Friday, September 1, 2017

Fred Gets History Twisted Up

Says Fred:
To understand of many Mexican attitudes toward the United States and immigration, you have to go back to the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, of which most Americans have never heard. The United States attacked Mexico in a war of territorial acquisition, occupied Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona, and drove south to conquer Mexico City. It did it because it could.
This is absolutely false. Mexico attacked the new American state of Texas.


[...]

Note, though, that the Mexican inevitable-flow theory precisely parallels the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, which held that that America’s expansion across the continent was inevitable. It was an early form of American Exceptionalism, the idea that America is special and need not follow norms of decent behavior. Now it seems that Manifest Destiny is reversible. This notion too will anger many Americans, but then, the invasion of Mexico angered many Mexicans.

Then Mexico should not have invaded Texas and killed unsuspecting Americans.

Fact:In 1846, Mexicans under Santa Anna invaded the new American state of Texas, sovereign in 1836, annexed into US statehood in 1845. Texas was an American state, attacked by Mexico. Further, Mexico refused to negotiate a peace.

Fact: Mexico was going through a revolution every decade, including the revolution by Santa Anna (mass murderer). Mexico and decent behavior: incompatible through much of its history.

Details:
Texas gained its independence from Mexico by revolution in 1835. Initially, the United States declined to incorporate it into the union, largely because northern political interests were against the addition of a new slave state. The Mexican government was also encouraging border raids and warning that any attempt at annexation would lead to war.
The shooting war was started by Mexico's attack on US soldiers under Zachary Taylor (16 casualties) and then laying seige to an American fort along the Rio Grande. Then Santa Anna, who had been restricted to Cuba, was released by President Polk by promising to only pursue peace in Mexico, and immediately betrayed his promise to President Polk by taking over the Mexican Army instead and leading it into battle. Santa Anna became President of Mexico two years later.

As a result, the USA declared war on Mexico. General Winfield Scott started the march into Mexico, consistently defeating both the army and the niños héroes, who committed suicide rather than accept defeat. Scott laid seige to Chapultapec Castle successfully, and the war was over with the US having captured Moterrey, Vera Cruz, and in essence, Mexico City. As a result, Mexico accepted the Rio Grande as the border of Texas, and the US bought, for $15 Million, California and attached lands, (eight American States), plus the USA paid for "damages" claimed by residents of those states. as well.

To Summarize,
1. Texas won its independence in a revolution, and became a sovereign country in 1836.
2. Texas was harassed by Mexican incursions and requested annexation into the USA. Annexation was delayed.
3. Texas was annexed into the USA in 1845.
4. Mexico, under Santa Anna, attacked Texas in 1846.
5. The USA responded as Polk declared war and ultimately sent General Winfield Scott against Mexico.
6. Scott landed at Monterrey and marched through the original conquistador path. He won every battle and easily defeated Mexico.
7. Mexico was conquered by the USA. Mexico agreed to the current Texas border, and the land up to the Rio Grande and the conquered cities were returned to Mexico.
8. California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas and southern Colorado were purchased from Mexico for $15 Million.

What Mexico lost, other than pride, was the right to determine the Texas border. It acquired $15 million for the lands purchased by the USA (who had been willing to pay $30 million before Mexico attacked).

But there was no theft by the USA, no invasion by the USA until the war required it.

I think Fred is losing it.

2 comments:

Steven Satak said...

I like Fred. I really do.

But some of the shit he throws out there is increasingly of the 'fuck America, she's an imperialist swine kinda place and everything there has gone to hell since I was a kid in the late 1950s". I would have to say this is true of the last four pieces written. I just discarded them. He sees the race issue clearly, he sees the Left's internal contradictions clearly, he even sees the nonsense that is popular Evolution clearly.

And yet he has proposed no working solution for the race problem beyond separation. I live with a filipina. My son is a 'half-breed'. His friends are of all colors. And I get along with them just fine. What is the insurmountable problem?

He calls out the whining of the Left and ridicules their attempts at power. But he has moved permanently to Mexico.

Finally, he admits Something Else is going on to make the world work the way it does. And yet, he is a confirmed agnostic.

I read this piece. The thing that fairly jumps out at me is how, after bragging up how connected he is with the internet, Fred cannot be arsed to look up the basic facts on the Mexican/American War. Yes, I understand he thinks the Mexicans are perfect and never tires of telling us how rotten the stinking rich spoiled abusive bigoted oppressive Gringos are.

So why isn't there a persistent mass migration to Mexico? Why aren't THEY the ones building a wall?

It's because, despite all the wonderful things Fred seems to find while living in self-imposed exile as an ex-pat, overall Mexico is not a very nice place to live. At all. And it ain't just the weather. Wonderful for vacay, but manyana time? Gangs? Endemic, deep-rooted generational corruption at every level of the culture? Not a chance.

The Spanish absolutely ruined every culture they ever came into contact with, with their idea of an angry God and the concept of the hildago. There are hidalgos and peons, a set of separate rules of conduct for each, and most important, *God wants it this way*.

Fred CHOSE not to research this. I think you are right. There's being a curmudgeon, and then there's just ranting.

Anonymous said...

In his article about evolution from last year, he said the same thing (that something else was going on, and he didn't know what).