Posted on 08/02/2006 10:00:34 AM PDT by abigail2
August 2, 2006
Contact: Ermias Alemayehu (323) 782-1980 / (213) 804-1872
Where’s The Compassion for Mel Gibson?
LOS ANGELES- Since Mel Gibson’s arrest for suspicion of drunk driving last week, liberal Jewish leaders and most of the media have condemned him for uttering anti-Jewish slurs. On two occasions Gibson has since offered apologies and asked forgiveness from the Jewish community—but some in the media are still not satisfied. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny) issued a statement today calling for Gibson’s detractors to “have compassion” for the star. Below is Rev. Peterson’s statement in its entirety regarding this issue:
“I am sorry that Mel Gibson and his family are going through this difficult period. Gibson absolutely did the right thing by offering a heartfelt apology and asking for forgiveness from the Jewish community—he’s even asked to meet with Jewish leaders. To those who will not be satisfied until Gibson is destroyed—I say ‘shame on you. Where’s your humanity?’
“Now there appears to be an orchestrated campaign by some Hollywood insiders and media to personally destroy Gibson. These same people opposed Gibson’s blockbuster ‘The Passion of the Christ’ which despite opposition from liberals was a huge hit among audiences. These ‘smear merchants’ are using this incident to get back at Gibson. It’s time that people accept his apology and move on.
“Had this been a liberal struggling with a similar addiction—these same people would be calling for understanding—so where’s the compassion for Mel Gibson? Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Louis Farrakhan have all made anti-Jewish remarks in the past with little public condemnation. But God help you if you make a highly successful movie about Jesus Christ and then succumb to alcoholism. This is another example of selective outrage practiced by liberal hypocrites. So much for liberal compassion.”
BOND (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization whose mission is “rebuilding the family by rebuilding the man.” Rev. Peterson is the author of SCAM: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America. For more information visit BOND
You are receiving this communication because you asked to receive information via email from BOND. If you have received this email in error or would like to be removed from the email list, please send an email to frontdesk@bondinfo.org
But this is something different, and there comes a point where you have to put personal prejudices/preferences aside and just look at the facts. And if you do, Gibson comes out of this looking horrible.
You presume to know that Mel Gibson has a "visceral" hatred of Jews. (I'll bet you're one of those who thinks alcohol is "truth serum."
I've been drunk more than once, and I never went off about jews or any other ethnic group. I might have said an unkind word or two about an ex-girlfriend or something, and perhaps said much worse than I actually believed. But there always was a kernel of truth that the booze needs to start the ball rolling.
You don't go off against jews the way Gibson did unless you have some serious issues with them. I can guarantee I've never done that, and never would. Why? Well, because I don't dislike jews, and the thought would never cross my mind.
I used to just think that consumption of alcohol lowered one's inhibitions and caused them to say and do stupid things that they'd never consider in a sane moment.
That's exactly right. It lowers your inhibitions, meaning that the line between thought and action gets very blurred. You do things and say things you only thought before, but good judgement and decorum kept under wraps. Impulses come to the forefront, etc. But the thought or impulse has to be there in the first place. Or do you personally think that, if drunk, you're just as likely to go off on a rant against the jews as was Mel?
"Sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you"
That is utter nonsense. It starts with words and ends up in the gas chambers.
"Seems to me that American Jews need to focus their hate at Hezbollah and all other terrorists."
You mean I cannot hate two people at the same time?
Mel Gibson made what I and many other people believe to be a viciously anti-Semitic movie. He compounded this act by effectively denying the Holocaust (remember his "people die in wars" comment?) and in failing to repudiate his father's utterly wicked views. He has now voiced openly anti-Semitic views himself. Having been rumbled and frightened about losing money he has deigned to apologise. I do not believe his apology and I do not accept it.
Gibson is a prominent Roman Catholic. Roman Catholics have persecuted Jews in every conceivable fashion for almost 2,000 years. He let himself and the Roman Catholic church down by engaging in the kind of banter that would have been more suitable for a European peasant about to engage in a pogrom.
Why is it always Jews (like Israel) that are expected to act better than any Christian would in the same circumstances? If the situation were reversed every man and his dog would be screaming for blood on this forum. I utterly despise Gibson and his father. I have no sympathy for either of them whatsoever.
I've enjoyed many of Mel Gibson's movies, and I've always had an image of him as a decent guy with a bit of self-deprecating humor. It's sad to learn that he has a strong anti-semitic streak.
Is this the end of the world for Mel? Hardly. He's not exactly in the poor house -- with the ton of money he made from "The Passion of Christ" he might not have been too far off when he boasted that he owned Malibu. He can certainly self-finance whatever future movies he wants to act in or produce or direct.
However, his reputation has taken a huge hit. That's the fair and reasonable consequence for the hateful things he said. The apology he issued is a good starting point, but it will still take him many years to rebuild his shattered reputation. That's as it should be.
The reputation of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has also taken a hit, although it was none too high to begin with. Heads should roll for giving special treatment to Gibson and then trying to cover it up. But I doubt anything will happen; it will be business as usual.
Yes indeed. Send him to a reeducation camp.
Their humanity, if it ever existed, is in the gutter along with the humanity of people on both sides of the Israeli-Hezbollah war who are using the dead children of Qana as propaganda props.
We've gone through some rough protracted arguments here on FR, but I have never been as disgusted with this forum as I am now.
And what business is it of yours and all the other busybodies who run around telling others how to live their lives, what and what not to say, how to apologize, even what type and degree of apology will be considered suitable?
I'll agree with that -- only if the many people in Hollywood who hate Christianity (many though not all of of them are Jews, as it happens) also seek counseling for their anti-Christian bigotry, and then show they've recovered by stop making anti-Christian movies (every hear of the Da Vinci Code? - it says the Catholic Church is a murderous organization; if Hollywood put out a similar slur against organized Judaism, well. .. they'd never do so, so I can't imagine what the reaction would be).
Bottom line: Counseling for all -- for Gibson and for the Christian-haters who are so numerous in Hollywood.
With people who already hated him. With most Americans, I doubt it. People saw how he was vilified by liberal Jewish groups for having the gall to make a movie about the Christian Gospels. So it's clear that a lot of anger built up in his heart, and he overgeneralized in that anger - wrongly, sinfully. But the fact he's a sinner isn't going to ruin him with most Americans - not if he apologizes, as he's done.
Heck, we should hold all people to account for the sins of their fathers. As soon as every baby is born, we should insert a microchip that carries all the sins of his or her father on it, so it can be read any time the world's busybodies need to slap the person down throughout his or her life.
Absolutely right! All of us have said or done things we're not proud of. Unfortunately for Mel, his fame made his tirade big news. I believe he's sincere and trying to get help. He and his family have been hurt enough....let's let them heal.
If those Christian haters drive drunk and make anti-Christian statements to a policeman who pulls him over, then yes, I would say they need counseling too.
Silverlear is an aspiring commissar - a thought policeman who would like to order people who think "wrong" thoughts into reeducation programs (or camps?).
There's a saying amongst those of us in recovery that, "once you're a pickle, there's no going back to being a cucumber." A lot has been made about the fact that Gibson's blood alcohol level came in at only .12% For a non-alcoholic this is a healthy buzz, and certainly unfit to drive, but would most likely not engender the lashing out Gibson has admitted to. I say that, based on my experience in law enforcement and dealing with a large number of intoxicated persons, moreso than as a recovering alcoholic.
For a practicing alcoholic, .12% is entering the comfort zone, although persons in far advanced stages of alcoholism can also experience extreme variances in the their reaction to consumption, and be 'fine' all week long at well above .12 all week, and depending on a number of other variables, black out on Friday night at .10 or lower.
For an alcoholic in recovery who 'slips,' or falls off the wagon, .12 (or even slightly lower than that) would be the range which, in my estimation, could result in wildly unpredictable behavior. From my personal observations, the effects would be magnified by the amount of time the individual had been in recovery before returning to the bottle.
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