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Comment by teddyh | Hacker News Reader

> If the US actually started using its military to hit these guys, what would stop them from sending a thousand guys into a large chemical or nuclear plant and creating a disaster that wiped out a city, or more?

I mean, yes, they could, but would they? What would be the realistic result of such an action? Would the US then stop and go “Well, I guess we’ll have to stop antagonizing the cartels.”. I would guess that such a thing would instead be a Pearl Harbor moment, and I think the cartels know this, too. The cartels don’t want to act out your personal nightmare scenario; they want to do things to make the US stop bothering the cartels. Instead of mindlessly scare-mongering, figure out what that action would be, and ask yourself if a war with the cartels is worth it. It might or might not be, but be realistic about it.

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I'm talking about if the US already was at war with them and hitting them hard. I don't see what would restrain them at that point.

Military actions have purposes, which do not include acting out your nightmare scenarios and being as horrible as possible. There’s a reason regular armies don’t do that kind of thing; it does not aid their purpose. And I don’t see how such an action could ever aid the cartels.

War is not a game where each side gradually loses their “restraint”. Instead, each side carefully considers each possible action and its consequences, and then does whatever action seems to lead to the best end result.

Hold on amigo, have you seen how cartels operate? They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible, just because the top people want to be monsters and show their enemies they can slaughter them. They hang their gutted enemies off bridges, or decimate a whole neighborhood, or you name it. I think you assume they would play by your rules in a war. They might just decide to erase Houston so they can watch those people die in a gas cloud.

> They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible

Yes, the do that when their enemies are individual people, since that tactic works on those. I doubt the same tactics would work on armies or nation states.

> so they can watch those people die in a gas cloud.

You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxury which they allow themselves only as long as it works.

> You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxury which they allow themselves only as long as it works.

I agree with you on this. I also think it would absolutely work, just like it works in Mexico. I also think it would be the first choice of people accustomed to it working.

> I also think it would absolutely work, just like it works in Mexico.

I feel that the U.S. Army would not respond favorably to terrorism.

> I also think it would be the first choice of people accustomed to it working.

Well, that may be true; they might be stupid enough to do that. I couldn’t really say; I’m just a random person on the internet without any special knowledge of their psychology.

> I would guess that such a thing would instead be a Pearl Harbor moment, and I think the cartels know this, too.

What else might that war teach us?

There are 10 million Mexican-Americans by birth in America, and 37 million by ancestry. If America went to war with Mexico, I fear there would be efforts to intern Mexican-Americans as Japanese-Americans once were.

Such a war is a horrible idea for everybody. It would create conditions in Mexico and America that are far worse than the present status quo.

Interning 47M people out of 333M, especially when those 47M represent a large portion of younger, working age people, does not seem like it would go well.

Certainly not, it would be a disaster.

Are you saying that Mexican immigrants and descendants in the US would be loyal to the Mexican government?

No. I am describing what would happen: the American government wrongfully persecuting Mexican-Americans, as it once wrongfully persecuted Japanese-Americans.

This is not a description of what I think should happen, which is this: American and Mexico should not go to war, because it would inevitably lead to a human rights disaster.

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