Thursday, August 03, 2006

Should Mel Gibson be forgiven for his drunken tirade?

Actor and director Mel Gibson was officially charged Wednesday with drunken driving after being arrested on Friday for speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway near his swank Malibu estate.

The incident sparked a worldwide furore after a drunken Gibson launched a curse-ridden anti-Semitic tirade at his arresting officer, and the comments were left out of the official police report issued to the public.

Mel Gibson has issued a formal apology for his 'moments of madness.'

Should he be forgiven?

The officer who arrested him, a jew who faced the brunt of a drunk Gibson has forgiven him.

There are others who say Gibson's drunken rant that the Jews are responsible for all the wars should not be forgotten and forgiven. According to them, he is an anti-semitic and he shows this in his film The Passion of the Christ which some criticized for portraying Jews as responsible for the death of Jesus. Supporters say the movie merely followed the Gospel story.

Gibson, a devout Catholic has apologized twice. In the latest he addressed the Jewish community, apologizing for his"vitriolic and harmful words."

He should be given the benefit of the doubt. Compassion, love and forgiveness are high values in all religions. Instead of beating up a man that is down, seeking treatment for alchoholism, isn't it time to accept his repeated apology and move on to enhance communal harmony?

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