Interesting observations, and very correct (about the various publications and their editorial stance). Extremism is a closed circle where the extreme left and right meet, do the Vulcan mind-meld, and are virtually indistinguishable.
That said, folks should remember that Mel Gibson is an artist. Artists are neither statesmen nor philosophers. In The Passion, he responded on an artistic level to his reading of the Gospels and created a truly stunning work of art.
This latest Mel Gibson production is a polemical work, and as with the most polemical works of artists, it will eventually meet a fate based on its artistic worth. Goya was a court painter and his most famous works were commissioned works; but his "Disastres de la Guerra" series of engravings, done simply for himself to express his own opinions, have lived on for their artistic quality.
Mel Gibson was taken to Australia from New York by his pacifist father to avoid the draft during Vietnam, so I think there's a long story behind this latest work...
I agree. John Carpenter made "They Live" as a piece of Marxist agit-prop, but it's still got one of the most awesome fight scenes in any movie. George Lucas was inspired by the Vietcong but that didn't mess up his movies till he tried to make an homage to them with the Ewoks, but I still like the Star War movies other than those Ewoks parts. Artists make movies for all sorts of crappy reasons that end up being great despite those reasons.
This Gibson movie sounds pretty god to me... Less CGI and more actual action.