Liar, Liar, Whose Pants Are on Fire?

I like the parliamentary form of government. It’s no holds barred, unbridled freedom of speech has a ring of sincerity that Congressional decorum lacks. Congress acts like it’s in church. Everyone is so nice to everyone all the time. They refer to the “Gentleman from the state of…” and “my dear colleague this and that”- all the while they hate their guts. Where’s the honesty in that? It would be great theater if we could watch Senators and Congressmen shout each other down. You know, like at those town hall meetings in August. Should decorum be held in higher esteem than freedom of speech and sincere statements of belief? I don’t think so.

Joe Wilson’s 15 minutes of infamy may have shocked the Congress, but I liked it. Here’s a guy saying what he believes, without regard to decorum or his career. If we had more Joe Wilson’s in Congress, then we’d all know exactly where everyone stood on the issues. We haven’t had that kind of honesty since Strom Thurmond stood fast against civil rights- and Senator DeMint said, “…we (Republicans) have to kill health reform- it will be Obama’s Waterloo.” It’s no secret where they stood. They’re not about to compromise their core values. No way.

I realize making laws is the art of compromise, but can it be done without compromising core values? Sometimes I wonder about that. Trying to get a position on issues from middle-of-the-road legislators is like picking the walnut with the pea- they’re so slippery, always testing the wind, horse trading, and wheeling and dealing. Joe’s outburst makes all the other Congressmen and Congresswomen seem wishy-washy. Joe’s not about to give up his core values - even it means walking the gangplank off the ship of state to oblivion.

I was so moved by his actions, I sent 20 bucks to Rob Miller, his Democratic opponent. Rob raised a million dollars in 48 hours following Joe’s unprecedented two-word freedom of speech outburst. That’s $500,000 for each word. It’s reassuring to know that good things can come from people being honest and open about their beliefs.