"We're tired of Nevada's gambling casinos ruining the lives of California citizens," said Governor Jerry Brown. "From now on, if a Californian wants to go see Wayne Newton singing at the Tropicana, and happens to drop a quarter in the slots on the way to the show, that's fine. But by golly, if they even think about gambling before they head for The Strip, we want them to know they're going to jail for violating California law."
Governor Brown outlined plans to question all motorists and airline passengers entering Nevada. "A system of airport security stations and highway border-crossing stations will be built to ensure that California citizens aren't planning to gamble," said the governor. "They're only allowed to think about gambling once they've arrived."
Several other states are lining up to criminalize the travel-planning business:
- Arkansas residents who plan to travel to Mississippi in order to store their alligators in a bathtub are now subject to conspiracy prosecution.
- Minnesota will finally be able to prosecute men and women who conspire to sleep without their pajamas in New York.
- Texas is finally going to put a stop to citizens planning trips other states to sell their eyeballs.
When questioned about gamblers who might evade the California gambling-conspiracy ban by traveling to Nevada via Oregon or Arizona, Brown sounded positively gleeful. "That's conspiring to gamble, conspiring to hide the conspiracy, and crossing state lines to commit a conspiracy. We'll nail 'em to the wall!"
Critics of these new laws point out that they will face Constitutional challenges. But Governor Brown was quick to respond. "Are they conspiring to prevent passage of this law?"