Senate Proceeding 07-07-09 on Jul 7th, 2009 :: 0:35:00 to 0:47:54
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0:35:00 to 0:35:20( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: one principle that should stand as a bedrock constant is this: a friend of freedom is a friend of america. our commitment to freedom is not confined to a culture or a continent. it is absolute and universal. it was this principle hard-wired

0:35:00 to 0:47:54( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jim DeMint

0:35:21 to 0:35:41( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: into our d.n.a. that president obama appeared to violent during his eig days of silence while innocent democratic demonstrators were tortured and murdered in the streets of tehran by iran's regime. thankfully the president eventually changed his rhetoric and offered at lst some

0:35:42 to 0:36:03( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: support to the people of iran risking their lives for their freedom. but he stopped short of any criticm or action that might be construed as meddling, in his words, in the test ache fares of a -- domestic affairs of a sovereign nation. but in the last week, the president has reversed course, meddling up to his ears in the

0:36:04 to 0:36:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: domestic affairs of another sovereign nation, honduras. and depressingly, the president has once again sided with an ill legitimate and anti-american autocrat over democracy, the rule of law and an oppressed people who only want to be free.

0:36:25 to 0:36:46( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: the facts on the ground in honduras are neither disputed or confuse, but they have been internional media distracted by the death of a celebrity. let me read these facts into the record. honduras is a constitutional republic and a longtime ally of the united states.

0:36:47 to 0:37:07( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: it is one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere, especially since it was ravaged by the direct hit of hurricane mitch in 1998. in 2005, their president manuel zolai, a left of center but seemingly moderate candidate for the liberal party.

0:37:08 to 0:37:29( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: given latin america's troubling history of military coups and self-appointed presidents for life, the honduran constitution strictly limits presidents to one term. so seriously do hondurans take their presidential term limits, that in latin america, the phrase -- and i'll butch they are spanish but i want to give

0:37:30 to 0:37:50( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: it a try -- [speaking in spanish] -- it means to continue in power power. it carries a dark connotation the region for everyone livg there. for a president to overthrow the constitution and violate term limits is constitutional form of

0:37:51 to 0:38:12( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: government. so ser the honduran constitution says that any president who even proposes an extension of his tenure of office -- and i quote -- "shall immediately cease performing the functions of his post."

0:38:13 to 0:38:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: so it is a de facto resignation of office in honduras for a president to attempt to do their president did. zolia's 2005 campaign was supported by hugo chavez, the marxist venezuelan dictator bent on amassing power in the western hemisphere at the expense of

0:38:35 to 0:38:55( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: what he calls the north empire. that is us. zolia quick willing aligned his government with chavez's and joined anti-american socialists, like the castro brothers in cuba and daniel ortego in nicaragua and chavez's economic cartel. when zolia's term --

0:38:56 to 0:39:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: zolia's term coming to an end next year, chavez convinced him venezuela, to force a constitutional amendment extending this would be in direct violation of what their constitution says. earlier this year, zolia called for a referendum to initiate a

0:39:18 to 0:39:40( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: constitutional and in ensuing litigation, the honduran courts ruled the referendum was unconstitutional and illegal, as the honduran constitution explicitly gives only its congress the power to call such a vote. zolia forged ahead, calling his referendum a nonbinding survey.

0:39:41 to 0:40:02( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: this, too, the supreme court found unconstitutional. zolia then ordered the head of the honduran military, general vasquez, to conduct the election anyway. vasquez expressed concerns about the vote's legality, so zolia fired him. the supreme court ordered zolia

0:40:03 to 0:40:23( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: to reinstate vasquez and zolia refused. the supreme court ordered the military to seize the referendum ballots to prevent zolia from going ahead with the illegal vote. zolia then personally led an armed mob to steal back the ballot which it should be

0:40:24 to 0:40:44( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: noted were spirnsly printe suspiciously printed in venezuela. zolia allowed the government to set up conduct the referendum for june the 28th. on friday, june the 26th, the attorney general of honduras, luis before the hondura honduran supreme court petitioning for an arrest

0:40:45 to 0:41:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: warrant for president zolia. the court issued the warrant unanimously, and according to the constitution, ordered the honduran military to execute it. early in the morning of sunday, june the 28th, the day of the vote, the military arrested president

0:41:06 to 0:41:27( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: they put him on a plane to costa rica as honduras has no prison capable of withstanding a mob riot of the sort they feared chavez and ortega might whip up. so they did it for his safety. e same day the honduran congress, controlled by zolia's liberal party -- his own party -- voted 125-3 to replace

0:41:28 to 0:41:50( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: zolia with their speaker, roberto micciletti as a member of the this transfer of power was strictly in keeping with honduras'sonstitutional line of succession president had recently resigned. the regularly scheduled general elections remain set for this

0:41:51 to 0:42:14( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: november and interim predent miciletti is not a candidate. the previously nominated candidates from t two major parties remain on the campaign disprail both candidates and parties overwhelming -- campaign trail and both candidates and parties overwhelmingly approved the ouster of zolia. at every step in the process, the legitimate democratic government strictly adhered to

0:42:15 to 0:42:36( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: the honduran civilian leadership of the military still remains intact. the military does not execute a coup. it thwarted the coup plotted by hugo chavez and implemented manuel zolia. honduras's democratic institutions are operating today

0:42:37 to 0:42:58( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: secure. the only aggrieved party in this process was mr. chavez, whose brazen attempt to corrupt honduran democracy that wa was thwarted by what has now been nicknamed the little country that could. the people of honduras stood up

0:42:59 to 0:43:23( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: to hugo chavez, daniel ortego, the castro pressures, and they stood -- the castro brothers, and they stood up for freedom and the rule of law. for their courage, president obama has condemned them. he has called the constitutional ouster of president zolia not legal, claiming an expertise in honduran law over and above that of a unanimo honduran supreme court and a nearly unanimous

0:43:24 to 0:43:47( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: honduran congress. stacte of state clinton lazily joined the international media in calling for the removal -- or calling the removal of president zolia a coup, a term fraught with dark memories of military juntas in a bana republic. of course, this is the same administration who insists on calling the recent fraud in iran

0:43:48 to 0:44:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: an election. the obama administration joined in chavez' preposterous soviet-style propaganda resolution in the organization of american states condemning honduran democracy hondurans i've spoken with -- i've spoken with a number of folks who have missionary groups there, medical groups there,

0:44:10 to 0:44:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: i've talkedo miguel estrada, who was born and raised in honduras and now a constitutional expert in this country, this morning i talked to former honduran president ricardo maduro, and they are all totally befuddled at the strange response they're getting from the supposedl

0:44:31 to 0:44:51( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: including our own administration. why we are siding with hugo chavez. this morning russia, president obama reiterated his support for zolia, the would-be dictator, as the rightful president of honduras. according to abc news, he said

0:44:52 to 0:45:12( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: america supports now the restoration of the democratically-elected president of honduras, even though he has strongly opposed american policies. continuing with the quote from obama: "we do so not because we agree with him. we do universal principle that people

0:45:13 to 0:45:33( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: should choose their own leaders, whether they are leaders we agree with or not." the president appears to think his support of zia is based upon some principles of self-determination. he speaks as if opposition to zolia is based on partisan political diffences.

0:45:34 to 0:45:54( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: zolia was not ousted by political enemies. he was ousted by a government controlled by his own party. he was ousted by a unanimous supreme court operating in accordance to the honduran constitution and in conjunction with the nation's attorney general and supreme electoral tribunal.

0:45:55 to 0:46:16( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: these folks followed the rule of law. the honorrian people -- ho honduran people have chosen their leader and removed manuel zolia from office. the honduran people upheld the presidents -- our president's

0:46:17 to 0:46:37( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: so-called universal principle. the people seeking to undermine that principle are hugo chavez, the castro brothers, daniel ortega, mel zolia and, unbelievably, the obama administration. this is not about politics. this is about the rule of law,

0:46:38 to 0:47:02( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: freedom and democracy, all of which are being defended by honduras -- the honduran's rights now against their enemies of which we appear to be one. why are we not standing with them? blood was shed in iran while we stood idly by.

0:47:03 to 0:47:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: zolia's return to honduras on a venezuelan jet will most certainly lead to more bloodshed. what are we doing on the side of tyras and sworn enemies of freedom? going so far on their behalf as to threaten economic sanctions against one of our poorest and bravest allies. secrety of state clinton has

0:47:25 to 0:47:45( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: reportedly planning a meeting with mr. zolia in washington this week. i implore her to ronsider that meeting, elevating an disgraced autocrat is more than an insult to honduran democracy. it is a

0:47:46 to 0:47:57( Edit History Discussion )

Jim DeMint: would-be chavezs around latin america. it is a signal to the enemies of democracy and freedom that the united states no longer stands as a beacon of liberty.