OPINIONS & EDITORIAL

Monday, May 31, 1999 Online Edition 159

The actions of Gerald Phillips and Greenstone Resources at San Andres Minas are beyond belief. Surely the company can be held accountable if Phillips is out of reach.

I am a mining geologist (retired, also named Phillips) and I have worked for and with many respected mining companies. No reputable mining geologist, engineer or company would behave in such a fashion. If this company were taken to court in Canada, I'm sure the Canadian court would take the matter extremely seriously.

Salt Lake City, Utah
via Internet

The recent failed attempt by the National Congress to curtail the term and authority of the Comisionado Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CONADEH) has clearly demonstrated that severe misconceptions exist with regard to the authority and purpose of CONADEH. With the aim of abating such misconceptions, I present the following background information.

The Honduran Congress granted constitutional standing to CONADEH via Executive Decree 191-94 on Dec. 15, 1994, which was subsequently ratified on Feb. 7, 1995 via Decree 2-95. The statutes (Ley Organica) of CONADEH were issued via Decree No. 153-95 on October 24, 1995.

The Ley Organica, in a careful and detailed manner, defines the structure, authority, and rights of CONADEH. The following articles of the Ley Organica, touch upon those matters that many have questioned are within the scope and authority of CONADEH. Hopefully, these articles by themselves will satisfy doubts that the Commissioner has acted in accordance with CONADEH's mandate when issuing its report on the government's management of financial aid related to Hurricane Mitch. (The full text of CONADEH's Ley Organica can be found at <www.us.net/cip/cdh/ley.htm>.)

Article 1 - CONADEH was "established to guarantee the validity of the rights and liberties prescribed in the National Constitution and in international treaties and conventions ratified by Honduras."

Article 6 - CONADEH "can directly contact any employee of the government and other institutions and agencies. Office holders must respond to requests made."

Article 9, among other things, states that CONADEH, "has the following attributes:

1 - Guarantee the fulfillment of the Rights and Guarantees prescribed in the Constitution and this law (Ley Organica del CONADEH), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other treaties and conventions ratified by Honduras.

4 - Guarantee that government actions and resolutions are in accordance with human rights treaties, conventions, and agreements ratified by Honduras."

Article 16 - CONADEH can "initiate on its own or by request from any party, any investigation of alleged illegal, arbitrary, abusive, defective, negligent, or discriminatory actions by the government or any private entity that provides public services, with regard to human rights violations."

Article 19 - CONADEH's authority "extends to the activities of public servants whether civil or military."

Article 23 - "...anyone who believes he/she has been subjected to arbitrary administrative actions, human rights violations, or other illegal acts may present complaints before (CONADEH)."

Article 29 - "Reluctance or negligence in providing the required information may be considered by (CONADEH) as obstructive. (CONADEH) will make such actions public knowledge immediately and will qualify it as obstructive in its annual or special report presented to the responsible legal authority.

Article 30 - all public and related agencies "must make it a priority to assist (CONADEH), its delegates and representatives in their investigations and inspections.

Article 31 - states, among other things, that "access to any file or document related to an investigation shall not be denied (CONADEH).

Article 35 - CONADEH "shall solicit from all government agencies and other civil and military authorities all documents considered necessary for the investigation, including those classified as secret or reserved by law.

(CONADEH) will take necessary measures to protect documents classified as confidential.

Article 36 - investigations carried out by CONADEH "will be conducted in strict confidentiality with respect to individuals and agencies under investigation.

Article 39 - a public official who obstructs an investigation will incur a disobedience offence. (CONADEH) will transfer the pertinent records to the Public Ministry for appropriate action.

Article 40 - when CONADEH suspects criminal acts or conduct, it "will inform the Attorney General."

Article 43 - CONADEH "will inform the complainant of the results of its investigation, including the response received from the implicated officials, unless such response is considered confidential."

Article 52 - CONADEH "may enter into financial cooperation agreements with national and international agencies..."

It is also important to note that on Nov. 9, 1998, CONADEH published the Guidelines for Submittal and Processing of Complaints Relating to Mismanagement of National and International Aid. In this document the Commissioner informs the general public of CONADEH's mission in guaranteeing transparency in the handling and distribution of the disaster relief aid received, as allowed under Article 59 of the Constitution and Article 16 of its Ley Organica (see above). Therefore, the publication of its findings was a natural and expected product.

I firmly believe that the existence of CONADEH and other human rights organizations is crucial to the well-being of Honduran society. Honduras must demonstrate to its people and the global community that it is actively pursuing the elimination of human rights violations. A clean bill of health in this area is fundamental to a healthy democracy.

via Internet

Where the captain rules
"Where the captain rules, the sailor does not" is an old saying. Currently, a situation has arisen where a congressman, Pompeyo Bonilla, has been holding private meetings with high ranking military officials, with the intention of discerning their opinions about the proposed laws being discussed in congress concerning the armed forces. By so doing, Mr. Bonilla has excluded the Minister of Defense, a civilian, and in effect acted in such a manner as to nullify and circumvent his authority.

The defense minister, Edgardo Dumas Rodriguez, responded by instructing the individuals serving in the ministry that they must respect his authority, and not attempt to act as if they enjoyed the autonomy of their former position. This is a sensitive point because Mr. Dumas is the first civilian to hold this post and has been on the job only a few months.

The explanation given for this by Pompeyo Bonilla was that he was just not thinking. However, one active military leader sought to defend the action by remarking that "not all matters concerning the military need be discussed with the minister of defense."

Our position at HTW is to defend the supremacy of civilian authority, and to call for adherence to the form and spirit of our Constitution whose intention on this matter is very clear.

This kind of incident will not be uncommon in these years when our country is seeking to adapt to new realities and new laws. And it is to be expected that there will be conflict and differences of opinion. But in time, such problems will diminish.

It is obvious that since Mr. Dumas Rodriguez took power, the normally active and powerful voice of the military has been somewhat stilled in the land. This represents the first important achievement of the defense minister.

This incident can be readily forgiven in part because the unfortunate action apparently originated in Congress. But it is important that the correction be made with force and clarity, so as to avoid such incidents in the future. Where the captain rules, the sailor cannot.

Monday, May 24, 1999 Online Edition 158

Big days ahead in Stockholm

These days many of the people of Honduras are looking on their world maps to see if they can locate the city of Stockholm. And well they should, for that far away city in the far north is about to have a huge impact on the future and fortunes of Honduras.

In response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch, our government under the leadership of Carlos Flores Facusse has developed a Master Plan for Reconstruction, which is an effort to draw up a plan for coping with the severe damage caused by the hurricane, as well as the endemic poverty and underdevelopment of the country, now terribly exacerbated.

We know that the European ministers who will congregate in Stockholm will be tough-minded in the judgement that they make about our request for aid and our proposals for development, but we also know they understand that our countries are interrelated, and that what contributes to the welfare of one ultimately benefits all. The Europeans have particular reason to recall the Marshall Plan, which gave Europe a chance to rebuild after World War 2.

Almost 40 individuals representing different disciplines are accompanying the president on the flight to Sweden, an elegant port city, the Swedish capital, and once the center city of a prosperous Baltic empire. The Stockholm meeting is in fact the key to determining whether or not Hondurans can look forward to a better future in the new millennium, or whether we will remain a dependent nation that needs to be carried by others.

Our society today is deeply discouraged. The hurricane briefly generated a new spirit of unity in the country, but this has broken down under the strains generated by the hurricane, and the old divisions of the society have returned with a vengeance; divisions between the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, while the worst elements of the dominant political parties have taken advantage of the situation and are, predictably, showing their ugly faces everywhere. Cynicism and anger grows among the people.

Therefore, the work of preparation for the Stockholm meeting and the reception that the plan receives are of very great importance to our people. We badly need some good news. And we are confident that President Flores and his team will be received graciously.

LEARN FROM HISTORY

Dear Editor:

Mr. Erling Duus' article on spitting is well taken. If it takes shock therapy, frontal lobotomies or education it is worth it. To walk through a pool of spit on a bus floor is not pleasant and happens too often.

The latest attempts to shut people up, for example the gag rule, and Ombudsman Leo Valladares, will backfire. When people are forcibly silenced, it drives people underground and the lack of free speech leads to gossip and the gossip gets worse every time it is passed on. People immediately think that something is behind the efforts to silence someone and usually their imagination runs to the worst possible reason. Why not learn from history about the attempts to silence free speech?

Finally, Mr. Anton Fosspenny's bigoted letter shows he knows nothing about Latin American history. Start with "Se os encomienda" and then a few lessons in fourth, fifth and sixth grade history books will help him to learn.

John P. Buser

Siguatepeque

U.S. NOT TO BLAME FOR LATIN AMERICA'S WOES

Dear Editor:

At the risk of being branded a racist by Mr. Gutman, who apparently proofs for Honduras This Week prior to publication, please endure me if I "vent."

Now I'm not a great-learned reporter who has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal, but then I don't believe Mr. Gutman is either. While I can find no evidence that Mr. Gutman has ever been published outside of Honduras This Week and one Internet journal, I must credit him with an unbelievably keen way of persuasion.

Now an admitted Holocaust survivor, and if true, Mr. Gutman has at least revealed the source of his tactics. It wasn't too many years ago that a man, an evil man, identified the Jewish people as the source of all Germany's problems. People always beg for simple answers to their problems and Hitler gave them just what they wanted. You see the complexity of the truth and the real solutions don't often rally support among the masses.

Now who is to blame for any and all of the world's suffering? Why the evil, rich United States of course. And let us not forget that any friend of the U.S. is also evil by association. Is the U.S. perfect? Not for a moment. I won't, however, bore you with the details of the imperfections, as this is Mr. Gutman's life ambition.

I will bring this to your attention. The United States and Latin America were settled at about the same time. Forgive me Mr. Gutman, I mean European settlement. The United States has made no attempt to extend its boundaries by force since the Spanish American War. As a matter of fact, the United States would most likely have no problem with giving away most of its protectorates, but they don't want to go. Ask Puerto Rico.

We have achieved the highest quality of life known to man kind and have the fairest most uniform and non-corrupt government that has ever existed on the face of the earth. When any country needs something they come here first. Since the CIA was not established until the 1950s even Mr. Gutman can't blame the U.S. for the failure of Latin America to keep pace with the United States or Canada.

My point? Try as you may, it is not the fault of the United States that Latin America needs help. We may have influenced some micro developments, but the big picture has been on the same course for 500 years.

The U.S. government and the people of the U.S. individually have proven to be the most generous in the world -- WITHOUT EXCEPTION. What has it brought us?

In a recent issue of HTW I read where in the United States the poor pay more taxes than the rich. The statement is so completely inaccurate and absurd that the Editor of HTW this week should make a public apology for having printed it. But it is negative and helps support the theory that poor people are poor because rich people have all of the money. The U.S. is rich, Honduras is poor. Evil versus good again.

Reallocation of wealth I believe has been purported in HTW as a solution. Fine, if that is what Honduras eventually decides to be the solution; go and do it. Begin with all of the money the U.S. has sent over the past 20 years, including the 70 percent that disappeared through corruption, and allocate it any way you want. There was a time, believe me it is gone now, that I would send whatever I could to various institutions in Honduras as a way to try and help. Now I understand that the people of Honduras are demanding that I send it. I do not respond well to demands or threats against my embassy.

Mr. Editor, I hold you and those like you personally responsible for the attitudes and actions of recent in Honduras. You and Mr. Gutman are contributing to the creation of a welfare dependent state with citizens that believe that all their problems are cast upon them from the outside. I want to cry when I see what is happening, as I have seen it happen to a segment of our society in the U.S. Once proud people driven down to irresponsible worthless beggars. I beg you stop before it's too late.

I can no longer watch or contribute by supporting your paper. Please cancel my subscription and know that I will never again attempt to assist any charity in Honduras.

J.S. Davis
via Internet

Following is Mr. Gutman's reply to Mr. Davis's letter:

One way of erring on the side of justice is to side unerringly with the casualties of injustice, the vanquished, the dispersed, the humiliated, the persecuted, the forgotten. Behind barbed wire. In camps, prisons and gulags. In mass graves and hurriedly dug sepulchers. Wherever cries for freedom are hushed. Amid the anonymous bones scattered about the steaming earth. No matter who is the tormentor, regardless of whom is the victim.

War. Genocide. Ethnic cleansing. Disappearances. The ceaseless struggle for supremacy by the have against the have not. They've all become a blur in an unceasing tempest of human agony. Hard as he may try, Mr. Davis cannot rewrite history. Nor does he have the right to impugn my patriotism. I deplore some of America's political choices, disapprove of some of its alliances, and lament some of its foreign policies. No, I do not love it "right or wrong." I hail and treasure the "right;" I expose and condemn the "wrong." I love America in ways that Mr. Davis is in no position to comprehend. As Adlai Stevenson wrote, "true patriots are those who love America enough to wish to see her as a model for mankind." I am uplifted by America's triumphs; I grieve in shame at its failings.

Journalists don't have all the answers. Instead, they have all the questions. They dig for the truth, groping in the shadows of ignorance, prejudice and indifference. What they unearth is seldom to everyone's liking.

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, Mr. Davis, is usually the sign of a very bad memory. In the best of all possible worlds you can't have your cake and eat it too.

W. E. Gutman

EDITOR'S NOTE: W.E. Gutman is a contributing writer and does not proofread for Honduras This Week. Mr. Gutman's features are widely circulated in both the paper and electronic press from Mexico to Panama. His work has also appeared in Europe. He has been published by OMNI magazine, Penthouse, Z, the New York Times, Freedom Review, The Journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, The Wall Street Journal and The Connecticut Post, among others.

Finally, the positions and opinions expressed in Honduras This Week are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the management.

If you can't kill your television, convince it to commit suicide

By MELANIE WETZEL

The television set accidentally fell six feet to its death at my house this week. I applauded.

I don't harbor any ill will toward my household appliances. I kind of liked that TV. I won that TV in a raffle in 10th grade. That little 13-inch set had no idea what was in store for it. It sat on the car seat beside me in many a long-distance move. It rode patiently in the plane down to Honduras. We've been through a lot together and I certainly didn't wish it any harm. But, typing away in my room, when I heard that unmistakable series of sounds terminating in the explosion of the picture tube as it connected with the cement tile floor, I smiled.

There has been a small debate in my two-person, one-cat home lately over whether or not we should get cable. We were stalemated at a one-one vote. The cat jumped up onto the shelf where the TV lives and gave it a push. I think that is a no.

Now before my family and friends write to bear witness that I do, in fact, watch cable television, I will clarify. I love cable. I also love those great big cheeseburgers with bacon, and cheddar, with fries. But I don't eat them, because I don't like the results. A tiny bit of anything probably won't hurt you. But I wouldn't let a cheddar-bacon cheeseburger selling franchise into my living room, because I would eat them.

I think we can all concede the point that the TV is trying to sell you things. It wants you to want to buy more products, and to want to watch more TV. I know TV does a lot of other things, important, wonderful things. I don't think it should become extinct. But I don't like to let it in my living room. Sort of like the Mormons. I don't want anyone in my living room that is going to try to convince me of something.

I do watch the four channels of Honduran antennae TV. The commercials may try to convince, but they are certainly much less successful at it. Especially the ones where a big cardboard box tries to convince you to buy a washer. I will let an incompetent brainwasher into my home, that doesn't scare me. Spanish television is also more than a little old-fashioned. One of the most respected and loved variety show hosts still breaks into song when someone wins a prize (Sabado Gigante, I highly recommend it to those of you who get Univision out of Miami). Plus all that fiddling with the antennae requires that you get up and walk back and forth a lot, thereby getting some exercise. If you really want to see your television, step away from it for, oh, a couple of years. After my three-year hiatus, I see things in the television that I never saw before. I love it; I watch it like a child. My heart pounds, even during the commercials. They are so beautiful. So many cool things to buy. Do I sound like a heroin addict yet? Exactly why I don't want cable.

Upholding women's rights: what the media can do

A free and healthy press can become the midwife of change and enlightenment in the often immutable and gloomy existence of Central American women.

By W. E. GUTMAN

(Second of three parts)

In Central America, ads continue to depict women as sex objects. Responsible in part for an increase in rapes, such portrayal by the media is but a reflection -- distorted and unflattering -- of how women are regarded by a consumer society. Sadly, this characterization may also echo the women's own sense of self-worth. The tragic reality in the region is that the media accepts, supports and even encourages a sexist stance -- for profit.

Money also animates a thriving pornographic trade, an amalgam of words and pictures in which women are treated as expendable merchandise in sexually explicit situations that are degrading, abusive and violent. Women may be shown as willing or unwilling partners -- the latter being far more titillating. Either way, because the essential features of pornography are degradation, domination, humiliation, objectification, violation and annihilation interwoven with coitus, women are robbed of their personality and stripped of their humanity.

In widely circulated "graphic novels" -- the pedantic term for a new generation of loathsome comic books -- women are blamed for male infidelity and impotence, wives are painted as acrimonious nags who castrate their husbands and ultimately seek vengeance and solace in other women. Adding insult to injury, these comics also portray women as sex-starved masochists who, in the hands of a "real man" take pleasure in pain and thrive on humiliation.

CHILD VICTIMS

Brought into a world not of their doing, children also are forced into lifestyles designed to sate the lust of pedophiles and bring riches to flesh merchants and pornographers alike. These most appalling forms of child abuse and exploitation, prostitution and pornography, are on the rise, notably in Costa Rica and Honduras.

Most of the victims are girls but boys, especially the prepubescent, are also in demand. These children become victims of exploitation largely because their families are poor.

Often sexually abused by male kin then forced into servitude, girls are habitually seduced or raped by their employers then thrown onto the streets to fend for themselves. Girls from destitute families in rural areas are kidnapped and auctioned off to middlemen who resell them to pimps in Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, Mexico City and San Jose. Trying to eke out a living on city streets, girls from urban slums find prostitution the easiest and most profitable from of work.

For many girls in Central America and the Caribbean, prostitution is often the aftermath of violent sexual assault in the home. In Guatemala, Honduras and Grenada, where this writer has focused much of his research, reports by child welfare agencies document thousands of cases of sex abuse by fathers or other adult male relatives. Investigators claim these cases represent only the tip of the iceberg; most incidents go unreported.

Statutory whipping and the 10 years' hard labor for rape in Grenada have not deterred fathers from indulging in this heinous act. In Guatemala, rape is a legalistic -- rather than a medical -- definition. It is rarely prosecuted, even in the presence of incontrovertible forensic evidence -- which is often deliberately allowed to decay.

MISCONCEPTIONS

"Police and judges often show bias against the victim," says Dr. Carlos Cossich Marquez, Chief of Pediatrics at Guatemala's General Hospital. "Except in the most flagrant cases, they tend to view rape as the result of provocative behavior." Dr. Luis Genaro Morales Padilla, president of Fundacion Pediatrica Guatemalteca concurs. "This perception, coupled with a lax, corrupt judicial system, continues to hinder the successful prosecution of rape throughout the region."

Lingering cultural mores, religious biases and economic pressures also conspire to deny girls access to a primary education -- thus severely limiting their personal potential and future role in society by condemning them to a cycle of poverty, ignorance, poor health and low life expectancy.

Women deeply affect the health and quality of future generations in a multitude of ways. Yet, in Central America, although they are the very heart of their economic viability, women can look forward to living with fewer employment opportunities, diminished social security, property and legal protection rights. Girls will grow into women who must bear and care for children. Working twice as hard as men, deprived of sufficient food, denied adequate health care, let alone a basic education, their days are long, their tasks bone-crushing: They must find food, carry water and fuel, rear children, provide a shelter for their families, all of this in an often harsh physical setting and a largely unkind social climate.

Women do not merely constitute a major demographic presence. They represent the very kernel around which human development must take shape. Without the mobilization of women, child development -- the very development of the human race -- cannot take place. Thus, strategies for meeting the goals for children and improving the status and role of women in society will be linked to measures designed to empower women themselves.

This involves knowledge, information, the ability to organize, to defend their interests and to secure their rightful share of resources and benefits, and the capacity to participate effectively in all societal processes and decisions that establish values, control access, allocate resources and responsibilities, and award benefits within the family, community and nation.

MEDIA'S ROLE

Who but the media can more eloquently articulate these challenges and vigorously mobilize the necessary public support? Who but the press is becoming the chief midwife of change and enlightenment? Insofar as it is possible to generalize, however, media coverage of basic poverty issues has been selective. The press has largely considered what is and not what could or must be, choosing to focus only on the actions taken, not on the opportunities missed.

If the media is to make a serious commitment to stimulating public support, then a new kind of journalism-against-poverty will have to be pioneered. Local priorities and local circumstances will dictate the nature and content of that journalism. But its aim must first be to keep politicians on their toes, to inform them of the facts and trends, of the gains made and the needs still unfulfilled, of the new technologies and the attempts to apply them on a sufficiently large scale, and, most importantly, of the human consequences and the economic implications of inaction.

More specifically, attention can also be focused on the effect of national policies on women, their social and legal status, and their role in participation and decision-making processes. Where national policies are absent or inadequate, owing perhaps to insufficient political will or lack of reliable data on gender differentiation and other indicators, media can also issue the decisive clarion call. It is neither stridency nor grandiloquence, neither tearful nor histrionic journalism that will tell the story. The story is there, branded on the bodies and souls of millions of women and children awaiting deliverance.

Recently, the winner of an international beauty contest was described in a wide-circulation Central American newspaper as having swayed the final vote because of the "stunning, figure-hugging, body-revealing gold-lame gown she wore." The paper had little else to say about the woman who also happens to hold a master's degree in literature, who sings like a lark and speaks four languages fluently. Nor did the newspaper have the curiosity -- let alone the common sense -- to ask whether such a multi-talented person would have strutted on pageant runways in various stages of undress were it not for the promise of fame, notoriety and personal gain.

This kind of reporting, all too common in the tabloids, further strengthens the image of women as mere objects of lust and decoration.

NEXT WEEK: Women journalists have an opportunity -- and the obligation -- to write seriously about the real issues confronting them and, in so doing, to campaign against the sexist portrayals that prevent women from managing their own lives.

READOUT

Often sexually abused by male kin then forced into servitude, girls are habitually seduced or raped by their employers then thrown onto the streets to fend for themselves. Girls from destitute families in rural areas are kidnapped and auctioned off to middlemen who resell them to pimps in Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, Mexico City and San Jose. Trying to eke out a living on city streets, girls from urban slums find prostitution the easiest and most profitable from of work.

Monday, May 17, 1999 Online Edition 157

Nation staggers under strikes
During the last few weeks, several strikes were held across the country; workers in immigration offices, doctors and nurses in public hospitals, and public school teachers, all went out on strike. The government was able to conduct a speedy and successful negotiation, and everyone went back to work.

These different strikes are presenting themselves as "assemblies for communication," but really only have the purpose of calling public attention to problems relating to salary and working conditions.

In the past, we have pointed out that low salaries have the effect of causing corruption, as employees feel compelled to steal in order to improve their living situation. What else can be expected of individuals who as in the case of immigration officials are earning $130 a month.

At the same time, we must acknowledge that it is not possible for the government to continue to raise salaries for public workers, because it simply does not have the revenues for doing this. If the government is going respond creatively, it must make many changes; among others, it must cut back on wasteful and unnecessary bureaucracy of which there is a great deal.

The salaries that public employees receive are obsolete and are not in line with the legitimate aspirations of professional people in modern society. The dissatisfaction of these employees is a permanent condition, and there is in some ministries a great deal of change-over. Stability is rare.

The recurrent strikes, so much a part of our national scene, have the effect of damaging the prestige of the country, creating an image of incompetence and instability. In order to respond effectively to this problem, the government needs to develop a salary scale that rewards competence and professionalism, and make regular adjustments to reflect inflation.

At the same time, government must become more creative about getting the public's share of vast private wealth. This constant epidemic of strikes are intolerable and have to end if this country is to go forward.

Labor Day message: Hondurans fed up

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

Last week HTW reported that traditional Labor Day festivities were "marred by violence," as members of STIBYS, the beverage workers union, turned against labor leaders and refused to allow them to do their usual demagogic thing, pelting them with a variety of objects, and charging them with selling out to powerful entrepreneurs and political leaders.

It was reported that the display was poorly received by those who had gathered for the event, and were expecting the usual kind of highly rhetorical, but essentially amiable occasion, just one more opportunity for Honduran fun and high spirits.

This writer was not present, and is not in a position to fairly evaluate how faithfully labor leaders in this country serve their constituencies, but it is not unusual for labor leaders to be co-opted, and the perspective that this has taken place in Honduras is widely held.

It is certainly unfortunate that anyone was injured, but the fact that some people were unhappy pales in importance besides the sheer fact of an unprecedented forceful protest. Particularly impressive is the fact that the accused were named and publicly discomfited. If they are innocent, they can defend themselves and re-claim their reputations, and if not, they have been dramatically reminded about who they are supposed to serve. The larger message might be that traditionally submissive, docile Hondurans are fed up with the treatment they receive, and are not going to tolerate it anymore. The radicalization of the people is essential if Honduras is going to change, and labor leaders must serve that end or make way for those who will.

Hondurans are not traditionally comfortable with loud and unmannerly protest. They have been manipulated, brainwashed, and when necessary, bludgeoned, into the belief that it is always better to be peaceful and friendly.

Recently, a particularly oppressive member of the ruling class spoke defensively about what a "warm and friendly" people the Hondurans are, "the warmest people in the world." The better to oppress you, my dear. Implicit in her statement was the notion that the warmth and passivity of the people somehow justifies their abuse by, among others, herself.

Because there is so little protest, the ruling class feels that they can do whatever they wish. They have the power, and are ruthlessly self-righteous about how they use it. There are hundreds of little revolutions that are needed in the country, and all of them can be conducted under the profound power of the simple concept of democracy.

My students have been memorizing the Gettysburg Address. How the words of Lincoln do ring. "That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, and that government, of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Immigration laws weak when it comes to discouraging the poor of Central America
By Don Stierman

When Roberto graduated from the sixth grade at the age of 14, continuing his education was out of the question. Uniforms, textbooks and supplies for middle school were too expensive. He got a job working for the sugar company and saved his money. About a year later, he took his savings and set out for the United States, where hard workers could earn far more than $3 per day. However, a little bit north of Mexico City, he was robbed, arrested, and sent back to Honduras.

Roberto is now 24 years old. He lives in Marcovia, a small municipio west of Choluteca, where he works about 7 hours per day (7 AM to 3 PM with an hour off for lunch) as a skilled laborer for CARE. He knows how to use line levels, tape measures and plumb bobs. He can lay cinder block according to specifications set by an experienced builder. He earns $17 per week building homes for victims of Hurricane Mitch. A little after 3 PM, Roberto leaves the CARE project and rides his bicycle to the sugar factory. There, he works the evening shift, maintaining motors and machinery. This job earns him an additional $2.50 for each short (4 to 9 PM) shift.

Then Roberto goes home to his wife and 2 children. He will never again try to make it to the USA, despite the lure of high wages and cheap food. Roberto learns quickly. He knows that even if he makes it past the bandits and the policía of Mexico and La Migra along the Río Bravo to the U.S., he would still be at the mercy of a patrón who might take advantage of his illegal status and inability to read, speak or understand English.

That is, if his current prosperity can be maintained. What will happen with reconstruction is completed, when the damnificados have homes and CARE declares victory in Marcovia and moves on to other urgent human needs? Where will Roberto find work when he and the other skilled builders are no longer needed?

Relative to other young fathers living near Marcovia, Roberto is well off. Many young men have no technical experience. How many of our sixth grade graduates can use basic carpenter tools such as levels, squares and tape measures?

I’ve watched these people work. These men are not lazy. They are creative. One asked me about jobs in the USA – why couldn’t I hire him? Why couldn’t my brother-in-law, a farmer in Illinois, hire him? He was looking for a job as a "peón" – a simple laborer. To him, the US minimum wage of $5.15 per hour is beyond his wildest dream. For such a wage, he would work 8 or 10 hours a day, 6 days a week to feed his family, save enough to buy some land, send his children to school.

I think I convinced this fellow that traveling to the USA would not be in his best interest. In addition to the hazardous journey, I spoke of a need the read and speak English (at least, on my brother-in-law’s place).

However, I am convinced that when people get desperate, they will risk the trip, no matter the difficulties. If you have not been to Marcovia, or to a similar settlement, and seen the situation, you can not appreciate how weak legal impediments we place on immigration are when it comes to discouraging the poor of Central America from trying to get into the USA. It tears your heart out to talk to a man and have to tell him that going to the USA is not a good idea. In my opinion, if we prohibit our poor neighbors from seeking subsistence for their families within our borders, we have a responsibility to generate opportunities for them in their home districts.

We will ultimately be judged on the sincerity of our attempts.

A good week for President Flores

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

Just when he needed it the most, President Flores appears to have had a very good week. He traveled to Candelaria, Lempira, where he was the pivotal figure in a ceremony in which a major response was made to the demands and needs of the traditional community of the area.

Deeds to 1,587 properties were given to independent farmers totaling 5,665 hectares of land. Additionally, titles were given to 14 Lenca communities, involving 6,972 hectares, affecting directly 785 persons, and indirectly 2,920.

In a speech, Flores said that he did not want to come to the Lenca lands until he could come with something to contribute to the improvement of life of "a people traditionally ignored and forgotten."

President Flores is not naturally a "man of the people." Unlike his wife, he does not move easily among the lower classes. But he is nevertheless making an effort to include neglected people in the Honduran family.

Later in the week, he and key members of the Cabinet of Reconstruction finally sat down with the mayor of Tegucigalpa, Vilma Reyes de Castellanos to talk about the reconstruction needs of the capital. A primary topic of conversation was the need to get the river dredged before the rainy season begins, and thus diminish the danger of flooding. Of course, this meeting should have taken place earlier, but at least it has now taken place. We only hope that it is not too late.

Also, in response to growing pressure to hold a plebescite for the purpose of changing the Constitution to allow either an extended or second term, the president responded with very strong and unequivocal language that he would not encourage or cooperate with such an effort.

He appears to mean it. There are good arguments that can be made in favor of an expanded presidential term, but Mr. Flores appears to understand that democracy is fragile in this country, and that expanding the presidential term can open the door to the authoritarian tendencies that are not hard to observe in the Honduran political world. Flores probably also does not wish to open the door to the ambitions of other men, most noticeably former President Callejas, who obviously covets the opportunity to return to power.

This was also the week when the master plan for the Reconstruction of Honduras was released. Few Hondurans will read it, unfortunately, but it is an impressive document, and its appearance enables a vital national dialogue to take place.

Just as important as all of the above, is that the administration is giving clear signals that it recognizes that the move against Mr. Valladares was a mistake, and not only for political reasons. Congressional President Rafael Pineda Ponce will have a hard time recovering his prestige (such as it was) but President Flores can do so by giving the country the kind of progressive democratic leadership it needs.

President Flores has been called the leader of a group of "conservative elitists," who have taken over the Liberal Party. His tendency to an authoritarian style of leadership has been widely remarked. But there are indications that he can overcome this, and that he is committed to achieving the deepening and strengthening of democracy in Honduras. After all, it was a conservative elitist named Franklin Delano Roosevelt who accomplished this in the United States.

There are indications too that Flores has a distaste for the traditional corruption of Honduran politics; that he is not alone an honest man himself, but wants to surround himself with honest people. We believe that Flores has been moved and perhaps changed by what he has seen first-hand of the suffering and nobility of the poor people of the country, and that he genuinely wishes to improve the conditions of their lives and fortunes. Roosevelt was accused of "betraying" his own class. The same might happen to Flores. If it does, Carlos Flores will be changing the politics and the culture of Honduras, and taking advantage of the unique opportunity history has given him. The country watches and waits.

Upholding women's rights: what the media can do
What is the impact of a distorted portrayal of women and the trivializing of female children on their development and position in society?

(First of three parts)

In a world bleeding from war, poverty, disease, hunger, inequality and sexual abuse, why should women look to the media? Are not health care, economic independence, reproductive rights, legal protection and education far more pressing issues?

The answer is that while the media has often fostered attitudes and role expectations that erect barriers to the advancement of women, that weaken their position and limit their participation in society, it has also shown the capacity to set new standards which have helped women express their views, promote equality and advance their position within a global political economy over which they heretofore exercised little or no control.

In many countries the press remains the catalyst of peaceful change. It is communication, not violence, that has delivered nations from the yoke of oppression, nourished fledgling democracies, resuscitated moribund ones, pleaded on behalf of an ailing environment and offered its citizens an opportunity to witness, in real-time, history's most dramatic moments.

Moreover, increasing brutality against women and children, at home, on the streets, in the workplace, and the subtler institutionalized inequities to which they fall prey -- job discrimination, educational double-standards, the conflict between career and homemaking, and marginal health care -- have all begun to capture media attention. Armed with a new sense of self-worth, women are also gaining a new appreciation of their right to manage their lives and, in so doing, to redirect and improve their children's destinies.

Still, much work remains to be done. Threatened by natural calamities, often denied by political ill-will or inertia, or frequently subverted by conflicting economic interests, certain fundamental human aspirations remain a dream -- 51 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- for a growing number of women around the world.

In the developing world the media continues to have a condescending "welfare" approach to women. While there appears to be some effort to portray women in non-stereotypical roles, women in rural areas, for example, and the very special problems they face, receive virtually no coverage.

Dramatic and morbidly titillating, abortion, prostitution, rape and pornography get all the press. Little is said about health issues, less yet about family planning and effective parenting, almost nothing about the inalienable rights of women, less than nothing about the very real obligations and responsibilities of the State to their well-being.

In a largely male-dominated society busy raising commercial empires and transacting temporary political accommodations, women, after all, are not "hot" topics. The best that can be said is that the media chooses to focus on women (and children) when they acquire commercial value. Compared with the column-inch space devoted to politics, gossip, gutter crime, sports and entertainment, women and children are far outdistanced if not disappointingly last.

There also continues to be an embarrassing lack of sophistication and perspective on the issues affecting women and children, probably because a serious examination of their status demands systemic changes that few publishers, journalists, editors and network executives have the attention span to tackle. The object is not to inform or to stimulate a desire for more information (nor to educate or sharpen an appetite for more knowledge) but to sell more papers, to ensnare more viewers. Such mission makes apparent the many commonalties that exist in the sexist distortions in the media's portrayal of women, and in its general insensitivity toward them in developing nations.

The media may be all-pervasive but it is has its subtle, insidious side. In many developing nations, it still prefers to show women as housewives and mothers -- rather than workers and professionals. This is a throwback of a paternalistic mindset that pretends to protect women while crassly patronizing them. Because such media sounds serious, authoritative and genuinely concerned about development, the stereotypes it perpetuates are likely to become more entrenched, more immutable.

Often inspired -- when not utterly manipulated -- by theocratic interests, conservative politics, with its propensity for the subliminal, often reinforces this perception by focusing on "family values" and other representations that view women in "domestic" settings.

Statistics show that well over half the world's food is produced by women yet, ironically, the media -- male-dominated for the most part -- seeks out men as model farmers and agricultural experts, while rural women, evanescent and out of focus in the background, are merely seen as picturesque "props."

What is the impact of such distorted portrayal of women, or of the triviality of female children, on their development and position in society?

First is the perpetuation of inequality in the home. Women and girls are more undernourished, underfed, indeed more unloved than men and boys. By reinforcing Church-ordained sex stereotypes, by glorifying motherhood and subservient wifehood, the media makes it difficult for women to break out of their prescribed roles, norms and behavior patterns. Indirectly but dramatically, children of both sexes adopt selective ideas and role-playing modes that will carry them into adulthood.

Second, is the cultivation of a distorted self-image. The media not only influences the social image of women and children, it in fact alters their self-perception by affecting their socialization, by dictating what they shall wear and consume, how they shall behave, what they will learn, dream, aspire to, whom they will marry.

The media has not only not helped women and society to redefine their roles and that of men, it has wantonly ignored, even demeaned, whatever efforts women have made to adopt alternative lifestyles, in short to control their destinies. By focusing on the physical, economic and social differences that divide them, the media has discouraged the emergence of a new woman, a new man, and a new relationship between them.

Third, is the reinforcement of biases in developmental plans. The near-total silence by the press on the productive role of women makes their absence in decision-making and implementing processes seem perfectly normal. Planning is the sole province of upper-class, urban males who, in addition to their own misconceptions and chauvinistic views of women, have the omnipresent media to (mis)inform and (mis)educate them. It is no wonder that they have little or no incentive, let alone a commitment, to change the status quo.

Where the press errs by omission, it compounds by commission. Sexist ads are the norm with industry and ad agencies across Latin America that reap huge profits at the expense of women. The commercialization of the female body as an object to be feasted on by eager male eyes, is nowhere better illustrated that in the semi-nude pictures of women in suggestive and revealing poses on calendars, posters and ads that promote cigarettes, tractors, paints, alcoholic beverages and tools.

While ads and commercials do not (yet) have the quasi-pornographic quality imparted by Western marketers in their quest to sell jeans, perfume, utility vehicles or rock videos, Latin American advertisers still treat women as appendages that belong in the kitchen, and not too far from the bedroom.

NEXT WEEK: A free and healthy press can become the midwife of change and enlightenment in the often immutable and gloomy existence of Central American women.

I write this letter to question some of the writings of Mr. Carlos Flores Flakes posted in your reader's forum.

First of all, let me say that I believe that the Human Rights Commissioner acted responsibly by using the only power available to the office, that is, the public denouncing of possible acts of corruption. The Commissioner respected the judicial principle of "innocent until proven guilty" by not releasing names in publications presented to all national and international media.

Yet, the report presented to Contraloria and to the Ministerio Publico did have the names so that these investigative bodies could perform their constitutionally appointed duty. The duty of office of the Human Rights Commissioner is to gather information and present it to the appropriate investigative offices. The corroboration phase is a duty of Contraloría and the Ministerio Publico.

I do question the actions of the present government, which should have taken this report and immediately pointed out that the alleged acts of corruption were relatively minor and that the government would prosecute to the fullest extent the guilty parties, reassuring international donors and helping to debunk the dishonorable title of "third most corrupt nation in the world." Instead, the administration chose to keep silent and eventually release a much belated public proclamation from Mr. Flores Facusse, supporting the work of Mr. Valladares.

I fail to see why is it an insult for us Hondurans that the Commissioner will investigate how all international aid has been used, particularly when there has not been any information available to the general public about how much aid has been received by the government and private foundations. In the normal course of doing business, private foundations and the public sector are required to show external auditing and a detailed list of income and expenditures.

On the online e-mail distribution list Catrachos, some of the members (included myself) requested a detailed list of the money received by Fundacion Maria and other private aid foundations, as well as a report of how the money has been used, including administration costs, to no avail.

I believe some members of the Catrachos list and other Hondurans abroad are not questioning the fact that a particular foundation or the Commissioner received money, as Mr. Flores writes. Hondurans actively worked collecting money and supplies, which we expected were going to be used in a responsible manner. Furthermore, we expected that we would get common sense reporting of how the aid and money collected was going to be used. Neither the office of the Commissioner nor any public or private foundation should be exempt from this requirement.

This is a right we obtained after back-breaking loading of containers, writings hundreds of letters and e-mails, constructing web sites to inform about Mitch, donating money and other supplies, organizing persons and groups, and by bringing to the collective conscience of international public opinion the disaster Mitch made of our beloved country. Yes, I believe we have earned that right.

Jose Benjamin Falck Zepeda
via Internet

Erling Duus Christensen's piece titled, "Thoughts about critics and criticism" caught my attention because I've recently been engaging people on just this subject, specifically as it applies to Carlos Flores Flakes' recent letter regarding the whole Valladares and Human Rights Commission controversy.

In his letter, Flores suggests that Valladares overstepped his bounds by coming up with alleged cases of corruption by certain Honduran government officials involving the management of hurricane relief funds. That's his opinion, and that's fine.

What bugs me is Flores' suggestion that Valladares' criticism is an "insult" to the Honduran people. What is this stuff? I can't believe we Hondurans (or Latins, for that matter) are all so "thin-skinned" that we take every criticism thrown our way as a personal affront.

I think this attitude is both an emotional one and a self-serving one. We've got to find a way to get past it if Honduras ever hopes to move ahead.

Marco Caceres
Washington, D.C.

The oldest profession and Honduras
Two citizens of the United States have been incarcerated for allegedly promoting prostitution while employing underage children in San Pedro Sula. They were managing a night club in that city.

The conditions of poverty and ignorance have caused many young people of different ages to seek money in an easy way via the "world's oldest profession." As the saying goes, "live, and let live," which has traditionally been the attitude of the government of Honduras, and while we endorse that attitude, we also believe that our children need to be protected from exploitation in whatever form.

Last December, on orders from the mayor of Tegucigalpa the houses of prostitution in the Belen zone of Comayaguela were closed. However, at that time, no effort was made to determine the ages of the employees. We saw, however, television coverage that made evident that many of the girls were obviously very young.

After the houses were closed, the girls have been spreading out all over the city, and as a result health authorities are no longer able to monitor their physical conditions, and thus control the spread of disease. This does not strike us as progress.

The problem of prostitution is serious, and requires a thoughtful societal response. Casa Alianza is at the center of the fight to protect the rights of children, and because of the intensity of this struggle as well as related issues, Bruce Harris, the director for Latin America, is being sued in Guatemala because he has accused the wife of a high government official of trafficking in children.

The exploitation of children brings a great sadness to our society, and every day we allow ourselves to see less, and to harden our hearts against the degradation we know is taking place among our young people.

We applaud the authorities for moving against those who have allegedly been exploiting children for carnal purposes, and believe that this should not be tolerated in our country, whether perpetrated by our own citizens or by foreigners. At the same time, we believe that well-regulated houses of prostitution are far preferable to a situation in which we simply close our eyes and allow prostitution to proliferate, while it is officially outlawed.

Central America and genocide: the seamy side of "reconciliation"

Asking the families of war crime victims to look the other way while their tormentors are still free is an affront to justice. It is also an invitation to further discord and social conflict.

By W. E. GUTMAN

Made public in February, the report of the independent Historical Clarification Commission acknowledges that the U.S. funded and trained the Guatemalan military during that country's 36-year genocidal war against the Maya. The report challenges years of vehement denial by the U.S. that it advocated and abetted wholesale torture, kidnappings and executions of thousands of civilians. It confirms the CIA's participation in a blood bath that resulted in the death of at least 200,000 people -- a role the agency had heretofore zealously, if vainly refuted.

The report concludes that U.S. support for right-wing governments in the Isthmus and the training of Central American military cadres [at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA)] played a pivotal role in "aggressive, racist and extremely cruel violations that resulted in the massive extermination of defenseless people."

The Commission points fingers at military intelligence and blames bellicose Central American government policies for a decade of illegal detentions, torture, "disappearances" and extra-judicial executions. It fails to name the guilty or argue in favor of justice. It perfunctorily recommends reparations for the victims and advocates "reconciliation through truth."

Moving beyond the horrors of war is salutary. Admitting (and apologizing for) U.S. backing of "military forces that engaged in violence and widespread repression," as President Clinton did recently, is praiseworthy. Arguing for "truth" in the abstract while shielding the guilty, adds villainy to hypocrisy. Implicit in this artifice is that for the good of society, victims of barbarism should not only abstain from revisiting the past, they should in fact pretend that it never took place.

Oddly, nowhere is this doctrine more forcefully articulated than in Honduras. Whereas Guatemala is visibly struggling with its inglorious past, Honduras -- a nation that gleefully collaborated with the U.S. and demonstrated great skill in meting out its own brand of "anti-Communist" justice -- continues to seek absolution by promoting collective amnesia.

"Let bygones be bygones," demands a high-ranking officer, now retired. "The dead are buried and their killers are now old men. How long must we regurgitate the past?"

Poor choice of words from an old soldier to a Holocaust survivor whose family was denied the privilege of old age. Fiendish reasoning from a former intelligence officer who calls for a return to military hegemony and equates any form of political opposition with "guerrilla warfare."

"You admit there were killers among you," I press on.

"Yes. It was war. We had a job to do."

"The war is over. You're anxious to get on with your life, aren't you. Why not cooperate and help bring the guilty to justice? If you don't, Honduras will not only 'regurgitate' the past, it may well choke on it."

"It's not our job to cooperate. Let civilian judges handle the matter."

"But they don't know whom to summon, do they?"

"Sure they do," winks the colonel.

The colonel is right. With very few exceptions, Honduran tribunals, in the name of "reconciliation" have either looked the other way, conducted pro forma hearings on cases that never went to trial, masterminded the defection of military thugs to safe havens abroad, or simply engineered their release on the grounds that they lacked "sufficient evidence."

While human rights abuses by the Honduran military pale in comparison with their Colombian and Salvadoran counterparts, proportionately they exceed those of the Guatemalan armed forces. Grievous and as yet unpunished, they merit reexamination. At least 22 officers, all SOA graduates, all implicated in various war crimes, are still free and living the good life in Honduras. They have bought their freedom from, and are being shielded by, an apathetic and mercenary judiciary accustomed to coddling the rich and the powerful.

Some former death-squad members have since branched out into organized crime. Others have invested in "legitimate" businesses. The proverbial "long arm of the law" continues to short-change their victims and posterity. In so doing, it not only defiles justice, it retards "reconciliation" and adds fuel to the flames of national discontent.

There is no statute of limitation on war crimes. War criminals are prosecutable and punishable. So are the intellectual authors who sanction or orchestrate atrocities from the safety of their office. Will Honduras have the courage to expiate its own unholy past? Or is the past prelude?

POSTAGE HIKE BIG MISTAKE

Dear Editor:

Your paper is always well done and extremely interesting -- from cover to cover. This increase in postage costs is a big mistake as it will discourage more subscriptions in the U.S.A. President Flores should reexamine this. Honduras This Week is a unique source of information about a country that gets little or no coverage in the North American papers, except during a world-class disaster like the hurricane, and that was a flash in the pan with hardly any follow-up.

Even with your eye-opening coverage of some of Honduras' problems, your insightful embrace of the people and country entice us to return to Honduras to share in its many riches. It would be a shame if this postage increase narrowed your exposure.

Karin Stefans
South Orange, NJ

VALLADARES IRRESPONSIBLE

Dear Editor:

First, I would like to say that I admire Leo Valladares for the great work that he has done as the head of the Human Rights Commission in Honduras. His labor has indeed made Honduras more democratic and has contributed to the return of power from military to civilian hands.

However, I would like to publicly ask Mr. Valladares to reflect on what he has recently done. I think that he was irresponsible in denouncing acts of corruption in the government with not much evidence to his support. He has now been elevated to a constitutional figure and is the head of a new institution that is going to be strengthen or weakened depending on the example that he sets.

I also believe that it is not right and it is an insult to the Honduran people, that when we were still burying our dead, and millions of Hondurans had lost their homes and relatives, that Leo Valladares was investigating those who were trying to make a difference. People who gave all their love and labor to the Honduran people during a most crucial and difficult moment in our national history.

There is already a government institution that investigates the finances of the government, and that is the Contraloria General de la Republica,"not El Comisionado de los Derechos Humanos." Leo Valladares had no constitutional authority to do what he did, and due to his great work in defending human rights he has international respect, and because of this he has now to be more careful and responsible in the accusations that he makes.

Another thing is that supposedly he received money from international institutions or agencies for making this report. If the president of Honduras or any other government official would have received money for the work that they did during the crisis of the Hurricane, Leo Valladares would have denounced them as corrupt and would have included them in his report.

Honduras is not more or less democratic if the term of the Comisionado is four, six, or eight years. Honduras does not become more democratic if the presidential term is six or eight years, rather then four. But Honduras does become less democratic when its people allow someone to abuse their power in government, by claiming constitutional privileges that they do not have. The country become less democratic when it allows someone to make strong accusations against those who have done nothing wrong, and when it decides to give special treatment to a government official just because of his name and past.

The issue is not the Human Rights Commission. The institution has to be strengthened for the progress of a democratic Honduras. The issue is Leo Valladares. Now that he has done so much for Honduras in what has to do with human rights, it is wrong for him to act like Honduras's police officer, by assuming responsibilities that he does not constitutionally have.

Now this is my PERSONAL"opinion, not the government's, or my father's, or anyone else's.

Carlos David Flores
via Internet

EDITOR'S NOTE: Carlos David Flores is the son of President Carlos Flores and we appreciate his thoughtful opinion on this topic.

Thoughts about critics and criticism

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

As a teacher, I am often inspired by the qualities that I discover in my students. Now, I am in my own opinion, at least, a good and relentless teacher. I never let up. But if one is not working with substantial human material (and sometimes, alas, one is not) one might as well be plowing the sea.

My specialty is philosophy. I wish you, gentle reader, those of you who it would not be wasted on, could sit and listen and observe while 15- and 16-year-old Honduran boys and girls using a language (English) in which they are only modestly competent, get up fighting nervousness and present coherent and often insightful reports with grace under pressure on the philosophies of Emerson, Locke, Camus, Nietzsche, Plato, Plotinus, Spinoza, Hegel, Augustine, or Marx.

Philosophy was not even on our radar screens back in Minnesota where I attended high school. We lived, studied, and worked without serious awareness that it was the bedrock upon which all Western civilization was founded. I don't think we would have done very well with it if it had been taught, so preoccupied were we with athletic competition and our cultural smugness and insulation.

Honduran students tend to be receptive and attuned because their minds, hearts, and souls are open in a manner that might also have been characteristic in the United States 50 years ago before the post-war affluence and up-rooting began to destroy everything worthwhile associated with the Jeffersonian, Transcendentalist, and immigrant dream.

I think of these things in the aftermath of the shocking events in Littleton, Colorado. There is much hand-wringing and some soul-searching going on. But nobody who has understood very much of what has taken place during the last 50 years can really be much surprised. Herman Hagedorn, a minor but important writer during the first half of the century, once wrote a prophetic book in verse titled, "The bomb that fell on Hiroshima fell on America too."

Former Senator Bill Bradley, rapidly becoming a serious presidential candidate, had this to say. "We need to look deeper into the soul of America, and peel back the layers of denial and defense." That reminds me of what Lincoln said long ago. "We must disenthrall ourselves." This speaks to the need for philosophy, that is to say, deep and rich introspection.

Here is the advantage of Hondurans. There is not so much "peeling back" that needs to be done. Most Hondurans know that there is something profoundly wrong with their country. Especially, the young know it. They want to love their homeland, and be proud of it, but every day and every hour they are forced witnesses to levels of corruption, degradation, filth, tolerance of mediocrity and ugliness, and the failures of leadership at every level. Accordingly, they find it hard to be hopeful about the future.

Many of the young know what many others do not want to know or cannot afford to acknowledge, (including some readers of this publication). They are aware that their patrimony is being stolen from them by a variety of deeply ingrained cultural traits that are in truth despicable, and which are deserving of scorn. They know that Honduras is not rated the third most corrupt country in the world for nothing, and that the fact that only Haiti in this hemisphere has a lower standard of living is directly reflective of inherited ways of living and thinking.

Hondurans, young and old, of the kind I am describing, engage in serious, painful, and soul-searching criticism of their country, and are remarkably open to what foreign residents and visitors have to say. They are often pleased to be reinforced in their own perceptions by the observations of non-Hondurans, providing only that these show some serious caring as well as a little bit of knowledge about their beautiful country.

On the other hand, they are wary, as critics often are. Honduras has its own version of the "love it or leave it" brigades, and almost always these are the wealthy and powerful, the ones for whom Honduras works out very well, and thank you very much. In the guise of defending their country against critics, such people are in reality defending their own privilege, and the historically entrenched, irresponsible elites to which they belong or wish to belong. They fear, most of all, exposure.

Such people, whether they are living in the enclaves of the rich in Honduras, or have slipped away to some suburb in the United States, love to pretend that any criticism of the things that pollute and destroy their culture is an attack on all of Latin America. They hide behind an ill-conceived patriotism, and thus give credence to the famous words of H.L. Mencken that "patriotism is often the last refuge of scoundrels."

The natural allies of these individuals are often the rich and sentimental gringos who stay at the luxury resorts and hotels and know Honduras only from an antiseptic distance, but who "just love" the country and its people.

Monday, May 3, 1999 Online Edition 155 Special Edition

The crumbling of the capital

We are concerned about the delay in building the long-promised and long-delayed beltway around Tegucigalpa. The government appears to have forgotten about it, along with many other projects dealing with infrastructure. The beltway, which begins close to the headquarters of the air force near the airport, is intended to circle the city and connect with the highway to Valle de Angeles, but presently it only connects with Boulevard Miraflores, which means that it is far from being completed after about a decade of at least theoretical construction.

Without deadlines which are taken seriously, there is no hope for relieving the congestion of hundreds of thousands of vehicles trying to make their way through a city of over a million people that has about four streets or avenues.

Who are the people in charge of planning our urban development? Please step forward. Is it the mayor? Or the central government? Who? What's that you say? Nobody!

We see very little sign of general maintenance in the city. And little, if any, evidence of any central planning. The city appears to be turned over to the wind to blow as it will. The population continues to grow dramatically, without plan or pattern. The water department and phone company come out and dig holes in the streets for one purpose or another, and may or may not get around to fixing them again.

Other situations too numerous to mention specifically, both unsightly and dangerous, go for years without being fixed, that is, if they ever are to be fixed, for there is a sense that these problems and conditions share in the divine condition, that is, being infinite in nature.

We have chaos in this city, and nobody to be plain about it is doing anything. A telling example of this is during political campaigns when candidates and parties go around painting everything that is nailed down in every available space with political slogans-on rocks, trees, buildings, poles, viaducts -- you name it. So far they have concentrated on stationary objects, but soon they will no doubt find a way to attach a poster to everything that moves. Stray dogs, panhandlers, dust-devils, will carry signs that say "vote for x." Our city has become an aesthetic nightmare, yet another evidence of our Honduran commitment to a self-expression whose bottom-line is anarchy.

We have few real, self respecting sidewalks in this city. Instead we have broken-down and narrow ledges full of manholes, broken steps, and other equal opportunity invitations to a sprained ankle or broken leg.

Occasionally, some unfortunate person actually falls into one of these holes. They obviously regard this as the ultimate disgrace, blushing deeply, and looking around to see how many are laughing at them. But in fact it is the city which is disgraced. Of course, if you did fracture your leg as well as your dignity, what chance do you suppose you would have for a lawsuit. Collect from the city. Sure!

And the streets have holes better called craters, with only the barest of warning to motorists that they are approaching a precipice. Some of these could quite literally swallow a vehicle, or an entire soccer team, never to be seen again, except perhaps in Japan.

The streets are also filthy. There are not many places to dispose of serious garbage. Trucks carrying sand from contaminated river beds drive through the streets spraying their unprotected load wherever they go. Again, we ask, who is in charge here.

This serious lack of order and control in the city, causes us to think that it is time to think about partitioning, dividing the city into various municipalities, at least three: Comayaguela, Miraflores-Kennedy, and Tegucigalpa proper. The city as it now is appears to be too large and chaotic to be governed from one center.

We must re-think Tegucigalpa. We have no choice.

Whatever happened to Robin Hood?

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

"Breathes there a man with soul so dead who never to himself has said, 'I am one of Robin Hood's merry band in Sherwood Forest, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor'" under the dashing leadership of the splendid Robin of Locksley. Is there anyone of any age who has never once loved Robin Hood? Well, probably. Henry Kissinger, for one. But not many, surely.

This is one of the greatest of all stories. The good and noble Kind Richard of the Lion Heart goes away to fight in the Crusades, and while he is gone his evil brother John usurps the throne, and begins a brutal tyranny marked by cruelty and greed, and a particularly vicious campaign against the poor.

His henchman in this brutal regime is the Sheriff of Nottingham, who ranks with the great villains in all of fable. An idealistic young nobleman, Robin of Locksley leads a popular revolt against King John, and gathers a merry band of rogues who take up the sweet outlaw life deep within the green and secret depths of Sherwood. Amongst the band is the gentle giant, Little John, the jolly and wise Friar Tuck, and the courtly Will Scarlet. For romantic interest there is the gentle and lovely Maid Marian, and of course dozens of buxom and playful village wenches.

The outlaws of Sherwood spend much of their time being merry, the image is of a life that is all play, boisterous and high spirited, but nevertheless they have a very serious and dangerous task, which they perform with great style and spirit.

They repeatedly appear on behalf of the poor and oppressed, fighting the hired thugs of the Sheriff, while relieving the heartless rich of their ill-gained treasure, and distributing it amongst the poor.

Great fun! Who can resist it? Well, lots of people as it turns out, and especially the rich. The Sheriff, King John, and the class they represented not so surprisingly hated Robin Hood and were always plotting to have him captured and hung. However, according to a beloved old book of mine, Robin Hood died in old age deep in Sherwood profoundly mourned by his men. "They knew they would never see his like again," as was also said of Moses when God gathered him into the bosom of Abraham on the top of Mt. Pisgah.

Robin Hood was involved in what could be politely called "the redistribution of wealth." So attractive is that idea that even today, as in the time of King John, the wealthy have carried on a battle against it, waging a very heavy propaganda campaign. They endow chairs at great universities paying people to write and think about why redistributing wealth is a bad idea.

The most popular form of re-distributing wealth has been through taxes. All income beyond a certain amount is heavily taxed, and the money is used by the government to create programs that should help the poor, maybe even help them get out of poverty if the program is serious. "BAD IDEA," say the professors who are paid to think these things through and come up with the answer that was known in advance. High taxes, it seems, dampens the enthusiasm of the rich for making money, and so they don't work so hard, nor hire so many workers, or pay them as much.

So who is really hurt? You guessed it. Why, the poor, of course. Do you believe that? Would Robin Hood have believed it. In fact, you see, he must have been hurting the poor, without knowing it, poor sap.

In the United States this way of reasoning has become so persuasive that the poor are taxed more heavily than the rich. This motivates the rich as well as the poor, and therefore benefits everyone, or so we are told.

Recently, the National Party in Honduras has had some discussions in which they have talked about combating poverty. (The Liberal Party is also against poverty, but can't seem to do anything about it except to make it worse). Robin Hood was not invited to the meeting, or any of his associates. But what to do? Cutting taxes on the rich and increasing them on the poor is being tried, but despite the apparent success of this policy in the United States, it is not working in Honduras. Miguel Facusse is motivated, we know that, but is that enough?

A man named Henry George, now mostly forgotten, once wrote a famous book called Progress and Poverty. His thesis was that all wealth ultimately comes from ownership of real estate, and therefore land alone should be taxed. According to George, this process would tend to produce far greater equity, and thus social progress. "BAD IDEA" said the kept thinkers. "Outdated," "naive." Yes, no doubt. A little too subtle. The method of Robin Hood is better. Take from the rich, and give to the poor.

We need new ideas, to be sure. But setting all sophistry and evasion aside, has anybody ever come up with any even modest cure for poverty that does not involve the redistribution of wealth? The answer is a resounding "no, they have not." So, unless a society is willing to bite the bullet and find creative ways to redistribute wealth, all this discussion about fighting poverty is just so much blowing smoke. Will the rich like it? They never have yet in the history of the world, but there comes a time when to avoid complete disaster a society must do the good and wise and courageous thing.

There will be distractions. "Communism," they will cry, "socialism," they will moan. But do not be dismayed, remember Robin Hood, and be, at least for the moment, young at heart.

JUAN DESERVES NOTHING

Dear Editor:

I find no pleasure in pointing out to "Juan" (an authentic Maya-Chorti?) why he never received remuneration from the Copan tourism.

Juan, if you are Maya-Chorti, you deserve NOTHING. Your ancestors abandoned Copan over a thousand years ago! Squatters rights, Juan, are defined in the Honduran codes. More than five hundred years before the arrival of Europeans you had stalled in the Stone Age. A Darwinian failure, unable to conceptualize metal, the wheel or even the bow and arrow...five thousand years behind the rest of mankind. You enslaved weaker peoples and raped the land until the feedstock of both ran out!

You can't finger "gringos" for your lack of patrimony, Juan. The fault lies squarely with your own ancestors. Of course, Juan, you evidence a fine (Gringo, even) education. You should be able to find a way to earn tourist dollars. They come only to see what you abandoned!

Anton Fosspenny
Roatan

EDITOR'S NOTE: W.E. Gutman asked to respond to Mr. Fosspenny's letter: "Anton Fosspenny's ugly broadside is a textbook example of incontinent arrogance and hatred. Reminiscent of the supremacist slogans regurgitated by Hitler's "aryan" lowbrows, his venomous rhetoric sends a chilling and familiar message: Notwithstanding the Crusades, the "Holy" Inquisition, the massacre of native Americans, the killing fields of Cambodia, the inter-tribal carnage between Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda, the persecution of the Kurds by Turkey, Iraq and Iran, and the latest convulsions in Kosovo, there is still room for more intolerance, evil. Mr. Fosspenny's words reveal more than just a casual interest in the dynamics of Mayan history; they betray a rabid resentment of its decimated remains, perhaps a Teutonic eagerness to re-write current events.

"His racist letter ought to strike fear in the hearts of all who read it.

"P.S. 'Juan' is an authentic, live, honest-to-goodness Maya-Chorti. Educated, articulate and unconditionally committed to his people, he is destined to cause much consternation to the likes of Mr. Fosspenny for many years to come."

POOR PHONE SERVICE

Dear Editor:

A telephone is a very important item to everyone. Here in Oregon, all I have to do is contact the phone company (US West) and in a week I have whatever I wanted. I have a friend who moved to Puerto Cortes and for over a year he has been trying to get a phone. He has gone to the Hondutel office, his wife has gone to the office and an attorney friend went to their office. Each time he is told "two more weeks" and still no phone. What does it take to get a phone? I am also planning to move to Honduras, but I will not live [there] if I can't have a phone.

Richard Spurgeon
rbspur@wenweb.net

DEGENERATES SHOULD BE DEPORTED

Dear Editor:

I cannot believe how these four Americans who were captured for child prostitution in a San Pedro Sula night club called Tony Montana's were ever allowed to reside in this country. This is an embarrassment to the United States. Our female Honduran citizens should not have to be exploited and violated in such a manner. All these degenerates should be expelled from Honduras and their properties confiscated because their assets were obtained from the sale of child sex. Hondurans should not have to tolerate this immoral behavior. We are struggling to survive the aftermath of Mitch while people like these are profiting from our young, underfed children. I hope that our country makes an example of these men so as to curb any future attempts to ruin our reputation as a hard-working country trying to overcome a Third World economy. We don't need these people [in Honduras]. Maybe the United States can take them back.

Linda Heydee Matute
Roatan, the Bay Islands

LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES

Dear Editor:

If the Honduran postal people have [made] such a huge postage hike for [bulk] export mailings, then why not use an alternative? HTW carries ads of courier services to Miami and mailing services there. Or transmit the paper by wire or computer disk to a contract printer and mailer in the U.S. In other words, the postal authorities can't stop commerce by methods other than mail. The Honduran post office was too slow, unreliable and expensive anyway, even before the hike.

One might investigate the possibility of a dealer buying a bundle of HTW papers and putting them on a plane to Miami, or transporting them to El Salvador or Guatemala and then on to Miami. Where there is a will there is a way, as you are fond of saying about Honduran politicians. To be sure, they seem to find ways. Can't you? A little creative effort, please!

Leroy Lawler
Concord, CA

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Lawler is referring to last month's huge increase in Honduran postal rates that has forced Honduras This Week to raise subscription rates by nearly 100 percent.