The Editorial Board would like to make note of the political crisis in Honduras, an event upsetting the lives of millions of the country's citizens.
The Honduran coup took place after now-ousted President Manuel Zelaya conducted a public poll on whether or not to vote to change the country's constitution. Proposing a change was ruled unconstitutional by the Honduran Supreme Court, and so Zelaya was placed under arrest and exiled.
The Editorial Board would like to point out the hypocrisy in this chain of events. Zelaya was not attempting to alter the constitution himself but rather asked the public's opinion. A rule that declares proposing constitutional changes as illegal seems like a convenient excuse for a coup and, worse, anathema to democracy.
After the coup, the new leaders stated that Honduras was now safe from Hugo Chavez. This statement underlined the real reason for the coup: Zelaya's leftist stance as opposed to that of the hard-liners who got rid of him. A broken rule, which ultimately amounted to nothing more than the stating of an opinion, should not be used as an excuse.
We would like to express our hope that this situation is quickly resolved. After Zelaya returns, if his opponents want him out of office, then let it be done by a vote in the democratic way. After all, Honduras is a democracy, and opinion is not thought crime.
