Last Friday about 25 hearty souls gathered at the Bi-Centennial Park in Nashville to march to the capitol for a peaceful protest of the way the world is reporting the events taking place in Honduras. It amazes me what a wide span is taken by the different news outlets covering the story. It also amazes me the views of the various political leaders around the world concerning the ousting of ex-president “Mel” Zelaya.
It is only after a couple of weeks that the facts have trickled into the news reports about what took place and why. Slowly, but surely, political stances are beginning to sway to the center and the world is becoming aware of all that has taken place in Honduras. But many still have strong biased opinions on the ousting of the president so we decided to make our voices heard last Friday.
Armed with a megaphone and several sheets of poster board, markers, and creativity and imagination, we walked from the park to the capitol building. No easy task, mind you, since we had to climb about 300 steps in a vertical climb that resembled the final assent to Mt. Everest. With no oxygen masks to be found, we gasped for air as we finally reached the steps of the capitol building. (Note: extreme exaggeration used in some of this article). With permit granted we assembled at the front of the capitol building to begin our quest of informing all those who passed by the true events taking place in Honduras.
The heat of the day was intense. The crowds were not. As a matter of fact, traffic on Friday was fairly light with just a few people walking the streets to get from point A to point B. That did not deter our band of mighty warriors and it did not dampen our spirits. With the loud siren blast from the megaphone (right when a State Trooper drove by no less) we announced to anyone that would listen that Honduras was fighting for Democracy. We had a blast and we made a statement.
I had several very interesting discussions with pedestrians passing by. Most were not aware of the events in Honduras even though it has been covered in the media. The vast majority said they kept up with the events for the first few days but quickly found newer and more pressing stories, like the death of hometown super star Steve McNair’s death. And quite honestly, if you have not been actively searching for news, you wouldn’t be able to find it. It has gone from front page to page 12 in a hurry.
Zelaya is not happy with the mediations that are going on right now. Even after just a few days (4) he is threatening to jump ship and handle the situation “his way” if an agreement is not reached this weekend. We need to continue to pray for Honduras and their current crisis and that the best for the country and its people is found. This crisis has kept literally thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of dollars from reaching those who really need it. Not to mention the missions of dollars being withheld by various banks and governments.
Sometimes you wonder if what you do makes a differnce. I can assure you it does. Word of our rally reached the Congress of Honduras. They sent us (Torch) an email expressing profound gratitude for what we did. They stated in the email that our efforts encouraged them and the stand that they have taken. With so many against what they have done, they are so glad to know that there are those of us who "get it." That, my friends, was worth the sweat and sunburns we earned that day. Viva Honduras!!!!
May democracy prevail and peace be restored soon. Dios bendice Honduras!
TR
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