Mel's Diner

Far be it for me to leap into a Hollywood scandal, as normally they are too unimportant and banal to even comment on.  However I wanted to say this one thing about the Mel Gibson DUI incident.

Jews are apparently fuming over the statements that he made when he was arrested and obviously drunk.

LOS ANGELES -- Jewish groups are fuming over Mel Gibson's apology for "despicable" remarks he made during his arrest Friday in Malibu for investigation of drunken driving.

The entertainment Web site TMZ.com is quoting a sheriff's department report that detailed an anti-Semitic tirade. TMZ has posted what it says are four pages from the original arrest report.

Gibson supposedly said "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the officer, James Mee, "Are you a Jew?"

Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center says, quote, "if that's what he said, even under intoxication, it clearly shows that Mel Gibson has a problem with Jews."

What’s uncomfortable here is that people can’t accept imperfection in a high profile Christian.  If someone was drunk and said similar inflammatory things about Christians, would this type of indignation occur?  Would the Anti Defamation League froth at the mouth?  Here’s the apology they can’t seem to accept:

Mel Gibson issued a lengthy statement Saturday apologizing for his drunk driving arrest and saying he has battled alcoholism throughout his life.

Gibson also apologized for what he said were "despicable" statements he made to the deputies who arrested him early Friday morning on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested," he said in a statement issued by his publicist. "I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse."

Not a bad apology really.  What does it say about the people who won’t accept an apology from someone who’s not exactly throwing sticks and stones.  I’m not defending what he said.  It wasn’t right, and definitely not Christian.  But it sounds like Mel’s got problems, and he needs to be pitied, not investigated and castigated by Hollywood.

Now, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's civilian oversight office wants to know if Gibson got special treatment by the Sheriff's office, and if so, why. The office also wants to know how TMZ got the deputy's report.

Well, he’s a movie star, and he’s donated time and money to police charities.  Some people do get special treatment.  But the issue here is that the police report was altered to remove some of the offensive language he used.  But the policemen responded to that.

"There is no cover-up," he said. "Our job is not to [focus] on what he said. It's to establish his blood-alcohol level when he was driving and proceed with the case. Trying someone on rumor and innuendo is no way to run an investigation, at least one with integrity."

Baca told the Times he hasn't seen the official arrest report and would not comment on what it contained, but commented that "People say stupid things when they are drunk, and they later regret it. You don't convict him on what he said. People aren't convicted for saying stupid things."

Which in many cases actually improves the celebrity status of Hollywood personnel.  But like I mentioned above, people like to point out hypocrisy and fault in Christians whenever they get a chance.