Beto O'Rourke is running for the United States Senate from Texas.
He's trying to unseat Ted Cruz.
Who, you will remember from the Donald playbook, is either "worse than Hillary/the single biggest liar/son of a guy who was involved in killing JFK"...or...is the guy who now has Trump's "complete and total endorsement."
Depending on which poll and/or survey you hear or read, O'Rourke is either three points up or nine points down.
Frankly, given the "how low can we go" mentality a sizeable chunk of 2018 America has adopted these days, I wouldn't give Beto an ice cube's chance.
Which isn't to say that I don't wish, hope, dream, scheme and pray that O'Rourke pulls it off and sends Ted back to the assistant manager job at Stop and Shop where he belongs.
But this piece isn't about "Lyin Ted". Hey, Donald's words, not mine.
And it's not so much about Beto O'Rourke. Although I want everyone to be sure that I wish, hope, dream, scheme and pray that the young rising star pulls it off.
This piece isn't even so much about Donald.
What it's about is something Beto said in a conversation he had with Stephen Colbert during a recent appearance.
For all I know, the phrase he used could be part of his regular stump speech.
Cue Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive".
I don't care.
What Beto said that rang my bell fell right into a category of which I'm perpetually, and eternally, fond. I've given it a variety of titles over the years, most especially in the last couple of years, but, for our purposes here, let's just use one of my more primal descriptions.
Oh. Hell. Yes.
When Colbert asked him, "where are you on the wall?" he replied....
"We don't need a wall."
The audience, predictably, cheered and then O' Rourke went on to elaborate in a manner that most likely thrilled Democrats, pissed off Trump supporters, which probably then thrilled Republicans who most likely assume that Trump supporters will show that young, tall Texan with the funny Hispanic/Irish name "how we all does things in these here parts."
All of that is just business as usual.
The phrase Beto went on to use, in passing, as he described how Texas, and, for that matter, America could increase safety for the citizenry and deal head on with the immigration issue without walls and torches and dumb ass demagogues tweeting blowhard bullshit was simple, concise and clear as crystal.
At least, to me.
Colbert didn't pick up on it or, if he did, chose not to ask for elaboration because I suspect that elaboration wouldn't have fit into the seven or eight minutes of conversation guests are allotted before we find ourselves wandering around in eight or nine minutes of commercials.
But I would have loved to be in that interviewing chair. And, if the opportunity should arise between now and, say, November 2020, I'm going to do what I can to interview Beto O'Rourke and spend an hour talking to him about his ideas for this one, pristine, brilliant, common sense idea.
Three very easy to understand words.
Smart. Security. Solutions.
And there, right there, in three words, this young, articulate, clearly intelligent and patriotic young man not only lights the way toward resolution of an emotionally charged issue of primary importance to many Americans, many citizens of the world, for that matter, he, if only inadvertently, also puts his finger on the fundamental question that continues to go unasked.
Why are we not DEMANDING that the resources available in the year 2018 be used to deal with and solve the issue of immigration and citizen well being and, for lack of a more intelligent term, border security?
But, instead, we are stuck in a hamster wheel of debate, discussion, argument even battle with millions of people who buy the demagogic used car hustle of a fear mongering snake oil salesman who is accomplishing NOTHING in terms of increasing safety and well being and doing NOTHING but stirring the emotionally dangerous pot of hatred, bigotry and prejudice.
In your hand at this very moment or close enough to you at this moment so that you could reach over and pick it up, is a device that, among other things, is a public library, that provides access to hundreds, if not thousands, if not millions of people, that puts you on the Internet in less time than it took me to just say that and, as a result, gets you medical advice, financial assistance, teaches you things you did not know, clarifies things you thought you knew, but didn't, provides education, recreation, entertainment., twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year...oh...and it enables you to make phone calls.
And it is so relatively inexpensive and easy to own that you probably don't even KNOW anyone who doesn't have, at least, one.
So, now, tell me that in a culture possessed of the technological know how to make that happen...and let's don't even get started on the technology of modern medicine, both computerized record keeping and super computerized diagnostic and treatment systems, eCommerce, including but not limited to shopping for groceries online and just having them put in the back of your car, not to mention the more advanced arrival of 3D printing and virtual reality...... there aren't any number of ways that that same technology can be put to work and to use dealing with and solving the issues of immigration, citizen well being and, still for lack of a more intelligent term, border security?
And the resolution of those issues by way of the path of technology could be summed up simply, without a whole lot of technobabble or geek speak, in a language that everyone could understand and relate to.
Forget I can name that tune in four notes, Bob.
I can name the answer to the question of how we make our country safer while freeing our population from being manipulated by anxiety and fear and hatred and bigotry and prejudice in just three words.
Three very easy to understand words.
Smart. Security. Solutions.
I don't know Beto O'Rourke.
Never met the man.
But something tells me that what he means when he uses the term "smart security solutions" is likely very much what I mean when I use the term "smart security solutions."
And those of you inclined to be skeptical, distrusting or even inclined to ridicule and dismiss the idea that the solution to the emotionally charged issue of immigration and citizen well being and, one last time, border security, can be found by traveling the road of technology in the year 2018.
Let's talk about it.
Text me. Or email me. Or post something on Facebook. Or Instagram.
Or Twitter.
Or just call me.
Turns out that device in your hand does that, too.
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