Thursday, Bloody Thursday in Honduras By Al Giordano

[Joanne98]

JULY 30, 2009, CUESTA DE LA VIRGEN, COMAYAGUA, HONDURAS: The first signs came in the form of tractor trailers, miles and miles of them, easily thousands, laden with melons and pineapples and bananas and sports apparel manufactured in the factories to the north, frozen in place, engines turned off, on the side of the road, about 80 kilometers out of the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

It was one p.m. today and there were no cars or trucks coming from the other direction. The oncoming lane was empty and that’s the one your correspondent took.

The blockade had been in place since early morning. By 1:20 p.m., driving down from the mountain in the wrong lane, your vehicle still had not come to the blockage point. Finally, even the oncoming lane had become an endless traffic jam of more cars and trucks seeking the same southbound route, stopped cold.

A little after two p.m. the long line of vehicles began crawling forward again.

At a stretch of the road at the bottom of the miles-long hill stood three hundred or more military soldiers, National Police and specialized riot police with the acronym COEDO on their uniforms. They stood alongside the remains of burning matter, rocks and other debris that had just been cleared to the shoulders. The terrible sting of teargas clung to nostrils and throats and burned the eyes. But no remaining protesters could be seen anywhere.

The ANSA press agency would report that here, in Cuesta de la Virgen, the coup regime’s show of force against the nonviolent blockaders wrought a toll of 156 arrests, including three seriously wounded.

In the same hour, Radio Globo – its northern signal at 101.1 FM had weakened at this point in the highway as its capital city signal at 88.7 FM became accessible – reported that the violent repression against the pacific demonstrators was not an abberation restricted to Cuesta de la Virgen. Today’s crackdown had been ordered nationwide.



Roger Abraham Vallejo Cerrado, 38, secretary of the San Martín high school, who had participated in a different anti-coup demonstration in Tegucigalpa, received a bullet wound to the head. That is him in the photo. Another 88 arrests and 25 wounded was the body count from the illegitimate state repression on this same road, at El Durazno, five kilometers from the capital.

Among the arrested today were presidential candidate Carlos Reyes, beaten violently by the coup soldiers, left with a broken arm and a bloodied ear, and also arrested was national union leader Juan Barahona.

The news team of Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) was physically attacked by the police, TeleSur reports.

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http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/thursday-bloody-thursday-honduras

[Daveparts still]

1. The Irony

of the Coup plotters pointing to their highest court for legitimacy just as Bush did in 2000
that by claiming its legal somehow makes it right when it proves just the opposite.

It also illustrates US hypocrisy, bringers of freedom and democracy yet when it comes time to defend democracy defends corporate interests instead. You may have democracy as long as it doesn't interfere with our profits. Zelaya's biggest crime? Raising the minimum wage.

[groovedaddy]

4. No doubt that their SC to a lesson from our SC's decision on the 2000 election. n.t

[Joanne98]

5. Welcome back Dave.

:hi:

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Someone pointed out all we have to do to protest is drive 3 lanes abreast

( or 4 lanes, or whatever) at 2 mph. in any city, any road, and with in 20 minutes would have hours of gridlock.
Maybe this afternoon, when Congress tries to flee the Capitol for recess.

Just saying what someone said.

[Duende azul]

3. Where is Clinton on this? When will she call a coup by its name?

And take the measures legally ordered in that case.

She has no excuse to remain silent after she had the nerve to call Zelaya's attempt to return "reckless".
She did that very decidedly.
I start to wonder if by this she was giving the green light to the Honduran military to kill him. Or to kill the resisters.
She made him responsible for what might be committed by the coupsters. A blame the victim tactic.
With that intervention she lost every right to claim even neutrality. And all the recently-newborn-DU-non-interventionists lost their point.

If Clinton or Obama himself don't act now to stop this, they are in on it.