Proposed Floor Conduct

[Sir Samuhel Tecladeir]

I rise to address the assembly.

I have noticed that we are approaching very formal debate tactics with phrases such "I rise to address", "I yield the floor", and "I yield my time".

I would like to propose an act that covers conduct on the government floor. It would not so much be an act, but by-laws to govern our conduct on the floor.

First of all, I would like to recognize the Hopper and the Ziu forums as "the floor". They are forums for two different purposes: the Hopper for proposed legislation drafts and the Ziu for official proposed legislation presented in the Clark. I'm printing a copy of the Senate Rules and Procedures for the United States Sentate as I type and will look through that.

For now, I'm thinking that all starting messages for a thread should start with "I rise to address". After that, it's optional. Secondly, if you use "I yield the floor", it's consider good manners. However, if you use "I yield my time to so and so" then no one should respond unless it is the person. I realize that could lead to a filibuster, but hey, if it works for a 200 year old body, it would work here.

Actually, all of these shouldn't be law, but just protocol. If you break a law, it's a crime. I don't want to go that far; but it would be nice to have a formal protocol in these precedings. If it's just protocol or by-laws, then when you don't follow them, it's considered ignorant or rude. But it's not a crime.

I yield the floor to the assembly.

[Hooligan]

Thinking he is posting in the Ziu board and not the Hopper (realizing it only later, at which time he added this preface), the Senator for Vuode rises to address the Ziu.

Lord President Castilghâ, my fellow Senators, and members of the Cosâ, as the legislator who had thought himself the one to be blamed, but perhaps in some quarters, it seems, credited, and at the very least the one responsible, for introducing and inaugurating the pompous formalities mentioned by our esteemed friend and fellow legislator, the Foreign Minister, I support his motion to establish rules of common conduct for the Senate and the Cosâ. Enforcement of the protocols would be at the discretion of the Mençéi of the Senate and the Túischac'h of the Cosâ, who could, should it be their choice, allow the chamber to ignore the rules and turn into a free-for-all, but at least protocol and rules would be there for them, should they wish to employ them.

My humble suggestions for the germination of such protocols would be threefold. First, that the two houses of the Ziu be free to adopt independent protocols. Second, that threads in the Ziu board may be restricted in their posting to only members of certain houses (this, I would think, would be done by beginning the thread by addressing only one of the two chairs, and/or by giving the thread a subject specifying only one of the two bodies, such as the "Senate Votes" thread currently running). Other threads (such as this one) would be open for common debate, banter, bickering, knife-fights, etc., etc. by members of both houses. Thirdly, I would suggest as part of protocol that all speech should be addressed to the chair of the house (or both houses, if in a thread such as this one), and not directly to our fellow members.

Lord President Castilghâ, and the currently-vacant chair of Speaker of the Cosâ, I now yield the floor. (Again, the foregoing message was typed under the misimpression that this is the floor of the Ziu. Oops!)

[King John]

OK, y'all. A coupl'a things. (And darlin', bring me 'nother beer, K? 'Ts a good kid.)

First, I'd thought the "Hopper" was for informal debate, and I thought non-legislators (lobbyists, concerned citizens) would be free to chime in here. Isn't this what we wanted?

Second, I, ever vigilant, have *already* been enforcing the legislators-only rule on the "Ziu" board!

— John Woolley

[Hooligan]

I agree with Sir John that the Hopper is open to everyone, although ONLY Ziu members should be able to BEGIN a NEW thread in the Hopper board, and each such thread should propose a single draft resolution (intended for inclusion in an upcoming Clark) for Talossan citizens to comment upon.

I would ask the Secretary of State to enforce this restriction on thread CREATION in the Hopper, just as he is enforcing the rule against posting into the Ziu board unless you are a member of the Ziu.

Frankly, I wrote my own response (above) without benefit of my brain -- I thunk this was the Ziu board whilst writing. Had I known it was the Hopper, I'd have abandoned all formality, put a lampshade on my head, and who knows what all else.

This thread (proposing rules of the houses) should probably be moved to the Ziu board.

'Tis the Baron H., it is, 'neath the lampshade

[Trotxâ]

Lampshade???

I thought we were talking about a demi-lobster!

Okay... I'll change your coat of arms yet again.

<sheesh>

[Sir Samuhel Tecladeir]

mha said:

I agree with Sir John that the Hopper is open to everyone, although ONLY Ziu members should be able to BEGIN a NEW thread in the Hopper board, and each such thread should propose a single draft resolution (intended for inclusion in an upcoming Clark) for Talossan citizens to comment upon.

You know, I could go for that. We could get public opinion while still limiting the content.

mha said:

Frankly, I wrote my own response (above) without benefit of my brain -- I thunk this was the Ziu board whilst writing. Had I known it was the Hopper, I'd have abandoned all formality, put a lampshade on my head, and who knows what all else.

Testing the taps again??

mha said:

This thread (proposing rules of the houses) should probably be moved to the Ziu board.

Should it? If it's proposed legislation, does it belong in the Ziu? Or are we creating a new type of law (i.e. by-laws), oh Scribe? If so, we would need to amend the Organic Law to allow for the inclusion of such laws. I'll look into it.

mha said:

'Tis the Baron H., it is, 'neath the lampshade

Incidentally, despite the lampshade, you're still too bright. Oops, sorry. Did I say that?! I must be sucking up to nobility (or kissing RUMP - oh, bad thought! Never mind!).

[Hooligan]

I think any rules established for the conduct of business in the houses of the Ziu would not be any kind of legislation, whether statutory or organic. Instead, such rules would simply be, well, rules. Just like in our neighboring nation, the U.S., each house of their Congress has its own rules, which are not legally binding, but which are decided and debated by that body, using Committees of Ways and Means to figure them out. Busting a rule isn't illegal, it's just impolite.

Deciding what the rules are should, therefore, be something done on the floor of the Ziu, by the members of the houses, and this board (The Hopper) should contain public debate on proposed acts of legislation, one act per thread here.

So sayeth the lampshade.

[Danihel Laurieir]

Who should proposed rules of conduct for the Ziu and Hopper boards? Should it be the SOS? Or a legislator?

In any case, I like what's been hashed-out here:

--the Hopper will be dedicated to discussing legislative proposals, and only legislators may start threads on this board, though any citizen of the Kingdom may comment on them (I don't think we should allow any other Talossans to do so...doesn't seem right for a government board).

--in terms of the niceties of address, let's keep the Hopper a place where one's hair can be let down.

--for the Ziu, again, I like what's been proposed: More formality...restriction to legislators and those invited to respond (for ocassionally, a legislator may want to drag some hapless government official before a brow-beating committee hearing.)

--for the Courtroom, I think we should let the Justices come up with some rules...which I'd argue should be fairly restrictive in terms of who gets to start or comment on threads...I imagine we'd have to develop some protocol for people to petition the court for redress, and for how to conduct court inquiries and argument before the justices...

[Sir Samuhel Tecladeir]

Those are excellent ideas, Dan. I would say, as to who should propose them, that it would be a member of the floor followed by a second and then maybe a general vote.

At lease, that's how it would be in real life.