Monday, June 19, 2023

Tripping

 My wife and I are planning a trip for this summer. Partly because this will be our thirtieth wedding anniversary and also because it's been a while since we travelled together. Unless you're counting the trip we took back to Boulder this November to put my mom to rest. 

I'm not. 

But between one thing and another, most significantly the global pandemic that you may have heard about, the past few years have not had a lot of galivanting hither and yon together. We have played it pretty safe. 

Which is yet another reason why I am choosing to to be incensed by the latest version of the Immigrant Shell Game. This time, Texas Governor Greg Abbott decided to bus forty-two migrants from the border of his state with Mexico to Los Angeles. A thirty hour trip during which the bewildered passengers did not receive food or water. 

I am generally known in my family as a "drive straight through" guy, but I know where the In 'n' Outs are on my map. Governor Greg let anyone who would listen know that this wouldn't be the last bus he loaded up and sent to the City of Angels. "Texas' small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden's refusal to secure the border," Abbott said in a statement. "Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status. Our border communities are on the front lines of President Biden's border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border." 

So, I'm thinking that I could return the favor by filling up our back seat with some confused Canadians and driving them down to Austin. There would be regular stops, but no lingering, for road pops and snacks. And I would make every effort to explain to our visitors from the Great White North why we're making the journey. Because practical jokes on confused migrants is currently all the rage.

Now I just have to explain my plan to my wife. 

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