US policies at the root of massive demonstrations in Honduras
Submitted by Mary McNellis
Rarely a day passes that we don’t hear something about the “crisis at the border.” Why are so many people fleeing their homes in the “northern triangle” – Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala? The media rarely describes the horrific conditions that drive these people from their homes, community, everything that they have. The media doesn’t talk about the massive demonstrations that have been occurring in Honduras daily since late April, demanding the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernandez. The US Embassy in Honduras recently announced the arrival of nearly 300 US Marines and others with the US Southern Command’s rapid response force to Honduras and surrounding countries. The US Marines will conduct ‘training and security cooperation’ with the Honduran security forces, which routinely fire live bullets at teachers and other civilians during demonstrations.
What else does our MSM fail to mention? The article below describes what has been happening in Honduras since the 2009 coup d’état when the U.S. (with the support of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) successfully achieved regime change by kidnapping the democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya (see The U.S. Role In The Honduras Coup And Subsequent Violence ) and installing the current president, a U.S. puppet. Since the overthrow of Zelaya, spending on education has dropped from 32.9% of the budget to 19.9%, spending on health care reduced from 14.3% to 9.7%. “The situation in public hospitals is notoriously disastrous due to lack of equipment, medicine, and supplies. In fact, it is so bad that doctors report operating by the light of cell phones and there have been reports of newborn babies having to be placed in cardboard boxes or two per bassinet.” Meanwhile spending has increased dramatically on “security.”
The U.S. mainstream media doesn’t talk about the corrupt government we helped usher into power and have supported since, corruption that goes all the way to the top. Tony Hernandez, the President’s brother, was arrested by the US in 2018 and is currently awaiting trial in New York for drug trafficking. Court documents recently filed in that case revealed a US Drug Enforcement Agency investigation of President Hernandez and others close to him, including SOA graduate Security Minister Julian Pacheco. Numerous public corruption scandals have rocked the country, but Hernandez and his inner circle have remained untouched. Meanwhile, those who speak out and defend the rights of the population are shot at, criminalized, and threatened with death. Those who ordered the murder of Berta Cáceres remain free. Meanwhile the U.S. continues to fund this corrupt government all the while decrying the flood of refugees to our southern border. Talk about disconnect! To learn more, read the article recently released by the SOA Watch. US policies at the root of massive demonstrations in Honduras – School of the Americas Watch
In memory of the 30th anniversary of the Central American University (CAU) massacre, the School of America Watch will host a vigil at Fort Benning GA November 15-17. Contact their website for details..http://www.soaw.org/2019-commemorative-gathering/