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Crisis in Honduras VI
 Permalink 0 comments  Latin America |
I'm not going to debate the legality of former President Zelaya's actions nor those of the generals and politicians that ousted him. As I've said before, both sides can make a valid argument of their actions' legitimacy as many news articles and editorials have portrayed. I think that this debate hinges on a constitutional "gray area" and a failed state that sooner or later was going to tumble down on itself. There are instances throughout Latin America's history where constitutional mechanisms have not existed to help lead a country out of crisis.
Though there has been some talk yesterday of the possibility of some sort of electoral solution to the stand down, Honduras seems to be firm on its rejection of Zelaya's return, threatening to arrest him if he steps foot into Honduras (Reuters). The Honduran Supreme Court has denied the OAS' request (BBC) and the OAS head has suggested Honduras' expulsion from the organization (Turkish Weekly). It looks like the OAS won't be able to act quick enough as new President Micheletti has already announced that Honduras will leave the organization immediately (El Universal). It looks like things didn't work out with the 72-hour ultimatum. The OAS will have an emergency meeting to discuss possible sanctions, though I don't think much more can be done (RNV).
Despite this, Zelayas plans to return tomorrow and Ecuador's President states that he is "ready" for the trip (Xinhua). President Ortega of Nicaragua states that Zelaya could return "as late as Sunday" (EFE). The U.N. General Assembly President has also expressed his readiness to accompany Zelaya (Earth Times) as well as the President of Argentina (Buenos Aires Herald), members of the Venezuelan government (El Universal), and the heads of nine Latin American legislatures as mentioned yesterday. Zelaya's states that he is not scared of being arrested and that his plans for return "will remain a secret" and will not be revealed for the time being. It appears as if tomorrow is going to be quite interesting. Will the Honduras military arrest Zelaya amongst an entourage of prominent regional leaders?
Anyways, here are some quick updates on Honduras:
- A video shows Honduran troops shooting out protester's tires (CNN)
- Zelaya's cabinet is in hiding (Youtube)
- 13 legislators from Micheletti's party have released a statement against the coup (RNV)
- Turns out Zelaya's captors were hooded (Center for International Policy)
- The new government has plead for international finance to not be put on pause stating that, "would cause serious problems for the government's spending plans and several infrastructure projects." (Financial Times)
- Some diplomats have stayed in their assigned countries while others have returned. (Miami Herald)
- Local media runs cartoons and soap operas, "as if nothing is happening," according to one blog (Honduras en el Mundo)
- According to one source some businessmen are obligating their employees to march in favor of the new President. The same source states that some poor women and children were paid to march. (YVKE) I'm cautious towards such reports are common among both sides of the political spectrum.
- The new President replaces the pro-Zelaya mayor of Honduras' second largest city with his nephew (Venezolana)
- A few days ago the new government stated that they would request Zelaya's extradition. Interpol has stated that they have yet to receive any sort of petition for his arrest. (ABN)
- Some sources are reporting that the OAS head did not meet with the new President, instead meeting with other government institutions. (Aporrea)
- Sources continue to report that the military is recruiting soldiers by force. (ABN)
- A September 2008 article has been uncovered quoting Micheletti as being "anti-coup". (El Heraldo)
- Chavez is still suggesting military intervention as an alternative. He states that
"The community of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) will be on alert in the next few hours, because if there is any aggression against Zelaya and his delegation, it could open another door. This should prompt, for instance, a military intervention by the United Nations," (El Universal)
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"The Rule" on My Beats.
Permalink 0 comments Music |
I'm frequently asked by musically-inclined friends and associates whether or not they can use any of my music for their personal projects. Throughout the years my "policy" has changed a bit. I have decided to publish the following rule, outlining my requirements of those who wish to use my beats. I thought it would be handy if this list is readily accessible. All of this is pretty much effective now and does not apply to the older projects that I have worked on (though in practice, it generally has worked out that way).
- I'm "open source". Anybody can use anything of mine for whatever they want (excluding the limitations listed below). If you want to record a freestyle, or use it at a show, then there is no problem.
- There's nothing that bugs me more than poor recording quality. If it's recorded in a low-quality setting then please do not give me credit for it. I don't want my name on badly recorded stuff. Don't try to take credit for it either.
- Most of my beats are sort 30-60 second clips. They are sloppy, not mastered, and are extreme drafts. I make tons of these things but don't invest any more time in them unless I think the beat is going somewhere. I'm more than happy to extend, tailor, edit, touch up, or complete any beat for anybody as long as they are to use actually record it. It's stressful to invest time in cutting up a beat that's going to sit in someone's car stereo.
- Once you record something over my beat, give me a copy. Don't try to withhold it from me, please. I'd like to listen to it.
- If within a year you haven't done anything with the song, than I will. I don't want to spend time on finishing a beat only for it never to be released to the general public.
- No dibs. First come, first serve. He who records first on the beat can have it. And if someone else wants to come along and record on the same beat, then they can do so. Exclusivity is only granted to those who will pay for a beat, unless it's a special project that I am working on in coordination with you. I don't want to have to keep track of all the beats that someone claims, nor do I want beats to sit vacant for years until you get around to record something.
- I'll be more than happy to produce your whole album. For free, even. But I can take the task more seriously and invest more time into it I'm the only producer on the album. I like to treat these projects as a sort of continuous work. I think that bringing in a handful of beats from other producers takes away from the unified production as a whole. It's my "baby", one could say.
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Jul
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My (First) Will & Testament
Permalink 6 comments Humor , Personal |
I have decided to write a Last Will & Testament. No, no - I'm not considering suicide. It's just that will all these my grandfather's age, my mother's letters, and all these surprise celebrity heart attacks, I thought it was necessary to throw together an improvised will at least until I have enough possessions to write a real one. I've decided to post it online so that it can be easily accessible (if something ever happens, just use my site's "search" feature to track down this post). Enjoy:
- The executor of my will shall be Jesus Hernandez. He's "down". Even though I know this will does not comply with Puerto Rican law, at this point I think it's sufficient to clarify my wishes.
- Any money that I leave behind should go into a special fund. This fund can only be utilized to cover unforeseen health expenses that may arise with my daughter Amaia Gallardo or my girlfriend Crystal Limabaugh. If Amaia ever passes, than the fund should be passed to her offspring to be used for similar purposes. If Crystal ever marries or procreates with another partner, then she is to loose her access to this fund as I will suppose that she will be incorporated into her own family health plan (or at least she should).
- I am an organ donor. Please harvest my body as efficiently as possible.
- I do not want to be sucked of my guts and filled with plastic and chemicals. I suppose that cremation would be an alternative, though I would very much prefer to have my body tossed into some virgin forest so that I could decompose like I'm supposed to. If my friends and family can find a legal way - or an illegal way without getting caught - of doing this, than please go for it. If I must be cremated than please sprinkle me around a plot of rain forest that is guaranteed to never become a mall or a department store. A natural reservation would be an idea, though you never know.
- I do not want a funeral service. No collective crying for me, please. Just act like I'm out of town, or something.
- I want my daughter to retain her last name - just like she would in Puerto Rico. Even if she is adopted by another person or if she marries.
- I want a road or street in Aguas Buenas named after me. I'm not asking for a name in the pueblo as I would be happy with a portion of Carretera 173. Even if it's just the private road to my grandparent's home, that's fine. I just want folks to remember me every time they pass through.
- Any personal belongings, documents, or trinkets that I leave behind that are not covered in this will, shall go into the hands of Crystal Limbaugh. As Amaia gets older, Crystal has the authority to pass some of these personal possessions to her as she sees fit.
- I want my website to stay up. I have a $2,000 life insurance policy on the side that comes free with my membership at a local bank. This should be enough to keep my site running for at least 16 years. I want all writings from my notebooks and computer to be scanned or uploaded onto my site. This will assure that everything I have ever written is still accessible to anybody with Internet. I would like for my offspring to have access to my "official positions" on various issues. Paperwork for this policy can be found in the "health" folder in my file crate. Anthony Chan should be the person in charge of this.
- I want my hard copy CD collection to be given to my friend Brian Glisson. He could appreciate them. I just ask that they are kept in their books and aren't tossed around or left on the floor of his car. These CDs are boxed in Puerto Rico.
- I want my digital music collection to be given to my friend Dave Lennon. He could appreciate them. All I ask is that the collection remain organized through iTunes, as I spent a tremendous amount of time assuring that they are in order. This music can be found on my external hard drive.
- I want my books to be given to Dave Lennon. He could appreciate them and I'm confident that he's the only person who would actually read them. These books can be found primarily in Puerto Rico, though I have accumulated quite a few here in the States.
- I want all of my beats (I mean all - even the ones my friends hope to use) to be uploaded to free Internet web sites such as mp3.com, imeem, last.fm, soundclick, and myspace under a Creative Commons license, whenever possible. I want to assure that all of those 800+ beats that I invested so much time in can be accessible for generations to come. If an MC wishes to utilize one of my beats, then the choice of whether or not they are worthy should be decided by a special commission. This commission shall be composed of the following people: Rafael Roman, Derek Bordeaux, "Obey", and Jason Gardner. If there is ever a tie, than the beat shall not be used by the petitioner. If either of these people have passed or do not wish to form part of the commission, than they can choose a proxy among the following persons: William Santana, DJ Predator, Adam Monica, Beatriz Badillo, or Carolina Rodas. These are all folks in whom I trust to provide good insight on the lyrical skill of a given MC. If among all of these people there are not 4 willing to partake int he commission, than all of my beats shall pass to the public domain. All I ask is that no wack MC utilize my beats. I am sorry to my other friends and crew members for not including them on this list, but as long as you guys listen to folks like Lil' John and T.I. you cannot have dominion over my beats. The original master files of my beats can be found in my portable hard drive.
- Members of my crew cannot call "dibs" on my beats, nor can they request authorization from "the commission". Instead, they have free access to record over my beats on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once a beat is recorded over by a crew member, than the beat should be eliminated from the list of available beats. All I ask is that the quality of the recording be pristine and that it be immediately posted online as a free download. This is to assure that it doesn't sit on a master tape in a drawer for years to come. Top quality stuff only: please do not record stuff on a karaoke machine in your basement.
- My childhood archive of comic books should be inventoried and sold on e-bay. The funding should be included in the health fund set up earlier. Antoine Harvis should oversee this step. Expenses for shipping and e-bay posting can be taken from the final earnings. These comic book crates can be found in my father's attic.
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Jul
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Crisis in Honduras IV
Permalink 0 comments Latin America |
Obviously the first thing I did upon waking up was run to my computer to read up on the crisis in Honduras.
Both groups for and against Zelaya's return have been filling the streets during the previous days. Both sides have presented arguments in their favor (here's another article on the legality of Zelaya's actions, by the way), both claims that I think have validity. The civil and legal gridlock is reminiscent of social conflicts that have plagued Latin America for decades. International community is clamoring for a return of the old government - something that I think is inevitable - though at the present moment we find ourselves in a calm before the storm.
It has reported that the new President Roberto Micheletti is "willing to talk" (Bloomberg) and that "political actors close to the new government" and some members of the Honduran congress are in negotiations for a resolution to the crisis; including Zelaya's return (New York Times). Micheletti has also welcomed yesterday a commission from the Organization of American States (El Tiempo). Despite this, Micheletti has proceeded with the nomination of a number of cabinet posts (Univision). (Too bad these folks are not going to receive their first paycheck.) Mixed signals indeed. It could be that negotiations are taking place with various distinct branches of the Honduran government.
It is now learned that Manuel Zelaya's home was fired on upon his ousting, a detail which makes his arrest seem a lot less legitimate and lawful as some try to insinuate (Workers World). The new government has also attempted to come out stating that there existed a legitimate order for Zelaya's expulsion that was released hours before his arrest, though documentation provided is dated after his ousting. Apparently, only an order to acquire evidence existed (Honduras en el Mundo, El Tiempo).
The Honduran Congress has also passed an emergency law curtailing a number of basic freedoms (NarcoNews, Inside Costa Rica, El Pais), though other sources state that such limitations are to be uphold only during the night time curfue (Reuters, Hondudiario). Micheletti himself has come out to say that these restrictions are only temporary and effective during the night time curfew (El Tiempo). I have also read that the restrictions are not applicable to members of the press, something that conflicts with reports that the new government was shutting down on press. Quite possibly it's only the international press that's being butted out. I must point out that it's ironic how they feared a alterations to the constitution only for they themselves to limit certain articles of the constitution.
Though at first the new government had only exiled Zelaya, now they are calling for his arrest and extradition. The government has even suggested his arrest in Panama, where Zelaya was as of yesterday afternoon (El Tiempo). The new government has also begun investigating a number of Zelaya's ministers under charges of possession of firearms and of electoral materials (El Tiempo).
The U.S. has decided to hold off its economic sanctions until Monday (AFP) and one community leader reports that there are military battalions that are "refusing to repress the population" (Americas Policy Program). A number of prominent lawyers and judges have also filed suite against the government, stating that the Honduran Constitution strictly prohibits forced exile (Radio Cadena Agramonte) and the Honduras Catholic Church has spoken against the coup (El Tiempo). On the other hand, Honduras' Ambassadors to the U.S. and European Union have come out to acknowledge Micheletti as the legitimate President (El Tiempo, 2). Boy,is he going to be fried when his boss gets back. Zelaya from Panama has "fired" his U.S. and Brussels Ambassadors (El Tiempo) |
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Crisis in Honduras III
Permalink 0 comments Latin America |
 T
The international community continues to isolate the new Honduran government as it settles in and embraces for what's to come. The Organization of American States (OAS) has given a 72-hour ultimatum to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya or face expulsion from the organization (El Financiero). Aside from the political consequences, this does not mean much, as Cuba has long been refused membership. Though ousted President Manuel Zelaya had initially intended to return this Thursday along side some of his pink tide buddies, he has decided to await the outcome of the OAS ultimatum. The U.S. has called this a "wise" move (Reuters).
The new government, on the other hand, as already stated its intention to defy the ultimatum, stating that only an invasion could reinstate Zelaya (AP). Venezuela President Hugo Chavez has called for exactly that; suggesting that the UN utilize military force to return Zelaya to power. The AP reports the following:
The interim president of Honduras vowed Tuesday not to resign the post he took over following a military coup and claimed that only an armed invasion would restore his ousted predecessor to power... Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said any aggression toward Zelaya from [new President] Micheletti's government should prompt a military intervention by the United Nations... Micheletti said his government had imposed a nightly curfew "until things get back to normal because they have warned us that some South American countries were going to attack us and the population has to be ready and prepared."
Guatamala quickly threw out that idea (El Universal) as Bolivia suggested the more pragmatic approach of setting up an Inter-American court to try the coup leaders (AFP). Meanwhile, the U.S. has seized military exercises with the Honduran government (Department of Defense) and numerous nations have withdrawn their ambassadors until further notice. The borders of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala (Prensa Grafica, 2) have been closed off its borders with Honduras, thus leaving it with no land access to its trading partners. The World Bank (Financial Times) and Inter-American Development Bank (Reuters) has frozen all loans to the new administration. With no foreign government acknowledging the legitimacy of the new government and with no trade or credit with neighbors, it's only a matter of time until the new government collapses.
Some pro-Zelaya elected officials and bureaucrats have been arrested and relieves of their positions (Xinhua) as at least one other has received amnesty abroad (La Opinion). The Honduran military is also allegedly roaming the countryside drafting young men into military service, reports one Nicaraguan newspaper (El Nuevo Diario).
Not only has Zelaya held off his return to Honduras, but he has stated before the UN that upon his reinstatement, he would not seek the constitutional amendments that caused this whole conflict (AP). Both he and the new President have expressed their interest in not running for re-election (AP). Thus, we are witnessing a showdown between two figures who - at least to their claims - will be gone in a few months, sea como sea. The new President states that even if Zelaya was not to continue pushing his proposed Constituent Assembly that a warrant for his arrest has been issued in regard to drug trafficking charges (Angola Press). I think that it's obvious that the new administration is trying to dish out whatever they can to prevent Zelaya's reinstatement.
Both sides are still claiming that their actions are entirely within the frame of law as detailed in two New York Times and VHeadline articles. Interestingly enough, we learn now that the primary coupster and other participants were graduates of the famed School of Americas (Democratic Underground). This probably explains why their coup reaks so much of Cold War tactics. Cuban sources claim that right-wing leaders in Honduras had communicated with the U.S. embassy shortly prior to the coup (Periodico 26). I am not sure how true this claim is, but even if it is I doubt any direct meddling between the Obama administration and the coup plotters. Barak Obama until now has been quite clear about his opposition to the coup and lacks any real interest in meddling in regional affairs as much as his predessesor.
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In Mom's Words...
Permalink 0 comments Personal |
I have decided to take Vicki's advice and read these things one at a time. There's not enough to last forever and a writing a day from my late mother is enough to uplift me.
I am learning so much about my mother. My oldest sister has my mother's journals and this has struck my interest in looking over them again. Many of these stories that are buried within these e-mails occurred during my early teenage years and much information was either held from me, or not noticed. For instance, the following is an account of my mother's encounter with cancer and her troubled with the doctors:
One morning in March 1993 in Ft. Riley, Kansas, I looked in the mirror and notice a bump on the left side of my neck. My first reaction was laughter, of course. I laugh a lot. At noon when Orlando Part One came home for lunch he looked at it and insisted I go to the doctor. I called and got an appointment for that afternoon. The lump kept growing as the day wore on. It got big fast. The biggest it got was almost like half a baseball. The doctor checked it out by looking at it and touching it. He called another doctor to check it out also. They both agreed I had sprained my neck and that it would go away. That was my first argument of many with the medicine world. I assured them I had not sprained my neck. This had appeared out of the blue without any incident to sprain anything. Of course they brushed me away, sent me home and told me if the lump didn't go away in a few weeks to go back to the hospital.
The lump did not hurt at all. It made me think about my health. I had not been feeling myself lately. Something was odd. My sleep was being interrupted a lot at night, I would wake up a lot drenched in sweat. I was 44 years old and figured the sweat was due to the approaching menopause. My energy was leaving me. Otherwise I was ok and looked healthy. The lump started to shrink slowly, but it never went away completely. It stayed the size of half a golf ball.
About a week went by and I started to get a very strong back pain. That was very odd since I never had any kinds of pains, not even headaches, and I had not had anything happen to me to have caused the pain. It got so bad I finally went to the doctor again. I told him about the lump and he brushed it away. He gave me Motrin for the back ache. I had probably sprained that also ha ha ha..........
.About two weeks later I took one of the kids to the doctor for something I don't remember. The pediatrician asked me what was that on my neck. I told him and he insisted I get that checked immediately. He didn't even touch it. I made another appointment to get the lump checked again.
Of course I then ran to the library and hit the books. I read everything I could related to what was going on. The first book I checked out was a book on symptoms.....I looked up lumps....I quickly found out what was Hodgkins Disease...read on that among other things. A lump on the neck or any other site of a lymph node......night sweats........By the time you had symptoms like the sweats it would be in the 3rd stage of 4...with the symptoms it would be part B . (The doctors told me I was in stage 3B....they confirmed my findings)...that meant the system was affected on the top and on the bottom of the body....it was very curable...
When I saw the doctor he sent me to get a biopsy of the lump. In surgery they gave me an appointment in six weeks. HO HO HO....I raised hell and talked with a lot a lot of people. The appointment was changed for real soon. The biopsy was made and hurt a lot. I used to hysterically hate pain. I have learned to tolerate whatever since then.
My parents had driven up from Miami to say good bye. They were in the process of moving back to Puerto Rico with my grandparents who needed care. (Eventually they did move there and took care of both of my grandparents until they both died) The doctor called and asked me to go as soon as I could to see him. I went alone, suspecting what I knew to be true. He said very cooly that I had cancer. That it was the best to have if you had to have it because it is very curable. I was to have the lymph node removed. I walked out of there in a daze.
All of my life I had always been so healthy. All of my life I had done all the right things health-wise.Nobody in my family had had cancer. I had met three of my great grandmothers who had each lived to almost 100 and had been very strong and clear headed to the end. I had a lot of relatives that had long healthy lifes. That was a shoker.
The lymph node was removed to help them diagnose me better. I was sent to Denver to a medical hospital 8 hours away. My parents were devastated. They had changed their plans and decided to stay with me. They took me to Denver. Orlando stayed home with the kids. We were gone three weeks. When I was admitted to the oncology ward I felt so fortunate. The patients were in different stages of different cancers. I was so strong and healthy and happy and at peace in spite of everything. I had three other ladies in the same room...We had good times. I taught them how to crochet and we joked with the doctors that if they didn't let us go home the ward would be soon be covered with our masterpieces. Sometimes we would order pizza real late at night from Pizza Hut. That is another story............my adventures in Denver.
The doctors came in to introduce themselves and let me know the slides of the lymph nodes had been done improperly and they would have to remove another one............wow..........Everybody told me I could get a lot of $$$$$$$$$$ with a sue on that, but I refused to do that. My energy it for my healing, not for $$$$$$$$$$.
They removed a lymph node from the inside of my left thigh, very high up. It was awful because of the position. When the stitches were removed the cut sort of opened again and you could see the shinny things inside. I called it my third eye with a wicked smile that put a funny look on Orlando's face. As you can imagine we made a lot of jokes with my third eye. The scar is ugly. It drained for a month this clear liquid from the lymphatic system. I used to wrap up my thigh with a sanitary napkin and a large bandage because of the heavy flow of that liquid from that cut.
I had a cat scan, a bone scan, a heart test and worse of all a bone biopsy where pieces of bones(like tooth picks) are removed from the lower back to see if the cancer is there.They actually drill the little critters out! Finally the doctors came in and said I had been misdiagnosed. I had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. It is not curable like the Hodgkins.
I was started on the treatments towards the end of April. Heavy-duty chemo. The last treatment was around September. I have been well throughout and since. That Christmas I stopped covering my head. I go to the doctor every 4 months. So far so good. Lately I have been very careless with my eating, vitamins and exercise. I gave myself license to do that for the holidays. I am ready to get serious again. I believe I will be around to help my daughters through their menopause :) ...The little one is only 10. If I go home before that I know my God will help them go through menopause and everything else. Of course I have given much thought to going to my eternal home. It is not such a far away thing anymore. It(death) is behind my ear (like everybody else) like grandma used to say :)...Nothing is a big deal anymore. What is the worse that could happen, I ask myself...Perhaps pain is the worse, but then, that won't be forever. I think the worse would be loneliness and not having anybody care about you so of course I have been greatly blessed in that department. I don't think you wanted such a detailed account. You know me. I get carried away so very easily.
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Crisis in Honduras II
Permalink 0 comments Latin America |
I've been tossing and turning all night. Decided to lug myself to the computer and complete a post that I had begun earlier about the coup occurring in Honduras.
Anti-Zelaya material was easy to come by, but the pro-Zelaya blog "Honduras en el Mundo" has been a great source of information. With the new government limiting access of information - allegedly even cutting the electricity and water for at least one channel - flickr, twitter, and the blogosphere have provided a first hand glimps at some of the activity. It's odd how the coup has been carried out in such a textbook, old school fashion. It's as if all of these coupsters are still stuck back in the 1980s. Sacking the President and closing off the news networks is not sufficient in this age of cellphones and Internet communication.
Apparently the issue is a lot more complex than a simple referendum on Zelaya's re-election. Zelaya wished to carry out a referendum consulting the populace on whether or not they wished to hold a formal referendum during the up-comming elections.  A referendum to hold a referendum, we could say. Zelaya is pushing what he calls "the 4th Urn", which would allow the citizens to state whether or not they wished to hold a new round of elections for a constituent assembly. Puerto Rican legislators propose the same every once and a while and other Latin American countries have done the same in recent months. Here are pro- and anti- accounts.
For obvious reasons the Honduran Congress is dead set against such a processes. Zelaya's "crime", for the most part, has been his insistence on carrying out the consultation. This article from a popular Honduran newspaper features primarily anti-4th Urn statements from quite a few of the Congressmen. Their statements do not speak of the legality of the proposal, but more their opposition to altering the Constitution. It's obvious that the Congress simply wishes to preserve itself. One Congressman said so himself, stating "Who could possibly imagine that
the National Congress - as the genuine representation - would support a
referendum initiative that would put itself into a guillotine."
I've read extensive arguments from both sides stating that the 4th Urn consultations are totally legal or that the coup was legitimate. Both sides make great arguments in their favor, and I must conclude that the subject falls within a grey area that is not clarified in detail in the Constitution. I do not see a legal mechanism to reverse all of this: it seems to me that the document has failed to provide any accepted methods to resolve such a dispute. Much like in any Latin American state, the courts and legislatures are too highly politicized to provide a neutral evaluation of the situation. But many of these Congressmen believe that "the Constitution is fine as it is."
Whether or not Zelaya returns, there will exist confusion, and allegations from both sides of illegalities. Both sides believe that they have followed the legal route, and both sides might have done so. I do not think that the opposition will accept the idea of a new round of elections, as this was the issue that caused the whole deal to begin with. I'm starting to feel that the only response would be for the populace to bring down this state and construct a new one from scratch. Maybe I've been reading too much of Crane Brinton's "The Anatomy of a Revolution" and Hannah Arendt's "On Revolution". |
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In Mom's Words...
Permalink 2 comments Personal |
On our quality of food:
Vicki, I also wanted to talk a little about the dietitian in the hospital.....Do be careful. These people usually got their degrees from universities where food companies have a lot invested in them and many times are very biased.....educate yourself in nutrition....the less man has messed with a food the healthier it will be for you.
On the birth of my niece, Victoria:
This is the first one I will be present to watch from the other end :).... I had four and didn't see too well what was going on with the commotion and pain and what have you...My eyes water up with just the thought.....I never thought I would see a grandchild....and to watch one come to the world is beyond my imagination.
On my mother's wish to publish a book. This wish was fueled by a friend of hers who had successfully published a book of her own on popular Spanish phrases. My mother wished to write a visitor's guide for Columbus, Georgia, and I recall with detail the various formats and book standards that she explored.
As you can tell writing is another one of my passions...I wish to write a book some day...Maybe you can edit it!!!!!! :) ....As they say in Puerto Rico....everything begins with a dream .... TODO COMIENZA CON UN SUEÑO.
My mother being festive. I love how she refers to Latin music as "our wonderful music". I know that Dave would agree with this:
We sat with our Latin friends and that is why we have so much fun... Next Saturday the same group is having an office party at the boss's house. Last year we had an incredible time....with our wonderful music from our countries (the grounp has people from different Latin countries) and food... A few of our friends play instruments and we all sang songs from our countries.
My mother would always tell us the following. Makes me want to go rent a dozen comedies from the 1990s:
Laughter is indeed the best medicine.
In one of the e-mails my mother allowed me father to contribute a few
paragraphs. He made reference to my mother drinking a beer in one of
their Christmas parties. I felt crushed - remembering how I was so
disappointed the only time I ever saw my mother take a sip from a beer
bottle! I almost slapped the bottle out of her hand! She had raised me
to be alcohol-free only for me to walk in on her drinking a - gasp -
beer.
I read the following heart breaking story about some friends of the family that we had in Germany. I recall them quite clearly and now understand why they so quickly vanished from our lives. I can appreciate how she is so understanding of the situation:
Very shortly after this we moved from Germany to a military base in Kansas. One sunny summer afternoon we were out in the yard meeting some of our new neighbors. The man was conversing with Orlando and the lady with myself. After a while the man came and stood by be and put an arm around me....I stared at him and he said "Antilles High School!" .....WOW....we had been in High School together. Both of us had changed a lot. He was not as short, a little wider, bald headed and a mustache...I was much wider than the 99 pounds I used to weigh back then and my hair was no longer down my waist..You can imagine our joy.He had the same rank as my husband. His wife was a sweetheart. Our pictures in the High School annual are on the same page! We became such good friends. We would double date all the time....to the military dances and all sorts of activities. We would go out for ice cream.. We would share dinners at eachother's homes.You can imagine how neat it was. That winter the road froze and Orlando put on his ice skates and knocked his door and invited him to come out and play...We laughed so hard. There was not another soul outside, it was so cold.We all got along well. In March I was diagnosed and they stopped being our friends overnight..cold turkey (by the way , have you quit smoking??? :) :) :) ) That really broke my heart. I never understood it. Just when I needed my friends the most.When you have lived this gypsy life you treasure friends like that so much. The day the movers came they showed up with a casserole dinner for us. Both looked so uncomfortable it hurt. I realized some people cannot deal with facing death. I have seen it repeated in different circumstances. If you experience this remember. Some people just don't know how to deal with these things. I really don't believe it is out of meanness.
Below are some other quotes of interest:
[If] we were to sell this house and go to Puerto Rico we could do that.
We just came back from the new Year's Filipino Ball.....we are so worn out from dancing. This is the last one for a long time. I told Orlando next year I really don't want to go to so many things in December. This is TOOOOOOOO much. It is fun, but it is so stressful and expensive.We can dance at home for free.
I was also thrilled to see that my mother not only had a BA in Psychology but one in Sociology as well! I'm pleased to have inherited my mother's curiosity of society as a whole. I try to pin point if there were any activities or things that she might have exposed me to that would have led me to want to peruse a career in the social sciences, but everything seems to run together.
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Jun
30 |
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Crisis in Honduras
Permalink 0 comments Latin America |
 Last
Sunday night the President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya was arrested by
the Honduran military and forced into exile in Costa Rica. Since then
there has been an international outcry against what appears to be a
Cold War-era coup. It's been quite a few years since anything serious
of the likes has occurred in Latin America. Whenever controversial
elections, rebellions, or political drama occurs I tend to invest a
significant amount of time into researching, following, and commenting
on it. The Bolivian "Gas Wars", Venezuelan national strikes, and the
Mexican elections have been some events that have garnered much of my
attention in recent years.
I follow political events in Latin
American quite closely, particularly when it involves a leftist
presidential candidate that has a serious change of taking power. I
have witnessed in the last years the rise of "pink tide" Presidents
take power in Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador,
Nicaragua, and Paraguay. I even have a little map where I will paint in
the countries that have joined in. These movements excite me very much,
not necessarily because they are leftist, but because they all adopt
independent foreign policies and are slowly shifting towards the
creation of a unified Latin American union. It also provides an
economic and political model which counters decades of neo-liberal
shock therapy and social conflict.
The events in Honduras had
caught me by surprise. "I don't recall a leftist President being
elected in Honduras", I thought as I read about the ousting of a
leftist President. I recall up until recently the election of
Paraguay's Fernando Lugo in 2008 and was well aware that nothing of
significant interest has happened since then. I was confused as how I
could have missed this. After reading into it a bit more, it appears as
if Honduran President was elected on a right-wing platform only to make
a sudden shift to the left. This Wall Street Journal time line
reveals that shortly after gaining power in 2006 a free trade pact was
reached with the U.S., only for Zelaya to cozy up to Cuba and Venezuela
a year later. I'm disappointed at myself for this sliding by me.
Though
Zelaya might have upset his original supporters by switching sides, I'm
also aware that since then he has picked up a faithful followers among
the lower and indigenous groups. Though I now sympathize for him, I
would have very much preferred for him to be elected by such a
platform. Switching sides robs him of much legitimacy, reminding me of
how Lucio Gutierrez was elected by Ecuadorians on a left-wing ticket
only to make an embarrassing, sudden shifts to the right. Whether or
not Zelaya is truly a valid representation of the will of the majority
of Hondurans cannot be verified until the next electoral consultation
to the people. And Zelaya wished to do just that.
The catalyst
for recent events is a proposed constitutional amendment that would
have eliminated term limits. Such an amendment is not unheard of, as it
was recently debated in both Colombia and Venezuela. Zelaya wished to
carry out a "non-binding" referendum, a wish that was ruled out by both
the Congress and the courts. Zelaya pushed forward, ordering the
military to continue with the referendum - as in Honduras it is the
military that apparently administers elections. The head of the
military refused, only to be relieved by Zelaya. The courts demanded
that the military head be instated, a move with Zelaya denied. Zelaya
was then arrested by the military and forced to resign. It was later
admitted that this was ordered by the courts, though no foreign nation
has yet to acknowledge any legitimacy in the transfer of power.
There
are a few details I wish to mention. First of all, constitutions in
Latin America tend to be weak, rarely enforced, and short lasting.
There have existed hundreds of versions of a constitution for only a
few more than a dozen countries that make up the region. Constitutions
lack such stability and reliability that the first thing reformist
Presidents try to do is create a new one upon entering office. This was
the route taken by Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The 27 year old
Honduran constitution, for example, has been amended as many times as
the 200+ year U.S. constitution.
It was no surprise to me that
the current constitution was spearheaded by a very pro-Washington,
pro-corporate, right-wing administration during the 1980s. I am also
guessing that the Honduran government is still riddled with appointees
from previous administrations, explaining why there as been so much
institutional crisis in recent months. It is apparent that the
government is weak and failing and that pressure is growing for
something to be done about it. I have seen this time and time again, as
a Latin American state collapses under its own dead weight and a
popular up-rising breathes new life into a new state. We will see if
this is the case.
I get the idea that this was not the only measure included in Zelaya's proposed amendment. Many of his supporters (including this blogger)
speak of the need of a new constitution in general, often referring to
the current lack of participatory democracy and the control that
international corporations have on local resources. I am trying to find
the actual text of the amendment, and I will discuss it in further when
I find it. Even if it's limited to the elimination of Presidential term
limits, I do not have a problem with it. If the population doesn't want
to re-elect somebody, then they will simply vote against him during the
next elections. Folks tend to support or oppose Presidential term
limits depending on who it is that's running for re-election. Not to
mention, the vote is "non-binding" so I get the feeling that the
Congress is scared of a pro-Zelaya outcome.
I'm all for such
popular consultations. Especially if it's non-binding; I don't see how
much damage such a consultation could inflict. From what I've read the
current constitution does not require the Congress to consult the
population when discussing constitutional amendments, something that
Zelaya's supporters seem to be pretty upset about. Some argue that
Zelaya's measures were legal as the constitution states specifically
that the Congress cannot amend sections of the constitution that create
and regulate actual forms of governments.
I am very glad to see
Obama join in on Latin America's refusal to accept the new Honduran
government. Bush would have jump on that with the quickness, much like
he did during the 2003 Venezuelan coup. The fact that the U.S.
government is not eagerly legitimizing the new administration has
allowed the international community to play its part without any fear
of political retaliation. Even though the opposition group that
supports this coup was funded with federal dollars through USAID, I'm
pretty sure that it dates back from the previous U.S. Presidency.
I'll be following up shortly. |
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Jun
30 |
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In Mom's Words...
Permalink 0 comments Personal |
I'm at it again. I stumbled upon the following story concerning my
brothers "adventure in Amsterdam". I was a young teenager when all of
this occurred and was kept out of the finer details. I only recall my
mother receiving a phone call late in the night and my brother showing
up a few days later.
I will tell you the story of my son's adventure in Amsterdam..........
After about a year in Columbus Orlando (My husband's name is Orlando
and his three sons have the same name. He said he's feeding the kids,
so they should carry his name.....I put my foot down about naming the
girls ORLANDA) had decided he had had enough of this little hick town
as he called it. Since we arrived here he had met all the strange
people in town as he always would when we arrived anywhere. One of his
new friends was Carl. Carl is gay also and eccentric like my son. He
had graduated from Georgia State University and also from some chef
school.
Carl encouraged Orlando to go with him to Amsterdam and live there. He
said he had friends, places to stay, and that it would be easy for them
to get jobs there. Orlando sold his car (his grandfather had bought
him) and all his possessions and bought a one way ticket to Amsterdam.
He quit his work in the theater (he was in charge of putting on the
films in a very big and new theater in town) and left.
We were very concerned and of course also very relieved in a way to see
him leave. Living with him was VERY difficult and brought a lot of
tensions in our home. He was so inconsiderate is so many ways and was
driving us insane. He would do things live drive our phone bill sky
high and take forever to pay his long distance calls, leave the door
opened when he would come in at the weeeeee houurs at night...etc etc
etc. Well, he left and for the longest time we didn't hear from him.
It was about a month.
He told me later that when he was getting ready to leave the airplane
upon his arrival a guy near him in the line to leave the plane got ill
and threw up all over Orlando's shirt. Orlando had to take off his
shirt it was so messed up and enter the airport like that. This was a
sign of things to come. When they got to customs Carl was arrested.
Orlando was left with the bags. He went through a lot of hassle and
eventually was able to get with Carl again. Carl never told him what
happened.
It turned out that there was no friend's place for them to stay after
all and they ended staying in a cheap place where they had to pay.
After some days of partying and what have you Carl disappeared. One
morning at 5am here I received a call from Orlando from
Amsterdam......telling me he was alone and in the streets and had put
his baggage in a locker in the train station. He didn't have much
money left. I told him to go to a church, that perhaps someone would
help him there.
You can imagine how insane I was getting. My husband was very
concerned for me. I was supposed to have no stress and here I was going
through hell with this grown child. My husband told me to offer
Orlando a ticket to return home (almost $800!) immediately. When
Orlando called again he said he couldn't find a church. They were all
turned into museums. The police had suggested he return to America. I
made him the offer to come home and he said no. This time he said he
was going to make it on his own.
I was so desperate. My father suggested we send him some money for him
to get a room, bathe, eat and make a decision with a clear head. My
dear pastor would come to see me and we prayed and prayed. I learned
what to pray without stop is and I learned what putting something in
God's mighty hands is. There was nothing else I could do. He had
called like 5 times collect and each time he was more desperate. I had
told him that he had to make a decision and that he had to stop calling
collect just to talk, we could not afford to continue this situation
especially if he wasn't willing to get out of there.
I had gone to the library and checked out a travel book of Amsterdam.
It said there was a lot of crime in the city. My son had said he had
never seen such deprivation and free use of drugs even by the police in
the streets and so much youth lost to drugs everywhere and prostitution
and what have you. He was afraid to sleep on a bench because of the
thieves. I saw in the city map where he was calling me from....the
train station. My husband agreed on my father's suggestion of sending
some money. I called and found out there was only one place where I
could send $ through Western Union......they had a place in the train
station where Orlando had been calling me from. I send the money and
waited for what seemed forever for him to call me.
He finally called me. He told me that after his last call to me he
saw in a park a person he had met in Montreal when he had lived there.
This person owned a coffee shop in Amsterdam. Orlando had approached
him already in search of work and the guy had told him to come in a
month. When they spoke in the park Orlando said the guy had a very
different attitude towards him. He had an attitude of concern and sat
with him and asked him what was going on.Orlando for the first time
spilled his heart out and told the guy his story. They guy right there
offered Orlando work in his shop as a bus boy and said he could sleep
upstairs in his flat in the sofa until he saved enough for a flat.
Orlando worked that night and was paid when the shop closed. He said
he was dead tired but so happy that he was able to work. He was able to
eat well, bathe and rest finally.
When he called me he was so happy and in awe of the change in
everything. It was spring and there were flowers being sold everywhere.
He spoke of you the flowers reminded him constantly of me and how much
he loved all of us etc etc....I told him we had send him some $ that he
was to pick it up in the station. He was shocked and yelled that it
was right by the phone where he was calling from......that I shouldn't
have send him $ that he wanted to make it on his own. I told him to
use it for his savings for the rental of his future flat.I told him
about the map I had studied.....He told me he lived in Church
Street...I laughed remembering my Lord's good sense of humor always.
A whole month passed by without hearing from him. Mothers' Day came
and he didn't call. He always used to call me on that day before. One
afternoon I received another early call from him. Desperate....that he
was going crazy......I asked him if he was ready to come home. He had
to think about it. We hanged and here I felt back in square one! My
husband walked in from work....I had just finished telling him what
happened. He told me we had to get him out of there. The phone rang
again..............Orlando had decided to come home. He said that he
was going to die if he didn't get out of there. In the short time he
had been there he had just lost a fourth new friend to drugs. The
young man had just been found in a gutter dead from drugs. I got to
the travel agency just before they closed, bought him the tickets for
him to pick up over there in the airport. When he called the last time
I gave him the information. He was desperate and I told him to pack
and leave immediately to the airport, he would be home before 24 hours.
He looked awful when he got here. He looked like someone from a
concentration camp. What a relief it was to have him back.....He
fattened up a little, slept for what seamed forever, got a very good
job in Sears selling electronics. That is another story of God's hand.
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