Pack a Raincoat or You're Busted, or Worse...

[HonkyTonk]

Town May Make Carrying Condoms Mandatory

By SERGIO DE LEON
The Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A western Colombian city councilman wants to require everyone in town 14 or older to carry a condom to prevent pregnancy and disease, outraging local priests.

William Pena, a councilman in Tulua, said Wednesday he will present a formal proposal to force all men and women - even those just visiting - to always carry at least one condom. Those caught empty-pocketed could pay a fine of $180 or take a safe sex course, he said.

"Sexual relations are going on constantly," Pena told The Associated Press by telephone. "If you carry a condom, chances are you'll use it during the day. It's not going to be there forever."

Tulua has one of the highest rates of AIDS in Colombia, he said. The proposal will be debated by other town leaders and could go into effect by March, he said.

Roman Catholic priests in the Cauca Valley town, 150 miles southwest of Bogota, were fuming over the plan.

The Rev. Jesus Velasquez said it would only encourage sexual relations and ridiculed it as absurd. The local newspaper El Tiempo on Wednesday quoted him as saying, "I would have to have a condom even though I'm clergy."

Another town priest, Roberto Sarmiento, said he that improved sex education would be a better solution.

"Nobody can force someone to carry a condom in their pocket" he said. "They should instead carry the responsibility of what sexual relations mean."

Ramiro Cano, a 19-year-old laborer in Tulua, said Wednesday that the proposal was the talk of the town, and said most young people he has talked to support it.

"I try to always carry a condom on me, especially if I go to a discotheque, in case I can pick up someone," Cano said.

The proposal is perhaps the most radical in a series of pro-condom efforts across a country where 190,000 people live with AIDS, a figure only surpassed in Latin America by Brazil, according to the World Health Organization.

The capital city of Bogota handed out more than two million free condoms last year as part of a campaign titled "Use it instinctively - make yourself sexy."

In the city of Tunja, where 17 percent of all pregnancies last year were from women under 18 years of age, condom dispensers will be installed in bars and movie theaters starting in February.

Tonk: Note that this article says that Colombia has the 2nd highest rate on AIDS in all LAm.

[Lostagain]

You know, for all the wierd bureaucratic **** I have encountered in Colombia, they sure are not affraid to openly discuss some good ideas in their legislative bodies. Could you imagine what the evangelicals would say if a member of a state legislator or Congress ever made such a proposal here. Maybe we should take a look at some of the legislation coming out of that forlorn country and consider it at home.

But, given the guys in charge here, if we give any aid to Colombia for STD control, they'll probably cut it off because the condom packages don't have a strong admonition that one should practice abstinance. Priests carrying condoms???, now that's a good idea too. What do they, the priests, think is going to happen -- God is somehow going to keep those nasty viruses from entering their Johnsons just because they're priests??

[Kalel21]

I don't hate Catholics but I always knew Catholics were insane. What is the psychology behind telling people not to wear condoms? Its unrealistic and illogical. I have good news for you Evangelist. According to a website I read the catholics are decreasing and losing their grip. soon there will very few catholics.

Another silly thing I read is that they don't have women preist. Why not?

check out this link.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...e17oppenh.html
http://www.boston.com/news/world/lat...cas_catholics/

Thanks Tonk, excellent article. Although I am very surprised to see Colombia with the second highest AIDS rate in LAm, I thought I read somewhere that Colombia ranked lower with some Central American countries behind Brazil.

Condom police in Colombia??? I wonder how the pundits will react to that idea here.

Kalel, fyi Im Catholic. But dont worry, I understand how you feel on certain views the Catholic church has...I also question some of those views. Oh yeah, there are Altergirls assisting the priest now.

[Kalel21]

Originally posted by KPunch:
Kalel, fyi Im Catholic. But dont worry, I understand how you feel on certain views the Catholic church has...I also question some of those views. Oh yeah, there are Altergirls assisting the priest now.

My parents are stunch catholics. The attend the "Our lady of Mercy" every sunday. They try to drag me along but I don't believe in that stuff anymore, because I am an athiest now. I don't know how thats going to affect my relationship with a latina in future though. Even though catholics have some wacky beliefs at times I have to admit that they are one the best form of christians around. IMO Theyre beliefs in traditional values, ethics, morals are second to none.

[Lostagain]

We don't wear condoms so we can reproduce like bunnies. That way, we'll make up for the losses in numbers due to worldly temtations, the Devil, dancing girls, conversions to other religions, the Crusades, lions, etc. It's the same reproduction strategy used by fish, a gazillion fertilized eggs and a handful of survivors. Yes, it is amazingly logical, isn't it.