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I bet Sarah Palin, gubernatorial copout and fashion leader, doesn’t have to put up with the garbage I do. When visiting home, her mom probably says, “Sweetie, your hair looks so nice. What conditioner do you use?” Not something like, “What the heck are you doing endorsing a third-party candidate in New York? You stupid or something?” I didn’t get any respect during my recent weeklong stay on the Oregon coast painting my 83 year-old Mother’s house. Mom’s quite talented at reminding me her opinion is that I’ve never actually grown up.

This was obvious, driving my Mom’s car and discovering years of roadway experience meant as much as massaging my scalp to convince shriveling hairs not to abandon ship. Heading into town on the first day, barely a half-mile out, a voice behind me asked, “Did you turn on the cruise control?” Which lead to:

Me: “Nope.”

Voice: “It saves on fuel. Just push the button on that lever.”

Me: “I can push the button but unless I actually set it the cruise control won’t save any fuel.”

Voice: “Just do it. The man at the Toyota place said to always turn on the cruise control because it saves fuel.”

Me: “I don’t think that’s exactly what he said because you have to set it at a certain speed.”

Voice: “I don’t care. I like to think I’m saving fuel. You don’t buy my fuel, do you?”

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton – unplugged. More like “unglued” as she recently blew up at a Congolese student who asked what her husband thought of a China – Congo trade deal. Maybe it was a bad translation. Maybe the guy was nervous and asked it wrong. Maybe hamster-sized spiders were crawling up her leg. Regardless, what is the appropriate decorum for a leader when it comes to anger management?

Secretary Clinton knew she was out of line — just as any normal person realizes after returning from the land of “Conan the red-hot Tea Pot.” Not that anger is a bad thing. Being stoic is boring, often leading to planters warts and limited social engagements. But when the red button gets pushed and one’s blood pressure rises to an uncontrollable level, meaningful relationships get flushed down the toilet.

Abusive outbursts do three things: 1. Put the receiver on the defensive – effectively squashing a constructive dialogue. 2. Result in hard feelings and potential future hostile encounters. 3. Leave you standing outside in PJs looking at your car sitting on concrete blocks with, “This is the last word,” painted across the hood.

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