Military Coup in Honduras

I wonder what Americans would have done if George W. Bush tried to stay in the White House beyond the 8-year term limits established by the Constitution? The folks down in Honduras didn't have any patience with their president when he tried to extend his stay in the palace.

Military troops arrested President Manuel Zelaya before a proposed referendum on presidential term limits. President Zelaya wanted to seek a second term next year. By law, the Honduran leader, elected in 2005, is limited to one term in office.

Honduran lawmakers appointed a provisional president Sunday following the arrest and deportation of Zelaya. Roberto Micheletti, the head of the Honduran Congress, was installed as the country's new leader hours after soldiers detained Zelaya, placed him on a plane and flew him to Costa Rica.

The apparent coup prompted criticism by Human Rights Watch, which called Zelaya's ousting a "breach of democracy in Honduras" and called for the Organization of American States to act quickly to push for the re-establishment of democracy in Honduras.

"The OAS has a key role to play now. It must rapidly find a multilateral solution to this breach of democracy in Honduras," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for the international rights group. "To allow this coup to stand would be a huge step back from the progress that the region has made toward democracy in recent decades."

America is not recognizing the new leadership.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement saying the action taken against Zelaya "violates the precepts of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and thus should be condemned by all."

"We call on all parties in Honduras to respect the constitutional order and the rule of law, to reaffirm their democratic vocation, and to commit themselves to resolve political disputes peacefully and through dialogue," Clinton said. "Honduras must embrace the very principles of democracy we reaffirmed at the OAS meeting it hosted less than one month ago."

Iran elections ... Honduras coup ... the world is a very difficult and dangerous place. What are your thoughts about this international development?

Where On Earth Will YOU Vote?

Drumbeats from Adrianne George pointed us to this video reminder for those villagers living outside of the country during this election cycle. Every vote counts ... even if you are not in the country right now. Check it out!





Where might you be voting from this year?

Latino Super-Delegate Calls Clinton 'Dumb as a Stump'

There may be a crack in the support that Hillary Clinton receives from Latino population around the country. The Latino vote is credited with providing victory for Clinton in California and Nevada contests. Steve Ybarra is a super-delegate from California. He circulated a sharp e-mail saying the removal of Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle was disloyal to Hispanics and should give "pause" to superdelegates and voters.

Ybarra told The Post that the loss of Solis Doyle, a child of Mexican immigrants, just weeks before the Texas primary, where 36 percent of the population is Hispanic, was "dumb as a stump." [Source]

Prediction: Obama Wins in Ohio or Texas

Many pundits are talking about a divided Democratic party going to the convention in Denver later this year without either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama having enough votes for victory. There is a lot of angst in the Black community about so-called super-delegates going into a smoke-filled room and handing over the election to Team Clinton, much as the Supreme Court handed over the 2000 election to George W. Bush.

I see it different.

Barack Obama ... the 'O'-Man as he is affectionately known by many in The AfroSpear ... swept through the past weekend winning every election and caucus against Hillary Clinton ... the 'Borg Queen' as she is affectionately known by many in The AfroSpear (or maybe it's just Field!). Anyhow, three more contests take place tomorrow night ... and 'O'-Man could win all three ... giving him about eight victories in a row this month. 8-0. That is big Mo' in any league.

Ohio and Texas both hold their voting on March 4th. A Columbus Dispatch poll taken before Super Tuesday shows Clinton with a 23% lead in the polls. Texas polls show Clinton with a 10% lead in the polls.

My prediction is that the constant, continuous and decisive victories by 'O'-Man this month ... combined with him doing well in the debates ... combined with the continued disarray in Team Clinton will result in a remarkable come-from-behind victory by Obama in Ohio or Texas.


I live in Ohio. I witnessed first-hand the election-day controversy in 2004 ... so my hope is for the upset to occur here in my state. However, it is more likely to occur in Texas. I truly believe that the Hispanic voting block that Team Clinton has been counting on is going to abandon her next month in Texas.

If 'O'-Man wins Ohio or Texas ... that should seal the deal for him to come rip-roaring through Pennsylvania in April and he should have enough pledged delegates and momentum to easily win the nomination in August at the convention.

That is my road map for 'O'-Man victory in the Democratic primary season. What say u? Am I drinking the kool-aid or do you sense that this longshot scenario is possible?

Can Barack Obama Unify America?

Politics is not for the weak. One of best political moments that I've experienced in my life occured earlier this month when Barack Obama gave a remarkable victory speech after winning the Iowa Caucus. One of the worst political moments occurred this past week as I watched former president Bill Clinton support the candidacy of his wife by engaging in a persistent campaign of subtle and not-so-subtle racial attacks on Obama.

Yesterday, Obama was a guest at the Atlanta, GA church home of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Obama's prepared remarks show me again why he is the right person to become our next US President. Obama speaks to the concept of unity. The concept of unity (or umoja) is one of the principles that many Villagers support. It is difficult for me to see our nation being unified under Hillary Clinton. Too many people have too many negative feelings about her ... and her husband. On the other hand, I sense that our nation can become unified under Barack Obama.

Take a moment to check out his speech in honor of MLK Day.



What say u? Do you think that this is a person that could unify our nation ... that can help us move closer to MLK's dream? Can Barack Obama unify our nation?

Obama Pulls Ahead in Iowa Polls

Villagers, did you see the recent polls in Iowa? Barack Obama now has 30% of likely Democratic caucus voters express interest in Iowa. Clinton poll number is now 26%. This is the first poll in quite awhile that shows that Hillary isn't the inevitable Democratic party candidate.
Personally, I think that Hillary is at her peak in Iowa with about 25% of the vote ... while Obama still has room to grow ... especially as other candidates such as Edwards begin to fade. Barack Obama is the favorite second choice for most other candidates. In other words, he benefits when the others begin to drop out of the race.

It seems that those of us that want change and fresh ideas are being heard, especially when we realize that Hillary's honesty and character keep coming into question. Most Democratic likely voters in Iowa, 55 percent, say they're more interested in a "new direction and new ideas" than in strength and experience, compared with 49 percent in July -- a help to Obama, who holds a substantial lead among "new direction" voters. Obama beats her by 2-1 as the most honest and trustworthy candidate. Her advantage on experience, while substantial, has softened since summer. She has notably less support in Iowa than nationally in trust to handle a variety of specific issues -- on Iraq, for example, Obama now runs evenly with her.

I think that the other results from this Washington Post/ABC News poll that should interest folks is how women in Iowa are trending in this primary. Obama is running even with Clinton among women in Iowa, drawing 32 percent to her 31 percent, despite the fact that the Clinton campaign has built its effort around attracting female voters.

Click here for more ABC News polls
Plenty of open questions remain -- including where preferences wind up at the caucuses six weeks from now and whether or how Iowans' choices resonate elsewhere. Clearly there's room to move: Forty-three percent say there's a chance they could change their minds by the Jan. 3 caucuses; 20 percent say there's a good chance of it.

I must admit that I'm glad to see positive news for Obama. Hopefully, there aren't any more televised debates for the brother. He simply doesn't do well in those debates.


Villagers, have you decided who you want to see as our next President of the United States?