Minor Thoughts from me to you

Now this is interesting (well, to me):

I don't know much about the current situation in Honduras, but most of the news reports I've heard have generally portrayed the ouster of its president Manuel Zelaya as a military coup, albeit one of a man who seemed likely to make a play for the role of dictator.

Well, reknowned conservative commentator Dennis Prager has informed his listeners which side he supports by flying to the country and broadcasting his show from there. I think it's an unusually bold move; commentators are generally sedentary creatures who enjoy talking about the issues more than anything productive (and why not? Talking's easier), but his move here underlines the passion he communicates in his article.

Am I convinced? I have no idea, still knowing little about the country and its problems. Dipping my hand for but a moment into the well of information that is the Internet, I find that in 1998 the county was declared the third-most corrupt country on Earth by Transparency International's Corruption Research Center. A more recent (2008) publication from the Overseas Security Advisory Council informs me that Honduras was full of gang violence, kidnapping, and political shenanigans even before the "coup". Finally, I notice that as of July 2 the military has restricted citizens' rights, although Prager rightly notes they haven't taken power (so calling this situation a "military coup" is very much a misnomer), not even from Manuel Zelaya's party. All of this suggests we're talking about a struggling, nearly failed state that is chaotic but has thankfully had too much recent experience with complete authoritarianism (the military ruled until the 1980s) to succumb to an obvious power play.

That said, some of the response by the Honduran government is unquestionably illegal, such as Zelaya's deportation (no Honduran citizen may be forcibly removed from the country, according to the country's constitution), so it appears that the Hondurans have allowed themselves to push a little harder against the encroachment than was strictly advisable.

Shoot, let's just invade.