Can there be Righteous Anger ... Or as Buddhists who cultivate peace and hold to the Bodhisattva Vows that say 'Do not hold on to anger', are we to always try and put aside the anger in favor of compassion and peacefulness?
This is an interesting question. You have probably seen, in Tibetan Buddhism, images of "wrathful" deities who turn their "pure anger" toward such causes as the protection of the Dharma and the saving of all Sentient Beings ... their wrath is directed at fighting evil, fire with fire ...
Anger is also a natural part of being human ... like sadness and fear ... and we should not be angry about sometimes getting a little angry (or sad about sometimes being sad, etc.). That's just how our animal brains are wired.
HOWEVER, sadness (which is just part of the scenery of life, rainy days following sunny), or fear (which may nature's way to keep us safe and out of harm's way) may be held in moderation short of falling over the cliff of despair and sheer panic. Life's normal blues and worry can be experienced, even as we see though to that free of loss, regret or worry. But, unlike those emotions, anger is truly fire & TNT, and has potential to do great harm even in small quantities. It is more likely to end up as a fight in a bar, a broken relationship or starting a war than it is to do any positive good. As well, there are other emotions and perspective which can accomplish the positive goods more effectively.
So, for example, calm reflection, looking for a constructive solution and keeping one's head as much as possible while taking effective action is an approach more likely to solve a problem in this world or in one's life than tossing more fuel on the fires of hate. ... Perhaps, "righteous indignation" or "tough love" (if a parent ... even the Zen Master's "30 blows" are more of this kind) or "a firm hand with a calm mind" may be justified by a situation ...
... but I would say that anger is rarely, if ever, an appropriate response.
You can read more in our threads on this subject for study of the Jukai Precepts ...
http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...om-Being-Angry