COLORADO SPRINGS, USA – SB 200 (not Sangguniang Bayan but State Bill) is the most controversial bill signed by Governor Bill Ritter of the state of Colorado recently. The bill makes it illegal in Colorado to discriminate against gays, bisexual and transgender people when buying a home, renting an apartment or USING PUBLIC ACCOMODATION – that is where comfort rooms in restaurants, movies and other public places will come in.

It is claimed that this bill is about “fairness and treating people equally”. The law defines transgender as those who were born one gender but IDENTIFY WITH THE OTHER. With the passage of SB 200, these transgenders (bakla or tomboy in our lingo) can now use a public comfort room BOTH male and female where they feel they are most COMFORTABLE. Opposition to the bill claims that cross dressing predators and sex maniacs could endanger children (male and female) and women by using restrooms designated for the opposite sex.

It would legalize men to enter and use women restrooms and locker room facilities without notice or explanation. Henceforth every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator bi-sexual, cross dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence. This is how the Americans in Colorado define fairness and equal treatment of people! Hopefully we will not have that mentality in Iloilo.

Three days ago was the graduation of Class 2008 of the U.S. Air Force Academy here in Colorado Springs. 1012 cadets graduated of which 530 are bound for pilot training while 88 are headed for graduate school. The class topnotch was a female of Jewish origin. Pres. Bush was the graduation speaker but the most awaited air show of the latest jet fighters including the stealth did not materialize because of bad weather (very cold at 4C with drizzle and fog). Pres. Bush’s speech centered on stiffening U.S. support for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Drawing parallels to the rebuilding of Germany and Japan after World War II, Pres. Bush told the graduating Air Force Academy cadets that they must “patiently guard democracy around the globe”. The world policeman mentality is still with Pres. Bush and maybe changes will be made when a new president sits by November. The Filipinos are certainly affected with whatever policy the Americans adopt because as they say: If the Americans cough, the Filipinos are already catching the flu.

In Wyoming six underpasses were constructed along a stretch of rural highway costing $4 million for use by DEERS to cross the highway to avoid collision with vehicles. My daughter here in Colorado Springs has nearly hit a deer crossing the highway on her way to work at 5AM. Protection and preservation of wildlife is one of the admirable traits of Americans which had been ingrained starting at childhood until adult life.

One day, ten years ago when my grandchildren and I visited Colorado Springs, there was a sudden hailstorm of snow as big as pingpong balls in the midst of summer (this is NORMAL for the weather in this area). Many wild birds, mostly black and as large as chickens were partially disabled, wet and stranded all over lawns and streets. Since it was the first snow in summer, children went out of their houses to run and play in the snow on the ground, running around or jumping over the many stranded birds scattered everywhere but never touching them or paying any attention to them. But not with my grandchildren, for they immediately picked up birds they can carry until admonished that it is illegal to do so! That is typical Filipino mentality towards the environment.

There are still many thickly wooded areas within the vicinity of SM City which can be declared as bird sanctuary but this idea have never crossed the minds of our councilors. Sixty years ago Maliao Creek in Pavia was teeming with mud fish and owls inhabited the thickly forested banks of bamboo grooves. Today the owl and all other birds are gone because of indiscriminate bird hunting, the fishes and all living creatures in the water also gone because of electric fishing. Maliao Creek is now just a drainage canal, a place for dumping dead animals, garbage and wastes. In just sixty years, this is how we have destroyed a once vibrant and alive creek and this is symptomatic of what the rest of us Filipinos are doing on many fronts on a nationwide scale. Destroying the environment is a curse we have bestowed to our own selves.

One Response to “Dateline USA [Part 7]”

• 1
  cheszpatzer
  June 6th, 2008 08:13

  ok, medyo complikado nga topiko, depende siguro sa society nga gina istaran mo,ari ako subong sa montreal, kon restroom/cr ang pagahambalan halos kalabanan nga pampubliko nga lugar diri sa montreal isa lang ang cr sang agi, tomboy lalaki kag babaye, ti wala man problema, damo diri taga iloilo ti wala man sila ga reklamo sang systema, kon ara dira sa aton himuon ini luwas lang kon himuan mo sang malisya ang sitwasyon ti siguro problema gid, gina kasal diri ang agi kag tomboy kag may ara isa ka section sa montreal nga one whole block sang ciudad gay section, ginamin tanan nga agi kag tomboy naga istar dira, gina kasal diri ang tomboy kag agi,ang kasuguan naga protekta sa ila, kon indi mo gusto ang problema indi mo sila pag yagutaon sa publiko kag mabudlay diri maka kita sang gamo. indi mo gid madula sa sociudad nga daw lain ang pagtulok sang mga tawo sa agi kag tomboy, kon mag suyaay diri ang mga puti specially ang iban nga nakilala ko , may ara man gihapon sarcasm ang mga tawo sa agi, pero ,pero,pero indi ka mag sala mag hambal sang malain kontra sa ila sa publiko kay basi akusar ka nila, protektado sila sang kasuguan, ini ang society nga may equality, indi ya hambal kay babaye ina siya may prebelihiyo sya ikumpara sa lalaki o sa agi kag tomboy ukon indi nga hambal nga lalaki ka mas maayo ka sa babayi kag agi kag tomboy, equal means equal here.

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