Comments on: Honduras, Bolivarianism, and Central America

By: Walter Smolarek

Walter Smolarek — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:10:50 +0000

Thanks Ron, look for another article soon, I’m going to try to get it out in about a week.

By: ron ridenour

ron ridenour — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:15:10 +0000

Walter,

You said it like it is! And you did it in clear analysis with wit. I enjoyed and learned from, and was encouraged by, what you wrote.

Keep on truck`in

Ron

By: Tegucigalpa Voice

Tegucigalpa Voice — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:31:58 +0000

Walter, the U.S. and ALBA are not two sides of the same coin, you are correct. However, the coin you speak of is the economic platform for which a country adopts – capitalism vs. socialism for the purpose of this conversation. It appears that you are not listening to the comments posted here. What they are attempting to tell you is that you can apply any economic platform here whether it be socialism or capitalism and the outcome with be the same…the poor here (Honduras) will suffer. This country is filled with profiteers and regardless of the system, they will find a way to line their pockets and exploit the labor force. ALBA is not the answer, in fact, it is more of a question. What are the mechanisms by which ALBA professes to make sweeping changes? There is nothing specific in the language as far as I can tell. It appears to be nothing more than generalized propaganda to contradict capitalism, when in fact, it appears to be positioned more as an alternative to Neo-Liberal ideas than to capitalism itself. This region needs citizens to seize control of their country and change the cycle of corrupt leaders all stemming from the same families, the 20 or so families that have run this country for decades. Start there and then we can discuss which economic system would best benefit the Honduran people.

By: Eriadanus

Eriadanus — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:17:00 +0000

It seems from some of the responses above that they come from well educated people as their English seems to have very few gramatical mistakes for someone whose first language is Spanish. My wife is from Honduras and most likely find such comments insulting. As far as the manipulation of ALBA by the elites would be rather difficult and I think reading of the ALBA document would be a good idea. As far as trusting Zelaya we have yet to see whether his endeavor to become a part of ALBA is sincere as he will be meeting with Bush this week, as the headlines read “Zelaya turns to Chavez out of Desperation”. The corruption in the state of Honduras like its relationship with the United States has a long history. One of the biggest problems in Central America as whole is Gangs and the proliferation of drugs via Colombia. The Gangs are very well armed, more so than the Gerrillas of the recent past. Endeavors like ALBA can disappear over night with a change of government. It seems poverty is sometimes used like a weapon as means to control resources.

By: SW - Resident of Honduras

SW - Resident of Honduras — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:11:18 +0000

I have to agree with Walter Smolarek – if you don’t live in Honduras you do not see what really goes on. President Zeleya is in this for himself – do not be fooled. He does not nor never has cared for the poor and advancing their position in life. All the help that has poured into this country has very little impact on the poor other than they are poorer. Those in power find ways to siphon the money and use it for their own personal means. And as to JD’s statement “The ALBA will help keep Zeleya under control, and this will allow the people to organize themselves and get ready to seize their freedom” – I read it as ALBA will have total control of all aspects of government and you will never see the poor benefiting from this agreement. The “people” will be those in control now along with the military who bleed this country dry. Right now, the people have freedom but they lack the education to understand their rights in a free country because those in power make sure they are oppressed and uneducated.

By: Walter Smolarek

Walter Smolarek — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:50:24 +0000

The Venezuela Information Office has put out a good rebuttel to the politicized HRW report, you can read it here: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/3812

By: JD

JD — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:03:31 +0000

Interesting reports out of human rights watch on Chavez’s Venezuela. I wonder why Hugo felt so threatened that he had to expel the authors?

By: Walter Smolarek

Walter Smolarek — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:59:39 +0000

Well Norm, it looks like we have a similar political philosophy; we both believe that power should be in the hands of the people rather than the wealthy. However, I think your application of this philosophy has a lot of flaws in it.

You talk about Chavez using the ALBA to “control” Honduras, and I get the impression that you see the US and the ALBA as two sides of the same coin. The key difference is that Chavez’s ALBA is a socialist project, while US hegemony is perpetrated to further capitalism. Control of another country is just a means to an economic end. For example, the United States didn’t attack and occupy Iraq simply for the sake of its own control; they wanted to control Iraq so that American capitalists could plunder its natural resources. In the same way they want to control and plunder Latin America.

Chavez, on the other hand, as a socialist, does not appease Venezuelan capitalists, he fights them. The ALBA is not loyal to any bourgeois forces; its loyalty rests with the poor, and therefore the solidarity it extends is a genuine representation of its political trajectory, a trajectory that will have tremendous benefits for the people.

I fully agree that Zeleya is not to be trusted. However, what I tried to emphasize in the article was that we, as individuals firmly on the side of the people, have to think strategically. To change Honduras (or any other place), the people have to assume leadership. The ALBA will help keep Zeleya under control, and this will allow the people to organize themselves and get ready to seize their freedom.

By: Norm Deplume

Norm Deplume — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:06:26 +0000

Hi,

On the surface, your analysis looks good above, but unless you have lived in Honduras, you wouldn’t know that ALBA won’t have any benefit to the poor, much like in Venezuela. President Mel is one of our most corrupt presidents, even to the extent of paying everyone who went to the ALBA rally the equivalent of $25 and offering each congressman who would take it $50,000 for the vote when ALBA comes before congress shortly. Whether Honduras gets funds from the US or Chavez, most of it will be stolen and bribes are being paid so Chavez can control Honduras. Over the past month, someone has spent an estimated $5 million dollars on pro-ALBA and pro-Chavez ads on TV and in print here. The ads are running every few minutes. Why?

Fortunately, even the middle and lower income people are not buying it. For the September 15th Independence day, President Mel was booed off the stage. He is busy scrambling to make a deal with the two presidential candidates so he isn’t jailed after he leaves office.

Mel is part of the rotting inner core of much of Honduran politics. Nearly everyone in the country will be glad when he is gone. He gives the red, liberal party a bad name and his antics have virtually guaranteed the next president will be blue, conservative.

Vaya bien, buena suerte.