Sign Policy

A new “sign policy will be voted on at the Sept 10 zoom meeting. A copy of the full policy is available at:

https://jeffcoprogressives.com/JCD_Draft_Sign_Policy.docx

The new “sign policy” does much more than prevent disruption, it also severely limits free speech to signs of endorsed candidates and endorsed issues. One concession is made to free speech. There is no dress code at a physical meeting and you can wear whatever slogans and buttons you wish, but this is not true on the personal few inches of screen real estate allowed on zoom. At a zoom meeting you are constrained to only approved messages; even on a tee shirt if it is clearly visible by others. In your own house you are not allowed backdrops with unapproved messages.

The sign policy attempts to do two things. The first is to prevent disruptive behavior that might occur with signs, the other is to limit the content of any signs. The first it does poorly and the second is a draconian limitation of free speech.

Personal video space on zoom should be treated in same manner as dress. There should be no censorship of content. The only rules on content in zoom meetings should be ones that make it clear who the person is who is voting, who is talking and who currently has the floor.

No Democrat should be asked to give up their first amendment rights when they come to a meeting. The assumption that discourse both visual and auditory needs to be censored in order to prevent opinions that might be offensive to some is noxious, antidemocratic and takes us down the same road as the current national administration.

If a member of the JCD is hurt or deeply offended by some behavior or even some sign or slogan, Roberts Rules provides a sane and regular method of dealing with the problem. If one is seriously threatened or offended or hurt or believes that someone else is, they may “rise on a question of privilege” or if the problem effects them alone, they “rise on a question of personal privilege”, but in general, if Democrats can not tolerate differences of opinion we will never be the “Broad Tent” that we in theory seek. With policies like the proposed “sign policy” we are doomed to diminish as our few remaining members walk and talk more and more in lockstep. For the sake of the party, for the good of the order, we should vote down this policy.

So here is an alternative simple policy suitable for the JCD (or kindergarten):

“If you have a sign don’t put it where it (or anything else) will obscure the vision of others. If it is big or has a stake attached leave it outdoors where it won’t get in the way. Be aware of your own personal space and respect the right of everyone else to their own personal space. Be polite. Respect differences of opinion no matter how they are expressed. If something hurts you, ask for help.”

And we end with a quote that we shouldn’t require an adolescence to parse for us.

“They drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took them In!”

― Edwin Markham

Democrats need to be tolerant and inclusive. I originally looked at the sign policy with regards to the possibility of amendment, but this may not even be possible according to the current rules that require that it be formulated by the executive board. The policy in essence is bad. Show up at the meeting on September 10 and just vote it down.