Proposed smirking ban raises eyebrows

reuters via yahoo ^ | today | staff

[Rodney King]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A raised eyebrow, loud guffaw, smirk or other facial expressions could all be banned in future political debate under new rules proposed for the city council in Palo Alto, California.

In a bid to improve civility in the town's public discourse, a committee on the city council has spent hours debating guidelines for its own behaviour.

"Do not use body language or other nonverbal methods of expression, disagreement or disgust," a new list of proposed conduct rules reads.

Another rule calls for council members to address each other with titles followed by last names, a formality not always practised in laid-back California.

"I don't want to muzzle my colleagues," councilwoman Judy Kleinberg, who headed the committee that drafted the rules, told the San Jose Mercury News. But, she added: "I don't think the people sitting around the cabinet with the president roll their eyes."

[Rodney King]

People in California are simply nuts. I wish that Lex Luthor would have succeeded in destroying the place.

[coloradan]

OTOH as a first in the nation, this city council is proposing to restrict its own behavior instead of restricting that of the peasants. I'm all for it.

[Slyfox]

I can just hear it now, "Would you like the smirking or the non-smirking section?"

[dead]

"I don't think the people sitting around the cabinet with the president roll their eyes."

I’ll bet Cheney rolls his eyes fifteen times an hour. He’s got that kind of face and temperment.

[TopQuark]

People in California are simply [society-engineering, Leftist] nuts.

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[Rodney King]

good point.

[Porterville]

Now it's time for the robots to dance!!

[sarasota]

What other new legalities are keeping the lawers busy these days?

[Naspino]

Instead of "banning bodily expressions" how about debates over radio only? Or just a picture of the candidates on TV instead of a live video? Maybe they should debate through pen. We could let Alex Trebec be the moderator. "Please put your pens down gentlemen. Gore -- your final answer is...Lock Box. No -- sorry we were looking for Tax Cut."

[LurkedLongEnough]

ping

[Orangedog]

Has anyone ever considered a ballot initiative to limit the number of lawyers? Like maybe a 10 year ban on any new admissions to the Bar. Maybe even forcing the bar to reduces the actual number of practicing lawyers. The legal class has been sticking it to us for decades. Perhaps it's time to thin their ranks and force some of them to find an honest line of work.

[Rodney King]

Has anyone ever considered a ballot initiative to limit the number of lawyers? Like maybe a 10 year ban on any new admissions to the Bar. Maybe even forcing the bar to reduces the actual number of practicing lawyers. The legal class has been sticking it to us for decades. Perhaps it's time to thin their ranks and force some of them to find an honest line of work.

All that would happen is that the price of lawyers would go up even more. What needs to be done, imho, is to stop taking judges from the ranks of lawyers. It's like the fox guarding the hen house. Judging should be an academic discipline, that one enters by going through lots of school.

[newgeezer]

Instead of "banning bodily expressions" how about debates over radio only?

Well, such a policy likely would have saved us from that whole ugly JFK thing (including RFK and Teddy, I'd think).

[newgeezer]

Whoops. I missed a perfect opportunity back there to use a more appropriate tagline.

[sarasota]

The only way we are going to stop this silliness is to stop using lawyers. Has anyone who's been involved in legal action ever tried to reach an agreement without a lawyer? Can it be done?

[mikrofon]

Let's not discount the dangers of second-hand smirk, now... ;-S

[MineralMan]

"OTOH as a first in the nation, this city council is proposing to restrict its own behavior instead of restricting that of the peasants. I'm all for it."

I'd have to agree. If you've ever spoken at a city council, county board of supervisors, or other such meeting, you almost always find them nodding off, reading something, or otherwise showing their utter contempt for the public hearing portion of their meeting.

At one meeting of my county board of supervisors, I went to testify at a public hearing. One supervisor was frankly asleep. Another was reading the newspaper. A third was talking to a staff person. All during the public testimony.

When it came my turn, I went to the microphone and said loudly and firmly, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board. You are quite obviously not paying attention to anything anyone is saying here. I take that as a personal insult. This is a public hearing, and I have come here to exercise my right to address you on an issue of concern to me. I expect your full attention."

The people in the chamber applauded loudly. Loudly enough to wake up the sleeping member and to focus the rest of the board on what was going on.

Incidentally, the point of view that I and others were expressing on the issue, which seemed doomed to fail, carried the board at that meeting.

I have no problem with an elected or appointed body making rules that prohibit the members from showing their contempt for the public. In fact, I think it should be the rule for all such bodies.

But...there's a way around it. All one has to do is speak up and insist on being listened to. The rest of the audience will support such with applause and the body will be forced to pay attention.

[Steely Tom]

Hey California!

Glad to know your politicians are "OK enough" with your state's situation to spend time on important matters like this historic "no smirk" law.

You must have no important problems out there. Great to hear it here in the Northeast, where things aren't going quite as well (we're getting by, though, thanks for asking).

(steely)

[Attillathehon]

Those trying to quit smirking should wear the patch over their mouth, according to Smirkers Anonymous.