Category: The Dish

Here’s a page from what looks like a police report about Mel Gibson’s alleged rants about "the Jews" after an arrest for drunk-driving, cited by the New York Daily News (click on  the image below for a larger version) and originally reported by the celebrity news site, TMZ.com. This has not been independently confirmed:

Either this is an extremely elaborate hoax or it’s the end of Gibson’s career. It contains every anti-Semitic trope imaginable – from the darling of the Christianist right. These details, I repeat, haven’t been independently confirmed and are from this website. Still, it’s weird that the sheriff hasn’t issued a mug-shot. TMZ alleges a police cover-up to remove the incendiary comments from the official record. Money quote from the Daily News:

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I’m going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he ‘owns Malibu’ and will spend all of his money to ‘get even’ with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews… The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson’s tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f*** do you think you’re doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you’re looking at, sugar tits?"

We’re told Gibson took two blood alcohol tests, which were videotaped, and continued saying how "f****d" he was and how he was going to "f***" Deputy Mee.

Sugar tits?

(Image: from Gibson’s forthcoming movie, Apocalypto.)

It’s a classic tactic for ideological nutcases and, of course, the French. Genocidal religious fanatic Ahmadinejad takes a whack. Stuff like this must surely help the younger Persians to take him unseriously.

"Can we agree that all terrorists have some degree of mental illness?"

Er, no. I’d say the vast majority are completely sane and deploying violence against innocents to make a point, seize political power, gain territory or, increasingly these days, to praise Allah. All perfectly sane. That’s the bottom line for understanding their evil. I take Hewitt’s main point about our wanting to ascribe other motives, and second his refusal to do so. But I think it’s important to remember that ethnic or, more often now, religious hatred is perfectly sane, if evil. The mass murder of Jews was carried about by completely coherent people on the whole. That also applies to an enraged Muslim gunman in Seattle. More biographical data here. A little eccentric, maybe. But sane.

Their own video was great. But when the local Fox News team tried to recreate the story, things went a little awry …

I sent the late terrorist’s mom a worried email. She was kind enough to reply.

Sarasota, Florida, 6.15 am.

An email from Jerusalem:

There are times when the truth needs to be shouted from the rooftops; when we need to declare that this is not a two-sided argument. There is a guilty party that has attacked innocent citizens in a sovereign country and has forced their own countrymen to become refugees; orphans and widows. They need to be taken to task for it and they must not be allowed to bring disaster upon the world. Hezbollah is a scourge, and they are being aided, encouraged and armed by Syria and Iran. We need to be sure of this – for the sake of the truth and the world’s future.

This is a war Iran started. I fear it has just begun. Its ultimate end is simple: the eradication of Israel and the murder of every Jew in the Middle East. Hezbollah and Ahmadinejad are very, very clear about this. And they are playing the p.r. game brilliantly. The president’s press conference with Blair today struck me as revealing – and not in a good way. Bush is right on the basic issue. He grasps the nature of the enemy. But he is so out of his depth – rhetorically, strategically, politically, intellectually – that it is hard to have much confidence in his leadership. This is one reason why I couldn’t endorse him for a second term. He is an incompetent. He is too incompetent to lead the West at this time. He is simply without the skills to navigate the very treacherous waters we are all now in. He is being outmaneuvered at every turn by wily enemies who are becoming more dangerous and emboldened by the day.

Bush, in a word, is overwhelmed. He has no idea what to do except return to the catechism of freedom versus terror, like an ideological security blanket. Of course that it what this is about. The trouble is: freedom is being defended by the incompetent and the clueless. In Bush’s blank, bewildered eyes, you see the image of someone who is finally beginning to see reality. And it’s something with which he simply cannot cope. Our enemies, moreover, see the weakness in the president and they are ruthlessly exploiting it. And we have more than two years left to survive.

Pasterelo, Andalusia, Spain, early evening.

The Bush administration is now desperately trying to protect itself from war crime prosecutions. I hope they fail.

I missed Markos Moulitsas’ explanation for avoiding any substantive discussion of the Israel-Hezbollah widening war. (Shouldn’t we call it what it is, by the way? This is a war between Iran and Israel, started by Iran.) For fairness’ sake, here it is, penned over ten days ago. It’s beneath pathetic. But judge for yourself.