***AND ADD YOUR OWN NOTE TO STOP THE $ FROM THE MERIDA INITIATIVE TOO****
         
 
  <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=R8inaONKOaiBUV2ZzWFXbtPu3I8EOcH7>
 
 Stop U.S. military aid to the lethal coup in Honduras!  Ask your rep to take a stand for Hondurans today.

***AND ADD YOUR OWN NOTE TO STOP THE $ FROM THE MERIDA INITIATIVE TOO****

 
Tell Obama:
Support Hondurans,
Not the Coup ***AND ADD YOUR OWN NOTE TO STOP THE $ FROM THE MERIDA INITIATIVE TOO****
 
Dear
 
On Sunday, June 28th the Honduran military, under the leadership of two-time School of the Americas graduate General Romeo Vasquez, overthrew democratically elected president Manuel Zelaya in an illegal coup d'état.  With near unanimity, the international community immediately condemned the Honduran military's brazen and unconstitutional takeover.  International bodies such as the Organization of American States and the United Nations have called for President Zelaya's immediate and unconditional reinstatement.  As Hondurans take to the streets to protest their president's ouster, we must stand in solidarity with the Honduran people by demanding that our elected officials also act decisively  to help end this undemocratic military coup.
 
Though President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have condemned the Honduran military's actions,the administration has yet to follow the example of Latin American nations, the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and the European Union in explicitly calling for the unconditional reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya to the presidency.  The United States must do so to demonstrate its unequivocal support for the legitimacy of Honduras's democratically elected leader.
 
The Pentagon has announced that cooperation with the Honduran military is on hold and that it will "postpone joint operations" in the wake of the coup.  Though this is a welcome response, further steps must be taken.   U.S. law holds that in the event of a military coup, U.S. military aid must be frozen.  The Obama Administration has yet to officially classify the military coup as such.  In order to unambiguously show our condemnation of the military takeover, the Obama Administration must immediately acknowledge the takeover as a military coup and cut off all military aid ***AND ADD YOUR OWN NOTE TO STOP THE $ FROM THE MERIDA INITIATIVE TOO****to Honduras for as long as the coup leaders maintain power.  Click here to urge the Administration to do so <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WQyyu%2BzuqxSy%2F%2B9BqtMz39Pu3I8EOcH7> . 
 
In stark contrast to such measures indicating respect for the will of the Honduran people, some in Congress appear ready to sanction the military coup as a perfectly acceptable means of transferring power. Representative Connie Mack (R-FL) has just submitted a House resolution that shamelessly supports the coup as a legit and necessary means of ensuring democratic order.   The Orwellian resolution "condemns" Zelaya as a threat to that order, using such absurd arguments as, "on October 9, 2008, Honduras joined the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas (ALBA), an initiative launched by Mr. Chávez which includes Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela."  Allowing such unabashed coup-mongering to come to a vote would be an embarrassment to the people of the U.S. and an insult to the people of Honduras.  Click here to tell your representative to denounce this ridiculous resolution <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=j96Yutzef1bS7rp%2BuTOPb9Pu3I8EOcH7>  and make clear to Rep. Mack that he has no business embracing the undemocratic expulsion of another country's legitimate leader. 
 
Meanwhile, the tense situation in Honduras has grown critical.  Last week Honduran authorities declared a state of emergency, effectively stripping the Honduran people of many of their rights and setting the stage for a more repressive crack-down on protestors.  On Sunday security forces fatally shot at least two protestors. Before violence escalates, we must take action.  Send a message to your representative now<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=b7zpqNVjkayttejFkyrezdPu3I8EOcH7> , asking that she/he rebuke Rep. Mack's resolution and urge the Administration to halt military aid to the coup in order to unequivocally demonstrate U.S. support for the Honduran people's right to carry out their democratic will.
 
In peace and solidarity,
Witness for Peace, Nicaragua
    
  
 
 Witness for Peace
 3628 12th Street NE. 1st Fl.,
 Washington, DC 20017
 202.547.6112 - 202.536.4708
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