You remember Code Pink, right? The anti-war organization that got tons of press attention against President George W. Bush’s War in Iraq, calling out to the country (but especially the media) with a “feisty call to wage peace.”
But the organization that was so outraged by Bush’s “war of choice” because it could harm millions of innocent civilians in a foreign country where America had little interest is now calling for a war of choice that could harm millions of innocent civilians in a foreign country where America has little interest.
Ah, I love the smell of irony in the morning.
Code Pink sent out an email alert today by its Founder Medea Benjamin calling for “action” in replacing the current President of Honduras with the ousted leftist President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya. They are asking President Obama to initiate and enforce a trade embargo on Honduras. Embargoes are typically seen as an act of war and are enforceable only by the military.
What? Is Dick Cheney running Code Pink now?
Here’s some excerpts of the press release full of incendiary warmongery goodness:
It’s past time for Manuel Zelaya to come home and get back to the job he was elected to do: president of Honduras. Enough is enough. It has been three weeks since the military rousted the president from his bed at gunpoint and whisked him away–in his pajamas–to Costa Rica. It has been almost a week since Costa Rican President Arias came up with a compromise that was rejected by the coup leaders. Please join us, as we did yesterday in Washington DC (see photos here) in demanding that the Obama administration take a tougher stand and support Zelaya’s immediate return! No more mediation. No more delays.
Sounds like a call to arms to me. Why the rush to war? Stop the madness!
The verbiage even escalates:
“The Obama administration has condemned the coup and cut off military aid, but that’s not enough,” women’s rights leader Sara Elisa Rosales told me. “The U.S. should recall its ambassador, freeze the assets of the coup leaders and deny them U.S. visas, and cut all financial aid. It should go even further by imposing a trade embargo. If the U.S. cut commercial ties with Honduras, the coup would fall in a day.”
This is the same Medea Benjamin who often talked about an inflated number of innocent civilians that George W. Bush’s war of choice affected and even said that the death of civilians negates any heroism performed by our troops:
“I wouldn’t characterize anybody who fought in Vietnam as a war hero. In 23 bombing sorties, there must have been civilians that were killed and there’s no heroism to that.”
So, Just out of interest, who does she think would be affected most by a trade embargo on Honduras? But I guess installing a leftist dictator like Hugo Chavez back to Honduras is more important than the lives of those pesky innocent civilians.
So Medea Benjamin is calling for a trade embargo to be enforced by the military that she said the country didn’t really need at all in 2007:
“I actually think it is people like myself who have been fighting for our rights to free speech and I would like the right to defend my own right to free speech, not have soldiers doing it for me. I don’t think I need soldiers.”
Hey Medea, trade embargoes have to be backed up with arms, you know. The kind of arms that shoot bullets and missiles. I thought you were against all that stuff.
For weeks now, Code Pink has been pushing an initiative to “Stop the Next War Now.” “
We are dedicated to creating a movement that is capable of stopping the next war, whether it is in Syria, Iran, North Korea or anywhere else. We need to educate ourselves, expose the truth to the public and create a culture of peace and compassion before we are saddled with another expensive, unjust war.
Well, so much for that. Maybe the new initiative should be called “Start the Next War Now.”
July 24, 2009 at 3:35 pm
The mistake is in thinking they are against people dying in war, that is not the case. They just use that to tug at heart strings of the sane people.
Besides, it's not Bush attacking someone they love. If Bush were to implement a trade embargo against Cuba there would be hell to pay (with plenty of pictures of starving children).
July 24, 2009 at 3:45 pm
And let's not forget that Zelaya was opposed not by a small cabal of ruthless generals, but his entire government, including the Supreme Court and the legislature — including his very own party, which was starting to impeach him when the "coup" happened.
He is a dangerous crank who was trying to do an end-run around the constitution, Chavez-style. Good riddance to Marxist rubbish.
July 24, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Gary is right- the Honduran constitution even has a clause stating that any attempt by a sitting Executive Branch member to extend term limits is cause enough for immediate impeachment. No discussion.
What happened in Honduras was not a coup- the then President was warned of the consequences of his proposed actions, and he persisted. Surprise! When you violate their constitution on an issue that means instant impeachment, it's going to happen.
We need to make this more clear to the people and get rid of the "ignorance" that the Pink ladies are "at war" against. Their ignorance and the blatant lies about this issue being promoted in the mainstream media right now are what's bringing on the next war. The problem is not the Hondurans -who only followed their constitution!
July 24, 2009 at 5:21 pm
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July 24, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Why do you think that her desire for a cutting of "commercial ties with Honduras" must be accompanied by a naval blockade? You've misinterpreted her.
July 24, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Well, they're just making it clear that the PINK is code for 'commie pinkos!'
July 24, 2009 at 7:14 pm
As Nate has stated, the authors don't seem to grasp the concept of trade vs total (i.e. "military" embargo; We currently STILL have a trade embargo with Cuba, whereas Kenedy enacted a military embargo in the 60's culminating in the missile crisis. Big difference.
But the point is taken in that why Code Pink is using this as their cause du jour is really odd (but at the same time, NOT odd given how odd their members are I suppose). If the events in Honduras WERE a coup, then it was a bloodless one and should be commended. If it was as many are arguing a legitimate exercise in democracy as per their interpretation of their own constitution, then there is absolutely no moral basis for any interference from Code Pink, the US govt or anyone outside Honduras.
July 26, 2009 at 3:34 am
Sounds like a St. Anthony's Friar wrote this piece. Right on. Zelaya was trying to ramrod the people of Honduras like Hugo Chavez did to Venezuela. The courts aand legislature in Honduras aren't biting. God Bless them. Uncle Sam (under normal circumstances) would be squarely in their corner. We are apparently okay with left-wing overreaching now. Tell Kevin I said hi.
Hugh '84