Defend the Sovereignty of Honduras and the Culture and Territory of the Garifuna People.

The Garifuna People have lived in Honduras for 215 years, after being expelled from the island of San Vicente, where our culture’s ethnogenesis took place in the mid-17th century.

The loss of our communities’ traditional territory has been an ongoing process for over a hundred years. The Honduran State handed over huge tracts of land to banana companies in exchange for laying down railway infrastructure. Military officials, politicians and businesspeople joined forces to seize beachfront lands, with the pretext of “tourism development.” Our territories are being converted into protected areas, without any consultation with affected communities.

But it was the coup in 2009 that marked the beginning of a definitive offensive by the State. The appropriation of the Bay of Trujillo by Canadian citizen Randy Jorgenson – known in his country as the Porn King – for the creation of a tourist emporium led to the destruction of the Garifuna community of Rio Negro.

In 2010, the government that emerged out of the June 2009 coup began to promote concessions of national territory for the creation of a quasi-independent state, with its own judicial, administrative and security systems. US economist Paul Romer promoted the concept of Charter Cities (“Ciudades modelos” in Spanish), intervening in the National Congress for the quick approval of a Special Development Regions (RED) law.

Demonstrating the interest of Canadian investors in taking over the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Canadian Senator Gerry St. Germain participated in a special congressional session on RED regulations. In 2011, without debate, the congress legislated regulations for the charter cities.

Government authorities have indicated that the first RED will be located between the Bay of Trujillo and the Sico river – an area with 24 Garifuna communities that are considered to be a cultural sanctuary. This same corridor is becoming an area controlled by people associated with organized crime, engaging in the illegal purchase of lands with the collusion of government institutions.

On October 18, 2011, a group of lawyers filed a motion of unconstitutionality regarding the REDs to the Supreme Court of Justice. This past February 25, the Attorney General’s Office (Ministerio Público) declared that there were grounds for the motion to proceed. Immediately, the National Congress began a campaign to pressure and influence the court, including a threat to make cuts to its budget.

The independence of the judiciary – an element without which democracy itself is in question – is at stake in Honduras.

“A person educated in mind and not in morals is a menace to society” Juanita Kidd Stout

In April of this year, the SEXTING craze hits the American School-Tegucigalpa (AST) with full force, fueled by the 11th grade daughter of a former presidential candidate who sends sexually explicit and pornographic images of herself to a number of teenage boys and young men via the internet. In a matter of days the images go viral by way of the blackberry, mobile phones and internet; seriously damaging the reputation and integrity of the American School. AST students as young as ten years old are selling, downloading and resending these pornographic images.

Extracted from the AST Student Parent 2009-2010 Handbook, page 32.
" The conduct of American School students on and off campus shall reflect standards of citzenship desired by members of the community and the people of Honduras. The ultimate goals for students are self-discipline and responsibility for one’s actions. "
http://www.amschool.org/index_files/studentparenthandbook2009-2010_revjan2010.pdf

Definition of SEXTING from wikipedia: SEXTING is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs, primarily between mobile phones. The word is a portmanteau of sex and texting, where the latter is meant in the wide sense of sending a text possibly with images.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting

How is possible that the AST administration and Board of Directors allow a student with such poor judgement and shameful behavior; a student with so little respect for herself and the AST to become president of the student body, representing the 1600+ students and the AST community?

Unfortunately, it appears that the AST administration is condoning this poor judgement and shameful behavior in spite of its committment to the "values" program. The image and reputation of the AST and its community has been severly damaged. The poor judgement and shameful behavior of this AST student, and the subsequent moral crisis and lack of response by the AST administration is a constant topic of conversation throughout this community and beyond.

The AST administration and Board of Directors have decided to ignore their own guidelines and condone bad morals and poor character. After suffering for the better part of 2009 through the political crisis, because a large majority of Hondurans believed in what was right and moral; we (the AST community) are now faced with a serious moral crisis, and another opportunity to set a positive example for our children.