A I P
C O M M U N I C AT O R WINTER
2019
Being a Parliamentarian is Like Fly Fishing By Al Gage, CPP, PRP, PAP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Hello all! I know many of you will think I am crazy based on this title, but even if you don’t have an interest in the sport, I encourage you to continue reading for a peek into my philosophy about being a parliamentarian. For those of you who don’t know me, I am an avid (that does not mean skilled or successful; just that I try to go a lot) fly fisherman. I want to start with a disclaimer that sometimes, unlike our parliamentary clients, all the fish in attendance were released unharmed. The genesis of this article occurred when I was fly fishing in New Mexico on a windy day in September. During the transition between my back cast and forward cast, I slapped my rod with my two tiny flies, a weight smaller than you can see, and an indicator. The resultant massive tangle made me stop and announce to my partner and our guide that I had just tied the perfect “Gordian Knot.” Now fly fishermen, and certainly guides, are obsessed with new knots, and neither had ever heard of this one, so they both ushered over for a look. The guide took one look at my mess and said, “we have to start over” and proceeded to clip everything off and start from the beginning while I explained what a “Gordian Knot” was in parliamentary terms. For those of you who don’t know, “cutting the Gordian Knot” is a form of suspending the rules where you eliminate every motion on the floor and start over because the parliamentary situation is so confusing that the body does not understand what is happening. The guide with a slight grimace on his face proceeded to start over with my rig.
President’s Letter
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Calendar of Events
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This “Gordian Knot” scenario got me thinking about what other similarities there might be between my two obsessions. Here is my list of similarities, some of which might put into perspective what it takes to be a good parliamentarian:
AIP Officers
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MOST ARE SELF TAUGHT
Deadline Dates - Communicator
3
Education Committee Report
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2020 West Coast Practicum
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Teacher Certification Course
6
Welcome New Members
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Most fly fishermen, like most parliamentarians, are, at least initially, self-taught--or at the very least taught by a non-professional. I have spent days trying to unlearn bad casting techniques that I had picked up from a “buddy.” In the parliamentary field, I was also self-taught. In fact, I had never met a professional parliamentarian until 2008, and was never taught by a professional until I attended my first Training Conference in 2012. During that preparation to receive a credential from NAP, it took me much longer to un-learn the improper wording I was accustomed to than it did to learn the new material that I was required to know. Sadly, I too passed along this errant information to the very first team I put in competition back in 2002. I had mistakenly taught them an incorrect use of the motion “Fix Time to Which to Adjourn.” That team placed 10th out of 10 teams at the state level. If only we could all be taught by a professional from the beginning! Continued on following page
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS Page 1
WINTER
Winter 2019
2019
AIP Communicator