My computer has been acting weird lately. I booted it in safe mode and got a scary message: "imminent hard drive fa

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Report from Honduras

Spoke with Ryan on the phone this afternoon. He has enrolled in a language school that meets weekdays in La Ceiba. He is living with a new family associated with the school and feels very welcome there. He sounds happy. This weekend he is taking a boat over to the Cochinos Islands, a cluster of islands off the north coast that are smaller and closer and more rustic than Roatan. He's going with a friend from the language school and sounded like he was looking forward to the adventure.

He said the mood in Honduras is peaceful, and that the desire for peace is the overwhelming public opinion. He referred me to a good article by the Miami Herald that describes the legal issues involved, and has commentary by the leading Honduran military lawyer. In short, it says that they did break the letter of the law in the sense that they denied Zelaya due process, but that the circumstances justified the actions to the extent that there will be "justification and cause for acquittal that will protect us."

One more bit of news about Honduras: I was contacted by a reporter from the Waco Tribune-Herald about it. Apparently, some folks from Waco are having a bit of trouble getting out of the country, and he wanted to know if Ryan was too. This morning, there was the story on the front page. Here's a link to the online version.

It seems that Zelaya may to return to Honduras this weekend. It quiet the international community he did return but was arrested and tried for his crimes. That might take away any argument his side may have claiming foul-play, but, unfortunately, it may result in some people getting killed if violence ensues. Why don't you call Secratary Clinton and tell her this is a bad idea:

State Department Comment Line: 202-647-6575

Honduras' Actions Legal and in Defense of Democracy

This is the best article I have read concerning what is going on in Honduras: The Wall Street Journal, Honduras Defends its Democracy. It explains, quite clearly, that the action taken to remove Mr. Zelaya from office was within the bounds of their laws. The action taken last Sunday by Honduras was not a coup, but was a legal police action done to protect, not attack, Honduran democracy!

So why is Hilary Clinton pressuring Honduras to restore their ousted president, "Mel" Zelaya, along side Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, and Daniel Ortega?! This is outrageous! The Obama administration should apologize to the people and government of Honduras for jumping to conclusions and taking their lead from Chávez. But it seems they are more interested in kissing up with Latin American dictators and socialists.

[The US should help support, not attack, Honduran efforts to uphold democracy. Get it? The pipe is like democracy...]

OK. Deep breath. The M just came in and we chatted a while. She sensed that I was stirred up and asked me about the source of it. As I paused in a moment of self-reflection, investigating the source of my own emotions, I realized my agitation was coming from what is going on in Honduras. I am feeling defensive of my brothers and friends there. Even though the Honduran folks who run in my circles have no direct influence on these events, I still feel a certain defensiveness for the country as a whole. They are being bullied. And to make matters worse, one of the biggest bullies is my own government! Hillary and Obama embarrass me as an American. That's how I feel: embarrassed and defensive.

Breaking News from Honduras

"All well, in jutiapa on way to ceiba. Will see how things go. Dont' have any battery on my phone so will have to call you later. Ryan"

This was the text message response I got on my phone a few minutes ago. I saw the news of the coup after church with my family on the TV at Jason's Deli. I immediately texted Ryan and Sergio to contact me as soon as possible. I know they were returning from Pueblo Nuevo where they had been working on the electrical grid there. They have been there since Wednesday. For all I knew, they may not even be aware yet.

Here is the story as I understand it:

Leftist president "Mel" Zelaya was awakened by gunfire in his home this morning as the Honduran Army took him and put him on a plane to Costa Rica, kicking him out of the country. Zelaya is a controversial president and had been seeking a referendum to change the constitution to allow him to run for another term of office. His term is up in January 2010.

The Honduran supreme court ruled the referendum illegal, and the top military commander, General Vasquez, told President Zelaya that he would not support this referendum. So Wednesday, Zelaya said he would fire Vasquez. It would seem that Vasquez did not accept this...

Questions:

What does this mean for our friends in Honduras and for our work there? Does Ryan need to leave the country right now? He planned to be there another month. What long-term effects might this have on us? Will the sources of funding we are seeking decide that Honduras is too unstable and pull the plug on us? Please share your thoughts.

Entrepreneurial Fun in the Sun

Are you kidding me with this heat? Is this Al Gore's fault? Every day for the last seven days it has been over 100 degrees here in central Texas. Take a look at the map below. See the place that's about to burst into flames? That's my house.

To help the kids (and the grass) deal with the heat, I considered a moment from my own past. When I was a kid I decided to go buy some PVC pipe and build my own fountains in the back yard. So the other day I packed the boys in the van (with the new AC!) and we went to Home Depot to buy some pipes. To the untrained eye, they look like plumbing supply, but to those who have been enlightened, they are art supplies!

Here is the sculpture we call "The Scorpion". We build the pipes into the configuration that we imagine, then hook up the water hose and it becomes a fountain! The boys, especially Jono, played with it for hours. He rebuilt it over and over again like Legos crossed with a water gun. David and I brainstormed about how to start a business selling kits of PVC, including our special secret modifications, to other kids in the neighborhood. Entrepreneurs in training!