I don't think punishing Joe Wilson is a good idea.

[daedalus_dude]

I'd rather not set such a strong precedent that the first amendment is totally void during congress meetings. The long-term consequences would probably be prison terms for people like Code Pink etc.

[trocar]

1. Rules

If, and I haven't read them, the House Rules indicate such behavior is not allowed, he should be punished. If the rules don't indicate his behavior was wrong, he shouldn't. I believe it's as simple as that.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. slightly off topic: Current CNN poll: Whose public disruption is worse? Joe is beating out Kanye

Whose public disruption was worse?
Kanye West 42% 33062
Serena Williams 10% 7621
Rep. Joe Wilson 46% 36287
None was bad 2% 1953
Total Votes: 78923

www.cnn.com

[Gravel Democrat]

3. Hours & hours spent on Wilson, Not 5 minutes on whether Mandatory Insurance is constitutional

that ought to raise some questions, but somehow I doubt it

and not a peep about the whole enforcement thing. Really?

Those that wanted early passage with no debate are
getting at least half of what they wanted.

[aquart]

7. Drive a car? Drive a car without insurance?

[TicketyBoo]

10. It's constitutional. Check it out…

http://www.healthreformwatch.com/author/mark-hall/

[ixion]

14. it's a BS handout to insurance companies

constitutional or not, it's garbage.

[anniebelle]

4. That precedent has already been set in the House Rules.

And it wasn't just 'congress meetings' it was an address by the President to congress and also to the American people. No, I don't think this has anything to do with Code Pink or freedom of speech. You can't yell 'Fire' in a theater either. Is that an affront to free speech? Personally, I think he owes the people of this country tuning in to see their President, and have to listen to these hateful, bigoted pieces of scum that call themselves republicans. IMHO

[BlueMTexpat]

22. +1!!!!

[armyowalgreens]

5. Code Pink is annoying. They are often just a rude and illogical as the other side.

[cali]

18. they aren't members of the House.

there are rules that govern the behavior of visitors to the chamber but they differ from those that apply to members.

[TicketyBoo]

6. I kinda like Barney Frank's take on it.

One of the Democrats voting "present," Barney Frank of Massachusetts, said, "I think it's bad precedent to put us in charge of deciding whether people act like jerks. I don't have time to monitor everyone's civility.""

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090915/ap_on_go_co/us_heal...

[zbdent]

8. Don't forget that a Dem was forced to publicly apologize for something that

the Repugs convinced the media he said, but he didn't ...

The media bought that a Dem Representative called the troops Nazis ... when all he did was say that some of the reports from Abu Ghraib (sp?) suggest stuff we heard of from the 1930s & 1940s in Germany. No calling the troops Nazis. But the media allowed the spin to go that far ...

[daedalus_dude]

9. Public shaming is one thing. Invoking a law is another.

I don't think the Republicans made that incident into a legal issue.

Certainly the democrats should demand an apology.

[KharmaTrain]

11. He's Got Plenty Of First Ammendment...

Somehow this is starting to turn into a rushpublican talking point. It's not as though there wasn't ample time and opportunity to speak out or rebut. The Capitol was crawling with news crews with microphones all but dying to interview any and all rushpublicans who wanted to sound off. Had he waited 15 minutes, he could have had his 15 minutes on a variety of teevee channels and made his point. That's not what he was doing.

This was an act of disobedience to the House in general. The President was an invited guest and House rules prohibit any type of outburst of that sort. It's not "free speech"...spare me. This shitstain hasn't shut up since. It's called "decorum"...RULES...ya know things that make a society civilized.

I've long objected to Code Pink disrupting hearings with their antics that not only make their organization look "loony" to many tuning in but hurts their message as well. But Code Pink are citizens...not members of any legislative body. They didn't take an oath to uphold the rules of the House...Wilson did and broke the rules. He should have been censured.

[WVRICK13]

13. I Agree

There are certain expectations if civilized behavior in an event like the address by the President. I would not have approved such an outburst against Bush or any other President regardless of my personal feelings. I also think the signs should have been taken away from the members of Congress. This was a formal address not a protest march. It is embarrassing when our law makers act like spoiled children during formal functions. It shows a lack of respect for the American people and our form of Government.

[KharmaTrain]

16. It's Deliberate Disrepect...

Wilson's outburst was premeditated...I heard another rushpublican, Trent Franks, admit he was shouting, too...Wilson's first outburst didn't take, the second did. It was intended to show disrespect for the President, pure and simple. I agree that Democrats booing booooosh was both low class and a violation of decorum and shouldn't have been tolerated...and for the most part wasn't. They brought up Pete Stark yesterday who called booooshie a liar in a floor debate...not to the man's face...and the rushpublicans were all but ready to throw him in yard-arms. The hypocrisy here and their lame defense of Wilson shows how unprincipaled these asshats are. No contrition since they're too busy trying to do all they can to destroy this President.

[daedalus_dude]

15. I wasn't aware that he took an oath. In that case punishment is fine.

I just don't want to seem hypocritical. I was cheering when the guy threw a shoe at the chimp.

[KharmaTrain]

20. At The Start Of Each House Session...

Each Representative vows to uphold the rules of the House...Congressman Clyburn cited the rule that was violated. Rarely is there any fine involved in this, just an appology by Wilson to the entire House would have been sufficient. That's the issue her.

The shoe throwing was a whole different situation. That was a press conference...and the guy who threw the shoe (and yes I cheered as well) surely violated Iraqi law that is far different than the Wilson situation. Imagine had that incident happened in the White House Press room...the thrower would still be at Gitmo.

[CJCRANE]

21. That guy broke the rules and went to prison

and rightly so.

I don't understand this argument that elected Republicans get a free pass because a journalist or a protester did something or a liberal blogger wrote something nasty in their journal.

[CJCRANE]

12. It wasn't a meeting or a debate and you know that.

Just let an elected Democrat do the same thing to Bush and let's see what the hypocrites say then.

[cali]

17. precedent? bwahahaha. hardly.

[H2O Man]

19. I don't think

that we should legalize Lonnie Anderson's hair. It would send the wrong message to children, especially in a time that they should be studying for the lunch regents.

[frylock]

23. well played, sir..

well played.