It is an interesting word, hearing.
Maybe a refresher on its two primary definitions is in order, not for you readers, but for those who supposedly are our elected representatives.
From Oxford English Dictionary, hearing is a noun and means:
1) The faculty of perceiving sounds; and
2) An opportunity to state one's case.
If you have spent any time reading my blog, you already know that I have the conviction that words matter, that the pen is mightier than the sword.
In light of two major "hearings" this past week, I felt the need to claim my time, and defend some of our basic principles which are falling by the wayside.
Both of the dictionary definitions of "hearing" were not only disregarded during the two Congressional Hearings that were held this week, they were completely negated.
Apparently many people wrongfully assumed that the second definition would be in play when the House of Representatives had people in the "hot seat".
After all, when you are being questioned, don't you have an intrinsic right to "state your case"?
Not in the eyes of the members of Congress on the Judiciary Committee, as it soon became apparent.
Although each of the interrogators was adamant about "claiming" and "reclaiming" their two minutes, none of the individuals called to testify was afforded even a minimum of wait time to process the question, much less to respond.
***************
For clarification, "wait time" is an integral part of the question/answer process.
After asking a question, both the questioner and the respondent should wait from 5 to 15 seconds in order for a full comprehension of the question and formulation of the response.
****************
Not only were the respondents involved in these "hearings" deprived of the time to even provide anything other than a "yes/no" response (despite many of the questions posed requiring far more or a different format), many of the interrogators were asking complex, multi-part questions, each piece meriting its own wait time.
And that is a good segue into the first definition of "hearing" - the faculty of perceiving sounds.
The definition of perceive inherently involves understanding and awareness, something that was clearly lacking in these Congressional Hearings.
Our elected representatives demonstrated that the only thing they understood and were aware of was continuing with their rehearsed speeches (couched as questions) and were intent on continuing forward with their personal agendas, rather than actually listening to anyone other than themself.
Considering that many members of the Judiciary Committee are attorneys, and allegedly experts in the law, they rendered the entire process into a burlesque show.
Had they been in a courtroom when any of these activities had occurred, they would have been demanding a mistrial.
Now that they are in a position to advance their own personal program, they no longer care about the niceties of appropriate behavior.
It is time for these public farces to end!
It is time for our elected representatives to stop acting like self-centered, squabbling adolescents!
It is time for our government to focus on solving our country's problems, not on political power wars!
It is time for our leaders to be held accountable for their decisions and actions!
It is time for our government and its officials to stop wasting taxpayer money and resources on their personal advancement!
It is time for true justice to return to our nation!
This is how I am claiming MY time!
How will you claim yours?
No comments:
Post a Comment