Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining four other parliamentarians to put on a day long workshop in Harlingen, Texas. Lucy Anderson and Dennis Clark were the main organizers and put considerable effort into advertising, organizing, and building a PowerPoint presentation of over 100 slides. Richard Hayes, Tophas Anderson, and I assisted with the teaching.
SWAT stands for Spreading the Word Around Texas. It is designed to take the study of parliamentary procedure into areas of Texas that have been under-represented or without representation in the Texas State Association of Parliamentarians. We were especially excited by the twenty-five students from Los Fresnos High School that attended our conference. They were perky, energetic, and interested. A delightful group, and to all an inspiration.
We are hopeful that the adults who attended will agree to sit for the NAP membership exam. Once we get five members, we can form a unit -- the first in the Rio Grande valley. This is a good thing, because the area is growing economically and culturally. There are approximately 1.4 million people living between Brownsville and McAllen today. There is a need for a parliamentary unit to provide resources and education for the growing number of private associations and public bodies that are helping the Rio Grande valley grow.
The next SWAT institute will be held in Galveston on October 24th. Dennis Clark is also organizing a youth workshop in Houston on November 7th. These events are helping Texas parliamentarians make inroads into regions and population groups that have not been active. Stay tuned for the results!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Previous Question is Previous
Many critics of parliamentary procedure and especially Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised complain about the arcane and sometimes meaningless terms used. One such term is Previous Question. One critic complained that there is nothing previous about the Previous Question.
This critic is wrong. The term 'previous' means coming before in priority, rank, or time. The contemporary usage of 'previous' is almost always taken to mean coming before in time, and this is the way we commonly use the term today. We have forgotten the pejorative definition of coming before in priority or rank. Moving the Previous Question literally means to take the vote on the highest ranking question that is pending.
How could this come about? Well, in olden times, several motions could often be pending at once that did not have a proper rank or order. One can imagine the debate in the House of Commons when a member might state: "can we vote on the question?" The Speaker might respond: "Which one?" To which the member would say: "How about the question most previous?" Now, this dialogue is fictitious, though several hundred years ago when form and procedure were less precise, it is not unrealistic. Thus, moving the Previous Question applied to whichever motion was of highest priority.
After many centuries of trial and effort, the ranking and prioritizing of motions was carefully worked out, so that the highest priority motion is always the immediately pending question. In other words, the last question stated by the chair is always previous in rank because otherwise it would not have been in order at the time it was moved.
Thus, the Previous Question when stated in the unqualified form ("I move the previous question") always applies to the immediately pending question today. When it is stated to apply to several motions (e.g., "I move the previous question on all pending motions"), it means to take the votes in previous order. Again, the previous order is always the reverse order in which the motions were made, since each motion must be in order at the time it was made and therefore of higher rank than the motions pending. Once the vote is taken on the previous question, the next motion in reverse order is the most previous and the vote is taken on it, etc.
The whole point of all this is to say that parliamentary law is based on good sense and good terminology. Just because a phrase does not make sense to us, doesn't mean the phrase is nonsensical. We just need to learn a little more about our language and the full meaning of words, even if it involves a definition or usage that is not common or vernacular.
Now, stick that in your lexicon and use it!
This critic is wrong. The term 'previous' means coming before in priority, rank, or time. The contemporary usage of 'previous' is almost always taken to mean coming before in time, and this is the way we commonly use the term today. We have forgotten the pejorative definition of coming before in priority or rank. Moving the Previous Question literally means to take the vote on the highest ranking question that is pending.
How could this come about? Well, in olden times, several motions could often be pending at once that did not have a proper rank or order. One can imagine the debate in the House of Commons when a member might state: "can we vote on the question?" The Speaker might respond: "Which one?" To which the member would say: "How about the question most previous?" Now, this dialogue is fictitious, though several hundred years ago when form and procedure were less precise, it is not unrealistic. Thus, moving the Previous Question applied to whichever motion was of highest priority.
After many centuries of trial and effort, the ranking and prioritizing of motions was carefully worked out, so that the highest priority motion is always the immediately pending question. In other words, the last question stated by the chair is always previous in rank because otherwise it would not have been in order at the time it was moved.
Thus, the Previous Question when stated in the unqualified form ("I move the previous question") always applies to the immediately pending question today. When it is stated to apply to several motions (e.g., "I move the previous question on all pending motions"), it means to take the votes in previous order. Again, the previous order is always the reverse order in which the motions were made, since each motion must be in order at the time it was made and therefore of higher rank than the motions pending. Once the vote is taken on the previous question, the next motion in reverse order is the most previous and the vote is taken on it, etc.
The whole point of all this is to say that parliamentary law is based on good sense and good terminology. Just because a phrase does not make sense to us, doesn't mean the phrase is nonsensical. We just need to learn a little more about our language and the full meaning of words, even if it involves a definition or usage that is not common or vernacular.
Now, stick that in your lexicon and use it!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Institutes and Units
Last week, I visited Fort Worth to attend their annual institute. Almost 40 people were present for an introductory level series of workshops. On the same day, the DFW Parliamentarians held an institute in Dallas. There is nothing quite like an institute to help boost unit membership. It is also the best way for members of the Texas and National associations to promote our objective of teaching and disseminating parliamentary law.
I also visited the Alamo Registered Unit in San Antonio - a unit made up of primarily former TSAP presidents. Many of them were president when I was first getting involved in the state association. If you are active in your local unit and want to interact at the next level, consider serving on one of the state committees.
More units are on the calendar for the coming weeks. What a great way to get to know the membership!
I also visited the Alamo Registered Unit in San Antonio - a unit made up of primarily former TSAP presidents. Many of them were president when I was first getting involved in the state association. If you are active in your local unit and want to interact at the next level, consider serving on one of the state committees.
More units are on the calendar for the coming weeks. What a great way to get to know the membership!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
My First Post
Some people will tell you parliamentarians are a dull breed -- that they are a group of nitpickers who thrive on ancient rules and precedents, that all this has been lost to a high-speed modern world dominated by electronic flashes, information overload, and dumbed-down democracy.
Well, brace yourself for the first (or maybe the first) blog by a parliamentarian!
Could anyone be interested in such minutiae? Let us see!
Hear now, the strike of the gavel! People awake! Arise from your organizational slumber! Step out into the world and make a difference. Join up, or better yet, start your own association. Choose a cause. Find a focus. Nurture a need. Learn the lost art of democracy.
Our world cries out for order, for organization, for interaction!. Unplug yourself and become a person again.
OK. Maybe I am getting a little carried away here. My point is that America once thrived because of its associations -- school boards, charities, political groups, professional groups, avocational groups, neighborhood organizations, city councils and their multitude of committees. Today, the participation in these associations is at an all time low. DeTocqueville said that what made America great was the fact that the people didn't just use democracy in their governement but rather they used it every day -- from the dinner table to the sandlot baseball game to the community.
Pick up a copy of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief (that's the little paperback, not the big thick one). Learn the basics on how to make things happen in a group.
Or, if you are just a little curious . . . follow this blog
Well, brace yourself for the first (or maybe the first) blog by a parliamentarian!
Could anyone be interested in such minutiae? Let us see!
Hear now, the strike of the gavel! People awake! Arise from your organizational slumber! Step out into the world and make a difference. Join up, or better yet, start your own association. Choose a cause. Find a focus. Nurture a need. Learn the lost art of democracy.
Our world cries out for order, for organization, for interaction!. Unplug yourself and become a person again.
OK. Maybe I am getting a little carried away here. My point is that America once thrived because of its associations -- school boards, charities, political groups, professional groups, avocational groups, neighborhood organizations, city councils and their multitude of committees. Today, the participation in these associations is at an all time low. DeTocqueville said that what made America great was the fact that the people didn't just use democracy in their governement but rather they used it every day -- from the dinner table to the sandlot baseball game to the community.
Pick up a copy of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief (that's the little paperback, not the big thick one). Learn the basics on how to make things happen in a group.
Or, if you are just a little curious . . . follow this blog
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