What I Saw at the 2001 Green Congress.

• Author: Houghton, Genevieve

If the following seems a bit simplistic, it may be because it was originally written for Shawnee Chapter members who did not go to the Congress and have never encountered such odd ducks as "consensus," "standing outside consensus," and "blocking concerns."

Nevertheless, I hope there is something here for all of us.

The Greens use "consensus" as their vehicle for face-to-face communication. Consensus is actually quite old. The Friends agreed to talk things out until all could agree. This took time but since Friends were a close-knit group it was very important to them that everyone was on board when they made a decision. A lot of Americans didn't, and don't, much like Friends. It was important to stick together.

Greens use a slightly more elaborate version. Anyone who wants to speak signals he or she want to be on the stack. The stack is not exhausted until everyone who wants to has spoken. Then a new stack starts. One can "stand outside the consensus." This means: I disagree but not enough to halt the process. Or one can have a "blocking concern." This is supposed to mean "I have a moral objection so strong that I am bringing the whole process to a halt. Either you meet my objection or I am vetoing the prepared action." Of course, this presupposes everyone has morals and that we understand each other's morals.

If in fact the objection isn't moral but is just a disagreement, anyone with a blocking concern essentially can outvote everyone else present as an exercise in power, as part of a plot, or just plain for the hell of it. Blocking concerns properly used rely on trust and to some extent a person's ability to articulate his concern. Blocking concerns improperly used utterly destroy trust. The group becomes the sitting duck of the huntsmen.

Even Greens recognize pure mischief, so they have provided an easy way out of consensus. If there is lack of time (and there always is) they sidle sidewise into conventional voting and Roberts' Rules. There are no rules as to when this is to be done, for how long, for what purposes, and how completely. From there on chaos ensues. So-called facilitators don't know Roberts' Rules, most Greens don't either, and there follows a creative effort to mix the two systems up together and see what happens.

Here is some of what happens. Stacks that are built up over one question are transferred to discuss another. New issues are constantly introduced when a stacked person gets the floor so issues are never...