Original Thoughts on Democracy...

image from Carlos in DC blog


In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.
Aristotle

Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.
Aristotle

Happy Holidays!! It's Official!!

It's Official!! Seasons Greetings & Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah & Happy Winter Solstice & Yule & Happy New Year!!!

WOW! It Gets Better!!

It Gets Better Project | Give hope to LGBT youth

The Compassion Exercise

Carol gave a sermon this past month and led us in the Compassion Exercise. She had cards and I got one and told someone about it and gave the card away.

I googled and I found the web site that Carol referenced on the card: Avatar...

The Compassion Exercise

Honesty with one's self leads to compassion for others.

OBJECTIVE: To increase the amount of compassion in the world.

EXPECTED RESULTS: A personal sense of peace.

INSTRUCTIONS: This exercise can be done anywhere that people congregate (airports, malls, parks, beaches, etc.). It should be done on strangers, unobtrusively, from some distance. Try to do all five steps on the same person.

Step 1: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his/her life."

Step 2 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life."

Step 3 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair."

Step 4 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/her needs."

Step 5 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is learning about life."

Carol is listed as a Local Avatar Master on the Avatar web site -- Who knew? Carol was our Worship Committee Chair for 7 years -- she is the stuff of legend...

WOW... That's a big link...

This can also be filed under God Loves You and I'm Trying...

StoryPeople: Fighting Chance...

What do I get for this? I said & the angel gave me a catalog filled with toasters & clock radios & a basketball signed by Michael Jordan & I said, But this is just stuff & the angel smiled at me & swallowed me in her arms. I'm so glad you said that, she whispered to me. I knew you still had a chance.

StoryPeople: Open To The Sky

The top of his head was open up to the sky & when he walked down the street he'd end up with strange things in there like the number of dogs in China, or the time it takes to cook a pig. It's not really useful, he said, but I'd miss this stuff if it ever closed up.

Congregational Meeting Box Score

2 Ceremonial Motions
1 Approval of Agenda Motion
3 Main Motions
4 Amendments
1 call for Orders of Day
1 Motion without Second
4 Call the Question Motions
1 Fill in Blank Motion
1 Suspension of the Rules
1 Move to Adjourn
3 Dangs (votes decided by 1 vote)

Main Decision: One Service to Be Held on Sunday 10:30am Starting December 18th. The date was determined by the Worship Committee and Religious Education (RE) Committee without delay following the vote for one service and the time of 10:30am; and following the vote to let the Worship Committee and RE committee make the decision on the date.

for some votes twas surprisingly close...

The unabridged Robert's Rules of Order is as big as a Bible... 816 pages with index and notes...

A UNIFYING FORCE IS AFOOT FOR US!!

I still have strong faith in our Sugarloaf congregation even though I am on the losing side of our vote and have to give up the first service’s spiritual experience for a while.

After the Sunday when my first attempt to get the kind of discussion my motion writing needed, Megan helped me calm my angst. I appreciate her reminding me that all of us involved with this decision are well-intentioned. I believe this to be true.

Now I look forward to the Jubilee sessions for our open discussion in order to pave the way for unity of purpose in a do-able action plan.

The prep sessions for our one service decision gave us a beginning, common platform to make an agenda for the first session. We have the WOW forum and the talking stick list. Now, let’s talk!

Helen Popenoe

WOW Maybe Facts and Science Will Trump Fracking: Clean Water Critically Good!!

Hydrofracking push in New York may be derailed by contaminated water in Wyoming

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report says the gas drilling tainted Paillion, Wyoming's water

I think any risk to water safety requires all the research and time necessary to show efforts are safe... Unlike Wyoming having a highly highly highly populated regions water source contaminated would be extremely extremely extremely catastrophic. Actually it definitely sucks big time in Wyoming too...

Critics of hydrofracking worry the process is unsafe and will cause irreparable harm to the environment.

Gas industry officials, business groups and many elected officials — especially in New York’s economically distressed Southern Tier — argue hydrofracking is safe and could spur an economic boom in struggling areas of the state.

Sacred Text! Robert's Rules of Order Point of Information!

Whoever said "Never analyze enthusiasm" never read Robert's Rules of Order.

Based on the link cited before http://www.robertsrules.org/ under Guidelines in Robert's Rules of Order Summary Version...

The agenda and all committee reports are merely recommendations! When presented to the assembly and the question is stated, debate begins and changes occur!

So we agree on the agenda with a majority vote. Once the agenda is set, it's up to the Chair to make the call as to whether a motion adheres to the agenda via the Call for the Orders of the Day. Listed in the Cheat Sheet.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/roberts-rules-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

A Suspend the Rules motion is either to modify the already agreed to agenda or overrule the decision of the chair as to what is in and what is out... This is cited in the Summary Version. Once the agenda (Orders of the Day) is set then a change to the order of the day requires a 2/3 majority via a Suspend the Rules motion. The 2/3 majority is not addressed on the Cheat Sheet but is discussed in wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_the_rules

The person who makes the motion has the ability to change or withdraw their motion even if there was a second but this can only happen up to the point when the Chair states the motion and opens the debate. Once that happens the person who made the motion can not change it unilaterally. Using a football analogy when the question is stated that's the whistle for the opening kickoff. Once the debate gets going you can't call it off -- you have to vote on something to end it. The motion belongs to the assembly. The ball is in play.

See Guidelines again:

Before the motion is stated by the Chair (the question) members may suggest modification of the motion; the mover can modify as he pleases, or even withdraw the motion without consent of the seconder; if mover modifies, the seconder can withdraw the second.

Please see "Making and Handling Motions According to Robert's Rules" on the Roberts Rules for Dummies Cheat Sheet...

The main rules on motions is that there is a hierarchy and they can become nested shown on the Cheat Sheet and per the Guidelines:

The "immediately pending question" is the last question stated by the Chair! Motion/Resolution - Amendment - Motion to Postpone
The member moving the "immediately pending question" is entitled to preference to the floor!

It's Just That Easy!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

Hope this helps.

Assume Good Intentions and Keep An Open Heart!!

Settling differences directly with the person involved, while staying in relationship, assuming good intentions and keeping an open heart...

Robert Rules of Order Laws of Meeting Physics

The more contentious the meeting the more Robert's Rules are utilized...

Deep end of pool link:

Robert's Rules of Order Revised Full Text 1915...

Fetch the Sacred Text!!! Roberts Rules of Order

There are two sacred text in UU and Sugarloaf in particular.

1st is the Ministerial Settlement Handbook which throws off sacred heat as I imagine the Ark of the Covenant would. The whole purpose of the book is to prevent you from having to say in front of a crowd: "Put down that tar, put away those feathers, put the pitch forks back in the barn and stop waving your torches near the parsonage!!!".  It is most definitely in support of our UU Principle:

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations...

Our 2nd sacred text is Robert's Rules of Order. I was surprised to learn it was not written by a Unitarian Universalist but by an Officer of the US Army as a result of presiding over a church meeting during the Civil War -- close enough... At the very least U.S. Army Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert is yet another adopted Unitarian Universalist. Robert's Rules of Order is most definitely in support of our UU Principle:

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large...

And as anyone should have figured out by now: Democracy is Not Pretty!! But Consensus is Beautiful!!

Hence Rules have been adopted for conducting our meetings so there will be less chaos and more order: a cat herder's handbook...

The rules are both simple and complicated. Simple in the sense that there is a Motion made by a member to do something and after some discussion there is a Vote. Complicated in the sense that there are a fair amount of rules. An analogy can be drawn to football but I will save that digression for another time.

Here are two useful links regarding Robert's Rules of Orders.

Robert's Rules of Orders for Dummies Cheat Sheet

official Robert's Rules of Order Summary Version.

Yet another Robert's Rules of Order Cheat Sheet from Society of Civil Engineers -- Makes sense since General Robert was an engineer.

To decipher the For Dummies cheat sheet you can use the official Robert's Rules of Order Summary "The Rules" section.

Robert's Rules of Orders are cited in our By-laws. If you ever want to change our by laws to not use Robert's Rules of Orders you will have to follow Robert's Rules of Order and you will not have the votes...

Per our by-laws, for Congregational meetings the Board Chair of SCUU runs the meeting -- wields the gavel. A Parliamentarian acts as the referee interpreting Robert's Rules of Order -- without a whistle unlike in football. The Parlimentarian is not per our by-laws; it's just our custom.

A talking stick is our custom too; which enforces the Robert's rule:

No member can speak twice to the same issue until everyone else wishing to speak has spoken to it once!


Fun facts: General Robert developed the harbors of Green Bay... The church meeting General Robert presided over was at a Baptist church in New Bedford Massachusetts. It would have been better if it was a Unitarian Church in Massachusetts but what can you do...