Highway improvements needed
We do not have the statistics at hand over the traffic on the Carretera del Norte, but in our latest trips we have seen with worry that the 10 meters of width in the highway cause headaches for those traveling this busy stretch of road.

Built 25 years ago, the highway has only two lanes and very few passing zones. Constant accidents have cost lives, and serious means are necessary to recuperate its functionality. The road is shared by heavy trucks, slow-moving vehicles and on down to horse carts that pass daily, and we have concluded that the Carretera del Norte is the most traveled stretch of road in Honduras.

Some of the changes that would benefit the efficiency of this road are charging tolls at various points and establishing higher tariffs for cargo and mass transit vehicles that are using the road for commercial transport as opposed to private passenger vehicles. These tariffs could be reduced during low traffic hours to persuade users to travel in the less used hours.

Another option would be to change the road to a four-lane highway. This is the most appealing solution, but would also be the most costly. Doing this major construction in parts would possibly be a solution, if the construction were undertaken immediately. The country continues to grow in population and industrial and commercial activity, and every day the infrastructure is further behind

The options in quality all depend on how the country wants to be known. We would like to see the new highway constructed with cement, first of all because cement is a national industry, and also because cement lasts longer. A Japanese friend once made a comment as I tightened a screw, "How long do you want that to last? Because that screw is still loose, and it looks as if you only want your work to last for a week." We should think to the future as we complete major works of infrastructure, and investment not only for the entire country, but also for future generations.

David and Goliath
Honduras, represented by President Carlos Flores, foreign Minister Fernando Martinez and Embassador Edgardo Dumas Rodriguez, is confronting Washington in an effort to stop the deportation of Hondurans residing and working illegally in the United States.

The government's interest in influencing the laws of another country could possible be attributed to the "remesas" or money sent to Honduras from family members living in the United States. These small amounts of money add up to millions of dollars every year, a considerable amount in a small economy. These jobs in the United States make up in part for the lack of opportunities in Honduras.

So the issue has become a national priority for all sectors of the Honduran government in an effort to negotiate an agreement with Washington to allow this flow of dollars to continue.

The proposal made by Honduras This Week two years ago was to do what other countries do in their negotiations with the United States: contract experienced lobbyists to represent Honduras' interests, as opposed to sending an angry president to argue over the United States' laws.

For many years Honduras has been an unconditional ally of the United States, believing that their political views were preferable to those in Moscow or the Vatican. New sentiments are coming forth in this battle over illegal aliens, however, and high government officials are making strange declarations. A politician recently stated that it would be better to require French than English as an obligatory second language in public schools, and the president of the National Congress has announced that they will be "reviewing" all treaties that have been signed with the United States.

It seems that our leaders have forgotten the dimensions of the situation. It is wrong to give the idea that we are a powerful nation, able to negotiate freely with the United States. Power of negotiation today resides in economic power, and we are economically dependent. Our ability to negotiate with dignity in these "golden days" is limited.

The government must find the way to place our demands in the most polite manner. We cannot afford a giant enemy to the North, and we must not enter negotiations acting as if we think we could.

We insist that our government seek a permanent solution through the use of well-known lobbyists such as Susan Davis and others. We must defend our nation while protecting our image.

FROM THE TRENCHES
Groping for the truth: pleasures and pitfalls

By W. E. GUTMAN

COPAN RUINAS -- Once or twice a year, as I retreat to this lovely little town for much needed R&R, I grant myself the vicarious pleasure of addressing readers directly. I do so at my own risk, all too mindful that these informal soliloquies -- like some of my essays -- generate discordance and vituperation, and, on occasion, invite a threat or two.

Subscribers of special-interest on-line services (HONDO1 among them), where some of my most rabid detractors regularly purge themselves, know what I'm talking about. Nevertheless, I yield, eager to reflect on the synthetic outrage my articles seem to engender and bound by the obligation to set the record straight -- again.

No journalist worth his salt is immune (or totally insensitive) to criticism. Scorn, ridicule, insults, and -- in some parts of Latin America -- gagging, imprisonment and assassination, are occupational hazards. What baffles journalists is not rejection of their work but the banalities and vilifications to which some readers resort to trivialize or repudiate underlying truths. Given the truculence of my most vocal critics, it would be futile to parry, point by point, all of their assertions. Outlandish insinuations are quite another matter. I can handle hostility; I shall not be misconstrued:

• For the past 30 years -- eight of them in Central America -- I've been telling it like it is. On occasion, and with very great zest, I keep reminding the forgetful and the smug that the Emperor is naked, and I keep him exposed long enough for all to see. It's amazing how quickly and effectively public scrutiny will help expose threadbare individuals, ideologies, symbols and institutions.

• A preoccupation with truth and justice does not a Communist make. Such perverse logic is the stock-in-trade of diehards suffering from chronic pinkeye and obstructionists dedicated to preserving the status quo. To this Holocaust survivor and later victim of Communist persecution, this characterization is especially odious. I believe in and support fundamental democratic ideals -- FOR ALL, not just for the plutocracy, the social elites or the politically well-positioned.

• I'm not anti-American. I deplore some of America's political choices, disapprove of some of its alliances, lament some of its foreign policies. No, I do not love it "right or wrong." I treasure the "right." I condemn the "wrong." As Adlai Stevenson wrote, "true patriots are those who love America enough to wish to see her as a model to mankind."

• Nor am I anti-Christian. I'm offended by intolerance and repudiate all persons and groups, regardless of their creed, who are blind to injustice, estranged from reality, out of touch with the fragile human soul and willing to trade with the devil to safeguard hegemonic interests. One of the great human tragedies is that too many people are simply content to adore Jesus instead of walking in his footsteps. One does not need to have been born a Christian to recognize the nobility of Christianity's ideals. Anyone with a conscience and a receptive heart is a true Christian. Or a true Jew. Or a true Moslem. Or a true Buddhist. Integrity knows no religion, justice no catechism.

• I reject "culturalism" as an excuse for bad behavior or vulgarity, whether by a Honduran, a Hungarian or a Hottentot. Universal rules of conduct and a sense of right and wrong transcend geography or "culture." Culture does not corrupt the person; the person corrupts the culture.

• Everybody has opinions. Much of our mental constructs are erected on a vast scaffolding of beliefs and assumptions -- generally someone else's. We adopt them, cling to them, clutch them to our bosom, claim they are the offspring of our own cogitations because they feel so good, because they encourage us not to think, because they shield us from what we fear most: reality. This explains why there are more opinions than facts and why we are so enamored of them. After all, an opinion can blithely ignore, defy and, if need be, obscure or pervert fact. The weapons of obfuscation include flawed information, self-delusion and arguments riddled with conceptual aberrations. The last two are the deadliest.

Voicing one's opinion is an American tradition and a constitutionally protected right. Opinions stimulate intellectual inquiry when they carry within them truths that touch a nerve, awaken scruples or rouse the collective conscience. They are useful when they are presented with lucidity, sobriety and coherence, and when they withstand the rigors of intellectual scrutiny. They become sublime when they aim to edify and encourage rational dialogue.

• Journalists don't have all the answers; we dig for the truth, groping in the shadows of ignorance, prejudice and indifference. With each passing day, and within the confines of legitimate journalistic inquiry, we ask questions, some troubling, some unendurable. What we unearth is never to everyone's liking. My detractors -- a few of whom suffer from selective amnesia and have a talent for taking things out of context -- would want me not to probe, not to opine. Ignorance is particularly blissful for those who do not care to know.

• Only those willing to question the validity of established convention ever get closer to the truth. Fallacious reasoning and self-serving convictions, licit as they might be, are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. They are the prisons in which we lock ourselves to feign a clear conscience. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a very bad memory.

W. E. Gutman is a veteran journalist and frequent contributor. He is currently on assignment in Central America.

Have fun, but take care this Easter
What started as a Catholic celebration of the day of Christ's resurrection has turned into the biggest holiday in Honduras: Semana Santa, or Holy Week.

Hondurans celebrate Holy Week in many ways. There is the traditional reflection on Christian spirituality and Catholic masses celebrated throughout the week. There are also parades in many areas that reenact Jesus's journey to the cross. There are culinary specialties prepared during this celebration, including soup made from dried fish. Then, there is the popular celebration of Holy Week: the BEACH!

Honduras is blessed with beautiful beaches. Holy Week comes right in the middle of the hot dry season, so many people take advantage of the vacation time to head to Honduras' picture perfect coasts to soak up some of those rays and seek refuge from the heat in the ocean waves.

They will flock to the beachfront nightlife of La Ceiba, the white sands of Trujillo, and the funky beach town of Tela. Others will head for the Pacific, to the beaches of Cedeno and Amapala Island.

Honduras has beautiful beaches and it is easy to get caught up in the Semana Santa excitement. If you do choose to join in the ocean front festivities, we remind you to take a few precautions.

Take care of your skin while sunbathing; don't forget the sunscreen. Time flies when you are having fun and before you know it your vacation could be ruined with sunburn. Be extremely careful about the water you drink and the food you eat. Heat at the beach can spoil food quickly, and with the recent outbreak of cholera it is important to be certain that any drinks are made with purified or boiled water.

The beaches will be crowded and petty thieves love a crowd. Keep your eyes open. The highways to and from the beach will also be crowded. Plan extra driving time and take frequent breaks to remain sharp and calm while driving. Be aware that other drivers may be taking extra chances in their rush to get to the beach and drive defensively.

If you do drink, limit your alcohol consumption. Being in an unfamiliar location and being surrounded by hundreds of locals on their version of spring break is a time to be on your toes. If traveling by car, designate a driver who will not drink at all.

Then join in the fun. A nationwide beach party with sun, sand, music and food will provide a Honduran experience not soon to be forgotten.

We at Honduras This Week will also be enjoying a short vacation. Our next issue will be out April 18.