The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

September 5, 2009

Dear Secretary Clinton:

I am writing to request that the United States reconsider its recent actions regarding the suspension of aid to Honduras.

As you know, Honduras has been an outpost of American policy and capitalism for over 100 years.  For most of the 20th century, Honduras was our classic banana republic, providing cheap and delicious fruit products for American companies and consumers.  With the encroachment of communism and socialism near US borders, Honduras served as a base of operations against Cuba during the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Contras in El Salvador.  Honduras supported the US as part of the Coalition of the Willing during our invasion of Iraq in 2003, despite being deeply unpopular in Honduras and throughout Latin America.  Now, maquiladoras in Honduras generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually that benefit US companies and consumers.  The maquiladoras represented in Honduras include Nike, The Gap, Hanes, Adidas and many other well-known US companies.

Recent political occurrences in Honduras, namely the overthrow and forced exile of a democratically elected president, can and should be regarded as an internal affair.  Although it was the Honduran military that actually sent Zelaya packing, it was done with the full support of the Honduran Supreme Court, business interests, the Catholic Church, and millions of Honduras citizens worldwide.

In fact, just last week there were organized marches in dozens of cities in Honduras and around the world in support of the overthrow and against the real target--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his leftist socialist policies.

But there is a wider context that needs to be considered.  Although it may seem "fair" to support Zelaya and punish the current civilian government, it appears that the overthrow was in response to Zelaya's attempt to subvert the Honduran Constitution and allow himself to run for a second term (in a country and region where multiple terms in the past signaled dictatorships and tyranny).

I ask you, what should the people and institutions of Honduras have done?  Waited for Zelaya to abrogate the Constitution and become an outpost of Hugo Chavez' socialism and anti-US policies?  What would the response of the United States towards Honduras have been then?  We most certainly have considered imposing sanctions against Zelaya government had this been the case.  We (the United States) are demanding to have it both ways: to work against Chavez and support Zelaya at the same time while conveniently ignoring that they are effectively joined at the hip. 

The bottom line is that the overthrow of Zelaya did the United States a favor and serves our corporate and democratic interests.

Though tiny, the nation of Honduras has proven its mettle and stood by the United States through thick and thin for over 100 years.  Time and time again, the United States has benefited more than it has given to Honduras.  Honduras deserves more.

I urge you to restore United States policies towards Honduras to what they were before June 28.

Sincerely,
Louis Bonilla
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
[email protected]

cc:  President Barack Obama

       President Roberto Micheletti