Greenland and Denmark, Prepare Your Defenses! by Jacob G. Hornberger!
(2019-08-19 at 20:09:25 )

Greenland and Denmark, Prepare Your Defenses! by Jacob G. Hornberger

Both Denmark and Greenland are reacting negatively to President Trumps expressed interest in purchasing Greenland, an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederikson called Donald Trumps idea "absurd." A spokesman for Greenlands premier Kim Kielson, stated, "Greenland is not for sale."

Is that the end of the controversy?

Not necessarily.

Just ask the Mexican people.

After their government rejected an offer by United States officials to purchase the northern half of their country, they ended up losing it anyway through United States military force.

In 1845, newly elected United States President James Polk made an offer to Mexico to purchase what amounted to the states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The previous year Texas had been annexed by the United States as the nations 28th state, but the annexation had not been agreed to by Mexico, which continued to claim Texas as part of Mexico.

Mexico turned down Polks offer, but Polk would not be dissuaded.

Instead, he began looking for an opportunity to go to war with Mexico, which, if the United States was victorious, would permit the United States government to simply steal the land it was trying to purchase.

Polks challenge was to find a way to make it look like it was Mexico, rather than the United States, that started the war.

That way, Polk could claim that the United States was simply defending itself against an aggressive power and then claim his booty as part of a treaty that would end the war.

In 1836, Texas had declared its independence from Mexico.

Following the defeat of a Texas force at the Alamo in San Antonio to Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, Gen. Sam Houstons forces defeated Santa Anas forces at San Jacinto. However, Mexico never agreed to Texas independence, instead contending that Texas remained part of Mexico.

Moreover, at the time of the United States annexation of Texas there was still a dispute over the southern border of Texas. The United States government claimed that it was the Rio Grande. Mexico claimed that it was the Nueces River, which was much further north.

Seizing upon the disputed claims, Polk sent United States military forces into the disputed territory in the hope that they would be attacked by Mexican forces. It was a reasonable hope, given that the Polks forces would be on territory that Mexico was claiming was Mexico.

Polks strategy worked brilliantly.

In 1846, Mexican forces attacked a United States army outpost in the disputed territory, killing 12 American soldiers and capturing 52.

President Polk declared that Mexico had invaded the United States and secured a congressional declaration of war against Mexico. (This was when United States presidents were still complying with the requirement in the United States Constitution that prohibits the president from waging war without a congressional declaration of war.)

The outcome of the war was never in doubt. Mexico was an impoverished nation that was being ruled by a crisis-ridden dictatorial regime. The United States, by contrast, was a wealthy and powerful nation with a stable government and a professional army.

In 1848 the war came to an end with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which provided that Mexico would cede what amounted to about the entire northern half of its country.

That is how the United States ended up absorbing the lands encompassed by the states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.

At least President Polk was generous.

Even though his army had won the war, he was still willing to pay Mexico some money for the land that he was seizing from them.

The United States government agreed to pay Mexico the sum of $15 million ($434 million today), which was somewhat less than half of what Polk was offering before his war.

The United States also agreed to assume $3.25 million ($94 million today) in debts that the Mexican government owed United States citizens.

The United States takeover of the northern half of Mexico meant absorbing centuries of Mexican law, history, customs, and city and street names.

Moreover, it included immediately making all Mexican citizens in the newly acquired land, whose language was Spanish, American citizens.

It was an action that would continue to impact Americans into the 21st century, given the modern-day American concern about Mexicans illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border to enter lands that once belonged to their country as well as concerns that Hispanics are taking over the United States of America.

Would President Trump do the same thing to acquire Greenland that President Polk did to acquire the northern half of Mexico?

Who knows?

But Greenland and Denmark would be wise to prepare their defenses, just in case.

Reprinted here with permission from Mr. Jacob G. Hornberger of The Future of Freedom Foundation!! Their Great Website!!