There are stories out today regarding the abuse heaped on the USA contestant in the Miss Universe pageant that took place in Mexico City recently. In the ordinary course of things I wouldn't be much interested in news of this nature.
The immigration debate has managed to make me more sensitive to all US-Mexico stories so I took a look at this one.
Among the reasons for the abuse, and Mexican anti-Americanism generally, cited by a Mexican interviewed for the piece was that the Mexicans haven't forgotten 1848 and how the USA stole the Southwest and California from Mexico. I have read a fair amount about the Mexican - American conflict. I may be mistaken but I think that it was a young congressman, Abe Lincoln, who asked where, exactly, on the US side of the then border, the American blood that was the causus belli was spilled. No clear answer was forthcoming.
The argument can fairly be made that we did indeed extort the Southwest and California from Mexico.
If we hadn't, all it would mean is that in 2007 the incredibly vibrant and productive states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California would look like the rest of modern day dysfunctional Mexico and millions more Mexicans would be fleeing to a smaller, but undoubtedly just as successful USA.
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