Letters to the Editor
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sins of the father
Of course mel gibson is an anti-semite-- look at his father!
He's got seven kids, and I bet they are all anti-semites, too-- look at their father!
My, aren't we an enlightened bunch!
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When moderates are silent the radicals speak for all
I think it's great that there are tolerant Christians in America who actually follow Christ's teachings about mercy, love and compassion. I just wish they were the ones all over the media. But unfortunately, they are not. The majority of Christians re-elected George Bush after he lied us into a war with the wrong country. Not very "Christian" is it? If Christians don't like to be criticized, perhaps they should walk as they talk.
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So far off base
A year ago this article might have been relevant, but it is completely hogwash now. The Right has been blasting Mel ever since he started bashing Bush. His new movie, Apocalypto, is a parallel to the fear-mongering Bush administration and about how "staged" wars and distrust of outsiders can bring down a civilisation. They have been blasting him left and right on Fox News lately, so I hardly think the evangelicals who aren't so nuts about Catholics anyway are going to jump on board without the permission of Fox News.
I think all hate speech against anyone--even the non-entities that don't get positive support in the blogs and press like: overweight women, southerners, Christians, Muslims, etc. is distasteful, but the fact is at some point in our life we have all been cruel without cause to someone else. Sure, maybe we didn't do it publicly, but it is worse almost when we don't. But, this isn't normal "hate speech". The fact is that Mel said this while drunk.
During my undergrad years, I had some experience with drinking. I remember some of the lovely garbage that flowed from my tongue. I have told people that I loved them while drunk. I have called people I loved an a**hole while drunk. I have had friends who beer goggled quite often, bringing home people they would never have brought home sober. The term "Coyote Ugly" got its start with drunk men who in the cold light of morning said they would rather chew their arm off rather than wake the "ugly" person lying beside them.
Do we all want to be held accountable for things said under the influence? I know I don't.
But let's just say that he means it, okay? Well, when Bill Maher (whom I adore) says that Muslims are nutcases and need a severe spanking no one comes out and calls him a hater. When he says that Christians are dangerous, no one calls him a hater. In fact, in both instances, people in the audience gave him cheers and applause, and me being in the latter group just rolled my eyes because Bill says more than just Christians are dangerous. He has a lot of good ideas. A lot of opinions I agree with. And even though he thinks I'm dangerous, even though he thinks my Church (Catholic) is evil and antiquated, I still respect his opinions on the environment, on civil liberties, etc. Bill Maher, like Mel Gibson, is a complex individual.
With all due respect to the Holocaust and the Jews, homosexuals, Catholics, communists, teachers, etc. who died...they died not because of anti-semitism, they died because of nationalism. Were there NO Jews in Germany, they would have picked some other group to be first up for extermination because the plan was to create enemies.
When our government starts to say this crap, I will worry. When movie stars say it while drunk (and let's not forget he said 'sugar tits' too) I tend to let it go.
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What about anti-Catholic bigotry?
Where is the outrage when Hollywood produces films that fairly drip with anti-Catholic bigotry?
Off the top of my head, I can think of Priest, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All, True Confessions, Monsignor, Stigmata, Dogma, Agnes of God. Give me a few minutes and more--many more--will come to mind. But I'd like to post this letter and get back to work.
And that's not even taking into account the rhetoric that flies on a regular basis, for which there is not only no censure, but applause. Tony Kushner, in an article in The Nation, for example, calls the Pope a "homicidal maniac." Somehow I don't recall the outrage that followed. But then, I'm Catholic, so I must have been home frantically fingering the rosary beads and having insane visions, when I wasn't getting drunk on holy wine and committing some form of sexual hypocrisy.
What Mel Gibson said was reprehensible. But if he had said eqaully vile things, cold sober, about Catholics, not a door in Hollywood would have been closed to him. In fact, he'd be embraced as "topical" and "edgy."
Anti-Catholic bigotry is one of the few forms of bigotry that is not only tolerated, but celebrated in Hollywood.
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Mel Bashing
It seems distasteful to bash him to this extent when he's suicidal.
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Is it only me?
Anyone else see the striking resemblance between Mel and Saddam (post-Enduring freedom, but pre-trial)?
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Memory lapse?
Gabler says that America will now tolerate hate, but has he and everyone else forgotten that Mel Gibson has been pumping out hate against gay people for at least a decade? Forgive me if I don't get excited about this pseudo-event.
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Stop Whining Gradysu
You seriously think that Dogma is "anti-Catholic bigotry"? Kevin Smith is a practicing Catholic who was exploring the limits of his beliefs (hence the title). Offensive, yes, tasteless yes, but bigoted? Gimme a break.
As for the rest of the films you cite, if the Church hadn't been complicit in covering up the rape of young boys by pedophile priests, then maybe some of these films never would have been made?
And before you accuse ME, rest assured that I went to Catholic School, served mass, played CYO basketball and all the rest of it. But I don't go around freaking out about nonsensical anti-Catholic bigotry when it's not warranted.
Get a grip already. This isn't about you.
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Mel's A Fun Guy...
..with a mental illness. Most fun people are a little whacko and Mel is no exception.
Zionists are Jews in name only -- JINOs -- and they have been responsible for alot of human misery for a good long time. Who else would have the cojones to fund both sides of an armed conflict but a JINO?
No Jewish person I've ever known and respected has been capable of such intellectual, spiritual and moral deceit.
We need to stop seeing Jewish people as a single race and start seeing that the problem is now, and has always been RICH, POWERFUL PEOPLE with more money than moral character. The ax needs to fall on the Zionists of every race, not just the Zionists among the Jews. We made a terrific start with the Afrikaners, so let's keep moving.
And, for god's sake, Mel, realize who owned the printing presses all those many years ago, for all those centuries, and reread the Passion with the understanding that it was about rich versus poor, right versus wrong, not Jew versus Christian!
Armageddon is a creation and a manipulation of the rich. Come to this day of final "judgment" and be free of this apocalyptic nonsense for good!