Incivility

Joe Wilson, a protege of the late segregationist Strom Thurmond, disrupts an address by the President to a joint session of Congress by yelling "you lie" and then becomes a hero to the crazed Republican base, taking back his initial apology and raising big bucks for his campaign from like-minded disgruntled supporters. 170+ of Wilson's fellow Representatives refused to vote to censor the guy. Kanye West jumps on stage in the middle of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the Grammy awards to denounce her win. The President calls West a jackass (although it was supposed to be off the record). Mercy! Am I just old-fashioned or has this uncontrolled public behavior gotten completely out of hand? I am even more worried about the undisguised racism exhibited at the tea bag party in DC where there were signs suggesting that "next time" the participants would come armed and dangerous to "take back our country." What does that mean? It can't be good. Are we at the brink of another civil war here? Certainly there is already a war against civility.