First of all, let me say that I am SO ready for all this to be over.  Anyone who thinks that going through a "coup", or whatever this is, is in some way glamorous or exotic, is misinformed.  It is, instead,  boring, frustrating, scary, bothersome, confusing, disruptive and stressful.  None of those are things I would seek out in a life experience.  It could be that the organizers of the various marches and protests are having the time of their lives, but most of us just want to get back to "normal".  It is wearing folks down.
 
Yesterday was relatively quiet.  A large march in support of Zelaya formed at the Teachers' University near my apartment, and went to the Presidential Palace.  (It is, BTW, not a palace, but the office building of the president.)  Meanwhile, a contingent from the new government went to D.C. hoping for a hearing, and the U.S. State Department announced a possible meeting between Zelaya and Hilary. The same day, sources leaked the frustration the U.S. has with Zelaya, who has so far refused to follow their advice, and Obama mentioned in a speech that he supported Zelaya not because he agreed with him, but because he had been elected by the people of Honduras.  So, I think a more balanced approach is forming.  Yesterday also a bomb went off in the offices of the Liberal Party, starting a fire that burned all their records.  There was pro-Zelaya grafiti left on the walls of the building.  The irony, of course, is that Zelaya is from the Liberal Party, who have almost totally turned against him.
 
 I spent some time at El Hogar.  The children were in small groups with various teachers.  Some were in class, others were playing games.  It was relaxed and happy.  I talked with a few of the older boys, who were eager to share their own political opinions, which are not necessarily the opinions of the management!   Joel, a recent graduate was there, helping with the younger boys.  He is not in classes at this point, because the teacher's union, which has come out in support of Zelaya, has announced that all teachers are on strike until he is reinstated in office.  (The union has also been accused of providing housing for agitators from Nicaragua in the empty classrooms.  So far, almost 100 Nicaraguans have been arrested for their roles in the demonstrations.)  Jose Daniel was also there.  He left El Hogar six years ago, dropping out at the behest of his mother after undergoing brain surgery for a large tumor.  He is partly crippled because of the surgery, and somewhat limited mentally, but he often comes to El Hogar seeking food or clothing.  Claudia had him doing some simple jobs in order to earn his keep there.  Cristian's mother is still at El Hogar, helping to care for him, but also helping with the cooking and cleaning.  Pedro Sosa was balking about doing his work today, so his name was temporarily taken off the Caudro de Honor. I am sure it will be back up there by lunchtime.  Then, of course, there are the teachers and the children.  Unlike the public school teachers, our teachers have adjusted their schedules and their lives to continue to care for our children during this difficult time.  And our children, while aware of the tension and fear surrounding this time, also know they are loved and protected and that they have a refuge in El Hogar.
 
Even during hard times, good things happen.  A local furniture store had donated some furniture to the new dorms, including quite a few beds of various sizes, from full to king.  Claudia wrote and asked them if we might be able to sell the beds, as the children are in bunks, and they wrote back saying that would be fine.  Claudia prepared a list of what was available, set low prices, and invited the teachers to be the first ones to bid on them.  Within a half hour all the beds were claimed!  The teachers ended up being able to acquire nice beds for a very good price, and El Hogar ended up with 20,000 Lempiras.  That money will go to buy new desks and tables for the school.  In addition to that, one of our graduates came by and donated 5000 Lempiras for the purchase of 20 new smoke detectors for the grounds.  The local fire department will come soon and give instruction on what the children should do should there be a fire or an earthquake.  Finally, one of the younger boys, who has been acting out to the point that we thought he might have to leave, is doing much better.  Claudia had him talk to another boy who a few months ago went through a similar period.  As of now, the two boys have become inseparable, and are doing fine.

            For the past five years I have been living in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, working as director of a ministry to children and teenagers who come from backgrounds of extreme poverty.  El Hogar Projects gives them a place to live, an education, and a chance to grow up in a community of love and support.  (For more information see our website, elhogar.org.)   I have been in the country during the recent and continuing political turmoil, seen by much of the world as a "coup".
 
            For those of us living here, the turmoil did not start with the removal of Zelaya as president.  He had been pushing very hard for a national referendum that would give him the means to extend his term and rewrite the constitution of the country.  This was opposed by the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Congress, the rest of his party, the Roman Catholic Church, and the evangelical churches.  Still, he persisted, and, since he had no cooperation from the government of Honduras, he had the ballots printed by Venezuela and delivered to Honduras.  The day before the referendum was scheduled to take place, tensions were running very high.  Everyone was expecting violent confrontations, and there was a run on groceries and gasoline.  Many church services were canceled for that coming Sunday.
 
            Early Sunday morning, Zelaya was arrested by the military at the behest of the Supreme Court.  He was flown out of the country and taken to Costa Rica.  It took a while for those of us in Honduras to learn what was happening.  Power was turned off in the country for about 5 hours.  The only communication I had was through my cell phone.  Rumors were flying everywhere.  By about noon, however, power was restored, and an announcement was being made that Micheletti, the President of the Congress, was going to be sworn in as the new President, which followed the order of succession stipulated by the constitution.
 
            Here, most people breathed a sigh of relief.  Many felt that Zelaya was dragging the country toward the kind of quasi-dictatorship that exists in Venezuela.  But relief was short lived.  World leaders began to condemn the "military coup" that had occurred, and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated.  Chavez in particular threatened to overthrow the new government by whatever means possible, including military action.
 
            Since then we have existed day by day in a state of uncertainty.  Every day there are demonstrations.  There are large and peaceful demonstrations in support of the new government, but also smaller and more violent demonstrations in support of Zelaya.  Zelaya has promised to return to the country tomorrow, brandishing his international support.  The government here has compiled 18 charges against him, and says he will be arrested and tried on those charges if he should return.  Demonstrations are scheduled to take place on both sides of this issue. 
 
            Although in many ways life here is very normal, with businesses open and a functioning government, the level of anxiety and uncertainty is high.  The country is holding its collective breath.
 
            In living through my first "coup", there are  a few things that stand out.  One is how difficult it is in a situation of confusion to receive accurate and helpful information, and how important it is to have that information.  At those times, the informal channels become extremely important.  I have a friend who has a friend in the army, so I was able to get some information on events taking place that way.  I got phone calls from folks in the US who had friends in Costa Rica, who got information about what was going on in Tegucigalpa before I did.
 
            It is also interesting and informative to see the huge gap between what is often reported in the news, and what seems apparent to those of us living through it.  Many Hondurans here feel very proud of their young democracy.   They believe it has met a test imposed by a corrupt would-be dictator, and has made a smooth and constitutional transition into a new and legitimate government.  The only thing that has changed is the president, who was acting in violation of the constitution.   From the outside point of view, Honduras has suffered a military coup, led by the entrenched elite against a president wanting to help the poor,  which has undermined democracy.   That may be an attractive story line, but it is neither true nor helpful.
 
            Finally, there is the strange sense of being caught in larger events.  We all have our own lives, and most of our attention goes to living those lives in the best way possible.  In Honduras, many of those lives are difficult to begin with, hedged as they are with poverty and the limitations of the infrastructure here.  But in this case we are all being directly effected by the broader political situation.  When we watch the news, it is not about events happening in far off places.  Instead, it has to do with immediate decisions we make about everyday events in our lives.  Can I go out for coffee today?  Should our volunteers come to spend a week with us?  Is it safe to go to church?  Knowing that these everyday decision may be influenced by things as "foreign" as the interest of leaders in places like Venezuela and Bolivia and Ethiopia desiring to stay in power is strange.
 
            Honduras is not a large country, and is not important for the production of oil or for the size of its army.  But its people are trying to live through a difficult situation.  I  ask that the rest of the world not be too quick to make a judgment on the events here.

- Rich Kunz

Yesterday we held classes as usual at El Hogar, and at the Institute the boys began their exams, which had been delayed a day. We continue to have a volunteer group from Maryland at the farm, although they plan to leave tomorrow. In the center of the city there was a massive rally in support of the new government. This rally was peaceful, and the interim president addresses the people who had gathered, assuring them that their democracy would continue. Many of the signs carried by the people there referred in some way to the restoration of democracy in the face of the threat of dictatorship. Many others called on the world community to try to understand more fully what had happened here. The gathering was a cross section of the population, many dressed in the blue and white which are the Honduran colors. At the same time, in front of the presidential offices, there was a rally in support of Zelaya. I could not help but notice the contrast between the two groups. This was a rougher looking group. Many were wearing masks, and carrying baseball bats or other weapons. They vandalized some of the surrounding businesses, hurled rocks, and burned tires. Reporters who tried to cover their protests had their cameras confiscated and destroyed, and some were beaten. There is general agreement here that these protests are being instigated by some of the operatives that had been brought into the country by Zelaya before he was arrested. There is no way to substantiate that, however.

Sunday the military, apparently at the request of the Supreme Court of Honduras, arrested the President, Mel Zelaya, and transported him to Costa Rica. By the end of the day, a new President had been installed, following the order of succession stipulated by the constitution. As far as I know, no one was injured or killed in this process.

The President had been pushing a referendum on the constitution, which would allow him to stay in office beyond his term. He is very close with Chavez of Venezuela, and was following the same course he did. The referendum was scheduled to take place yesterday (Sunday). The Supreme Court, the congress (including members of his own party), and the Attorney General had all found his actions illegal and unconstitutional, but he refused to back down. In addition, there was pressure put on many citizens to back the referendum. For example, there were published reports of people being denied medical care if they would not sign a petition in support of the referendum. The situation here was very tense, and people were bracing for conflict. In addition, there were reports of operatives entering the country from Venezuela and Nicaragua to back the President in the referendum.

The abrupt arrest of the President prevented the referendum from taking place. This is widely seen here as a victory for democracy, with the rule of law being rescued from a single individual who was trying to change the structure of the country in order to consolidate his own power. At the same time, it has been roundly condemned by the international community, including the U.S., as a return to the era of coups and military takeovers.

So far, things have been pretty peaceful here in Honduras, and everyone at El Hogar's three sites is fine. We even have a group of volunteers from Maryland who are out at the farm, and are enjoying their time there. There are expected to be protests by Mel's supporters today, and we will only be going out for essential travel. No one knows how strident and large the protests will be. There was a curfew last night, which will be repeated tonight. There is still some worry about outside interference, chiefly from Venezuela, and questions about how neighboring countries will respond to this crisis.

Please keep us in your prayers. There was one group that was scheduled to arrive yesterday in the midst of this coup, who wisely decided to stay at home. We are expecting, however, that within a day or two things will return to a more normal pattern.