Interesting historical comment Alfredo. I'm struck you didn't go back a bit further in time, to the Mexican-American war, which Lincoln and Grant (at the time and later too) opposed as a massive fraud perpetrated on a weaker neighbor. We got some good land from it though, including Texas and my home state of California, and paid for it to make ourselves feel better.
I always appreciated the Mexican American writer Richard Rodriquez back in the day (this was in the late 80s and early 90s) describing immigration to the United States from Mexico (and other parts of Latin America) as "La reconquista". Since the Yankees stole the land in the first place with a fraudulent war, the Mexicans would take it back slowly, stealthily, by immigration. Are we trying to halt an inexorable tide?
Thanks, Alex. Indeed the history is longer than the bit I focused on. And there is the other bit on migration which I also avoided. But the restricted focus was intentional, to fit into a journalistic piece for El Debate. Perhaps my underlying focus was not so much on the centuries-old confrontation but on the consistent disposition of the US army to innovate. That was my topic on an even shorter Linkedin post today, when calling readers to the piece on Pancho VIlla and Black Jack:
What makes West Point so remarkable, is that it has managed to remain receptive to innovative thinking across two centuries of existence.
Which organizations have successfully cultivated an ecosystem where fresh ideas can take root and flourish despite the passage of generations and shifting paradigms? What can we learn from these rare entities that have resisted the calcification of thought that typically comes with institutional age and established traditions?
Interesting historical comment Alfredo. I'm struck you didn't go back a bit further in time, to the Mexican-American war, which Lincoln and Grant (at the time and later too) opposed as a massive fraud perpetrated on a weaker neighbor. We got some good land from it though, including Texas and my home state of California, and paid for it to make ourselves feel better.
I always appreciated the Mexican American writer Richard Rodriquez back in the day (this was in the late 80s and early 90s) describing immigration to the United States from Mexico (and other parts of Latin America) as "La reconquista". Since the Yankees stole the land in the first place with a fraudulent war, the Mexicans would take it back slowly, stealthily, by immigration. Are we trying to halt an inexorable tide?
Thanks, Alex. Indeed the history is longer than the bit I focused on. And there is the other bit on migration which I also avoided. But the restricted focus was intentional, to fit into a journalistic piece for El Debate. Perhaps my underlying focus was not so much on the centuries-old confrontation but on the consistent disposition of the US army to innovate. That was my topic on an even shorter Linkedin post today, when calling readers to the piece on Pancho VIlla and Black Jack:
What makes West Point so remarkable, is that it has managed to remain receptive to innovative thinking across two centuries of existence.
Which organizations have successfully cultivated an ecosystem where fresh ideas can take root and flourish despite the passage of generations and shifting paradigms? What can we learn from these rare entities that have resisted the calcification of thought that typically comes with institutional age and established traditions?
Keep your thoughts coming.