Mel Gibson Apologizes for Tirade After Arrest

[Aviation Pro]

MALIBU, Calif., July 29 — The film star and director Mel Gibson apologized Saturday for belligerent behavior and for saying what he called “despicable” things that he does “not believe to be true” when he was arrested here on a drunken-driving charge early Friday.

But Mr. Gibson, in a statement, stopped short of addressing claims that he made virulently anti-Semitic remarks to an arresting officer, as described on a Web site that posted several pages of the sheriff’s report.

The sheriff’s report, carried on TMZ.com, a Web site owned by Time Warner, said Mr. Gibson had demanded to know if the officer, James Mee, was a Jew. During an obscenity-laced tirade, according to the report, Mr. Gibson also said “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, declined to comment on the report. But he said the department would eventually disclose details of the arrest. “Nothing will be sanitized,” Mr. Whitmore said in a statement.

*************************************************
Nice going Riggs. Guess what? Whatever you believe in when you're sober, but tactfully never say, ALWAYS comes out when you're drunk. So congratulations, alcoholic, you are your father.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/us/30gibson.html?ei=5094&en=21a9004e85587b7a&hp=&ex=1154318400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

1. I know a lot will not agree with me, but

I'm glad he released the statement and hope he gets his demons under control.

[Aviation Pro]

2. Yeah, but after all the glad handing....

...during the release of the 'Passion of the Christ' (in order to mollify his critics) he certainly has shown his true colors with this drunken outburst.

Once a bullshitter, always a bullshitter.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

18. Once a bullshitter, always a bullshitter

I suppose in a static reality, that might be true.

[sgxnk]

21. some points

one, Mel CLEARLY has issues

whether these issues were exacerbated by the whole "passion" controversy or not...

he made ridiculous and disgusting antisemitic statements, while in a drunken rant

he's a KOOK

he has ISSUES

i strongly respect his apology. i can totally respect that

but he's still a KOOK

Jews are not responsible for all the wars in the world. what a retarded, and anti-semitic comment

jews are NOT responsible for the people that hate them and want them wiped off the earth

talk about "blaming the victim"

[last1standing]

5. I'll agree with half of what you said.

I hope he gets the help he needs just as I would anyone else, but I really don't give a damn about the apology. He didn't do anything to me by getting arrested. Maybe a private apology to the police officers who had to take his abuse would be nice (and maybe he did) but other than that it's his own personal business and he has no need to explain or apologize to anyone other than his family.

[skipos]

12. You don't think he should apologize to Jewish people?

I do.

[last1standing]

15. Why say words he doesn't mean?

He's obviously an anti-Semite, we've all known that for years and he isn't going to change. An apology would just be words to appease his fans, nothing more. I've always called Gibson a religious nutjob who should be muzzled for his own safety. I'm not going to apologize for that as I wouldn't mean it. Besides, it is a free country (somewhat). He has the right to say whatever asinine, bigoted, venomous thing he wants. I, in turn, have the right to never see one of his insanely overrated, homophobic, anti-Semitic, historically inaccurate (filled with lies) films. It all works out in the end.

[soothsayer]

10. Ok, sugar t*ts!

lol (what ol' mel called a female officer)

on edit: I'm glad he apologized because I wasn't sure he had actually said all that, and now I know it's true!

[zonkers]

16. He's only apologizing because he got busted. Mel obviously hates Jews.

I'd respect him more if he just released a statment saying, "Yeah, I hate Jews, so what, lots of people do."

[midnight]

31. Me too.

He is aware that this is not an appropriate thing to say. Good for him.

[Fridays Child]

3. Who is Riggs?

[Aviation Pro]

6. The character he played in Lethal Weapon.

Some sort of crazy, ex-Special Forces, rogue cop who was trying to come to grip with his demons and therefore, between shooting baddies with his high-powered handgun (and other assorted weapons), was constantly sticking the barrel of a gun in his mouth. Yeah, there's a cop I want protecting me.

[ChiciB1]

4. Check Out DU Lounge....

It's hard to read, but the report is posted there. It's pretty obnoxious!!

I wish someone would translate it all... sounds like a TIRADE!!! Something about "owning Malibu, etc.!"

[Fridays Child]

9. I believe he also called a female officer...

...sugar tits. :puke:

[Moochy]

11. LOL

What colorful language they use down under in Malibu! I've Never heard that one before.

[Virginia Dare]

42. He's been an unabashed sexist since the beginning...

he's made all sorts of really offensive comments about his wife, basically keeps her barefoot and pregnant. I never understood his supposedly close friendship with Jody Foster, who seems the antithesis of what he thinks a woman should be.

:shrug:

[daleo]

7. I don't necessarily believe in "in vino veritas"

I am not necessarily defending Gibson, just expressing disagreement that "the truth comes out when you are drunk." I have known people to act very much out of character when impaired, in ways I don't think has anything to do with their belief system.

To take a relatively non-controversial example, I recall one fellow that I know raving paranoiacally about communists when he was drunk one time, who was not particularly interested in politics normally. If anything, he was more or less favorably disposed to left wing positions.

Sometimes truths come out, but sometimes the behavior doesn't mean much - kind of like a temporary brain injury. I wonder if there is any actual research on the subject?

[ellenfl]

13. i respectfully disagree . . .

my feeling has always been that it would not come out of your mouth if it wasn't in your mind to begin with. sorry, i think people do tend to say the truth, as they believe it, when they are intoxicated.

ellen fl

[Lerkfish]

22. In my limited experience, that's mostly true

people that are assholes become worse assholes when drunk, and nice guys become nice drunks...mostly.

I'm a generous, nice drunk (or was back when I was drinking), I would buy rounds and everyone was my best buddy...99% of the time I got wasted.
However, there were two times when I behaved incredibly badly (for me) and acted out character. I barely remember all of it, but theparts I do remember embarrass me enough.

I didn't do anything like what Mel did, but what I DID say was not consistent with my views of women. I think a different part of my anatomy was talking at the time.

[Exiled in America]

35. that's not entirely fair

Speaking as one frequently drunk..... :)

I think that a drunken state exaggerates things. So yeah, we can all probably agree that Mel has some demons from his past, or wheverever, But does that mean we can take drunken comments to be an accurate reflection of exactly where he's at? No. Being drunk doesn't make the truth come out. It makes exaggerated, off the cuff, emotiona laiden, un-processed "truths" come out.

[Fridays Child]

14. I think both phenomena can occur and one doesn't exclude the other.

It may be true that alcohol can make a person behave psychotically. But it also reduces inhibitions, and, in that regard, "in vino veritas" is an observable fact.

From what is known about Mel Gibson, it's likely that his drunken invective reflects closely held beliefs which, if aired while sober, would get him blacklisted--and properly so, in my opinion. Unfortunately, Hollywood will probably give him a pass that he doesn't deserve.

[daleo]

17. I will go along with this

It can reveal tendencies that are normally inhibited, or it can just cause irrational behavior. It is difficult knowing which is which. Past behavior can give clues, as can other congruent behaviors.

The content of the views being expressed have to be taken into account - if a normally reasonable person raves about space aliens, then it probably doesn't mean much. A conservative Christian such as Gibson raving about Jews probably is much more meaningful.

[Moloch]

24. I disagree...

I mean, I can understand a drunk making idle threats to the police because alcohol usually makes people feel more powerful and important than they actually are but why would someone make outrageous anti-semetic comments from out of nowhere when they are being arrested for a DUI? It makes no sense. Gibson obviously has a paranoia/obsession with Jewish people, otherwise he would not have even brought it up.

[daleo]

25. I was speaking generally, not about Gibson's case in particular

That it is possible for people to do or say incongruent things while drunk. When I was young and inebriated, I once told a cab driver I was from Portland, Oregon for no good reason, and spun a whole story around it. I haven't even been there, much less lived there. I guess I just felt like telling a yarn. The next day I thought "that was odd, but no harm, no foul".

As for Gibson, he may well have a paranoid streak. Talking about Jewish conspiracies is a pretty good sign of a paranoid personality. Perhaps he managed to suppress it most of the time.

[LostinVA]

28. Their behavior wasn't out of character, that's the thing

That IS their character... they just don't usually expose it to people... or maybe even to themselves.

Gibson was raised by a rabid Holocaust denier and antisemitic; he has refused to condemn his father's views; he has stated his Father has NEVER lied to him about anything; much of POTC was based NOT on Gospel accounts, but on the antisemitic ravings of a Catholic "mystic" (which have since been condemned by the Church); POTC blames the Jews for the death of Jesus, not the Roman governmnet.... the old blood libel crap.

He's also a known misogynist, homophobe, etc. Nothing new.

[AnnieBW]

8. Message Deleted

never mind.

[fun n serious]

19. Apology was the right thing to do

He took responsiblity and apologogized. Good for him.

[coalition_unwilling]

51. It was a first step, but not the last. He's obviously got

some not-so-latent anti-semitic beliefs (reminiscent of those in popular currency back in the 20s and 30s).

[adriennui]

20. he is irrelevant

i don't care what he said, i care about what he did.... he drove drunk. he's a lucky SOB he didn't kill anyone driving on the PCH.

he should seek help.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

23. He apologized for the 100's of millions it would cost him otherwise

His lawyers/PR people advised and wrote it for him and he did it because he a greedy small-minded asshole that got exposed to public scrutiny. Intelligent people know when to rollover to public opinion and cut their losses. This has about as much sincerity as a bag of shit. I use to drink to insanity but there was always a corner of my mind that knew when I was going over the line and for that reason I never tried to use alcohol as an excuse and I don't accept the pretense in other people. Part of the reason I drank was the sense of freedom to do and act the way I wanted to without the restraint of normal inhibitions. This guy is a sanctimonious hypocritical jerk.

[uppityperson]

26. what the heck is "sugar tits"?

what is he talking about? Sweety, honey, those I can see, but "sugar tits"? :rofl: never heard that one before

[LostinVA]

27. You are correct: the "control brakes" come off when you're drunk

Anything you do or say drunk is within you when you're sober. Alcohol doesn't "excuse" behavior at all.... it just exposes it.

[Neshanic]

29. Not only that, but I would venture a guess some other items are

involved, in a pharmaceutical kind of way. Nobody that delusional with money walks around without some heavy duty back up in pill form.

[Subdivisions]

30. Mel Gibson is just another

spoiled, holier-than-thou and immature Hollywood brat that thinks he should get to break the rules just because he's Mel Gibson.

WRONG!

[PinkyisBlue]

32. He's exposing himself for the big jerk he is.

Not only is he a jerk, he's a mean jerk. I'll never forget watching one of those late night talk shows a few years ago and Darryl Hannah was the second guest on (Mel was the first); she was discussing her volunteer work as an animal rights activist and said she never ate anything that had a face. Mel, being the jerk he is, responded by saying he would shoot the face off first and then eat the animal (or something to that effect). I have always hated him since, for making fun of another person's sincere beliefs, on national tv, no less.

I hope he goes bankrupt.

[tomreedtoon]

33. His real contrition is yet to come.

His movie career is pretty much sinking. He's no longer able to play the rough, tough action hero. He doesn't have enough introspection and soul to play dramatic parts. And his little schtick and jokes haven't made him able to play comic roles.

It takes a lot of effort for a noted celebrity to fall from grace, but Gibson seems to be putting extra effort into it. Which, in the final analysis, may be good. A person can only rise from an abyss when he hits bottom and can kick off. Gibson hasn't suffered enough, but he will, and maybe he'll find it within himself to kick off the bottom of the cesspool he dove into.

(I'm thinking in this instance of Sid Caesar, the great but abusive TV comic of the 1950's, who screwed his life over with booze and drugs and mean-spiritedness, who took decades to recover.)

[LiviaOlivia]

34. Because he's rich did the police let him off easy?

Did Gibson Get a Break After Arrest?
Officials will see if a deputy's report, which described abusive behavior, was changed.
By Andrew Blankstein, Stuart Pfeifer and Jeffrey L. Rabin
LA Times Staff Writers
July 30, 2006

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's civilian oversight office said Saturday that it will investigate whether authorities gave Mel Gibson preferential treatment when he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and tried to cover up alleged offensive comments and behavior by one of Hollywood's most powerful figures.

The probe was begun after a celebrity news website, TMZ.com, published portions of the arresting deputy's handwritten report, saying the star was abusive, shouted anti-Jewish slurs, attempted to escape from custody and boasted that he "owned Malibu." A source close to the investigation confirmed Saturday that the pages posted by the website were authentic.

On Friday, a Sheriff's Department spokesman told reporters that Gibson had been arrested that day in Malibu "without incident." But the website alleged that evening that supervisors at the Malibu-Lost Hills sheriff's station tried to downplay the actor's behavior by omitting his most offensive actions in an abridged version of the arresting deputy's report, which has yet to be made public.

"All that stuff about favorable treatment is something that needs to be looked at," said Mike Gennaco, who heads the Office of Independent Review, which investigates allegations of officer misconduct and monitors the department.

~snip~

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gibson30jul30,0,2026973.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Garbo 2004]

36. TMZ says Gibson was stopped twice before for speeding but not

cited:

TMZ has confirmed that approximately three years ago, Gibson was driving 74 miles per hour on Pacific Coast Highway, one mile from his house, when he was pulled over by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy. Sources say Gibson avoided eye contact with the deputy during the stop and even though the deputy was suspicious of Gibson's sobriety, he let him go.

Approximately one year ago Gibson was stopped again, after driving 64 miles an hour on Pacific Coast Highway -- where the speed limit is 45. Sources say that Gibson was so cocky that he was on his cell phone the entire time he was detained by the deputy. Ultimately, the deputy decided to let him go without giving him a citation...

...We're also told that Gibson, who issued a statement over the weekend, suggesting he was not of sound mind when he uttered the anti-Semitic tirade and engaged in abusive behavior, was not in fact "out of it." Sources connected with the case tell TMZ that Gibson was drunk but was in control of his senses.

At one point at the Sheriff's station, sources say Gibson was "jumping like a monkey" on a steel cage and told the arresting deputy, "I'm not going to hurt you physically. I'm gonna hurt you. I'm gonna make you lose."

Rest of article at http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/31/exclusive-gibson-skated-two-times-before/

[MissMillie]

37. I'll pray for his recovery and his enlightenment

Addiction sucks. Almost as much as ignorance and hatred.

[rhett o rick]

38. He looks like Saddam Hussein, I'm just say'n... nm

[ckramer]

39. He's telling the truth only after he's drunk

But everything you said while drunk is a naked truth.

We are seeing Israeli killing people right in our eye as we speak.

[last1standing]

45. Would you care to clarify that post?

I'm not completely certain, but it sounds to me like you agree with Gibson that Jews are the cause of all the wars in this world, or at least are worthy of the derogatory remarks made by Mad Mel.

I definitely apologize if I'm wrong (and I hope that I am), but if I'm not then I think you have some explaining to do.

[Virginia Dare]

40. I was very wrong about something...

when I first heard about the shooting in Seattle, I figured some racist skinhead had gone off the deep end. But no, Mel Gibson wins the prize for being the first anti-semitic supremacist asshole to crawl out from under his rock. His career is now rightfully trashed. Who'd a thunk it?

[Lithos]

41. Those thoughts and ideas didn't originate from nowhere

They were and are a part of who Mel Gibson is. Perhaps there is more to what he believes, and perhaps at an intellectual level he knows the truth, but what he stated is what he believes emotionally and always color whatever he does.

At this point, I am now fully convinced that _The Passion_ is anti-Semitic. No that wasn't the intent, but given his source material and how he draws out his emotions on the matter, there is no way it would do anything but show Jews and Judaism in a stereotypical and hateful light.

L-

[noonwitch]

43. I just hope he gets help for the drinking

I enjoy his movies and acting. I appreciated "The Passion" (one does not enjoy a movie that brutal).

Considering my grandfather is a racist and I forgive him for his statements, I don't really feel like slamming Mel. Somehow, I think he is feeling pretty badly about this. Maybe he'll reflect on some of his attitudes and statements and come to a better understanding of the centuries of problems between christians and jews.

My grandpa changed his mind about jews when he found out his mother was one who converted to catholicism to cover it up, prior to his birth. He still hates blacks, but I never heard him use the K word again.

[Arugula Latte]

44. What. A. Freak.

I cannot believe Mel Gibson was once considered a desirable human male by myself. x(

[Bake]

46. With so much anti-semitism on DU (re: Israel/Hezbollah) ...

I'm surprised no one wanted to nominate Mel for President.

Bake

[hedgehog]

47. He's responsible for drinking too much

Who knows, maybe for him he was out of control when he picked up the first drink. Beyond that, he's not responsible for what he said anymore than I am responsible for what happens in my dreams. The brain is a curious organ with many different layers. Clearly too much alcohol knocks out the layer that has all the common sense.

[truthisfreedom]

48. it tickles me when movie stars do this to themselves. such carefully-

crafted, finely honed images, and then KABLAMMO.
complete and utter shame and backpedaling.

[coalition_unwilling]

49. "I'm not anti-shemitic. Why, shum of my best friends are Shews."

[VegasWolf]

50. Screw Gibson. You just don't get drunk and turn into a jew-hater. He

is a seriously fucked up dude. His sky people seem to have abandoned him in his religious feverish mind.