Barbie Talibania ♥ Mel Gibson

Yes, it's the story that will not die. OK, sure, it tried to wheeze out its last breath last week, but then I shot it full of adrenaline and put it on a ventilator. Think of it as the Terri Schaivo of celebrity gossip.

Anyway, I knew that I couldn't complete the Mel Gibson saga without checking in on my favorite orange-skinned virginal warrior for Christ, Princess Barbie Talibania. Seems she was interviewed as a "local Christian leader" in Boise on the local news, looking for reactions to Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade. She starts with a tepid denouncement of Gibson but quickly moves on to her true purpose, protecting the reputation of her favorite snuff film, "The Passion of The Christ":

(KBCI) BOISE - Critics who claim actor-director Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ was anti-Semitic say his drunken tirade against Jews is further proof the man himself is an anti-Semite.

"I would hope that the Hollywood community would have the guts to distance themselves from him, because he is a bigot," said Abraham Foxman with the Anti-Defamation League in an interview with CBS News.

Christian leaders in the Treasure Valley who two years ago embraced The Passion as an unprecedented evangelical opportunity agree the Oscar winner's words to police, as reported in the media, during his recent DUI arrest were appalling.

But they say the artist's behavior should not reflect on the art.

"His comments were wrong, they were inappropriate," said local Christian activist Brandi Swindell. "But it in no way proves the movie was anti-Semitic."

"It's sad what has happened with Mel in this latest incident," said Roger Zanders with Boise-based Mission Media. "But as far as the film goes, it was an accurate portrayal of the life of Christ."

Those who believe The Passion of the Christ was a true religious experience say the fallen Hollywood star deserves the forgiveness he seeks.

"So I think it's a test of our maturity as a society how we will respond to his genuine apology," said Bryan Fischer with Idaho Values Alliance.

"Mel Gibson has personal problems," said Swindell. "He's in a bad place, he needs out prayers right now."

See there? If you say something awful about Jews, it's okay because God and His followers understand forgiveness and repentence, especially if you directed the highest-grossing Christian recruitment film in history. So Jews, hey, lighten up. Mel slandered an entire worldwide religion, but, y'know, he's got problems, y'see, and Jesus will fix it all up.

Brandi continued on the riff with these comments in her blog:

Mel Gibson is being attacked publicly when other movie producers have not been held to the same standard.

Director, producer, and actor Woody Allen married his adopted daughter. Roman Polanski fled to France after he had sexual relations with a thirteen year old girl to avoid jail.

Both these men are still celebrated and acclaimed directors.

I know you were young when Woody & Soon-Yi got married, and you probably weren't born when Polanski banged a minor, but I seem to remember Allen and Polanski getting attacked publicly in the press for years, far more strongly than anything flung at Gibson. After all, Allen and Polanski didn't have the luxury of pulling the "poor me, I'm an alcoholic and Jesus forgives me" card.

Yes, both men are still acclaimed directors. So is, and forever shall be, Gibson. No anti-Semitic remark is ever going to dull my appreciation of "Braveheart", nor will it ever make "Paparazzi" worth watching. Most adults are able to separate an artist's controversial views from their art.

That is not to say that Gibson's remarks don't highlight the anti-Semitism of "The Passion". The name itself derives from the old "stations of the cross" passion plays that were performed to incite hatred of Jews. Gibson was even forced by protests to remove the subtitle "His blood is on our hands and our children's hands" from "The Passion" when ADL pointed out that was a none-too-subtle "Jesus killers!" charge, a tactic used throughout history to demonize the Jews.

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have both made harsh anti-Semitic comments and are still respected public figures.

Oh, yeah, that "Hymietown" remark from Jackson in 1984 is right up there with "the Jews are the cause of all the wars in the world". And Sharpton's 1991 remark about "the diamond merchants right here in Crown Heights" was taken far out of context. Both made stupid comments 22 and 15 years ago, and both were pilloried in the press for doing so. Barbie seems to want us to forgive Gibson for his remarks, but is complaining that we've forgiven Allen, Polanski, Sharpton, and Jackson.

This should be as no surprise, because the 11th Commandment for these Christofascists is always "What's sauce for the Christian goose is not sauce for the secular gander." You notice that Brandi isn't bringing up decades-old anti-Semitic remarks by...

Christian Leader Pat Robertson: from his book, "The New World Order", (1991), p.17; "Communism was the brainchild of German-Jewish intellectuals." (The whole book is filled with such anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, the typical Jewish cabal stuff.)

Christian Leader Bailey Smith, a founding father of Robertson's Christian Coalition, once told 15,000 people at a Religious Roundtable briefing in Dallas, "With all due respect to those dear people, my friend, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew." (Petersburg Times, June 26, 1994) *AND* "I don't know why God chose the Jew. They have such funny noses." (The Sunday Record [Hackensack, NJ], June 21, 1981)

Christian Leader Jerry Falwell: WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell said the Antichrist is probably alive today and is a male Jew. He also believes the second coming of Christ probably will be within 10 years. In a speech Thursday about the concern people have over the new millennium, Falwell told about 1,500 people at a conference on evangelism at Kingsport, Tenn., that the Antichrist is male and is a Jew. *AND* "A few of you don't like the Jews and I know why. He [sic] can make more money accidently than you can make on purpose." (The Washington Star, July 3, 1980).

Christian Leader Rev. Dan C. Fore, former head of the Moral Majority in New York, said, "I love the Jewish people deeply. God has given them talents He has not given others. They are His chosen people. Jews have a God-given ability to make money...They control the media, they control this city." (The New York Times, February 5, 1981).

And how about Brandi's own cause celebre, the anti-women-controlling-their-own-bodies-abortion movement? Anti-Abortion Leader Randall Terry, founder of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, said, "We have tried to do some outreach to the black and Jewish communities," but admitted that those efforts have failed, "...and that he is critical of the Jewish doctors, who he believes perform a large number of abortions." (Newsweek, May 1, 1989, p.32)

And how about the joke book created by Life Dynamics, another anti-abortion group, which contains this gem: "Q. What would you do if you found yourself in a room with Hitler, Mussolini and an abortionist, and you had a gun with only two bullets? A. Shoot the abortionist twice."

I'm sorry, Princess. Do go on:

It is important to make it clear that Mel Gibson's comments were wrong and go against the teaching of Scripture. But we must remember that Mel Gibson is very apologetic and embarrassed. The heart of Christianity is forgiveness and healing the wounded.

Oh, so you're forgiving Michael Schiavo now? Sorry. You were saying?

My father has battled alcoholism for 20 years. It is a very bad place to be. I understand first-hand the process of recovery and how important it is to pray. Mel Gibson's decision to check himself into rehab and meet with Jewish leaders shows this hit home, and he is willing to take personal responsibility for his actions.

Hmmm... absent daddy issues... religious repression... flip a coin and in a parallel universe, Brandi goes by "Cristal" and dances on a pole in a club near an airport. Or maybe that's just my secular humanist lust fantasy talking.

Girlfriend, you wanna talk about alcoholic fathers? Mine's got your beat, in spades, unless your daddy was also snorting speed, smoking weed, and dropping acid. Twenty-five years of alcoholism and drug addiction, followed by twenty years of sobriety and ten years as a drug and alcohol rehab counselor. And with all that experience and education, dad tells me "alcohol will make you do things you wouldn't do sober, but it won't make you think things you don't think when you're sober."

Checking into rehab may indeed be genuine for Gibson, since he's finally been forced to suffer some consequences for his drunk driving. But I don't buy the meeting with Jewish leaders as anything more than career resuscitation in a heavily-Jewish industry. He may learn to keep his mouth shut, but I doubt the "New World Order" / Opus Dei / Jews are Christ killers mindset is going to fade away after a few meetings with some Rabbis.