Opinion: A Modest Proposal for the Baddest, Reddest State in the Country

Greg Abbott wants Texas to be the national leader of the radical, ultraconservative right wing of the GOP by passing as many state laws as possible that trample on the ordinary rights of all Texans. Anti-abortion laws with no exceptions for pregnant women. Banning books he deems unacceptable for children to read in public libraries. Taking away local control of school district public funding for its own students and putting that support in the hands of the state government. And the list goes on and on.

Furthermore, Sheriff Abbott and his posse, the Texas Legislature, have decided to arrest anyone that they think has come across the border illegally. Arizona tried to do that about 10 years ago, and the Supreme Court shot down that Arizona law, stating it was the responsibility of the federal government to handle immigration enforcement. Perhaps, the billions of dollars that have been spent on a Texas wall along the Rio Grande and putting razor wire barriers in the river are not enough for Big Brother Abbott.

The question I have is, how will Texas determine who has crossed the border without documentation? Oh, I know; all white people will presumably not be arrested because they have to be good, law-abiding citizens. If persons walking down the street do not look white enough, they will be arrested or must have a birth certificate handy on their body to prove that they were born in Texas. Yes, you must be born in Texas; other documentations from other states will not be accepted. Let’s get rid of all those people in Texas who are spoiling the looks and culture of Texas as the founders of the Republic of Texas did in 1836 and took all of the land owned by Mexican citizens at the time. Of course, Stephen F. Austin had slaves before and after Texas became a republic.

In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote his satirical essay on how the heartless rich people of Ireland could rid themselves of all of the poor and dirty beggars populating the country by having the poor sell their children as delicious and nourishing food and thus make an honest living for themselves. My proposal to the leader of the baddest, reddest state in the country is not as drastic as Swift’s. There will no public rituals of sacrifice in town squares across the state.

My modest proposal is that the Texas Highway Patrol and, if needed, the Texas Army National Guard round up all of the undesirables in Texas and transport them to those blue states, who will welcome them with open arms. Of course, there will have to be roadblocks at all major roads leading into Texas to prevent the return of the undesirables back into the state. I guess that there will also have to be a new state agency created: the Texas Transportation Security Administration (TTSA), stationed at all airports. What about train stations? This is getting complicated. I suggest that Abbott get a copy of Orwell’s 1984 as his guide for the state to use if it hasn’t been banned in public libraries; he may have to order it from Amazon.

These lyrics of Bob Dylan’s protest song of the Sixties, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” still ring true today:

“And how many years can some people exist before they’re allowed to be free?

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”

Dan Acosta is retired and lives in Austin.