April 2004:
How far we've come. 
It's Not Just A Gun...
It's My "HOMELAND DEFENSE RIFLE"!!
Posted on 06/17/2004 4:10:11 PM PDT by The_Macallan
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In April 1914, nine Americans were mistakenly arrested as they docked in the Mexican port of Tampico during a time in which (unknown to them) martial law was being imposed by the Mexican leader General Huerta. Two Americans were actually taken off their ship by Mexican forces. The U.S.S. Dolphin and an American whaling boat were docked at the time and were flying American flags when Mexican soldiers boarded the boat and arrested the unarmed men.
An hour and a half later, orders were received from the commander of the Huertista forces at Tampico for the release of the Americans. The release was followed by apologies from the commander and later by an expression of regret by General Huerta himself. But the commanding officer of the fleet, Admiral Mayo regarded the arrest as so serious an affront that he was not satisfied with the apologies offered, but demanded that the flag of the United States be saluted in a special ceremony by the military commander of the port.
A few days later an American sailor from the U.S.S. Minnesota was arrested in Vera Cruz and put in jail under questionable cause until the American consulate had to personally demand his release.
In a speech to Congress specifically dealing with this matter, President Wilson said that the Tampico arrests and the refusal by the Mexican commander to salute the American Flag was such a serious show of disrespect to America and was part of a pattern of incidents "which cannot but create the impression that the representatives of General Huerta were willing to go out of their way to show disregard for the dignity and rights of this government and felt perfectly safe in doing what they pleased, making free to show in many ways their irritation and contempt."
Wilson continued, "Subsequent explanations and formal apologies did not and could not alter the popular impression... that the government of the United States was being singled out, and might be singled out with impunity, for slights and affronts in retaliation for its refusal to recognize" the authority of General Huerta (who had taken over Mexico in a coup). "It was necessary that the apologies of General Huerta and his representatives should go much further" Wilson declared.
Wilson demanded that "the flag of the United States should be saluted in such a way as to indicate a new spirit and attitude on the part of the Huertistas. Such a salute General Huerta has refused, and I have come to ask your approval and support in the course I now purpose to pursue... I, therefore, come to ask your approval that I should use the armed forces of the United States in such ways and to such an extent as may be necessary to obtain from General Huerta and his adherents the fullest recognition of the rights and dignity of the United States,"
The result - U.S. forces bombarded the city of Veracruz and U.S. Marines landed and took over the city. They also blocked military supplies coming from Germany and engaged in battle with Huerta's forces until Huerta resigned in July 1914 and went into exile in Spain.
All because they wouldn't salute the flag and because they showed such "disregard for the dignity and rights" of America. Now granted America was heavily criticized for such a show of force and it angered many Mexicans, but as President Wilson stated, such action was necessary to make sure that Mexico's disrespectful actions might not "grow from bad to worse until something happened of so gross and intolerable a sort as to lead directly and inevitably to armed conflict".
That was what the United States of America was willing to do to protect its honor and destabilize a corrupt militant regime that was showing "disregard for the dignity and rights" of Americans back in April 1914.
April 2004:
How far we've come.
Excellent. An example of what we need in Iraq = deterrence.
The enemy must fear US.
Notice Wilson did not surround the city and then pull back and allow Mexican police to take it over like we did in Fallujah.
WWWWD?
What would Wilson do? Talk your head off.
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