Mel Gibson commits hara-kiri

This report alleges that when Mel Gibson got popped for DUI, he cut loose with a drunken anti-Semitic rant--and that the original police report noting this (images of which--the alleged police report--are available via that link)--was suppressed by the arresting cop's commanding officer. If this is true--that is, if it is independently confirmed--then Mel Gibson's has blown a hole sky-high in his career.

Back when "The Passion of the Christ" came out, I thought the accusations that the film was inherently anti-Semitic were deeply unfair. All the dire prophecies that the movie would lead to pogroms proved to be utter hysteria; most Christians understand that all of our sins--theirs, too--crucified Christ. I came out of the screening shaken to the core by what He suffered because of me. And even though Gibson's father is an open anti-Semite, I didn't think it was fair at all to blame the son for the sins of the father, or to put Mel Gibson in the position of having to denounce his father in public. In fact, I was kind of proud of him for refusing to be baited into denouncing his father, even though his father holds objectively wicked views and isn't shy about sharing them with the world. There's something dishonorable about people who denounce their parents, I think.

But now, if this latest report is true, there can be no doubt that Mel Gibson himself is a Jew-hater. How sad. He will have brought on himself all the opprobrium that will come to him. The Catholic friend who wrote to give me the news said, "Well, you have to give the Devil his due: Beelzebub is nothing if not a pro."

What is it with Jew-haters, anyway? Honestly, I don't understand this bizarre preoccupation that so many people, Muslim and Christian, have with the Jews. Mind you, I consider myself philo-Semitic, but still, objectively, I don't understand where this comes from. (Well, from Hell, yes, but still...).

It's not anti-Semitic to be opposed to this or that act of the state of Israel, or individual Jews. But anti-Semites go way beyond that. If this is true about Mel Gibson, then he ought to get to confession and spend a long time repenting for having embraced the evil of anti-Semitism. Failing to do that not only destroys his own image, it brings disgrace upon Catholics and other Christians who have embraced and supported him--especially those of us who defended him when he was under attack before.

UPDATE: It's looking like the initial report was, alas, true. Well, Mel will still be able to eat lunch in Cairo, Damascus, and Ramallah...