The Honduran Coup is Troubling

The Honduran leader, President Manuel Zelaya was swept away yesterday in military coup by those trained at the infamous "School of the Americas." Obama's response, and Secretary of State Clinton's response (although Clinton's was better) appeared tepid in comparison with other world leaders. General Romeo Vasquez is a graduate of the School of the Americas, trained in the U.S. for specific reasons, maintaining ties to the U.S. Military and gradually improve their ranks in their respective countries. Jeremy Scahill indicates it is a major reason why we train these "graduates."

The President of Congress has declared himself the new President, Roberto Micheletti. On the Friday before the coup, the elected President, Zelaya called Micheletti a second-class congressman, a "pathetic congressman" who only has a career because he attached his coattails to Zelaya. To read more great analysis go here. This is surely a left vs. capitalism coup as the ambassadors of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua have been arrested. Conditions are also deteriorating.

The elected President was no radical, he is a business man elected from the Liberal Party in Honduras with respect for indigineous peoples rights, however he did have left leaning economic and social policies. He earned praise from labor unions and "civil society groups" and forged alliances with the Bolivians and Venezuelans, very left leaning countries in South America.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez insinuated the U.S. was involved. Who knows what happened behind the scenes, Obama insinuated the opposite, but from what we know, how the CIA operates, how the military and others operate in this country (similar graduates have orchestrated similar coups) this might not be far from the truth.

And the beat goes on.