Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

Mel Gibson, drunken anti-Semite (source: European Pressphoto Agency

Well, it’s finally happened. Mel Gibson has finally allowed the liquor to loosen his tongue enough so that he can get all of those anti-Semitic slurs he’s been harboring for so long out of his system. I’m sure he feels he’s a better man for it now that he’s done it. But the question is whether he’s now burned so many bridges that his career will suffer. There is no doubt that Gibson is a gifted actor and creative talent. Until he released The Passion of Christ I’d seen many of his films and admired his work. But that stopped when Passion came out. And I’ll never view another of his films. Let all his evangelical friends take my place. But I wonder what the evangelicals will have to say about his latest tirade. They’ll probably call him a God-fearing fellow and forgive him.

Here’s what the NY Times is reporting:

The film star and director Mel Gibson apologized Saturday for belligerent behavior and for saying what he called “despicable” things that he does “not believe to be true” when he was arrested here on a drunken-driving charge early Friday.

But Mr. Gibson, in a statement, stopped short of addressing claims that he made virulently anti-Semitic remarks to an arresting officer, as described on a Web site that posted several pages of the sheriff’s report.

The sheriff’s report, carried on TMZ.com, a Web site owned by Time Warner, said Mr. Gibson had demanded to know if the officer, James Mee, was a Jew. During an obscenity-laced tirade, according to the report, Mr. Gibson also said “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”

Very nice, Mel. Now, I wonder what all those rapacious Hollywood folks will think about cooperating with Gibson in the future. To those Jewish film executives I have one question: “This man hates your guts. Why for crying out loud are you doing business with him?” Of course, the simple answer is that Gibson makes money for them. And money is the bottom line. Make it and you’re golden. Lose it and you’re history. Mel makes it. Or has until now.

One wonders how Gibson can continue as producer of the four part planned miniseries about the life of Dutch Holocaust survivor Flory Van Beek. How can an anti-Semite make a movie about a Holocaust survivor? It’s preposterous. Hollywood are you listening??

One also wonders how his fans and the general public will react to this new development. Will they stand by him or not? Given the obvious lack of candor in his statement one wonders whether he can dig himself out of this hole:

I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said, and I apologize to anyone I may have offended.”

He clearly DOES believe what he said. The only difference between that fateful night and any other is that he managed to keep his big trap shut when he was sober. Loose lips have sunk his ship. I hate to revel in someone’s unhappiness, but this guy had it coming if anyone did.

Here’s what TMZ had to say about the matter:

According to the report, Gibson became agitated after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway and told he was to be detained for drunk driving Friday morning in Malibu. The actor began swearing uncontrollably. Gibson repeatedly said, “My life is f****d.” Law enforcement sources say the deputy, worried that Gibson might become violent, told the actor that he was supposed to cuff him but would not, as long as Gibson cooperated. As the two stood next to the hood of the patrol car, the deputy asked Gibson to get inside. Deputy Mee then walked over to the passenger door and opened it. The report says Gibson then said, “I’m not going to get in your car,” and bolted to his car. The deputy quickly subdued Gibson, cuffed him and put him inside the patrol car…

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, “You mother f****r. I’m going to f*** you.” The report also says “Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he ‘owns Malibu’ and will spend all of his money to ‘get even’ with me.”

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: “F*****g Jews… The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” Gibson then asked the deputy, “Are you a Jew?”

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson’s tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, “What the f*** do you think you’re doing?”

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, “What do you think you’re looking at, sugar tits?”

TMZ then reveals some potentially troublesome (if true) information about an effort by the police officer’s superiors to “sanitize” the arrest report for containing language that was considered “too inflammatory:”

Deputy Mee then wrote an eight-page report detailing Gibson’s rampage and comments. Sources say the sergeant on duty felt it was too “inflammatory.” A lieutenant and captain then got involved and calls were made to Sheriff’s headquarters. Sources say Mee was told Gibson’s comments would incite a lot of “Jewish hatred,” that the situation in Israel was “way too inflammatory.” It was mentioned several times that Gibson, who wrote, directed, and produced 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ,” had incited “anti-Jewish sentiment” and “For a drunk driving arrest, is this really worth all that?”

We’re told Deputy Mee was then ordered to write another report, leaving out the incendiary comments and conduct. Sources say Deputy Mee was told the sanitized report would eventually end up in the media and that he could write a supplemental report that contained the redacted information — a report that would be locked in the watch commander’s safe.

I imagine that effort to sanitize the report has just died a deserved death after these media revelations.

TMZ quotes Gibson’s mea culpa from which I’ll only quote the last sentence:

I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health.”

Yeah, Mel. You can get treatment for alcoholism. Maybe you’ll even become a recovering alcoholic if you’re lucky. But how can you cleanse your mind of Jew-hatred? That’s even harder than going straight.