerrillas were busy robbing banks, car and bus-bombing the streets of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Their targeted kidnappings and assassinations were particularly brutal.
I wish that the general readers of this blog would understand Spanish, for this video details the Marxist atrocities in Argentina during that period. If anything, pictures speak for themselves.
Where do you think the Symbionese Liberation Army got its idea of kidnapping Patty Hearst from? “Lucky” for us here in the U.S. they were all amateurs. In Latin America, they were not.
With their nations in absolute chaos, Chile (in 1973) and Argentina (in 1976) saw Military Coups. The Military backlash was brutal. There are no other words for it. But brutal times require brutal remedies. The Militaries cast wide and deep nets, in an aggressive effort to stamp-out every single communist in their countries. As a result both the hard-core Marxist Guerrilla and people tangentially sympathetic to their cause were caught and executed. Tens of thousands were “disappeared”, simply erased from the face of this earth. Today, the liberal media remembers only the “Innocent” disappeared. But not the CARNAGE that these “Angels” all, left in the streets of Buenos Aires.
But it is because Pinochet in Chile and the Junta in Argentina, that we now have stable prosperous democracies in these countries. After the convulsions of violence, order and structure were restored. It came to either that right-winged backlash, or PolPot regimes all throughout the region?
Which brings me to HONDURAS:
Last week, the Honduran Military had enough of President Zelaya’s machinations. Zelaya wanted to carbon copy Chávez’s playbook, and turn Hondurans into a Socialist nation. He first wanted to rewrite its constitution, and convene a constitutional assembly all composed of its cronies. However, according to the current constitution this power to convene a constitutional assembly resides in their Congress, not the President. Zelaya, undaunted decided to carry out a national referendum against the Congress wishes, and against a restraining order by their Supreme Court. Given that the Honduran Electoral Commission didn’t go along with this scheme, Chávez, his buddy in Venezuela, sent Zelaya all required voting materials for this referendum. Furthermore, the Supreme Court in its findings, ordered the Military not to act in support of this referendum. The Honduran Chief of Staff, General Velázquez informed President Zelaya that they would have to comply with the Supreme Court’s order. In turn Zelaya fired the general on the spot. The Supreme Court, then ordered President Zelaya to reinstate the General, as he was acting according to the orders of the Supreme Court. The President refused.
Upon this, and on the night prior to the referendum, The Military acted in defense of the constitution. They roused-up the President in his jammies, and booted him on a plane to Costa Rica, while still in his fuzzy pink slippers. The military immediately handed over power to the Leader of Congress, Roberto Milichetti. The Honduran Constitutions requires that in case of incapacity or vacancy of the Presidency, the Leader of Congress is to vacate his post in Congress and assume the Executive Powers. I am sure that the Honduran Military didn’t require any more incentive, than looking at the Venezuelan Military’s new Motto: Patria, Socialismo, o Muerte. (Country, Socialism, or Death). Sure, they wouldn’t mind putting their lives for the cause of their country, but for Socialism, NO WAY
To this, all the usual suspects are squealing bloody murder. THIS is Zelaya sharing some skin with Chávez, while Ortega looks on quite droopy. (I once bumped into Daniel Ortega right in the middle of an AUSA annual meeting in Washington DC – I S*HIT YOU NOT) But that’s another story.
All the leftist government vociferously decried the Coup. The governments of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela, made a united declaration stating that they would do all in their power to restore Zelaya back to power. Chávez even went so far as putting its Military in alert, stating that it would even intervene militarily to carry out Zelayas restoration to power. This is more as an empty saber-rattle, as Venezuela lacks the means to project power across the Caribbean to Honduras. But what they can do is destabilize Honduras through the land borders of El Salvador and Nicaragua. They have already frozen Honduran government accounts and closed-down all land border crossings. Not to be left behind, Obama has vociferously condemned the Coup also by stating
Now to be fair with President Obama, President Bush would issue a similar statement also. But Bush would publicly issue a Pro Forma statement of condemnation, and then turn and provide quiet support to the new government. President Obama on the other hand, is liable to going further and openly work to destabilize Honduras, as Venezuela and the other miscreants have pledged to do. That has me concerned.
This Coup in Honduras has stirred in me a few nagging questions: We in this country, have been blessed to have a government of laws and by laws. No matter how whacked-out our politicians may seem from time to time, the have not trampled gratuitously our Constitution. As such, our military has faithfully reported to the civilian governments. But what if someday our government rips-up our Constitution with reckless abandon? Will our military be forced to take remedial action and actively defend our Constitution against our civilian politicians? I hope that it never comes to that? But if it does, we will quickly find out that we aren’t that much different from those so-called Banana Republics that neighbor us in the South.
Where this will all end, I do not know. We just have to stay tuned to see what comes out of this.
BOQ
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