Fousesquawk's Big Scoop on Honduras.

Hugo Chavez (l) greets Manuel Zelaya


(Based on inside sources whose identities cannot be revealed-just like the New York Times)


I happen to work with two fellow-teachers who are married to Hondurans. Therefore, I hear a lot of the concern that they have that the situation in that country may turn violent in the continuing saga of ousted-president Manuel Zelaya.

The father-in-law of one of my colleagues has just arrived in the US from Honduras, and here are a couple of tidbits that he reports:

Since the removal of Zelaya, the Honduran public has shown a dramatic increase in reading the country's constitution, and they are now fully immersed in current events.

Zelaya has very little public support-perhaps 15-20%. His recent "crossing" into Honduras with a few supporters (he apparently crawled through barbed wire at a non-controlled point) has further turned Hondurans away from him. The removal of Zelaya based on constitutional grounds has wide-spread public support.

My colleague's father-in-law has also expressed amazement at the outside news coverage of the events in his country, which in his view are slanted toward Zelaya and inaccurate.

So there you have it, folks. It may be the view of one man and his family, but it goes against the proclamations of the UN, the OAS, and our own government.

Zelaya was not removed based on the US Constitution. He was removed under provisions of the Honduran Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court, the Honduran legislature and the Honduran military. Maybe, just maybe, we and the OAS and the UN (and Hugo Chavez) should butt out of this and let the Hondurans decide what they want (hopefully, without bloodshed). President Obama's knee-jerk reaction that the removal was unconstitutional was a mistake on his part, and any planned meetings between Hillary Clinton (or her representatives) and Zelaya would only legitimize this would-be dictator.

Presently, Zelaya and his followers are camped out in Nicaragua near the Honduran border. That seems like a good place for him. Besides, he has his trademark cowboy hat to ward off the hot sun.