Dear Friends,

 

The ultra-right on Capitol Hill,
hand-in-hand with members of the Honduran oligarchy and military, have
been besieging Congress with demands that the U.S. back off its stated
support for the restoration of Manuel Zelaya to the presidency of
Honduras. This needs to be aggressively countered.



Congressmen Bill DeLaHunt (D-MA) and
James McGovern (D-MA) have taken the initiative with a resolution
described below in a message from the Alliance for Global Justice.



Please follow up the
DeLaHunt-McGovern initiative with your letters, faxes, phone calls,
e-mails and visits to your own congressperson.



Also contact your senators to ask
them to pass a similar resolution. Finally, ask your union, church or
community organization to mobilize support for this effort.



Below is an action alert from the
Alliance for Global Justice with the text of the resolution and other
details:

___________________________

Support House
Resolution on Honduras!
Urge your Representative to become an
original co-sponsor of House Resolution demanding reinstatement of
President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras!

[This action alert comes to you from
the Alliance for Global Justice and its member projects, the Nicaragua
Network, the Campaign for Labor Rights, the Venezuela Solidarity
Campaign, and the Respect for Democracy Campaign.]

Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Bill Delahunt (D-MA) have
sent out a Dear Colleague letter to the other members of the House of
Representatives asking them to sign on as original co- sponsors to a
House resolution calling for the reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya as
president of Honduras. See text of the letter and of the House
resolution below.

Call your Representative and ask him or her to sign on! The Capitol
Switchboard number is: 202-224- 3121. All original co-sponsors need to
be added before 5pm today. Here is some suggested language for your
call:

‘Please tell Representative _________________ that I urge him to be an
original co-sponsor of the McGovern/Delahunt resolution to oppose the
military led coup in Honduras. The resolution calls for the
reinstatement of democracy in that country. Please contact Cliff
Stammerman or Ben Dailey in Delahunt’s office before close of business
today as that will be the closing of original cosponsors.’

******************

Become an original co-sponsor of a
resolution opposing the coup d’état in Honduras
Deadline is close of business Thursday, July 9, 2009

Dear Colleague:

We ask you to join us in co-sponsoring the resolution below condemning
the coup d’état in Honduras, demanding that Honduran President
Manuel Zelaya be returned to office, and welcoming the mediation
efforts of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

As you are no doubt aware, an internal political dispute in Honduras
degenerated into a coup d’état on June 28, 2009, in which the
democratically-elected President of Honduras was seized by the Honduran
military and sent into exile. This move was swiftly condemned by the
United States, the Organization of American States, the European Union,
and the United Nations, all of whom have demanded that President Zelaya
be reinstated to office.

It is critical that Congress be crystal clear that coups are
unacceptable. This is particularly important in Latin America, a region
which has suffered greatly in the past from military interference in
politics but over the last 30 years has generally moved towards
democracy. To accept the overthrow of a democratically-elected
government is to wipe away the progress that has been made – progress
that has been supported by both Democratic and Republican Presidents
and Congresses.

To sign on, please contact Cliff Stammerman or Ben Dailey in
Congressman Delahunt’s office at (202) 226- 6434 or at
cliff.stammerman@mail.house.gov or ben.dailey@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Bill Delahunt
James P. McGovern

The Resolution:

Condemning the June 28, 2009 coup d’état in Honduras, calling
for the reinstatement of President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and for
other purposes.

Whereas Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales was elected President of Honduras in
November 2005 in elections that were deemed free and fair by
international observers;

Whereas President Zelaya and other political actors in Honduras became
embroiled in a political dispute over whether to hold a non-binding
referendum asking Honduran voters whether they wanted a constituent
assembly to be established to amend the Constitution;

Whereas on June 28, 2009, the day that the non- binding referendum was
to take place, Honduran military forces stormed President Zelaya’s
residence, apprehended him, sent him out of the country, and seized the
materials for the referendum;

Whereas the Honduran Congress named Roberto Micheletti, the head of the
Congress, as President and subsequently suspended a number of
constitutional rights, including the freedom of association and of
movement;

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has expressed its
concerns regarding human rights abuses by the de facto Micheletti
government, including the arbitrary detention of Zelaya supporters;

Whereas the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and
the European Union – representing governments from across the political
spectrum – have condemned the coup d’état, refused to recognize
the de facto Micheletti government, and demanded the unconditional
return of President Zelaya to office;

Whereas on July 1, 2009, the Organization of American States voted
unanimously to suspend Honduras from participation in the OAS unless
President Zelaya was returned to office within three days;

Whereas, on July 4, 2009, the OAS unanimously voted to suspend Honduras;

Whereas the Administration of President Barack Obama has condemned
President Zelaya’s removal, supported the OAS resolutions regarding
Honduras, and demanded that he be returned to office;

Whereas the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank have
suspended aid and loans to Honduras;

Whereas national elections are scheduled in Honduras for November 29,
2009;

Whereas President Zelaya has said that he will only serve until his
term ends in January 2010;

Whereas it is critical for the stability of Honduras that the November
2009 elections be free, fair, and transparent; and

Whereas U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced on
July 7, 2009, that Costa Rican President Oscar Arias would seek to
negotiate a solution to the crisis, and President Zelaya and the de
facto Micheletti government have agreed to the mediation of President
Arias.

Therefore, the House of Representatives:

1) Condemns the June 28, 2009 coup d’état in Honduras and
refuses to recognize the de facto Micheletti government installed by
that coup d’état;

2) Calls on the Obama Administration to continue to refuse to recognize
the de facto Micheletti government;

3) Calls for the reinstatement of President Zelaya as President of
Honduras;

4) Urges the Obama Administration to suspend non-humanitarian
assistance to the de facto Micheletti government as required by U.S.
law and as it deems necessary to compel the return of President Zelaya
to office;

5) Calls for extensive international observation of the November 2009
elections once President Zelaya is returned to office to ensure that
his successor is elected freely, fairly, and transparently; and

6) Welcomes the mediation of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and
encourages the Obama Administration to provide any assistance President
Arias requests in his efforts.

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