OH, THE MEL-O-DRAMA

Are you getting a little buzz from Mel Gibson’s drunk driving arrest? Don’t feel too guilty. It’s a natural instinct to enjoy the humiliation of the mighty, especially when they are mighty annoying. But there are aspects of the incident that are, at once, humorous, trivial, and disturbing. Sometimes they’re even hard to separate.

Beginning with the humorous, you have to admit, it’s pretty funny that such a self-righteous bigot manages to get himself in so much trouble, primarily by sticking his foot in his mouth. Reminiscent of Rush Limbaugh’s Viagra woes, it’s almost too good to be true. I mean I’m sorry for Melvin’s alcohol addiction problem and everything but I sure do appreciate his efforts to keep the rest of us laughing.

Moving on to the trivial, the very idea that celebrities are going to get the same treatment from police as civilians is an oxymoron. Hey - they are celebrities. They are special. They are going to get special treatment. Such is life. That doesn’t mean they get a free pass to rape and pillage, but it does mean that if the arresting officer chooses not to put Braveheart in handcuffs, so what! Personally, I’m glad to see a cop who has keen enough judgment to distinguish between someone who is a threat and someone who isn’t, and then act appropriately. Melvin, on the other hand, should get down on his knees and thank his lucky stars that the arresting officer, who happens to be Jewish, didn’t answer his anti-semitic tirade with a bullet to the head.

Speaking of anti-semitism, let’s remember that this is a guy who reportedly believes deeply in the Bible, but not in the reality of the holocaust. That should give you some insight into the fragility of his thinking, because if he doesn’t believe the holocaust actually happened, he must believe in some alternate truth, like a conspiracy of Jews devoted to perpetrating a world-wide hoax. And if that’s what he believes, he must be scared shitless of Jews. I would be. Who has the kind of power necessary to deceive the entire world – I mean other than the oil industry?

The fact that Mr. Gibson was driving at double the posted speed limit with triple the permissible level of alcohol in his blood is deadly serious. There are more than 50,000 deaths on the road every year, the majority of which are caused by some combination of excess speed and excessive drinking. This is not the first time Gibson has been stopped for drinking and driving. He is clearly out of control, and the community has a right to feel safe. At the very least, his driver’s license should be permanently revoked.

Finally, Gibson has made a second public apology, asked for a meeting with the Jewish community, and claims not to be an anti-semite. There are four or five different sides to this particular question of forgiveness (as there are to all Jewish ideas). What do you think? Leave a comment – let me know.

One foot on either side.

1 XCZR