Temperance and Vengeance

So lately there has been some really heated political rhetoric and even some violence from both sides of the political rainbow.  I want to express my feelings on the way that this has been covered and also on how it has been executed.  There is no question that the political climate is as divided as it has ever been in any living person's memory.  There are talks by some groups of a complete government coup and others are silently trying to marginalize populist movements in hopes that they can continue a coup of their own.  Here's the deal.  Neither of these groups is right.  It seems to me we have two choices when it comes to our political activism.  We can either choose temperance or vengeance.  Temperance will bring everyone closer.  It will give those, who don't have anything to do with the process because of the insanity of both sides, a chance to feel like the can get involved without feeling like they're part of the insanity.  The country was built on temperance.  I know, some of you will point out that it took a violent revolution to create this country.  The premise of this country is built on temperance.  The founders foresaw what could (would) happen if we allowed the political process to be defined by the margins.  They created a Constitution that is at once simple and complex enough to embody the basic tenets of free society.  The process that was used to develop this document was rife with political posturing and grandstanding and philosophical debate.  The end result was that all of the vastness of opinion were distilled and, dare I say it, tempered, into a document that has founded the greatest nation of civilization.  The type of give a little take a little temperance that created this country is the very thing that we are in need of now.  The problem is that one party has took while another party gave for nearly a century now.  Progressivism has given America some very important things namely woman's rights, Civil Rights, and Environmental Protections.  The problem with Progressivism is that it also created things that are not fundamental rights like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, and Education.  These things were seen as for the good of the country and, indeed, it can successfully be argued that some of these contributed to our success as a country (ie Education).  I have a different opinion of some of the entitlements and what they have done to our country.  I see entitlements as being explicitly against the Constitution or at the very least explicitly against the Founder's intent to create a country that enabled liberty and the pursuit of happiness but did not guarantee happiness or anything else for that matter.  We are free to govern ourselves and the government guarantees that freedom by preventing invasion and in all else they should have no power.  By starting entitlements the Progressive movement has created an environment whereby they can subtly change the culture of America.  The heat of the current debate hinges on this very notion.  Many of the most virulent right-wingers view the left as bringing about a socialist/communist/Marxist government that is heavy handed and oppressive just as Stalin, Lenin, Castro, Mao and others have been.  They may have a point.  The problem is that they are so lost in the heat of their passionate distaste that they fail to think and just strait to action, or what I am terming vengeance.  This is no different than those from the left that did similar acts in the 60's.  The difference should be that we temper our resolve to act according to our beliefs and not to our passions.  This is how America should work and how it can work if we choose temperance over vengeance.