Especially if you can construct your proposal in such a way that the new process can successfully detect and account for dissent.

I can't. The perceived need (on my part) for an emergency procedure is not backed by a hypothetical situation that will meet the community's definition of urgent. I thought this situation met that standard, but I've been clearly overruled. So although I believe a situation may come up that enough people concede warrants an emergency procedure, I can't predict what that situation might be. If someone else wants to try and take that ball and run with it, be my guest.

I guess my main reason for being opposed to your idea is that the main reason for the lengths of the windows of both discussion and voting is to ensure that all who wish to input on a subject get the opportunity to do so, and I just don't see a way around that, regardless of urgency or certain unanimity. everybody should still get their say, and shortening the process only prevents that.

Here's where we disagree - and probably where I diverge from many people. I don't think that everyone should get their say in every situation. I think some situations may be so compelling that truncating or bypassing the current voting rules may be warranted. I think that doing something under urgency, and then allowing people to have their say about it is also okay in some situations.

Oi. Yeah, that's a can of worms. I think in many other situations, I'd agree with you, just not on this board. Which sucks, because I don't want to shut you down, just because I disagree with you.

Unless you're secretly Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, or Anne Coulter.

I think some situations may be so compelling that truncating or bypassing the current voting rules may be warranted.

Except I can only think of those situations as involving invading troops, natural disasters, or bloodshed, none of which, thank god, come under our control.

If something needs acted on and you see a means of action, nothing prevents you from saying, "I've put together a website/PayPal account/whatever to address X. I'm going to label it "from your friends at the Buffistas."" and then soliciting donations/people showing up at an event/etc. We've seen several calls to action like that, with impressive response. But if something is going to be an official Buffista statement, I believe it requires a bit more due diligence.

There's no need for a special "urgent decision" voting process because voting is explicitly for decisions that aren't urgent. This is in the cheesebutt doc:

We [are creating] a voting system for community decisions that do not require immediate action. Exemptions: Thread naming, disciplinary action against trolls (although the process itself [has] come up for a vote) and tasks currently performed by Stompy Feet, including but not limited to board maintenance.

I don't think putting an icon in the header required immediate action. And I can't think of anything that I'd consider an urgent issue for the community that would be subject to voting at all.

Wolfram, the biggest flaw that I find with your arguments is that there are people posting, at the very same time that you are, that they *do not* support having the sign added to the header. What more do you really need to prove that your assumption of unanimity on this issue is false?

And I've yet to see anyone offer up a valid reason as to why this is so urgent that 7 days is too long to wait.

Seriously, there is no way this isn't, at some level, a political position. I really don't think it's extreme to want to go through the process to make such a major digression from our past practices.

I sort of wish I hadn't proposed it in the first place. Not to be a whiny douchebag, or anything. It just seems that after a lot of conversation, it's kind of a sticky topic and isn't really a necessary thing at all.

Allyson, I think it was a nice thing to suggest and propose. You really had no way of knowing it would be this sticky of a thing. Let it go to a vote.

I have thoughts on other stuff, but I'm too tired to compose them tonight.

Allyson, I think it was a nice thing to suggest and propose.

I definitely agree.

Just because we're talking it to death doesn't mean it wasn't a excellent idea, Allyson. It's what we do. Just wait until I propose making the muffaletta the official Buffista sandwich.