Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Ben on August 14, 2009, 10:17:55 AM
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Video of Sheila Jackson Lee talking on cell phone during a Town Hall meeting, while a constituent is asking her a question. Her first claim was that she had to do it because "In Congress, we have to multi-task". I don't read Drudge, but I heard today that he reported she is now claiming the photo of her on the phone was "doctored". For some reason she doesn't refer to the video evidence. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L3FnWNkIzU&eurl=http%3A%2F%2F
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I'm not surprised. Most people are overly rude when it comes to cell phone usage.
My pet peeve is when I have people over for dinner and they take phone calls/text message.
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She had also thrown out the excuse that she was making the phone call to get the information to answer the question for the constituent.
She should know that in the world of google and youtube you can't just shrug off a faux pas like that.
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I'm not surprised. Most people are overly rude when it comes to cell phone usage.
In Sheila Jackson Lee's case, she's just overly stupid in most things.
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My pet peeve is when I have people over for dinner and they take phone calls/text message.
Rude, I agree. But quite different from a politician at a podium during an official meeting taking a call in the middle of someone's question. Even if it was to answer a meeting related question, you then at least say, 'Please excuse me, this call is to answer the previous constituent's question.
I'm willing to hold judgment if there is more video out there, but from the video floating around, she clearly took the call in the middle of someone having the floor without any thought whatsoever. If it was indeed an answer to a previous question, her staffer could have easily sent a text or left a voicemail with the answer.
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Leftist extremists have more important things to do with their time than waste it listening to commoners.
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Rude, I agree. But quite different from a politician at a podium during an official meeting taking a call in the middle of someone's question. Even if it was to answer a meeting related question, you then at least say, 'Please excuse me, this call is to answer the previous constituent's question.
I'm willing to hold judgment if there is more video out there, but from the video floating around, she clearly took the call in the middle of someone having the floor without any thought whatsoever. If it was indeed an answer to a previous question, her staffer could have easily sent a text or left a voicemail with the answer.
Well I guess I am thinking of the friends that do the exact same thing in the middle of a dinner conversation at my house. No "excuse me", just pick up and answer or text in the middle of a conversation.
I feel like people aged below 25 were raised with regular phone manners, but as many of them got a cell phone after the age of 18, they never learned proper etiquette.
My priest even did this exact same thing to me during a formal dinner on the eve of my wedding.
It appears that some people think a phone needs to be answered right now, regardless of the situation.
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Well I guess I am thinking of the friends that do the exact same thing in the middle of a dinner conversation at my house. No "excuse me", just pick up and answer or text in the middle of a conversation.
I feel like people aged below 35 were raised with regular phone manners, but as many of them got a cell phone after the age of 18, they never learned proper etiquette.
My priest even did this exact same thing to me during a formal dinner on the eve of my wedding.
It appears that some people think a phone needs to be answered right now, regardless of the situation.
One of my favorite parts of Burn Notice is when he takes a Con-man's phone from him and drops it in a drink when he answers it while talking to him.
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It appears that some people think a phone needs to be answered right now, regardless of the situation.
Not to drift my own thread, but I wholeheartedly agree. I was always taught when you're talking to someone in person, they have precedence over phones (and nowadays texts). If I happen to forget to silence my phone before meeting with someone and it rings during the meeting, I immediately hit the button that sends the call to voicemail and apologize for the interruption. I think when you're a representative of the people, it's even more important to demonstrate good manners, especially when the supposed reason for your meeting was to solicit input from your constituents.
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My pet peeve is when I have people over for dinner and they take phone calls/text message.
Depends on the circumstances; I have a 5 month old, so whenever the phone rings I check to see if it's my wife, mom, or whoever's watching the baby at the moment. If there's a chance it might be something important regarding the baby, I'm taking the call. OTOH, I see a lot of people who will answer a call they know is just to chat when they should be paying attention to something else.
The one that gets me most is the people who can't hang up or at least tell the person they're gossiping with to hang on when they get to the register at a store.
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I don't understand. Isn't it a rule that in certain circumstances, your phone should be turned off?
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I don't understand. Isn't it a rule that in certain circumstances, your phone should be turned off?
Rule?
When you're part of the ruling elite, you do as you please.
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I don't understand. Isn't it a rule that in certain circumstances, your phone should be turned off?
'Vibrate' is the new 'off.'
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I don't understand. Isn't it a rule that in certain circumstances, your phone should be turned off?
If you have staffers wandering around, give it to one of them. If something truly critical comes up, they can pass you a note. If something not-quite-so-critical comes up, they can wait for a break to let you know. That's part of what her staff is supposed to be for, after all.
I once worked for a company where everybody had to drop their phone off with a receptionist on the way into meetings. Any family or work-related emergencies would be passed on immediately. For anything else, a message would be taken and passed on at the next break.
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Maybe she had to call someone smarter, because she didn't know how to answer her constituents.
I have clients that will answer cell phone calls in the middle of an office meeting with me. As long as I can bill them for the time, they can do it all they want. :)
What bothers me are sales reps that do the same thing. I'm already giving them a big chunk of time that I could otherwise be billing for, so that they can sell ME something and they're sitting there taking phone calls. :rolleyes:
Unless I'm expecting a call from someone who is about to die, send me a million bucks, or land on the moon, I'm not going to interrupt a meeting or even casual conversation to answer my cell phone. My phone knows who called and I can call them right back.
A slightly funny story: I don't know how other parts of the country operate, but here, most smart people fear having their cell phone ring in court. Whether you get the stink eye or a verbal assault is dependent on who the judge is and his or her disposition at the time. One morning I was in district court for a hearing and a cell phone rang. It seemed to be coming from the bench. It was! The judge fumbled his cell phone out from under his robe. I can't remember if he briefly answered it or just turned it off, but he was obviously embarrassed and apologized. :laugh:
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'Vibrate' is the new 'off.'
I prefer "stand alone" or "airplane" mode. This way, I can still check the time or the calender.
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>It appears that some people think a phone needs to be answered right now, regardless of the situation.<
Actually, unless I'm at work and far away from home, I pretty much have to check my phone anytime it rings. There's always the possibility of it being a call-out, which would mean I have to leave NOW.
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I wish the lady asking the question would have stopped mid question and demanded that the Good Representative terminate the call. After all members of congress are subject to the same laws of good manners as the little people. Played right, the questioner could have gotten in a number of hard shots suitable for replay in campaign commercials.
In any case I saw the video and was outraged by the Good Representatives actions and expression on her face after the call was terminated.
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In Sheila Jackson Lee's case, she's just overly stupid in most things.
...yet not as stupid as the voters that keep electing her... ;/
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...yet not as stupid as the voters that keep electing her... ;/
You can thank the good people in the City of Houston for that one. Her district includes the center of the city plus some surrounding areas. She is also the one who, a few years ago, was the JPL and around time NASA was putting a probe on Mars and asked if they would be able to see the flag the astronauts left there before (that being the one left on the Moon for those of us who know the difference).