Have seat and let’s ponder the new norm, which I might add is one of many. I have for a long time pondered how we got to the point that civility, respect and some sort of semblance of fact has gone away in our every day discourse. Now I will admit that here on the porch while fact is not all that important we do still ask for civility and respect in our discourse with each other. While it might seem a bit strange… Pondering is a procedure that produces no answers or solutions. Consider this…A debate, no mater the structure, has a winner and a loser. While it may also not provide a solution it often does provide a direction. There seems to be a new strategy afoot now days…I call it the HSCD syndrome. The acronym meaning to… holler, scream, cuss and disrupt…either party can do this when fact, civility and respect does not produce the result you want. Case in point, the newly increasing number of Town Halls that are occurring. I have a confession to make. I decided to actually look up a definition or explanation for Town Halls. Bluntly put I sneaked some facts in on this ponder.

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Moderation and Structure:  

• Non-partisan Moderator:  
• Limited Opening Statement:  
• Q&A Focus:  

Audience Expectations:  

• Silence Devices:  
• Orderly Participation:  

Format and Content: 

• Topic Focus:  
• Variety of Formats:  
• Follow-up:  

Legal Considerations:  

• Limited Public Forums:  
• Free Speech: Attendees have the right to express their opinions, but they must do so in a respectful and orderly manner.  

Well to revert back to an old phrase that is a little better than accusing someone of  lying, just say “that ain’t so” and in this case it ain’t so. That brings us to this Ponder of the day…Ponder This! It is not a Town Hall. What is it?

jk

**Source: Generative AI