I was at a backyard barbecue in Tucson, and the conversation eventually got around to Rocky Point. A guy named Jack did most of the talking.
JACK: Cap’n Greg, I know you spend a lot of time in Mexico. When will you address the elephant in the room?
CAP’N GREG: Wow. You have an elephant? Man, that must be messy.
JACK: No, “an elephant in the room” is a term used for an obvious problem nobody wants to discuss.
CAP’N GREG: I bet you have to watch where you step. An elephant drops a load by the couch and you could get lost in it.
JACK: What about drugs?
CAP’N GREG: I don’t know how you’d get enough drugs to make an impact on an elephant, unless you shoot ‘em with one of those knockout darts like on PBS nature shows.
JACK: No, I’m talking about drugs in Mexico!
CAP’N GREG: I think you need a prescription. Probably would be the same for your elephant.
JACK: Illegal drugs!
CAP’N GREG: I never saw an elephant huff a joint, but I guess it’s possible. Probably need a hay baler to make a doobie that big.
JACK: You are ignoring the problem.
CAP’N GREG: Actually, Jack, I’m not. Every U.S. city, town, trailer park, and school has its share of drug users. If there were no steady demand in the States, there wouldn’t be a steady supply to fill that demand that comes, mainly in this area from Mexico.
JACK: So, how do you justify travel to Mexico with all the warnings?
CAP’N GREG: I use the same caution going to Peñasco as I do shopping at Walmart. I don’t go there drunk at 2 a.m. I am aware of my surroundings, and I lock my car. Most important, I don’t ask anyone to sell me drugs, and I don’t hang around with elephants that smoke dope.
JACK: Back on the elephants, again, huh?
CAP’N GREG: Let me put it this way: When it comes to the false perception that Rocky Point is a dangerous, drug-filled place, a lot of people don’t know Jack.
