Practicing restraint

We all know that feeling. It's usually brought on by intense frustration, driven by an emotional build up. We want to scream. We want to punch something. We want to punch someone -- but we don't. We get our emotions in check and we move on.

However, Rep. Joe Wilson (R) South Carolina did not pause before letting his emotions get the best of him. Instead, during a speech to Congress, the nation -- and yes, the world -- Rep. Wilson called the President of the United States a liar. Well, not quite a liar, he yelled to the Commander-in-Chief "You lie!" I could split hairs here and dissect syntax, but you get the idea.

Almost immediately after Rep. Wilson let the words escape his lips, he was apologizing. Campaign dollars in support of his opponent in a pending election have also poured in and political pundits debated what was behind Wilson's outburst.

Frustration, was how the right decided to explain it all away. The right had been fighting a hard battle during the summer months engaging in heated town hall meetings about health care. The meetings had gotten out of hand in some states with extreme shouting matches from conservative supporters who feared that the Obama Administration's plan would provide a socialist run health care system that would bankrupt the country.

The summer had been a long hot one in which conservatives exposed the Obama campaigns plan to euthanize the elderly and hand out health care to illegal aliens. People who had health care plans they were happy with would be forced to accept the health care plan that the government would create for them.

The Democrats were losing ground and fast. They had to do something. So the President stepped up in a special address to Congress to hopefully close the gap between the right and left. His address on Wednesday night was supposed to clear up some misconceptions about the proposed health plan. He took on the main charges of the left and attempted to allay fears.

Americans who were happy with their current health plan could keep it, said President Obama. That took down the notion that you would be forced into a plan you didn't like. There were no death panels, there never was such a thing. Okay, so nix-ay on pulling the plug on grandma rumors. And illegals would not be covered under the proposed plan.

And that's when Wilson lost it shouting, "You lie!" at the President.

He just couldn't hold his tongue. He'd taken enough and he wasn't going to sit there and listen to the same rhetoric that he and his fellow Repubs had been busy dispelling all summer long.

It appears that practicing restraint doesn't always get the best of politicians, but musicians as well.

During the MTV's recent Video Music Award, rap artist Kenya West rushed the stage when country crooner Taylor Swift won Best Video for a Female Artist. Taylor, who is relatively new on the music scene shared the category with heavy hitter Beyonce Knowles, Pink, Katie Perry and Kelly Clarkson. So Kanye couldn't restrain himself. He had to say something on behalf of Beyonce'. She was being robbed after all! Her hit song, "All the Single Ladies" had become the theme song of single ladies everywhere! The disbelief was so evident on Beyonce's face when West stormed the stage, taking the microphone from a speechless and helpless looking Swift who stood by while West told the crowd that Beyonce' had the best video of all time.

Surely, there were plenty of people who shared West' sentiment, but they remain seated. Sure, there are times when someone has to stand up and be counted. To go where no man had boldly gone before. There had to be a first time for everything -- was a phrase I often heard during my childhood. However, I also remember my grandmother saying was that there was "nothing new under the sun."

We could say that in both of these instances that the perpetrators of the behavior were squarely protected by their first amendment rights. Gun enthusiasts have said that bringing loaded guns to events in which the President was speaking this summer was just those who chose to do so 'expressing their right to bear arms.'

Civilizations will go through moments of their development in which they are raw and unbridled. They eventually evolve into a season of genteelness and learn to play nice. But even within those civilizations there still remains an undercurrent of brazen behavior. This group stands on the fringes of society, thumbing their noses at civilization, waiting for the right time to pounce. But even within that polite ring of civil structure, there remains discord. For instance, King Henry VIII was considered to be a part of the upper crust, cultured society, however, beheading was a common practice under his rule. Just as executions are a part of our societal makeup.

About 100,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. this weekend. They say they want to take their country back. However, I say there is no going back. And more importantly, how far back is back exactly? Would rolling back the clock 20 years satisfy them? The would put us at 1989. Or how about 50 years in the past? Which would put us at 1959. Perhaps they want to go back even further -- maybe 100 years. The thing about time is there is no going back. I don't care how many time you watch Back to the Future -- it just ain't happening. We can only press forward and look ahead. We can LOOK back, evaluate the way things were done and try to right them. We can learn from our mistakes.

Some mistakes that others have made is to act on impulse and emotion. Perhaps they didn't think things clearly before they reacted to something. Perhaps West and Wilson would take a different tack if given the same opportunities -- perhaps not. Not all actions are regrettable.

I do happen to agree with the 100,000 people who marched in Washington this weekend. There is definitely an eroding of our country's makeup. Perhaps the erosion I see is quite different than what they are seeing. When someone can speak to the President as if they are yelling their frustrations at a referee for making a bad call, maybe it does make us hearken to a time when things were simpler -- to a time when those actions could have landed a gentleman's neck at the sharp end of an executioner's blade.