Article By Brandon Smith

In a dark and warm room, a group of men gathered in secret to discuss what they should do. In this room are people who were vehemently opposed to each other’s politics, religion, and more. However, they were drawn together for one cause, to fight for freedom and liberty in their small country. They made a decision, the leader of their country, had to go. Who were these leaders? Where they the zealots of a political party? Were they religious extremists? Was it a military force? No. The men and women who decided to oust Manuel Zelaya from his role has President of Honduras represent an overwhelming majority of the nation’s people. Imagine the American equivalent. General Colin Powell, General David Petraeus, Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele, Nancy Pelosi-the Democrat-Speaker of the House, Sara Palin, Justices Scalia, Ginsberg and Kennedy (my law school friends will appreciate this!), and Presidents Bush and Clinton: no imagine all of them coming together to condemn the actions of a leader as dangerous to the future of America’s existence as a democracy. Now imagine that all of these people worked together to kick the current president (republican or democrat) out of office. They do this openly, after months of public debate, and with the support of the public. Would this be condemned? Of course not!This is what happened in Honduras. The majority of the legislature, the High Court, the military generals, and the leaders of Zeleya’s own political party choose Roberto Michelett to replace him. Michelet is the leader of Zeleya’s political party in order to preserve democracy. This was supported by over 80% of the population. Obama says "We do so because we respect the universal principle that people should choose their own leaders, whether they are leaders we agree with or not.” If this is really true, why does Obama ignore the actions of all of the other elected officials in Honduras, acting in concert, to defend their democratic form of government? The High Court of Honduras ordered Zeleya to be arrested, and kicked out of office. There was no violence or even significant level of unrest until Zeleya tried to return, one week after he was kicked out of office. So, what did Zeleya do to warrant such a drastic response from the ENTIRE government of Honduras? He was attempting to eliminate term limits so he could remain in office. Admittedly, this does not seem very dangerous. However, if you are familiar with the rise and fall of so many other Latin American democracies, you will understand just how dangerous this action is. In 2004, for example, Venezuelan despot, Hugo Chavez, rewrote the constitution, so as to take over the judicial system, the national electoral council, militarize the government, and began his anti-American/anti-democracy rhetoric. He has since proposed to spread this “revolution” around the world. The “election” he then held was approved by Jimmy Carter and many democrats in America, but has since been widely seen as illegitimate and corrupt. He the poured his nations money into disrupting the Bolivian and Ecuadorean democracies, and helped sex-offender, Nicaraguan Daniel Ortega return to power, as he once was while a member of the military leadership in the Sandinista revolution. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Hondurans have seen their neighbor struggle and fall into despair as their liberty is lost and their oppressive leaders rise to power. Hondurans had the gall to push back. Rather, they had the courage and the strength of will to say NO to the end of democracy in Honduras. The Obama administration is simply pandering to undemocratic despots like Hugo Chavez. What else can explain Chavez, Castro and Obama all supporting Zeleya in his unilateral attempt to rewrite the Honduran constitution? Americans must speak out. Whether we like it, or not, our voice is strong in the Americas. We must choose to support the rule of law, and democracies. Remember what we just celebrated this past weekend. A group of rebels who had a vision of a free and democratic nation. A group of doctors, lawyers, inventors, farmers, preachers, who came together to take a stand against oppression. This is what Hondurans have done. IN the name of democracy, we must choose to support Honduras’ recent actions. Our President has made it clear that he does not support the Honduran fight for democracy, but rather, is appeasing the dictators of South America. DO NOT BE CONFUSED! This is a fight not just for Honduran freedom, but for the perception of freedom worldwide. If we don’t support those who fight against oppression, we are sending a message to all dictators that they can do what they want. This is a fight for freedom in Honduras, it is also a fight for the preservation of Democracy’s place in the Market Place of Ideas. We must choose to speak out on behalf of democracy, on the behalf of freedom and on behalf of the Honduran people who have been silenced in the international media. The number one message coming from Honduran citizens to American citizens is “pray for me.” My family recently left Honduras, and the most trouble they had was the large groups of men, women and children begging them to pray for democracy and to tell Obama to support them. We must make the choice to be voices of truth. If you think this battle is not important to you, here in America, or elsewhere, you are wrong. Democracy is on trial in the international court of public opinion, and we must weigh in. After all, God has called us to:“Speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”