Stripping Down the River

Tubing down the Comal and Guadalupe rivers in a big attraction in New Braunfels, Texas. Families have a lot of fun in the summer doing this. Just hop into the tube and bring the refreshments along, too. How relaxing. moms and dads bring the kids for a fun floating time. There is no need to get out for a cool drink because the drinks float along, too. As usual though some people always have to push the limits of good taste. Tourists and residents have complained about loud music and over-indulgence by some. So the New Braunsfels City Council has been trying to cut down on the wild behavior. They banned volume drinking devices like beer bongs and increased fines for noise violations. A new ordinance banning containers with a volume of 5 ounces or less will take effect after the next city council meeting. This is supposed to cut down on Jello-shots and the associated litter. Not a bad idea since the area likes the family atmosphere, not the wildness.

So some strippers from a San Antonio men's club decided to protest this by tubing down the river Sunda, encouraging men to pay $25 for the privilege of tubing with them. The strippers were not going to "strip" so why did they want to charge the $25? The strippers said they were not trying to start trouble, they just wanted to have a good time, and protest the new ordinance. Why would a man pay $25 just to float down the river with strippers who aren't going to strip?

What is even funnier to me is that some parents were objecting to the strippers even though the women were not doing anything inappropriate. Protest aside, why can't a stripper float down the Comal or Guadalupe rivers just like everyone else? One of the city councilmen was disappointed because this "float" was going to occur on Sunday when people should be in church. He was also offended because, as he said, strippers are trained to take off their clothes. Yeah, but they can have a life too, can't they? If no-one said the woman were strippers would it make a difference? Suppose ordinary citizens wanted to float down the river to protest the new ordinance? Would they cause so much upset? Hum....