War is a RacketÂ
Many years ago Major General Smedley Butler described US activities below the Mexican border for all time. He rose through the commissions to become the leading Marine Corps figure of his era.
In 1934 Prescott Bush asked him to lead a 500,000 mercenary force to overthrow the Roosevelt Administration. Instead, he informed the US authorities.
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Honduras Under Siege
In Honduras, Roberto has attempted the latest coup d'etat. He has the backing of the "best" people. The rich landowners, the US agricultural cartels, the Canadian mining companies and US big oil have backed Micheletti at each step. They have ousted democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya and have forced him into exile. To discourage the people from resisting the coup, they have resorted to censorship, curfews, death threats and beatings. In the latest confrontations, the soldiers have fired into the crowds killing several.
They fear the citizens and the gradual ascension of human rights. Leaders in other South American leftist democracies see the coup as a backwards step to the former mean and repressive regimes. They are putting more pressure on the Micheletti leadership to withdraw from power. Economic sanctions include holds on World Bank loan money and US humanitarian aid. The three neighbors of Honduras have sealed the borders.
Even in these beginning stages Hondurans are uniting across former class and cultural lines.
Honduran Clashes Turn Deadly
The Honduran military has thwarted an attempt by Manuel Zelaya, the ousted president, to fly back to the country, as clashes between his supporters and security forces turned deadly. A young boy has become the first to die in the wake of the coup after security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of Zelaya supporters who had gathered in anticipation of his return. Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reports from Honduran capital Tegucigalpa.
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