“Taos: The
Return”
1/27/17,
“Elections Have Consequences"
John F. Kennedy
International Airport, New York (JFK)
This time
two years ago, after decisive midterm elections, Republicans had just taken
control of both Houses of Congress, and, other than literally “setting foot” in
the state at the Four Corners Monument, I had never properly visited New
Mexico.
Now, two years later, President
Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States,
an event I witnessed in Washington a week ago today, Republicans still control
both Houses of Congress, and I am about to head to the Land of Enchantment for
what will make my fourth trip since Mitch McConnell became the Majority Leader
of the Senate. He has accomplished next to nothing at that post, but with a President more willing to sign
legislation he passes, that will change over the next four years. What has occurred since McConnell took that
post, however, is that I have fallen in love with the Land of Enchantment, as
is evinced by the fact by my frequent return trips.
What, however, has President
Trump accomplished in the time since I saw him sworn in as President? Well, actually, a lot. He did exactly what he said he would do, and
people seem shocked that he followed through on his campaign promises. Is that what this world has come to, that the
media goes into a tailspin when a politician follows through on his campaign
promises? For better or worse, by
securing our border and restricting high-risk immigration and visas, President
Trump has done what he said he would do.
When I saw him in Washington, he explained his doctrine of “America
First.” He said that it is the absolute
right of every sovereign country in the world to put her own interests first
and that America will no longer seek to impose her way of life on other
countries, but instead serve as a model for every countries to emulate. It’s about damn time we had a President say
that. America cannot and should not be
the world’s policeman. That is a concept I despised from the the time I first heard the expression as a young teenager. We should neither
be the mother nor father to the world.
Trump’s actions of the past week has proved that he meant it when he
said, “America First.”
He said that he
would “Make America Great Again”, and he is doing just that, much to the
chagrin of the liberals whose sense of humanity he has offended. Well, it should come as no surprise that he
is doing this. It is all right there in
his “Contract with the American Voter.”
On November 8th, the American voters signed the contract, and
now he is keeping his end of the contract.
My political beliefs should be obvious, and this is the last I will say
on the issue, but the fact that he is doing what he said he would do on the
campaign trail should be celebrated, not condemned. As his predecessor said, “Elections have
consequences.”
Okay, so what about the
Land of Enchantment? What keeps bringing
me back? I have already written much
about why I love this state so much, and my need for completeness keeps brings
me to new places in the state. The fact that one
of my best friends lives there makes it convenient, and the discounted airfare
got me there this weekend than later in the year. So, that’s a bit of an issue for me. I seem to always forget that New Mexico is
cold in the winter. Very cold. It’s even cold in the spring. Very cold.
I figure that, it’s pretty far south, so it must be warm. Well, that is true, but it is an, um,
alternative fact. The relevant fact is
that it’s at a high altitude, so that makes it cold almost year-round. This time, however, I have packed properly
for the cold weather. I have not done
that in the past.
Okay, so Day 0, which
was entirely unadventurous. I had packed
the night before, but I had neglected to pick my suit up from the
cleaners. I also needed to get to the
office at 8 AM due to my early departure.
That meant that I had to wake up very early, which I did, so that I
could get my suit and get ready, which I did.
I took a taxi the short way up Park Avenue to the office. I did my usual Friday morning stuff and then
went out to lunch with a coworker, to Hop Won for my traditional pre-departure
lunch.
After lunch, I huddled in the
plaza on 43rd Street and smoked my pre-departure Cohiba. I then went to the office, finished up what I
had to do, and ate the McDonald’s I had in the fridge before I left for the
airport. There was a fair bit of
traffic, but I got to the airport around 6 PM, and I was able to bypass the
usual long security line at Terminal 5 since I had PreCheck. I got through security with no trouble, and
went to get a snack or something. I was
about to get some packaged cookies, but I checked the price, and it was way too
high for what it was. I headed to my
gate and find something cheaper. I ate
my cookies and then sat down at the gate, where I proceeded to write this
entry, which I will now close as we are about to board, though I will not be
able to publish this until I write tonight’s entry from Albuquerque.
Corrales,
New Mexico
Two years
ago, right before the trip to New Mexico that I mentioned earlier, I wrote a
similary underwhelming dateline of Greenbelt, Maryland, as I smoked my 2007
Christmas Pipe, the same pipe that had previously been smoked under datelines
of Ottawa, Budapest, London, Kingston, and the Beagle Channel. I had taken a spontaneous trip to Washington
with Raymond, and we stayed at his brother’s apartment in Greenbelt. Now Pete is living here in Corrales, and I am
once more staying overnight at his apartment, which means my 2010 Christmas
Pipe can add this dateline to the list that includes Quebec, Istanbul, the
Bransfield Strait, Belmopan, Nassau, Kathmandu, Sydney, and, recently, Santo
Domingo. Corrales, New Mexico does not
measure up any better than Greenbelt, Maryland did, and this establishing shot
is equally unimpressive. The journey
that brought me here, however, is of some interest.
After I closed, we soon boarded, and the
plane looked like it better belonged in the Reagan Administration than the
Trump Administration. There were no
outlets, and the entertainment system was lacking. The lack of outlets was a problem, as my
computer and phone were both around 20%.
I would be able to drain the charge off of my laptop on to my phone, but
that meant I would not have enough battery on either device to really surf the
internet in-flight. The movie options
were limited, and certainly no Oscar Noms were available. I watched Fox News, had
some snacks and seltzer, and soon fell asleep, only to be woken up by bumps and
screams. It was a bit of a struggle to
get back to sleep, but I probably got a full REM cycle throughout the
flight.
We landed early, and Connor and
Pete were waiting for me at the airport, though I somehow managed to walk right
by them, as we were both recording our adventures on Snapchat. That was when the fun began. I mean that both sarcastically and
literally. We took a picture together
and then headed to Pete’s Land Rover, which, again, looked like it was from the
Reagan Administration. The backseat was
tight, and my suitcase had to go in there, as well, since the trunk was
full. During the drive, Connor asked if
Raymond had been complaining about a problem with his roommates. The question was directed at Pete, but he and
I both answered in the affirmative simultaneously. We soon figured out that Raymond had been
telling three versions of the same story to the three of us.
We went to Wendy’s to get food to go, which
turned out to be an adventure at the drive-through. I asked for a seltzer, but they said they
didn’t have it, though they did have Sprite.
I explained that I didn’t want anything sweetened. I asked for a small Frosty instead, which, I’m
sure, had more sugar than a Sprite. She
asked if I wanted chocolate or vanilla.
I answered, “Yes.” She said, “Okay.” I shit you not. We also got fries and burgers. When we got to the drive-through window,
they had figured out how to make a seltzer, and I got it for free. That was a nice boon.
We got to Pete’s place in Corrales, and sat
down for our dinner. Connor left after
dinner, and I resituated myself before Pete and I went outside to smoke our
pipes. I sat down, lit up my 2010
Christmas Pipe, and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so
that I can publish.
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