So sorry

Friday I read that the brother of the president of Honduras was arrested in Miami on drug charges. There have been many rumors about this for quite some times as other members of the political and economic elites have been arrested in Honduras and the US for drug-related crimes.

Saturday morning I opened my Facebook page and found this post of a FB friend from the Te Apoyamas JOH FB page:

Nuestra admiración ante su postura y Valentia, pero de igual manera nuestra solidaridad por su dolor de hermano, estamos con vos, Juan Orlando.

Our admiration in the face of your posture and courage, and in like manner our solidarity for your pain as brother. We are with you, Juan Orlando.

I don’t want to comment, since this is almost too painful.

In the face of the thousands in the caravan fleeing the situation in Honduras, in the face of the rising costs of living in Honduras, in the face of violence in the cities, in the face of the lack of justice for victims of violence, in the face of the rampant corruption, in the face of thousands in prison waiting for long periods to go before the court – people feel sad and offer support for someone whose brother has been arrested.  Yes, it is hard when a loved one is arrested. But I know any number of cases where family members have been imprisoned and are waiting for months without much hope of justice. Where is the solidarity with them?

This type of propaganda is part of the problem of Honduras. I am not blaming those who do it since I presume that many may be doing it to keep their jobs. I know of some cases in which people had to put posts on social media to support the ruling party before the last election; otherwise, their work in public institutions (e.g., public hospitals) could be endangered.

There is a system here that seeks to sustain itself – a system of domination, fueled by the love of power and money by ruling elites. This is the problem.