The quest for transparency

We haven’t heard much about the border wall lately, so, on the flight to France aboard Air Force One a reporter asked the president whether he was joking when he talked last month about attaching solar panels to it. CBS’s Major Garrett was there.

“He revealed that he is serious about placing solar panels on that wall and he wants to it to be — in his words — transparent.”

Transparent – interesting word choice. And you might say, Dave, he’s probably saying he wants the legislative process here to be completely transparent.

But it turns out that is not the reason.

“Let me quote from the president directly: ‘When they throw (apparently referring to drug smugglers) large sacks of drugs over and if you have people on the other side of wall – you don’t see them. They hit you on the head with 60 pounds of stuff.'”

It’s true that drug smugglers will actually catapult heroin bundles over the wall, which would be a nasty surprise if you’re out for a stroll in the landing area, unless you’re able to see them about to launch. But a transparent wall doesn’t seem to match the original promise.

“Impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful…”

Then again the kind of wall he promised would require three times more concrete than the Hoover Dam and would be super-opaque, leaving you subject to being squished.

So, with all these complications, I’m beginning to think that by “transparent” he may in fact mean “invisible.”

In which case, I say we all play along.

I see the wall – you see the wall! It’s perfectly transparent and paid for by Mexican sunshine.

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