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Memo to Snyder: Don’t stop the radical reforms now!Meet Jan Schakowsky, the newest useful idiot for leftist thugs in Latin America
November 19th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Jamie Weinstein
Congressional Democrats have a long history of being useful idiots for leftist causes and regimes in Latin America. Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois seems to be trying to revive the tradition for the 21st Century.
Those sinister business interests.
Last week, Schakowsky became the first Congressional Democrat to visit Honduras since Manuel Zelaya was forcibly removed from the Honduran presidency in June. Zelaya’s removal was authorized by the country’s Supreme Court and legislature in response to multiple attempts by Zelaya to violate the Honduran Constitution.
It is widely suspected that Zelaya was seeking to change the Constitution in order to extend his presidency, which is limited to one term by Honduran law. Yet while the Honduran Supreme Court and legislature supported Zelaya’s removal, the international community condemned it as an illegal coup, a position with which the Obama administration has concurred.
In a hastily arranged conference call just hours after she returned from her three-day trip to Honduras last Thursday, Schakowsky claimed to speak for Congressional Democrats and the U.S. government when she stated “the coup against President Zelaya is illegal and, along with every other nation in the region and the world, we don’t recognize the coup regime as the legitimate government of Honduras.”
Schakowsky’s statement that the coup was illegal is in conflict, however, with an August report by the Law Library of Congress on the situation in Honduras.
The report reviewed the relevant Honduran law and ultimately concluded that “available sources indicate that the judicial and legislative branches applied constitutional and statutory law in the case against President Zelaya in a manner that was judged by the Honduran authorities from both branches of the government to be in accordance with the Honduran legal system.”
When asked about the report, Schakowsky said she disagreed with it and that it was an “outlier.” Instead, the congresswoman focused on what she saw as human rights violations taking places under the new government of Honduras and singed out Zelaya himself as “a victim of serious human rights abuses.”
While there were certainly incidents of concern raised by the congresswoman, her other remarks could lead one to conclude that she may have only been getting half of the story from Zelaya and his supporters. If human rights violations occurred, however, the perpetrators should certainly be punished.
If Zelaya’s removal was, in fact, an illegal coup d’état as Congresswoman Schakowsky, the Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration maintain, it would be one of the odder coups in recent memory. Most illegal coups take place as a power grab. But Zelaya’s removal was supported not only by the Supreme Court, but by almost the entirety of the Honduran legislature, including by the vast majority of members in Zelaya’s own party. On November 29, Honduras will hold democratic elections in which Honduras’s interim President Roberto Micheletti will not participate. Micheletti has stated that he plans step down in January and turn over power to whomever is elected in the forthcoming elections.
When I asked Congresswoman Schakowsky to explain why nearly the entire leadership of Honduras and the country’s Supreme Court would support the removal of Zelaya, if not for some sort of power grab since Micheletti will be giving up power, Schakowsky didn’t have a particularly compelling answer.
“I think there were a number of things,” she said, “including raising the minimum wage. A number of things that the Zelaya administration had done that were offensive to the business class, the elites in Honduras, and so, I know, I think they wanted him out.”
So it was a business conspiracy aimed at preventing Zelaya from raising the minimum wage, according to the congresswoman. But what of the fact that the new president of Honduras will be chosen by democratic elections? Wouldn’t these nefarious business leaders have hand-picked a replacement? If they wanted a puppet in power, why not install someone they could control to rule Honduras instead of allowing the new leader to be chosen by unpredictable democratic elections? It just doesn’t make much sense.
Asked by another reporter whether she was concerned about the accusations that Zelaya was moving toward the orbit of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose hostility to America is quite pronounced, Schakowsky brushed off the concern as unfounded citing an unimpeachable source.
“I talked to President Zelaya about that and he felt those fears were way overstated,” she declared. Phew! Glad Schakowsky was able to clear that up.
On second thought, perhaps Schakowsky shouldn’t be taking Zelaya at his word on such matters. After all, this is a man who reportedly told the Miami Herald with a straight face that “Israeli mercenaries” were torturing him by pumping toxic gases and high-frequency radiation into the Brazilian Embassy in Honduras where he is currently holed up.
Schakowsky said these comments by Zelaya were “completely inappropriate.” But the comments were not so much inappropriate as they were insane. Does this sound like a person who is mentally capable of leading a country? Or, for that matter, a man from whom Schakowsky can be confident she is getting the truth?
Schakowsky’s trip raises many questions. While the Congresswoman says “democratic order needs to be restored in Honduras” by which she means “President Zelaya needs to be restored” to power, one may wonder why she is so eager to rush to the defense of a leader who is of such questionable reputation. Why not just allow the elections to go forward at the end of the month and allow the Honduran people to decide their new leader? More broadly, why were so many of those to the left of center so hesitant to criticize the fraud elections that occurred in Iran over the summer, but so quick to criticize Honduran internal matters that the Library of Congress says were legitimate?
These questions deserve answers. As for Congresswoman Schakowsky, perhaps the explanation is as simple as the congresswoman longing to return to the good old days, when trips to exotic Latin American locales simply entailed stumping for some leftist leader.
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28 Responses to “Meet Jan Schakowsky, the newest useful idiot for leftist thugs in Latin America”
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It is unbelievable that someone so dumb could be a United States Congresswoman! I live in Honduras and I don’t know of one other American here that supports Zelaya. I saw in the local newspaper a photo of her with Zelaya. I wonder if she even tried to communicate with the thousands of Americans living here to find out how we feel, how this puppet of Chavez was affecting our lives.
There is something in the waters of Illinois that is design to “affect” only Democrats…perhaps more “israeli mercenaries”?
This is a well-written, well-researched article. It’s interesting isn’t it that the congresswoman waits two weeks before a legitimate election is to be held before she decides to take a trip to Honduras? Where was she in July when Hondurans were begging someone from the USA to come visit and ask questions? This lady is what you state in your title. She’s even undermining her own administration’s work that has made it possible (finally) for the Hondurans to settle this matter according to their own constitution.
Excellent article. Every point made is accurate. I visited Honduras on the same day Zelaya decided to sneak back into the country. His bad behavior caused a curfew that caused destruction to property and people not being able to work or have food. I asked many of the demonstrators who traveled around the city in large yellow school buses where they were from. What a surprise they were from Venezuela, sent by Hugo Chavez, to pretend they were Hondurans for Zelaya. This Illinois Congresswoman doesn’t have a clue. If I lived in her district, I’d look to elect someone with more intelligence and compassion for the free human existance.
This article and the responses to it are laughable, on so many points. As apologists for the criminal coup regime of Micheletti (and presumably all of its heinous crimes), you should be ashamed of yourselves.
First, to Tim, the last commenter: you’re simply lying. You never asked any demonstrators squat, and none of them told you they were from Venezuela. This is a pure BS story made up as proof of extensive ties between Chavez and Zelaya (which don’t actually exist). I spent a week in Honduras, mostly with the resistance marchers, practically all of whom were Honduran. I met with the leaders as well, and all of them were Honduran.
As to the matter of Zelaya accusing Israeli mercenaries of seeking to harm him, as “out there” as this seems (and I know, I’m Jewish), it was a widely reported story/rumor in Honduras prior to Zelaya’s statement. So in reality it is not so crazy or some sign of anti-semitism.
Congresswoman Schakowsky is right that the Library of Congress report was an outlier. In Honduras, groups like “Lawyers Against the Coup” argue against the legality of the coup and the coup regime, with some members even resigning from posts as government lawyers or even judges.
To say that the Honduran Congress wholeheartedly with Zelaya’s ouster (even among his own party members), and that the upcoming elections will be free and fair and settle all this, is totally misleading. Honduras has a multi-party democracy, but only two parties have any real power (much like here in the United States). These two parties are both elite-controlled center-right parties. Remember, Micheletti and Zelaya are of the same party. The whole crisis began because, as the Congresswoman mentioned, Zelaya went against his own party’s desires, threatening the status quo in which the elite maintain total control over the Honduran economy and society.
His threats went beyond raising the minimum wage (which he’d already done), to include land reforms benefiting half a million peasant farmers, environmental protection efforts, and, yes, an effort to re-write the Constitution of 1982 (initially forced into effect by a US-backed puppet dictator). You say “it is widely suspected that Zelaya was seeking to change the Constitution in order to extend his presidency, which is limited to one term by Honduran law.” It may be “widely suspected” now, but only because that canard has been repeated ad nauseaum by the elite-controlled media in Honduras, by the corporate-controlled media in the United States, by the Republican allies of the coup regime, and by those (like Lanny Davis) hired by the Honduran elite to “frame” the story for us here in the Free World.
In reality, Zelaya supported a referendum on the basic question of convening a national Constituent Assembly to revise the Constitution. This was a position he was pushed to by ever-growing protests by the Honduran people.
I tell you this: whomever is elected in the coming sham elections will eventually have to deal with the same demands of the people Zelaya faced. This coup has awakened the long-slumbering people of Honduras, who have shown their discipline by maintaining a largely peaceful resistance movement since June.
You are on the wrong side of history. One day you’ll realize it.
This so-called reporter who wrote this tripe is just another childish yuppie would-be DC rightwing commentator who loves constitution-changing in rightwing US colony Columbia to extend the reign of their anti-people ruler, and excoriates Zelaya for desiring the same change, elimination of the US-imposed single presidential term in the Honduran constitution. Jamie Weinstein is just another hyprocritical liar intent on reaping his craven reward for shilling for the extension of his terrorist masters’ Pax Amerikana across the globe. US influence: Out of South America. You’ve accomplished enough injustice in the North.
A few weeks ago Jan was on Chicago Tonight Channel 11, she said that Chicago,IL is immigrant friendly. I don’t know who she thinks she is speaking for. I am not going to address the Honduras trip. English as the language of the U.S. is what I am working on, she is not a proponent, many dems arent. To support the petition that will strengthen the current stance we have on this issue. here is the link http://www.us-english.org/petition also visit my facebook page Mary Rondoni
Mary Rondoni wants to point out how giving free health care to illegal immigrants closed down a clinic in Atlanta. The New York Times has the article..Hospital Falters as Refuge for Illegal Immigrants. It started out as a dialysis clinic for low income, as illegal immigrants came flooding in the place had to shut the door…no more… money. While I empathize with all people going to this clinic to keep alive I am going to repeat my self our country is heading for becoming Latin America Duex. Mary Rondoni
While Illinois is a state that is English as Official Language there are some shortcomings that are being addressed.Don’t you think English should be the Official Language of our United States? When u get to the site on the left side you can click to sign the petition. Say no to the U.S. as Latin American Duex join me-and support this legislation http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&ref=name&id=564487945#/group.php?gid=193544957754&ref=ts
Please see this website http://www.voteoutschakowsky.org for many additional reasons
Of course the Dems are against this. After all, If they let the ousting of Zelaya for, “violating”, the constitution stand, it will create a precedent.
The idea of being removed from office for violating the Constitution probably gives Obama the cold sweats.
Who believes this corporate stooge, anti-worker, pro fascist coup drivel. Not me. The level of this right wing drivel is right up there with War Barbie Palin’s death panel gibberish. I can’t help but notice these right wing stooges gibberish talk always supports more money for corporations and the wealthy. They sure pull the wool over my eyes………not.
Let’s forget about left or right, let’s hold these politicians to the promises they make when running and vote in the person best for the job not the party that’s cool to be apart of (democratic or republican). John Adams warned us when it becomes a two party system nothing will get done. Alas, here we are, going in circles with the same clowns getting voted in saying they r gonna make a difference and they do nothing.. except prop up the lazy, give illegal aliens a free ride and our healthcare is crap, but they are all set up, private planes, great healthcare kids go to the best schools. What does the middle class get?
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