Not the room where things happen

There’s a song from the musical Hamilton that keeps running through my mind. “The Room Where It Happens”is a song about a mythical meeting place where political decisions are made, deals are struck, and votes are solidified. 

On February 24, I spent my morning at a 3-hour City Council session. I saw citizen after citizen stand up in solidarity to oppose a city ordinance that would make sleeping in one’s car a jailable offense. I watched in awe as faith leaders, non-profit directors, business owners, healthcare professionals, and people with lived experience of homelessness used their 3 minutes at the podium to passionately dismantle the logical, ethical, and practical foundations of this ordinance. It was a thing of beauty – democracy and advocacy in action! 

About 30 people stood to speak against the measure. No single attendee stood to speak in favor of it. 

The council summarily voted 7-2 to accept the ordinance.

At this moment, a harsh reality hit home: These council chambers – this public forum of debate – is not the “Room Where It Happens.” The council had not come to listen. It seemed evident that their votes had already been decided, (perhaps in a different room.)

Something important was laid bare in this meeting – an extreme disconnect between city government and the stakeholders, the “boots on the ground” who are doing the work in the city. These stakeholders, day after day, utilize data-driven interventions to fight homelessness with vastly insufficient (and decreasing) resources. It appears they were either not consulted on this ordinance or were not heard. On February 24, they unified their voices in opposition. It was articulate, compelling, and ultimately futile.

Is public and expert testimony simply a formality? Watch the meeting and decide for yourself. 

Our most vulnerable and those who serve them deserve better.

Scott Browne

Colorado Springs

Licenses, lights and blinkers

I would like to thank Paul Batura for his recent column about our license plates.  First of all, I think that I remember reading another one of his columns where he mentioned having some health issues.  I certainly want to wish him well.  We share our love of a sense of place in Colorado Springs and Colorado.

     Many others also share at least some sense of place through our license plate choices.  Yes, Colorado has many possibilities for many worthwhile causes.  However, I don’t think that many of those who choose the most popular black and white one really do so primarily in order to support the Disability Funding Committee.  No, its more about looking cool and matching their car color. 

Unfortunately, this selfish reason does not do anything to represent our colorful state, more it just may ease their vanity guilt by donating to that cause.  It is challenging to sacrifice our egos for something even bigger especially for a 150th birthday!

     This is even more prevalent on the personalized plates.  Yes, they say a lot about the owner both good and bad.  It is certainly entertaining to try to figure them out.  Thank goodness that there are some restrictions compared to say, song lyrics.  Hopefully we continue down the road with a smile or inspiration.  Paul mentions “OUTATIME” from “Back to the Future.”  What about “ECTO-1” from “Ghostbusters?”  By the way, I think that I figured his out TYFRRDN.  GR8TFUL.

     As long as we’re talking about driving choices, those red lights on the interstate ramps mean stop.  And please don’t forget to use those blinkers..

     Just then maybe Oz will get us home again.

Christopher A. Jones

Colorado Springs

Gender affirming surgery

As of January Children’s hospital in Colorado has suspended gender affirming care due to a federal investigation. In 2025 they suspended gender affirming surgery. Patients who have received gender affirming care have sought lawsuits against their providers. The society of Plastic Surgeons has recently written against gender affirming surgery for minors.

     Doctors have a duty to first do no harm — primum non nocere . Gender affirming surgery increases risks of hospitalization and mortality and suicide attempts. Gender affirming hormonal treatments have not been a panacea for the gender confused. 80-95% of gender dysphoric patients reclaim their biological sex. What seems so incongruent to me is the shouts from our medical colleagues to protect our pediatric population with effective vaccine strategies (proven beneficence) and the silence in regards to irreversible mutilation of minors with no proof of desirable outcomes (premium non nocere).

Those who take care of these young patients must tread carefully before recommending permanent hormonal or surgical disfigurement where psychological counseling is usually all that is required. 

John O’Keeffe M.D.

Colorado Springs

Such a time as this

Back in the late 1950s or early ’60s during the Cold War era when I was very young, I spent a week at my grandparents’ house in a small farming community in Illinois. I remember a metal bomb shelter a neighbor had installed in his backyard that would supposedly protect his family from a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union. I also recall the “Duck and Cover” drills in elementary school, where we practiced diving under our desks to prepare for an attack.

While the threat of nuclear attack from that country, now Russia, has greatly subsided, the threat from Iran of having a nuclear weapon, which intelligence experts believe was only a few months away, and using such weapons against its adversaries is extremely dangerous as it’s based on a radical theology calling for the destruction of all “infidels” and their nations, particularly America and Israel. When diplomatic efforts to remove such a threat are not successful — and they ultimately would never be successful as the threat is grounded on extremist Islamic dogma not deterred, as was the Soviet Union, by the prospect of mutually assured destruction — the only solution is to eliminate the threat.

Donald Trump and his advisors, like the men of Issachar, understand the times we live in, including the existence of truly evil leaders and the threat they pose to our country. The “progressive” Democratic Party’s leaders and most members of the media do not understand this viewpoint, in large part due to their secular worldview – proven to be wrong as the world learned in 1938-1939 — that all people are inherently good and evil can be overcome by good intentions and civil discourse.

While there are some personality traits and policies of President Trump’s which I dislike, I cannot help but think that he was placed in his current position “for such a time as this.”

Doug Barth

Colorado Springs