As most of you know I have been here for over 13 years and have seen many things happen in Honduras. I know this country and its people very well and they tell me that I have become very Honduran myself. I am not sure if that is true, but I can tell you that I deeply love this country and am in awe of their love for God and the faith that I have seen in a people that are being misrepresented to the world.
Let me state again, without reservation, there was no military coup here. Martial law has not been declared here. The military is not in charge and does not want to be in charge. In a conversation with a friend and military commander on Sat, I was assured that they are doing all that they can to support the government and are ready to defend their country if that becomes necessary. However, they do not see the situation escalating to that level.
What was done to get the ex President Mel Zelaya out of office was done legally by the Congress and Honduras Supreme Court. The military only carried out orders.
I read an email by an American Pastor who was stopped a couple of times on the highway trying to get to the airport the other day. He was upset because the National Police had stopped and searched their vehicle. He talked about Martial Law here. Please let me tell him and all of you, that is not martial law! That happens on a daily basis here. I have been stopped as many as 5 times in one day going back a forth to work. They do not have a highway patrol here and use road blocks to check vehicle registrations, driver’s license, identification and other things normally on the roads here. It may be a bit heightened right now, but that is to be expected. There have been hundreds of folks coming in from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua with false Honduran passports to cause problems and instigate riots here in favor of Mel Zelaya. These check points are one way of looking for those folks and trying to protect the population, not instigate martial law.
The real situation in Honduras is one of 95% peace! From what we can see and read, 80 to 90 percent of the population of Honduras supports the current government and does not want Mel Zelaya to return in any capacity. His presidency is over. He could not govern now even if he did return. He has an arrest warrant against him and will be arrested if he returns. The news is telling you that poor Mel was ousted in a military coup. CNN and FOX need to report the real truth. I invite Bill O’Reilly and the rest of them to come and drive around the country with me to see the reality of the situation here. Mr. Mel Zelaya is lying to you!!!! He is trying to cover up a record of stealing, sex scandal and drug trading. There is much more to his ouster that one voting referendum.
Yes, Mr. Zelaya was elected to the position. So was Richard Nixon. Do any of you want him to return to power? Nixon was basically forced into resignation and that is basically what happened here. Mr. Zelaya signed his resignation and was escorted out of the country rather than face trial. Maybe it was not done in the way we would like to see it happen, but this is not the US or Europe. The constitution and laws here are different, but still just. These people acted and are acting according to their constitution.
What this country needs right now is prayer and support, not condemnation for doing the right thing. When people decide to follow the rule of law and refuse to follow a “would be” dictator they should not be punished for it. You see I am writing not as a politician but as a Missionary and Apostle to this country. I am not allied with the government or the supporters of Mel Zelaya. My concern is for the people of this country. They are a peace loving, democratic people who have done nothing to deserve the condemnation that is coming from the OAS, UN and even the US.
I was asked to continue writing to you, my congressmen and anyone who will pray for and with us. I sent another letter to my Senator this morning. I will continue to update you on what is happening from inside Honduras and not from a reporter’s view. My personal opinion is that Mel Zelaya was taken from office as an answer to the prayers of the church in Honduras. The church here is united right now against the corruption and crime that has gone on under his administration. The violence that you are being shown on the news is from the supporters of Mr. Zelaya.
The church and the government supporters are united in prayer and standing in peace behind what they believe God wants to do in Honduras. My family and I have no plans to leave Honduras because of what is happening. We are happy and content here and know that God had called us here for this time. However, I have asked permission of my church to leave if Mr. Chavez decides to invade and thus have an exit strategy. It is not a decision of fear of anything in Honduras, but of concern of what the international community would allow Mr. Chavez to do.
I ask you to continue to pray for Honduras and the government here. Also for Mr. Obama to wake up and realize that there is a real threat to our country and it is NOT coming from Honduras. If Obama continues to ignore Mr. Chavez and his minions and what they are trying to do in Latin America his awakening may be much too late.
So, the situation in Honduras is one of quiet anticipation of what the world will do next. If left alone, this country will have Presidential elections in Nov. and install a new President in January. If they are pushed to the point of defending their right to do that, they will defend it to the end. A word from Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton to the Hugo Chavez’s of this region to “back off” would cause tremendous assurance to a people who love and admire the United States of America.
Please, if you will, take a moment to pass this on to your representatives and other interested parties. They need to know what is going on here. I have invited my Senator to come here and have volunteered to show him this country and what is really happening and not happening here. That same invitation is to any Congressman who is truly interested in knowing the truth about what is going on in Honduras and Latin America. Please, please PRAY.
In His Grace, John DuBose
33 Responses to "Missionary in Honduras’ Viewpoint"
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Thank you Mr. Oneill for pointing what most Americans have missed. Our President Obama is no different than Chavez or Castro. Take power from the people and form a world dictatorship. He sails on their ship and you pull the oars.
It is people like John Oneill who because of their ignorance of history, propagate oppresive governments that not only oppress the poor people but use them to raise their own level of life far above that of the poor people. It doesn’t work look at Russia they are not a communist government any longer. The intresting thing about these governments is that in order to advance their agenda turn all of the people into poor people (except for themselves.) Zelaya by the way is one of the largest land owners in Honduras so please don’t try to tell me that he is for the people. Zelaya wants to use the people to gain what he wants most, POWER, he has more than enough money so all that is left for him is to have his own personal country like his buddy Chavez. This has probably not been publicised very much but Chavez funded Zelaya’s attempt by providing him the funds to go about giving L 500 bills to the people out in the countryside. This apparent magnanimity on the part of Zelaya was his method of buying the “poor” people off in order to get their vote. So please all of you radical leftists mind your own business let Honduras deal with the problems they have without you adding your ignorance to the mix.
T0 Harry
We the English people still call it Bonacca or the Kay or even the rock. My home was in Hog kay.
I hope things can be worked out in a calm and peaceful way that the people around the world step in to help and not to start cutting off the supplies an aid the country needs. I love the islands and the people that live on them. But like the mainland the last thing they need is a power hungry goverment telling everyone how to live and in control of everything they try to do.Islanders have a strong love of family and friends they more often than not work together than against one another when trying to get something done. They spend a lot of time at sea and have learned to take care of each other Those of you who speak of the rich in Hondurans don’t have any idea how hard some of them have had to work to get where they are in life. Being rich is a little different in Honduras than it is in the good old U.S.A..Harry….wha ya mama nem ?…lol Ask her if she knows the Phillips ….
Zelaya has now issued an ultimatum to the interm government if he is not reinstated as President again. Somebody needs to tell this man that he is no longer the President of Honduras.
The Citizens of Honduras need to make it clear to Zelaya that he is not welcomed in Honduras anymore.
A SURGEON IS NEEDED IN HONDURAS.
I haven’t lived in Honduras just 13 years, I was born in El Progreso, I live in Honduras, I am the one who on a daily basis have to endure what politician do to my country, done and will do to my beauty Honduras. If you come to Tegucigalpa, go around asking to the people you find in the plaza central, in cafes, just about anywhere, ask if we believe in these politicians, the answer will be a resonant “NOOOOO”. Both parties in power do not want what is best for the country, everyone just want to get a piece of the pie.
I compare these politicians to a malignant tumor, that has to be removed before it spreads all over.
From all the people who to go from Comayaguela to Tegucigalpa have to endure to see all gorillas in uniform eager to beat you up.
Like many others, I too sponsor a young Honduran. I want this young lady to grown up in a free, democratic nation, to achieve her career dreams. President is wrong for not supporting Honduras. Hugo Chavez’s best friend is Fidel Castro. There is an old adage proven over the ages: Tell who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who/what you are.
usa should support the will of the honduras gov and the hondurain people and not the critics as democracy is alive in honduras military coop it was not
Gracias Mr. John Oneill, I have not lived in Honduras just 13 years but my whole life, 50 years. Back in the eighties, I went to work in the USA, for three years I worked 12 to 14 hours a day, seven day a week. I brought two yellow school buses to El Progreso, where I planned to put them to work from my small aldea to San Pedro, then to Teguz, because we did not have bus service, we had to walk an hour and half to get to the main road to catch a bus. So, I started to get the operation permit, while this happens I started to operate with a provisional permit. After nine months, the business started to pay off. I went to pick up the definite permit, to my surprise, at the transportation office, they denied my permit, the reason, someone else had applied for that rout before me, I started to look for answers under the table, I found out that Roberto Micheletti wanted to put his buses there, I am a nobody, he was in congress, so me the little guy had no chance to have his bus rout.
I have to say that I am the kind of person who knows more about Salvador Moncada than David Suazo. God bless my Honduras were I live.
Did I miss something? Zelaya is still alive making his accusations from a foreign country. I’m thinking that had it really been a military coup, someone would be making his funeral plans instead. A real military coup would not have wasted airfare to send him out of the country. Democracy is more than any one election. True, Zelaya’s original election was part of the democratic process. So were the elections of all the other elected officials in Honduras. Congress or the Supreme Court haven’t been suspended either. I agree that all the leftists and “feel good” types as well as OAS, US, Venezuela, and any other initials we can think of, need to back off. Seems to me like democracy is alive and well in Honduras. Got to hand it to the current government for taking a stand and standing up to all their critics. They won’t be intimidated.
“No one owes obedience to an usurper government nor to those who through force of weapons assume public functions or positions…. The acts of such authorities have no legal standing, and the people have the right to resort to insurrection in defense of the Constitutional order.”
– Article 3, Constitution of the Republic of Honduras
To Brian: My mother was born on Guanaja, back when the English speaking people were calling it Bonacca.
To the rest: I found this article to be very interesting and it factually reinforces my opinion that Zelaya was legally ousted from power in what I call a coup de justice, or un golpe de justicia, NOT a coup d’etat (no golpe de estado!!!)
The Honduran people are very brave and proud to fight for thier freedom. I am sorry to say that here in the U.S. we have a president that is so far to the left that he strongly supports leftist leaders. Do not listen to him. He doesn’t have a clue about the value of freedom or the will of most Americans. 7 out of 10 people here support what your Govt. has done. Do not give in to outside pressure. Show the world that it is your freedom that you are fighting for. If the U.S. puts pressure on your Govt. behind the scenes go public with it. Fox News will give you a voice. They are a fair network. This will embarrass my President and he will back off. I wish all of you peace and strenth to continue your fight to hold onto your freedom. Take comfort and strenght knowing that most of the people in the U.S. support Honduras!!! Be safe. Dennis
I also was a missionary to Honduras for many years and have much love for the country and the people. I have some very close friends there that I do pray for. I have met John Dubose and support his analysis about what is going on now in Honduras. I do find it very sad that most of the world has taken strong stands against the new government – making its attempt to stand and survive very difficult. As many pointed out, Honduras does not have a welfare system like the United States – so withholding aid and finances for any length of time will especially hurt the multitude of needy in Honduras but eventually potentially cripple the entire country. And why? Because so many of the world leaders who proclaim democracy are backing the one who was ousted by the democratic process in Honduras. They cannot be ignorant of what was really going on there – so to support Zelaya and Chavez, etc. and insist that Zelaya go back in power is against everything the Honduran government and people are working for. I also have sent messages to my congressman and more people should. I know many in Honduras are praying for the new government and for peace – and we need to pray for them as well. WS
Godspeed for freedom and upholding the Honduran constitution. My wife and I spend 3 months a year in Honduras sending goods and passing them out to the wonderful people of Honduras. We have been doing this for 8 years now and along with working in the clinics there, have found the people to be God loving citizens who respect their freedom and would want no other kind of Government. It is only within the last two years that we have had a problem with the government trying to capitalize on our giving to the people. We along with others have been involved in sending containers with needed items such as medical, dental and clothing to the needy with no charge to them. The last two containers have been held in customs wanting a $2,000 fee to release the items. There are two more containers waiting but will not be shipped because of this. We did not have these problems in the past, and the citizens of Honduras are the ones who suffer for it. I guess this is another example of why the people needed a new president. President Obama please see this. This is a country that wants to continue to be free. This is what the
U S is all about and what we have promoted from day one of our independance. Please do not favor Chavez as he has vowed to win over all Latin Amerca countries and then take over the U S.
Phillip
John,
Keep up the good work in Sigua. and we’ll continue to intercede for the situation in your adopted country. As you know, we also do mission work there and we intend to come in the latter part of August to work in the children’s home and the life skills school. We know the truth and we continue to ask God to illuminate the minds of people who have left-leaning hearts.
Read Ecc. 10:3 for an interesting take on what God thinks about some of these things. We also pray daily for the government in the U.S. to lead a peaceable and Godly life. God bless you!
Jim :-o)
VIVA Honduran Patriots
VIVA HONDURAS
We the People of the USA could learn a lot from your bravery, love of country and your peacefulness and Grace.
The Honduran Army is powerful and Chavez clearly sees this. It is highly unlikely that he will try anything.
Comment on column by John Dubose.
I, too, have been a missionary to Honduras and
spent many years helping the best as I could. I
believe the Supreme Court and the Congress
went too far in having the military whisk Zelaya
away and desposing of him in Costa Rica. Zelaya
was wrong in going ahead with the special election and the Court absolutely right in con-
fiscating the ballots. After all elections are com-ing up in less than 6 months, what more could
theman do? Unfortunately, the OAS, USA and
the United Nations see it as a coup regardless
if it was or not. Already nearly 200 million
dollars are being held back from this poor nation
I love so much. The poor judgment in sending
Zelaya away only gives Chavaz, Castro and Ortega more opportunity to make things even
worse.
thank you for your post, it´s good to hear both sides of the issue. jean davison
I hope all of you in Hounduras stand up for the better good. I think those of you that support the take over of a country and it’s government by the likes of a person like Zelaya who let us not forget spends alot of time with Castro, Chaves and such. Should really think about what your wanting. Yes he helped the poor by giving them a meeger wage increase and a little bit of this and that. Thats what I would call buying them off. You see now all the poor are on his side. Ther are a lot more poor people than rich in Hounduras, which he thought would help him have his way so that he could change what ever he liked. His time was about to come to an end and he didn’t want to let go of the power. Before you go telling them how to run things maybe you should go spend some time in Cuba and a week or so with some one that has to put up with a radical like Chaves, maybe you should watch the drug planes fly over at night because they know they can land drop three loads and move on because they have clreance from those in power, yes that does happen. So before you go telling other people how to live and who should run their country remember that right now this country, the great U.S.A is not in such a great shape either and those in charge need to try and fix this mess instead of just throwing more money at it. Maybe they should go talk to the people and see for themselves what’s really going on instead of having Hillary,President Obama, Chaves, Zelaya and others come up with resolutions. Don’t take this the wrong way, I love this country and I’m thankful for those who have fought and gave ther lives so that my family and I can live in such a great place. Yes I do know whats going on down there, you see I grew up on Guanaja one of the bay Island of Honduras. I still have a lot of family and friends that live there and and we go back about every other summer. I know they don’t want Zelaya back in power and they are not the high class society some of you speak of, just a lot of hard working fisher men. So step back and let the Honduran people take care of their country so that they can stand up and make the changes they want for the better good of their lives…….
I have lived in Honduras for 3 years, And I can tell you for a fact that Zelaya is a crook, a drug dealer and a want-to-be dictator.
Zelaya was legally removed by the authority of the constitution given to the congress of Honduras, and the Supreme court of Honduras.
There was NO military Coup!!!!
Michiletti is the legal President of Honduras now, and will be until the new election in November.
We can only pray that the world leaders including President Obama and Sec. of State Clinton will wake up and see the truth before it is too late.
Mr. ONeill, explain to us poor idiots what wonderful deeds ex-president Zelaya did for his people. And what terrible crimes did Micheletti commit? As far as I know, Zelaya comes from the same party of Micheletti: is it the party of the good/white-hats or of the bad/black-hats (these seem to be your political categories)?
Your language (oligarchy/imperialism, rich elite, etc.) says to me that among your “best world leaders … people who love the people and want to serve them” there are Castro, Chavez and may be Stalin (since both Castro and Chavez are great fans of the latter). If these are your “best world leaders” feel free to go in their countries, in order to enjoy all the freedom, “truth, justice, democracy, & human rights” they can offer to the poor. But, normally, people tend to escape from such countries: strange, isn’t?
FTAO – John O Neill – “Michiletti is Italian” – he is the speaker of the the house that constitutionally puts him in the legal positition of taking over & sworn in by the parliament – including the people in Zelaya’s party.
You think he is Italian (by his name???)
You are Honduran with a name of “John ONeill”? By your logic – I don’t think so!!!
Please open your eyes (possibly come here) & give yourself a shak!!!
Great Job by the Military & Police force for the portecting the constituents of Honduras.
Thank you Mr. DuBose,
I really appreciate that people like you, Michelleti and some other people care about the wll being of the people of Honduras when your family background is from another country May God Bless you forever and hear your prayers.
O’Neill, you should take a reading comprehension class….your comments on Mr. Dubose’s article are sooooo off base! Some advice from one Honduran, read and research the facts before you give opinions, otherwise your comments are irrelevant and simply ramblings of your misguided leftists’ ideology. There are not many wealthy people in Honduras and these usually abandon ship when things get unsettling and the local banks can confirm this because the elite take their money with them. (Remember Cuba? You are probably too young to know.) Most of the 80-90% that Mr. Dubose mentioned in his article are hardworking middle income and lower income citizens. There is no welfare in Honduras, you don’t work, you don’t eat. This group is the majority of my countrymen, family and friends who want the freedom to continue to work and live freely in a democratically ruled country. Educate yourself on Zelaya, his administration and what he has and has not done for “his people”. Hondurans also do not like the company he keeps: all leftist politicians. Where does Chavez get off telling the world what Honduras should do. He has done enough subversive leftist crap in Honduras already and I am very proud of how the government has been handling this situation. I am so happy to hear Mr. Dubose’s comments and agree that Obama and Clinton should be very careful. We have leftist governments now in Cuba, Venezuela, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama is iffy and many of the South American countries are leftist too. Columbia has been there and back, we can learn alot from this country. And Honduran’s “middle class poor” are neither deaf, blind nor uneducated. We have watched all the political maneuvers that lead these countries to their present nondemocratic state. We do not want that to happen to us and we are willing to fight for the right to rule ourselves. America, isn’t this what you fought for not too long ago?
Both sides overstate the truth. Zelaya pursued an unconstituti0nal course of action. Those in charge now favor the wealthy and powerful, and rule the country in a much more restrictive manor than Zelaya. I hear this from a trusted friend and pentecostal missionary in Tegucigalpa.
It shouldn’t be that hard to find someone other than Zelaya to run for president and continue policies of greater justice and equity. The constitution may need amending to break the stranglehold of the ruling classes, but prohibiting re-election of presidents is prudent and necessary.
Thank you Mr. DuBose for your article. My husband and I have been coming to Honduras for the past two years. We fell in love with the place and the people. We are opening a construction office in LaCeiba. However, we have been trying to give back to the community by working on the different projects like the schools and nursing homes. I personally think your views are spot on. I look forward to your future updates.
I must have missed the article that mr. oneil read.
thank you mr. dubose for you insight.
Tell me Mr.O’Neill, exactly what did Mr. Zelaya ever do for the poor people of Honduras?
I see that Michiletti is Italian and the author of this article (John DuBose) is apparently French. Both of them apparently think they are superior to the Honduran people and wish to treat Honduras like a colony, and Hondurans like slaves. The success of the oligarchy / imperialism that they support depends upon deception. Such people know that if a lie is repeated often enough, that some people will believe it. They can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Mr. DuBose, why are you supporting the status quo? Do you so dislike the idea of helping to lift poor people out of poverty, of raising the minimum wage to a living wage, of letting the Honduran people their own future? Why not support government by and for the people? Guess you think that the rich elite are the smartest people and that they should rule with an iron fist. If you are in fact a missionary, and if you believe the teachings of Jesus, how can you sleep at night knowing that you support those who greedily and mercilessly exploit the poor? Your taking sides with those who oppose truth, justice, democracy, & human rights – suggests that you are a hypocrit. Maybe you were born and raised with and by imperialists hypcrits? Zelaya, like all the best world leaders are people who love the people and want to serve them, not exploit and control them. Those like Micheletti, who want to help the rich get richer, at the expense of the poor, who want to maintain the old order with most of the people living in poverty, while the elite strut around in luxury, will all fall by the wayside. Their time has past. The time has come for mankind to eliminate poverty. To do that we must eliminate unbridled greed. The bountious resources of the planet are God’s gift to mankind. They must be distributed to everyone, NOT greedily hoarded by a few, while the majority barely gets by. The coup plotters will fail and the people will get the power. Dubose is siding with the villains. Apparently he is blind to that fact. Sadly the same is true of about 50% of the American people who like people like George Bush, Cheney and Rush Limbaugh.
John- Thank you for posting this!! I have been doing mission work in Honduras for 14 years now and love this country. Your viewpoint is echoed here in Atlanta, Georgia. Honduras is in our prayers daily. I have been on the phone everyday with my Honduras friends in Nacaome, Valle, I am going to forward them a copy of your post- it will make them extremely happy. Keep the letters coming- we will do all we can in the US to keep the good name of Honduras.
God bless!
Suzanne
John – Thank you for your words! I was in Honduras in 1999 for two weeks, and I fell in love with the people of Honduras. I sponsor a five year old girl as part of my commitment to the people. Please be assured that I am praying for you and all the beautiful Honduran people.