Dear Friends,
This has been a very difficult and yet productive trip. At this point we
need your prayers more than ever. Tensions are very high here in the capital
of Tegucigalpa. Thankfully, we met some people here with military and police
connections that offered to get us to a safe house if need be. Praying that
will not be needed, but grateful God gave us that option. Many here think we
will need it…
There have been unidentified planes and helicopters in Honduran airspace.
The military was able to chase some away, but one helicopter is lost. The
airspace over Honduras is closed because Zelaya threatened to come back
today. Apparently he is in El Salvador now.
Who knows how long it will take for this drama to play out. We are praying
hard to get out by Tuesday and head to Washington with our findings for the
congressman who asked us to do a report. On this end we have been asked to
assist a group of Honduran government officials get their information into
the right hands when and if they leave for DC this week.
We are so incredibly sad that the American people know little about this
situation and what they do know are mostly lies. We beg you to pass this
email to anyone on your email list and to any government officials you know.
See link below for some more interesting background information:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/NewsSearch?st=honduras&
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/carlos_alberto_montaner…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124683595220397927.html
In the last few weeks before the President was arrested for treason hundreds
and hundreds (I have heard everything from 800 to 2000) Venezuelans were
granted entrance to this country. We were told that they were given Honduran
passports. These are counter-intelligence and military people whose prime
job is to organize mobs and create chaos. They have much experience in these
things. What Zelaya, Chavez, and the Castro brothers want more than anything
is a bloodbath here to intimidate the population into allowing Zelaya back
in the country as President.
Chaos is what this President has specialized in the past few months. He has
tried to destabilize the country in every way he can. Class struggle is
something that this regime really poked and stoked. It is true that Honduras
needs to do more for its poor, but at the government level everything was a
pinata. Not much assistance ever got to the poor.
This former President is a known narco-trafficker, allowing planes to land
at the capital’s airport loaded with drugs and cash. Our own government has
documentation on this – it has not been released to Congress. Our government
is advocating this thug be placed back in power. He broke 18 laws of the
country – and by the Honduran constitution some of these laws he broke
called for him to cease immediately to be the President of the country.
This was in no way a military coup. The military is not in power. They acted
on the orders of their Supreme Court!
The grave mistake the government made here was not arresting the President,
but letting him go free! Had they jailed him, the International community
could not find fault with the current government. The only reason the
government did what they did in whisking him off to freedom was because they
had no idea who was in place in Honduras to create chaos. Many of the police
and had been paid off by the President and they did not want bloodshed.
The thugs supporting Zelaya, many of them paid rioters brought in from every
corner of the poorest of the poor areas, wear masks. They are bombing,
shooting, throwing grenades, burning things, and trying to scare the people
here into giving in and letting Zelaya back.
We have talked to the poor and many of them tell us they prefer to eat only
tortillas and salt rather than live under a Chavez puppet. The poor that
Zelaya promised to help have received nothing in three and a half years of
his presidency. He has bankrupted the country, most of the money that came
in for aid is unaccounted for – presumably stolen by Zelaya. He provided NO
BUDGET for the country for 2009 nor funding for the upcoming elections. He
refused to release the funds putting their November elections in jeopardy.
He did manage to hand over 100 Venezuelan or Chinese tractors to the poor
that cannot be maintained or fixed. Magnificent! Even the poor are laughing
their heads off over that one.
I saw many poor people at the marches here carrying signs that said THE
PEOPLE ARE NOT STUPID. They have somehow managed to inform themselves of the
issues. That alone amazes me. The masses are waking up. The poor we know
here have called Zelaya a crook for the last two years or more. In the
beginning I think a lot of them had hope for change. No more.
CNN has been propagating the most ridiculous lies about what is going on
here. One of their chief correspondists is married to some high ranking
Sandanista – so much for objectivity.
Yesterday a friend in the states sent me an article about how the Honduran
Military is a bunch of thugs and torturers. So really, why if the military
are such thugs did they not torture Zelaya and take over the country? They
were acting on orders of their Supreme Court who ordered them to arrest the
treasonous President, a President who in a matter of a few hours was
prepared to dissolve the contstitution and throw out the Congress!
All evidence we have says the US government was begging the Honduran
Congress to let the President go ahead with his illegal referendum and then
when the chaos began the US would back the Hondurans. Really? Like we did
with the Iranians when their election was stolen and blood ran in their
streets? I understand the Iranian situation is complicated, but it took
forever to even condemn their actions of shooting innocent protesters. The
Hondurans had zero confidence in the US to back them if bloodshed resulted.
All they sought was peace and the legitimate removal of this man from power.
The Honduran people are devastated that the United States has not only
abandoned them but actually insists they return a traitor, liar, and theif
to power. Justice does not prevail here. Reason does not prevail here.
Politics do, and innocent people may die.
In our villages, fifty years ago, the Nicaraguans came in and fought one
very evil guerilla battle. Some of our friends there told us of their family
members’ heads being chopped off and placed on fence posts. Pregnant women’s
bellies were slashed open so that they and their children died. It is very
much feared in our villages that these demonic deeds will happen again.
An army colonel we spoke with yesterday told us that the guerillas are
already in place to intimidate the people not to fight. And armies are
mobilizing according to the President.
Americans have always stood on the side of the underdog. Honduras has been
our ally and friend helping us stand against communism for decades. Now is
not the time to abandon them. Stop the politics! Do what is right!
Please help us by passing this information to anyone you know. I am sorry I
do not have time to answer each of you individually. But your notes of
encouragement have meant the world to us. This is a very scary time. We are
holed up in a hotel that is only a block from the Presidential Palace and a
place where it is feared will be a lot of violence.
Our mission here is nearly accomplished. One or two more meetings tomorrow
with the very highest level officials and then we need to get out of here
and head to Washington.
On a positive note we have been introduced to a slew of people that can help
us advance the work with the children in Honduras if we survive this mess.
We are very encouraged about that. This country will be a whole new nation
once this is over and our ideas about working with the youth are being well
received. Many are asking to learn more, come and see our work, and help
mentor the youth!!!
Please pray for Honduras. Please send this to all your friends. Please
bombard Washington with a plea for justice.
Love to all,
Nelle
(For Jose and the team here in Honduras)
