As a Jew, I'm always glad when the anti-semites are openly so. Then we know how Gibson thinks and the many Jews in Hollywood can act towards him accordingly. He should be ostracized for not condemning his father's views and for having apparently the same. It's a bit odd that someone in Hollywood could hate Jews so much, since he lives among them. But who knows how deep anyone's predjudice goes until he is "outted." Or "outs" himself.

I'd feel the same for any racist drunken tirades against blacks or gays or other minorities. It's not a Jewish thing but a sickening racism that Mel Gibson should get ostracized for.

The man is really weird in that HE has more power than most Jewish Americans or Christian Americans or Muslim or Black Americans. So why his pathetic ranting? Beats me.

I agree with most of what you say, Rob, but I think you have the cause/effect of things reversed.

You state, "That's why Karl Rove uses "liberal" like it's a slander, because so many in this country have been convinced that it is.".

I think the reverse is true: So many in this country have been convinced that it is a slander by listening to Karl Rove. The country learned it from him (using the Fox 'News' vehicle of hate dissemination), not the other way around.

Of course, it's worse than that. Rove uses the word 'liberal' not just as slander, but to incite people against those he considers 'traitors'. I'm looking forward to when a murder defense lawyer states, "My client was only protecting his country from liberals; he learned it from Karl". At least the truth will see the light.

Seriously, do you? Because you seem to know almost nothing about Americans.

1) If you are a celebrity there are zero repercussions.

2) Enter rehab and all is forgiven because there is no right or wrong, there's only therapy which hasn't worked yet.

3) A lot of Americans really are quietly antisemitic. The fact that most of you are shocked that Mel would shit where he eats only proves my point.

4) Mel's opinions however unhinged are not that materially different from the polite crypto antisemitism garbed as "I hate Fucking Israel" I see here just about everyday now. If anything, it's the liberals and self professed radicals who have helped make insane hate speech acceptible in the public dialog.

5) When you watch old reruns of Lethal Weapon movies it's funny to watch a white man who hates Jews play against a black man (Danny Glover) who openly and proudly despises white people.

Officer: What's your problem, sir?

Drunk: It's those Moslems. They are behind all the war and instability in the Mideast. I mean, Christ, they blew up the mother fucking Twin Towers for no reason. Now they're infecting the whole world -- London, Madrid, Bali. And they hate us. Been to Paris lately? Thank the Lord for Israel. Wait... You're not a fucking Arab, are you?

Should see to it they do not become monsters themselves. A botched quote from Nietzche I believe, but it applies well here to author Neal Gabler. In this poorly-written diatribe, Garber lumps Christians into one box then seeks to villify them. Any legitimate point he has about the danger of spiteful language and rhetoric from our nation's leaders is quickly diminshed by his willingness to employ the same strategy to slander Evangelicals and, slyly, Christians in general. By failing to differentiate between Evangelicals, political conservatives, Roman Catholics, etc, the author betrays his ignorance about Christianity and his prejudice toward its followers. If "right-wing Republicanism" and "Evangelical Christianity" are indeed merging, the process is only helped by the willful ignorance of some on the right AND the left, who refuse to acknowledge or educate themselves about the true nature of Christianity. This way, the truth lives-- even thrives! Christians who shout, over and over, the basic Biblical truth: "We ALL killed Jesus, that's the point!" are drowned out by the likes of Pat Robertson, George Bush AND people who equate faith with stupidity. One more time: Jesus WAS A JEW.

Oh yeah and... what could be worse than "blacken(ing)" Jews? Shame on you, Mr. Gabler. Shame.

I was posting what I was sure was a good letter, but the computer ate it in one big gulp. Then, I decided it was too complicated a letter anyway.

I agree with the article, but don't think you quite got to the meat of it. Think a bit of the contradictions: Christianity--New Testament--all about love, forgiveness, loving neighbors. Neo-conservative American Christianity: OFTEN (although not always) about hate, revenge, war, hating neighbors, killing neighbors.

This 'religious' fervor isn't really about religion. It's about hating and fearing other human beings. It's not about 'God's chosen people.' After all, the New Testament basically makes everyone potentially one of God's chosen people. It's about fear of death, envy of what other people might have, and the need to blame someone for your ills. Who better than your neighbor--whether that neighbor is next door or thousands of miles away? Why the rush to hurry along the apocalypse? Wouldn't the apocalypse, by all Biblical definitions, come along in its own time, without the help of people? It's peculiar reasoning, to hasten the end of things, unless, of course, YOUR end means you get to watch all those people you hate fry in hell, while you sit happily in heaven.

Too, this sort of behavior happens around round numbers. There's a really good chance that this apocalyptic fever and this Christianity that characterizes hate and killing as a good and necessary thing is part of the whole "yikes, we're still near the millenium and the world is going to end any moment" bullshit. How sad to even contemplate the possibility that a little round number is causing all these problems.

When I read the letters posted here by the people claiming that evangelicals they know "just love the Jews", I must wonder if they've ever met any. I grew up in Oklahoma - plenty of evangelicals there - and never knew any Jews until I moved to Hollywood. I think these people love their idea of Jews, specifically as it applies to their fucked-up eschatology. When I hear Jews I know being too quick to accept the kind ministrations of the Christian far-right, I am quick to point out that the fundamentalist mythos ends with them writhing in hell for all eternity - how kind is that?