LAT/AP: Mel Gibson Apologizes for DUI Arrest, Behavior

[DeepModem Mom]

Mel Gibson Apologizes for DUI Arrest, Behavior
From Associated Press
1:57 PM PDT, July 29, 2006

Mel Gibson issued a lengthy statement today apologizing for his drunk driving arrest and saying he has battled alcoholism throughout his life.

Gibson also apologized for what he said were "despicable" statements he made to the deputies who arrested him early Friday morning on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested," he said in a statement issued by his publicist. "I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse."

He said he was taking "necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Publicist Alan Nierob declined to elaborate beyond Gibson's statement, and sherrif's Sgt. Rich Erickson declined to respond to it, saying the case was still under investigation....

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-072906gibson,0,5221140.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[BrklynLiberal]

1. What would be an appropriate public service sentence?

[Swamp Rat]

5. Cleaning toilets everyday for a year at synagogues and mosques

[BrklynLiberal]

17. Or having to guide visitors thru a holocaust museum on a daily basis.

[Bolo Boffin]

41. Ouch!

Good one.

[Occulus]

43. And oh so apt. n/t

[sueragingroz]

12. He needs to go to jail

He was DRIVING under the influence!

30 days minimum!

[Dorian Gray]

55. Well...

I think that he should have to work closely with some Jewish charities, particularly the ADL and Holocaust remembrance organizations. He should be forced to take classes on prejudice, discrimination and hate. And he should donate until it hurts. Then donate a little more.

I'm glad to see he took responsibility for his actions, though he has a long way to go before he makes up for his words. They were truly disgusting.

[Swamp Rat]

2. Did he have relapse with his anti-Semitism too?

Will he apologise about his anti-Semitic remarks?

[idgiehkt]

28. Mel Gibson hates Jesus

mel is guilty as charged.

[brentspeak]

3. I won't condemn him

Guy was drunk. Drunk people say stupid things. I wouldn't hold anything he drunkingly said against him. And he's got a drinking problem. No one but himself was harmed by the incident. And that's all there is to it.

[Swamp Rat]

6. no excuse n/t

[brentspeak]

8. "No excuse" for what?

The alcohol was no excuse for him driving drunk and acting out? Was it oxygen that made him drunk? Coca-Cola? Water?

[Swamp Rat]

11. What a weird response!

:eyes: :+

[hlthe2b]

13. What he said was horrible. Why he said it was alcohol & anger...

What we can't know is the extent to which it was anger and alcohol talking only and not any conveyence of true believe. He will pay a price, nonetheless. I neither condone nor judge him. While "compassionate conservatism" is a dreadful lie, I do believe in compassion. I hope for Gibson's sake, for the sake of his children and all who care for him, that he gets help. For me, THAT is the end of story.

[ovidsen]

16. Me neither

He'll be remembered for his outburst until hell freezes over anyway. Anyone who drinks (even if you're not an alcoholic) has had moments where you really really wish you'd kept your friggin' mouth shut because you said things you really really didn't mean. He'll have his license suspended, pay a fine, have to take an ASAP course, be ordered to go to AA meetings... he'll pay for his addiction/stupidity as it is, in a very public way.

I'm not going to waste my time joining the morans who delight in his misery.

[Warren DeMontague]

39. Well, this "moran" had a friend killed by a drunk driver.

And you know what? I also spent a lot of time in my life very, very drunk. People don't say shit they don't mean when they're drunk, they say the shit that they want to say all the time, the shit they really mean- but know that they shouldn't say.

He's lucky he didn't kill someone. And he's doubly lucky he's such an outspoken believer in "God"- because it sucks bad to be mandated by a court to go to AA meetings and then be told that your atheism is the cause of your alcoholism. :eyes:

[hlthe2b]

40. I'm sorry about your friend. Alcohol + Anger does tend to make

people say what they know will shock or hurt others. Sometimes, as you say, they "say the shit that they want to say all the time, the shit they really mean- but know that they shouldn't say" but frequently they just say something shocking, or hurtful because they are angry and with the buzz kicking through their system, they no longer think twice before acting on most of their impulses.
I think most of us have heard despiccable talk from those who are upset and drinking. Condone it? Absolutely not, but I do try to judge people by their actions (in this case their sober actions), rather than liquor-infused talk.

And, like you, I'm most concerned that he might have hurt or killed someone while drinking and driving. That is the aspect of this, I believe, for which he needs to be held to account, celebrity or no. His derisive and anti-semitic alcohol-induced tirade, is one which he will have to account to the public--and the court of public opinion can be quite harsh.

[Warren DeMontague]

44. I don't have too much trouble imagining Mel Gibson as an anti-Semite

drunk or sober. I also think his take on Jesus (the man's alleged words aren't what matters- what matters are the specifics of how he supposedly died) is telling. I'm not real big on Fundamentalists of any stripe, obviously.

Not that I really give Mel Gibson a whole lot of thought, one way or another.

But beyond that, I do hope he gets help. Alcohol can be a bitch of a problem to deal with.

[npincus]

51. Alcohol melts inhibitions

and Gibson spewed what he meant. His Dad believes there were "more Jews after the Holocaust than before it" and Gibson never refuted that, he also has said on record that his dad "never lied" to him.

That's a reality check for Gibson's apologists in this matter.

[hlthe2b]

53. There are no Gibson apologists that I have seen on this thread

There are plenty who understand the disease of alcohol and drug addiction and its destructive nature. If we painted every DUer with the philosophies and words of their parents and relatives, I dare say many of us would not fare well. And, if we held all DUers to any impulsive statement they had ever said while angry, much less while drug or alcohol-impaired, I KNOW most would not fare well. That is the point... Gibson may be a horrible man, an anti-semite and everything else that you believe. I have no way of knowing. I do know he is obviously in dire need of addiction treatment and must likewise face the consequence of his actions--which could easily have resulted in death of innocents at his hand.

[RebelOne]

50. I have had two people in my family killed by drunk drivers.

One was my stepfather killed by a drunken off-duty policeman. And then there was my son-in-law who was killed by a hit-and-run drunk. Fortunately, he was caught.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. So when a man beats his wife only when he is drunk it is excusable?

The man seems to have many issues that he needs to deal with...anger being among them. He seems to have a great deal of hate towards many groups, and erhaps toward himself.
A sincere effort in a 12-step group might be a beginning....

[ruggerson]

27. Bullshit

First you claimed this was a rumor. Now you're giving him cover under his alcohol abuse.

I've been drunk many times in my life. I never started screaming insults about women, blacks, jews, poles, italians or chechneyans.

Gibson has a long history with this shit, not the least of which is his longstanding homophobia.

Now we find out what people suspected all along about the Passion of the Christ.

Gibson is a first class jew hater.

Gibson is a BIGOT. Deal with it.

[brentspeak]

30. I don't understand, what did he do to you?

Nothing. He did nothing to you. He didn't impose the content of his drunken rant onto the general public (or, at least, he didn't want to). If we could pull out the subconscious thoughts of anyone on the planet, we'd get all kinds of "Jew this" or "black this" or "white this" 100% of the time. And gosh only knows what kinds of things even seemingly "enlightened" people have said during private discussions in the course of their lifetime.

[springhill]

32. For what it's worth.......

I know exactly what you mean. People just love to pile on when someone is down. Did he do something wrong. Absolutely. Does that make him a terrible person. No. I am so glad my transgressions have not been plastered in the newspapers.

[brentspeak]

34. Thanks, Springhill

[ruggerson]

42. Anyone who is a bigot

whether they're a homophobe or a jew hater (Mel is both) or a Catholic hater or a racist, anyone at all who propogates hate on an individual basis makes life worse for everyone else on the planet.

You say he has done nothing to me?

He has pushed his homophobia for many years. EVeryone who tells lies about gay people does them and humanity both great damage, as it perpetuates hatred and ignorance. Every gay person's life on this earth is made worse by assholes like Mel Gibson.

He used his media megaphone to make a movie which many Jews felt was highly anti semitic and only served to inflame anti Jewish sentiment worldwide.

What has Mel Gibson done to me? His hatred has made my life worse. And guess what? Because the world is negatively affected by having bigots like Mel Gibson in it, he's made your life worse, too.

[BrklynLiberal]

54. Very well said. It is not as if this was the one and only instance of

Gibson showing the world that this is how he feels, and he was not always drunk when he was stating those feelings.

[brentspeak]

60. Homophobia?

I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, re. Gibson.

In any case, there's bigger problems out there to be concerned about than the private travails of Mel Gibson.

[SensibleAmerican]

45. Well, drink driving does harm other people, namely by the risk on the road

Though I respect and will forgive anyone that owns up to their mistakes and apologizes.

[Raksha]

48. The booze merely loosened his inhibitions,

which allowed him to say what he would otherwise have kept to himself. Mel Gibson's father is a Holocaust denier, and BOTH of them are vicious anti-Semites. I'm happy to say that I never saw "The Passion of the Christ," never put one thin dime in that Nazi's pocket after I heard how negative was the portrayal of the Jews in the movie. It seems all the charges of anti-Semitism raised against him at the time of its release were more than justified. He MEANT exactly he said! He just never would have SAID it had he not been shitfaced drunk.

[uppityperson]

4. apologies are good, now what to do to correct it, make up for it?

[whistle]

7. Wow, maybe Mel would now like to work his 12 steps and learn the ...

...meaning of honesty, surrender, willingness, humility, anonymity, love and service.

[earth mom]

15. And make Amends to the Jewish people he has hurt with his nasty comments.

:grr:

[BlooInBloo]

23. It's not the comments so much as the fact that he hates Jewish folks....

... apologizing for "nasty comments" doesn't address that in the LEAST.

[idgiehkt]

9. well, we got to see his true colors shining through

but they weren't beautiful like a rainbow, lol.

[Botany]

10. Mel Gibson is gay? aka "Passion for the Cop."

"I will fuck you." To the arresting deputy.

Guess Mel has a cross to bare. :rofl:

[BrotherBuzz]

21. LOL, you bad!

:rofl:

[Peace Patriot]

14. I'm glad he recognizes the problem and plans to do something about it.

That's a big step. I have no particular liking for Mel Gibson as an actor, and I detested his Christ movie, but it rather upset me how people jumped all over him here--one post saying,"Now that Gibson is confirmed as an anti-Semite"--on the basis of drunken remarks and hearsay. The man is obviously struggling with an anti-Semitic father, the disease of alcoholism, and a troubled life. One of the other things he was reported to have said was, "My life is fucked." Drunks can be very schizy--forgetting what they said yesterday (because it was never conscious), and saying the opposite today. It is totally unfair to brand him permanently as an anti-Semite on the basis of a couple of drunken remarks.

I'm also wondering about this movie now, "The Passion of Christ," which was so relentlessly, ludicrously bloody, and emphasized that brutality to the detriment of all the other stories (some quite good ones) of Jesus' life, and also misunderstood (or, had no understanding of) the women in the story. I'm wondering if it was an expression of excessive personal self-pity (also a characteristic of drunks)--that he, Gibson, has been inflicted with a thousand lashes, and also that he is quite distant from women and maternal wisdom.

Anyway, poor man! I hope he can climb out of all of this confusion, and recover his self-control in a better and healthier way.

----------

Note (edit): He says he was in recovery before. He had a relapse. His "inner father" came out. What's to understand? He's fighting it!

[hlthe2b]

19. I suspect Gibson has had a very complex relationship with

his father, given what has been written to date. It might have some bearing on your observations Peace Patriot. I've never seen "Passion" and don't intend to given the many reviews that underscore what you note. But, I'm betting there are psychological underpinnings for the choices he made as well.

[BrklynLiberal]

22. I think you may have hit on the integral part of his problem.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

35. And I would think pretty complex as well with his wife.

How many kids does one woman have to spit out to satisfy a male dominated church that won't accept birth control?

[BrklynLiberal]

58. and it is not as if he has been exactly faithful to her either.

It would be a lot easier to list the commandments he has not broken than to list those he has.

[Cha]

20. Wow! I know from alchololism

and it's Bad. I read a long time ago that he quit and one of the perks was "nice skin".

Sounds like the demon got the best of him again. Mel should show more compassion for those not like him if he wants others to understand his problem.

[Javaman]

24. That must be fun house hold to live in...

all that repressed anger coming out while drunk. I think major therapy,a few years in rehab then on to the clink to dry out, should do the trick. Ahhh but then again, when you are a hollywood star those rules rarely if ever apply. 29 days here, 29 days there and all is better. yeah that's it. Fools.

[Joe Fields]

25. The fact that he ran away from the arresting officer and had to be

subdued is enough to book him on a couple of charges that could mean jail time.

[ruggerson]

26. Screw you Mel

No one gets drunk and starts spewing bigotry unless they're already a bigot.

[KittyWampus]

29. "Guinea Picnic" was a term my Grandmother used to refer to something

that was an absolute mess. She used it fairly often when I was growing up and I NEVER thought twice about it. The term "Guinea Picnic" was just her words for a mess.

Nana grew up in Brooklyn in the early part of the 20th century... little education, all white, Germanic neighborhood, poor and a bigot of the Archie Bunker type. She wasn't malicious and wouldn;t wish harm on anybody.

She took care of home while Mom and Dad both worked as teachers. I went to school with a lot of minority students and had many black friends and still do. Once I invited a black friend to eat over and Nana didn't want her to... my Dad was furious and said Oh YES SHE CAN!

My Dad's the kind of guy who joined the ONE fraternity at college that allowed black people (this was back in the 1950's).

Now about six months ago... I was looking at something or other that was an absolute hideous mess and said to myself "that looks like a Guinea Picnic". "Guinea Picnic" is a term my Grandmother used fairly often but I'd never thought about what it meant and had never used it myself EVER. It wasn't until the above mentioned incident that I ever REALIZED it was an anti-Italian slur.

It took 25+ years for the realization that the term "Guinea Picnic" was a racial epithet.

I gotta tell you, I was madly in love with an Italian-American guy for eight years and loved his parents too... both from around Palermo.

Am I a bigot for using the term "Guinea Picnic", a term unconsciously picked up from my youth?

[VelmaD]

31. do you go around calling Italians by that term?

If you get drunk do you go on anit-"Guinea" tirades?

Somehow I see your situation as substantively different that what Mel did...particularly in light of other behavior on his part over the years that has been interpretted by people as possibly anti-Semitic.

[KittyWampus]

33. IMO, there are different 'shades' of racism. Some actively spew hate

towards a group, more or less consciously like Klan members.

Some people are unconciously leaking out crap they absorbed unthinkingly in childhood. Like my Grandmother and Archie Bunker. But these people don't wish harm on others... and even treat blacks or whatever very nicely on an individual basis.

Mel sure seems to need to do some exploring of his Psyche. WHY were those hateful words in his subconscious? Does he really hate Jews?

[Warren DeMontague]

36. So I guess the anti-Semitic stuff was true, then.

Nice Job, Mel! :woohoo: :party: :puke:

[gatorboy]

37. Between Tom Cruise and Mel,

I think this proves that if you do an alien invasion movie, you're likely to be bug-fuck crazy.

Reports should be coming in soon on Will Smith and Goldblum going apeshit...

[EFerrari]

46. Not Goldblum.

:rofl:

[Warren DeMontague]

38. I found his original, un-censored booking photo!

[SoCalDem]

47. Why this does not even matter...

Mel Gibson is not known for his anti-drinking stance..He's a grown-up who had too many drinks, drove and got caught.. that ALL..

BFD..

he's got plenty of money to pay the fine
he's got plenty of money for lawyers
if he lost his licence, he can easily afford a driver


When the lady who started MADD got busted for DUI, well...THAT's newsworthy because of what she preached..

[orleans]

49. drunk driving? suspend his license

and as we know it's not against the law to spew bigoted/racist crap

(hate groups have conducted rallies under police protection for years)

he's an asshole--

[AzDar]

52. "A drunken man's tongue is a sober man's mind". n/t

[calico1]

56. Exactly true. n/t

[Skidmore]

57. People are dying and the world is blowing up and allwe can

be concerned with is one has been drunken cheesy actor.

[grannylib]

59. I'm glad he was enough of a man to admit what he said was despicable

and I hope he gets some help before he kills someone while driving impaired.

[idgiehkt]

61. Damage Control, that simple

He's got a new project coming out and he doesn't want any flack. This pisses me off.

Did he quote some crazy anti-semitic nun from the 17th century in the plot of 'TPOTC' and try to pass it off as something biblical? I'd so like to see this anti-semite defrocked by his own words...it's a travesty to me that the press is taking a dive on it.

[SaveElmer]

62. I see no reason to bash him further...

He apologized...in a very pointed and self-critical way, and he says he is taking steps to rectify his problem...

We have no right to ask any more than that...and just hope he gets the help he needs...