Give A Man A Hammer: Pompeo Urges Using Military Against Cartels

Former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has written an editorial published in the New York Post calling for Trump, if elected, to use the military against the Mexican drug cartels. 

    He starts off by calling for the border wall to be completed, and the deployment of "military resources under NORTHCOM’s command to finish the border wall efficiently, and we should keep those resources there until the flow of migrants has been meaningfully reduced." We've been off and on at war with Mexico ever since the two countries began to share borders, so a military presence at the border makes sense so long as they also have the authority to use force against anyone trying to sneak into the United States.

    "Next," he continues, "we should focus our energy on degrading and destroying the primary cause of illegal immigration: transnational drug cartels that help terrorists cross into our country undetected, manufacture and distribute poisonous drugs that kill our citizens, and drive an immigration crisis that has destabilized our nation." 

    That is one of the dumbest things a politician has ever said. The cartels may be making money off illegal immigration through operating protection rackets, but the primary cause of illegal immigration are: industries and businesses (including farmers and construction companies) that want the cheap labor; NGOs (including many churches) that encourage and assist illegal aliens; and federal agencies and state and local governments that, at best, turn a blind eye to illegal immigration, or, at worst, actively encourage it through offering freebies to illegals. Unless we eliminate benefits and legal protections for illegals, and crack down on the people and organizations employing illegals or otherwise assisting them--including heavy fines and prison time--a focus on the border will ultimately do nothing. Moreover, a big draw for illegals is the probability that they can eventually get a work permit if not citizenship. We need to close the doors on almost all immigration--legal and illegal--just as we did in the 1920s.

    Because of the widespread control and influence of the cartels, Pompeo also believes that we will need more foreign entanglements. He states:

    While military action against the cartels may seem appealing, these facts mean that precision strikes and joint operations alone are not enough to take them down.  

    We must establish a new status quo, one based on the principle of reciprocity.  

    If any country, be it Mexico or otherwise, stands with us in fighting back against dangers that threaten our homeland, then we should stand with them and support them in every way possible.

    We should engage in joint military operations, targeted strikes, intelligence sharing, and dynamic training programs with such allies.

This will make the U.S. even more popular among the people in Latin America as it will inevitably lead, as history shows, to the U.S. supporting dictators so long as those dictators pay lip service to fighting cartels.

     "Finally," he concludes, "we should strongly consider officially designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations." I predict that if the cartels are designated foreign terrorist organizations, they will become foreign terrorist organizations. And they will be operating within the United States.

    To sum up, then, as the brush wars in the Middle-East wind down together with the public appetite for such wars, we need (according to Pompeo) to start some closer to home. Or, as may be more likely, at home.