No Common Courtesy in our Hallowed Halls

There's no polite way to say this; Congressman Joe Wilson personifies all that is lacking in manners in America.

How much rudeness are were going to tolerate (not to mention dish out) as a society? Black/White, Democrat/Republican - it doesn't matter. Joe Wilson was simply downright rude, and he choose to be so in full view of the American public.

Democrats and a smattering of Republicans officially reprimanded Joe Wilson last week. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times called the reprimand a "rare triumph of civility". Unfortunately, the triumph of good manners was paralleled by the brutish boneheads who have now gathered in support of Wilson. Dowd writes:

He was regarded as a hero at the anti-Obama rally in Washington last weekend that featured such classy placards as, with a picture of a lion, “The Zoo has an African and the White House has a Lyin' African;” “Bury Obamacare with Kennedy;” “We came unarmed (this time)” and “‘Cap’ Congress and ‘Trade’ Obama back to Kenya!” 

A camera also caught Wilson in Washington signing for a fan a picture of himself confronting the president, and he has raised $2 million in the last week. 

I think I can safely state that the erosion of common sense courtesy in this country is officially an epidemic.  And it's a malady that festers quite quickly, morphing into dissension, hate, and violence. Why do people of civility tolerate this? I don't get it.

Our Constitution gives us the right to speak our mind, yet I wonder what our founding fathers would say if they witnessed how the concept of free speech has been bastardized by their 21st century successors. And how incongruous the consequences! Rather than being ostracized, Joe Wilson is being regarded "as a hero" by many of his constituents.

What is wrong with you people?

Goethe stated that  "a man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait."

Congressman Wilson, be honest (and theoretically, given your "you lie!" outburst last week, this should be second nature for you). Just for a moment, when you are in absolute solitude, strip away the political game-playing, the bipartisanship, the false bravado and the affected posturing that you feel you must assume in order to keep your fragile ego intact. When you allow yourself, in that rare moment of true sincerity and vulnerability, to look at your reflection with utter candor at who you are, do you like what you see in your mirror?