The recent hubbub over Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic rants has raised my ire. Not toward Mr. Gibson, although as a Jew, I should be offended. However, having gone through college during the dinosaur days of the 1970s, and hearing the drunken and drug-induced ravings of otherwise rational people, I can understand how a blood alcohol level of 1.2 can make someone stupid. Mr. Gibson admitted to having an addiction problem, and apologized for both his gibberish and his behavior.
What raises my ire is that what Mel Gibson said when he was drunk is exactly what Cindy Sheehan has said when she was stone-cold sober, and she was NEVER taken to task. The same media that seeks to crucify Mel Gibson gave Cindy Sheehan's blather about a "Zionist cabal that controls the White House" a complete pass. Mel Gibson's nonsense sound like someone who's had a bad day and is blowing off steam; Cindy Sheehan's ravings, however, are closer in nature to those of another lunatic whose agenda included the obliteration of the Jews. Cindy Sheehan's blog nearly replicates passages from Mein Kampf, and are now serving as a cornerstone for the Democratic Party's Presidential campaign.
Witness the Democrat's treatment of a man whom they considered the Great Jewish Hope, Joe Lieberman. His support for our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan with the end goal of Middle East peace and stability in mind has been met with denouncements and personal attacks. Under the leadership of Howard Dean, the Democratic Party is now utilizing the cult technique of shunning toward Joe Lieberman, all because he supports an all-out war on Middle East terrorism. Who is really more dangerous to the Jewish people - Mel Gibson or Howard Dean?
Antisemitism does exist, and it seems to be fomenting in places liberals adore. France, for example, recently has been the site of numerous acts of synagogue vandalism and the defacing of Jewish-owned businesses, but nary a word has been said against the French or the government that tolerates these acts. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was condemned by the Simon Weisenthal Center for his participation in the United Nations Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People. This "celebration" included the diplay of a map of the Middle East with Israel conspicuously absent on it. This act was never given as much press time as Mel Gibson's words. Yet, who is really more dangerous to the Jews - Mel Gibson, or the United Nations?
Liberal / secular Jews have had Mel Gibson in their crosshairs ever since the release and success of The Passion of the Christ. Their rabid attack against Mr. Gibson's inebriated venting is part of their overall antagonism toward religion and religious people in general. Secular Jews are equally as antagonistic toward Orthodox Jews and Chabadniks; they just see them as less "threatening" to their freedom than are committed Christians. However, their silence toward the antisemitic statements and behavior of gentile secularists should be a clue as to their true feelings toward the Jewish people. Secular Jews who support the Democratic Party, the United Nations, or who give creedence to anything Cindy Sheehan says are more antisemitic than Mel Gibson could ever dream of being. The liberal pot has been caught - once again - calling the kettle black.
