Trump is close to designating Mexican cartels as terrorist networks

If Trump was the dictator that he's described as being then he would have already done that without giving anyone time to respond with their concerns. Trump would authorize military action within Mexico without consultation, the way Obama did with drones in Yemen, even killing American citizens. Instead, Trump allows principals in both countries time to respond.

Mexico doesn't like the idea. They say that they're already making progress dealing with the cartels. Trump keeps extending his offer to help them. They fear the United States taking military action autonomously.

If it cleaned out their cartels, you'd think that they'd welcome it. But then, have you ever heard their national anthem?

It's ridiculously martial.

Ours is humbly martial. Surprise that our flag is still flying after getting pounded to dust by the British. Theirs brags about their martial machismo that doesn't exist.

Mexicans, at the cry of war,
ready the steel and the bridle,
and the Earth trembles at its core
to the resounding roar of the cannon.

Really? They have cannons on soccer fields?

If, however, a foreign enemy would dare
to profane Your ground with its sole,
think, Oh beloved Fatherland!, that Heaven
has given a soldier in every son.

Right. We saw that one soldier on the beach in Cancun on the way to Isla Mujeres with his binoculars looking outward toward Cuba. Ready to blow his whistle.

A lot more details at the Conservative Treehouse if you care to read them. The story is about Obrador writing letters stating his objection and about Barr going to Mexico. The article is headed with a horrible photograph of Mexican citizens hanging by their necks from a metal arch that welcomes visitors to Limón de la Luna where Bienvenidos is two words, and limón means lime, not lemon, Well come to lime of the moon. The four people hanging are a pregnant woman, her younger sister, her husband and a teacher. It's relevant but not exactly timely to Trump's action. Trump referred to the recent American Mormons whose vehicle broke down between two Mexican rival gangs.

At the treehouse, this:

Remember, within the geopolitical dynamic that benefits all three North American countries, Mexico needs to start taking clear and decisive actions toward all levels of internal corruption if the ultimate economic objective of the USMCA is going to work.

Well, fine.

But when did Mexico become part of North America?

Back when I went to grade school in the days of the dinosaurs when our Flintstone school bus took us to school before the last Ice Age mostly melted everywhere except Canada, Mexico was decidedly Central American. Sometimes they even called it Mesoamerica. And it's not just me thinking this, the Mexicans themselves still call us Norteamericanos to distinguish us from the rest of Americans, to isolate our conceit in naming ourselves after all the Americans, North, Central and Southern. How rude of us in their view.  We call ourselves Americans, they call us North Americans. They put us in our specific place. Different from theirs.

And you can tell when you're in the southern hemisphere because at night the star field changes. And there is hardly any light pollution so the stars are written large and bright. Gone are all the familiar constellations and instead you get things like the Southern Cross sticking right out big as all life in front of your face. Blam!

Now all the internet agrees that Mexico is in North America and Central America is that thin squiggly thread that connects North and South America, specifically from Guatemala to central Panama, with Mexico solidly in the North American Continent.

It's as if our children became teachers and changed everything to suit themselves. I can hardly believe Mexico lobbied to be part of us. They pride themselves on being different. Did we even bother to ask them if they'd like to change continents?

We'll change their continent without asking, but we won't designate their narco gangsters as terrorists without first giving enough time for them to respond. We're odd that way.