Mel Gibson Questioning Bush and Iraq War

[noahmijo]

From Sydney Morning Herald



March 18, 2004

Actor Mel Gibson has become the latest in a line of celebrities to question the war in Iraq.

The usually-conservative movie star-director said he had been having "doubts" about President George W Bush.

"It's all to do with these weapons (of mass destruction) that we can't seem to find, and why did we go over there?" he asked.

Usually a Bush supporter, Gibson said a lot of what the president had done during his term in office had been "good".

But he said in the WABC radio interview that he had been "having my doubts of late".

Gibson is riding a new wave of fame at the moment with the massive success of his film, The Passion of the Christ.

Despite some controversy and claims of anti-Semitism the story of Christ's crucifixion has taken $US250 million at the box office.

The film opens in the UK on March 26.

Other Hollywood stars have spoken out against the war including Dustin Hoffman, Sean Penn, Martin Scorsese, Danny Glover and Martin Sheen.

Meanwhile, Gibson said in the interview that he planned another religious film.

He wants to tell the story of a Jewish rebellion nearly 200 years before the birth of Christ, which led to the festival of Chanukah.

By making that film Gibson might answer his critics who have branded The Passion as anti-Semitic.


Note: For some reason I can't get the link to work to show proof that this article exists, but if you type in any search engine "Mel Gibson questions Iraq War" I'm sure it should come up along with other media sources reporting this.

I first found out about it while watching Fox News (hey sometimes you wanna see what the lemmings are up to) and they announced that Mel was "questioning" Bush's leadership ect.

For the record I happen to love Gibson so yes this post is completely biased in that I want to show the Gibson-bashers out there that Mel is really a good guy and not to be confused with someone like Jerry Falwell.

[dkf]

1. Too bad these dodo brains didn't figure it out soon enough.

I did.

[lazarus]

2. Two things

Here's your link:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/18/1079199319258.html

Second, please edit your post to follow DU copyright rules. Snipping it after the words "doubts of late." would be sufficient.

[muchacho]

3. He's an Aussie and an actor

he's right, but shaddap!!

[maveric]

4. Actually he's an american born in NYC.

His family moved to Australia when he was a teen.

[Teddy_Salad]

6. No....

....he is NOT Australian.

He was born in Peekskill, NY.
His wacky father moved his family to Australia to keep the boys from being drafted into the Vietnam War.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. If he was really Australian, why couldn't he voice his opinion?

[muchacho]

33. Okay

Okay, so he's a New Yorker.

And as an Aussie, or anyone else that lives in a society where you won't be killed or tossed in jail for expressing an opinion, e is free not free to say what he wants, I just think that a person should tat lives in the country should be the first to criticize.

Sort of like I can call my sister ugly but by God you better not.

As for the latter, he's an actor and is political commentary should be read considering the source.

[shekina]

5. SEE!!!

Mel Gibson is not a bad dude. He next in line to be "da man" after Johnny Cash in my book.

[Prodemsouth]

7. No! he is still religiously insane, I bet your a woman. This drives me

crazy. Women have been helping right wingers defend Gibson. If he were an average looking Joe- you would be screaming for his head. If my post sounds sexist- well too bad. Many women have been doing a lousy job in fighting sexism recently- an example is this defense of Mel Gibson. I have been reading all these post lamenting reproductive rights and this so called fetus protection act. And I find all these remarks defending Gibson. Gibson is anti choice and a homophobe. I will add here .. look at who the "radical queers" are attacking over gay marriage is it GWB? NOOOOO! (they might have to actually argue with a Republican who might kick their ass), They are going after Kerry and the Democrats. The Gay Hollywood/Media watchers were very forgiving of Gibson too.

[Mari333]

10. sorry dear but to me Mel has a face that looks like a Bulldogs arse

and to say that women defend him on his looks is baloney. We are brighter then that. He's always reminded me of some kid who needs his mom to take him aside and give him a good ear pulling and send him to his room after doing all the dishes and vacumming the house.
I detest brats, and hes a brat.
Anyone who did their homework about this illegal war knew this a long time ago.
Its long overdue people wake up. 20,000 dead, thousands of wounded soldiers, over 600 or more dead soldiers. and more dying every day.
Gee, ya think maybe Mel finally gets it?
These people must live on the Moon.
http://www.mfso.org

[Prodemsouth]

11. Ok I don't include you in that group- but look at how you turn him into a

little boy who needs mommy (in your post). Hmmmmm.

[Mari333]

20. Honey Im 52 and I saw Strom Thurmond as a kid who needed a good

ass whoopin by his mom.
or his dad.
doesnt matter..these guys are adolescent comfortable cowards.
as are many of the GOP women ....Id bitch slap Ann Coulter if I met her.
A rich brat.
I dont like BRATS of either gender.

[oldcoot]

30. And Strom was just so cute <sarcasm>

I think that it is perfectly clear that you were not defending Gibson. I have never really thought of Gibson as a child but more as a creepy adult. I will admit that I liked some of his movies (Lethal Weapon) until I started watching his interviews (this is before I knew his political views). The man gives me the creeps. He reminds me of all those "nice" men who wanted to share their paranoid fantasies with me when I first moved to Vegas.

However, I do agree that many of these so-called conservatives do not act like adults. The fact that they frequently use name calling to get their points across demonstrates how truly immature they really are. Their behavior is very similar to that of a high school clique. Since those individuals who disagree with the clique over any issue risk being ostracized from the clique, I wonder how many of these people are going to react to Gibson's comments. Many of them rushed out to support this man because of his conservative views and defended The Passion of the Christ on the various "news shows."

[Touchdown]

22. I'm sorry too, but I know Mel is a homophobe!

Probably longer than you Pal! I was out front there, criticizing his "Braveheart" for the death of the Prince's lover that was played for yuks. I also was VERY offended by the portrayal of King Herod as a flaming fag with his drag queen entorage throwing a virtual orgy in one scene. I know what he said on that French TV show about "assholes being for shitting, not for fucking"...and I can see right through all that post apocalyptic smokescreen in the Mad Max movies, to hide the fact that these are really the fantasies of sick leather domination queens.

And I support John Kerry, but he does need to be held accountable for his stance on the gay marriage issue. I supported Bill Clinton, and with DOMA and Don't Ask... he actively courted the gay vote, Clinton did worse! Bush did EXACTLY what I expected him to do...pander to the rabid right wing. Repugs are very nasty when it comes to gay rights...but at least they're not hypocrite sellouts like the Dems are.

"...(they might have to actually argue with a Republican who might kick
their ass),'

Where do you live? Find me a Republican to argue with, and if he starts something, you'll see this 6', 240lb faggot lay him out! Braveheart taught me that.:crazy:

[Finch]

31. Edward II (the prince)...

read the play "Edward II" by Christopher Marlow ( a comtempory of Shakespeare) Edward gets a lot worse... put it this way it involves a red hot poker and a delicate area of the anatomy (and that is historically true)... but the portrayal of Edwards II in Brave-heart is simply meant to draw a striking comparison between Wallace and the heir to the English throne that is pretty accurate to what it was like (strange in a film where to be honest historical accuracy is generally kept to a minimum)... of course there was no affair between Wallace and the princess of wales... however the King killing Edwards' early lover by throwing him out of the window would not be out of character for Edward I and was not because he was gay but because he had failed miserably in the face of the scots... I hate it when people get the issues like this skewed and in the case of Herod Gibson is trying to demonstrate the decadence of Herod's court so removed from normal Jews and the life and death of the "King of Kings" Jesus... again it is quite apt as Herod while a great builder and planner was a very parinoid man and very removed from the Jewish people with whom he had no ethnic ties what so ever and thanks to Roman support he did live a life of luxury and extravagance while his people did not... to call Mel Homophobic is inacurate... IMHO

[Touchdown]

32. You missed my point.

Yes, Wallace's, and Edward Longshanks' stories were not accurate. and the Princess of France was only 4 when Wallace was said to be in France. My point is that scene was not played to convey that Lonshanks was a tyrant, and evil...but that his throwing out the window his son's lover...was played for laughs. The theater roared with laughter all 3 times I saw it. There's no mistaking that. What happened to the real lover 900 years ago is irrelevant. Val Kilmer, Charleton Heston, and Mel Brooks all parted the Red Sea...which one did you laugh at?

If you saw the Passion, then I can't believe that you would defend this blatant display of homophobia as merely "decadent". Herod was an obvious nelly queen, and his audience were mostly drag queens. It was an exercise in cliches, not an artistic attempt to show Herod's life of luxury at the expense of Galilee.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

34. Here you go...

http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2000/col20000622.asp

Mel Gibson, Lightning Rod
by L. Brent Bozell III
June 22, 2000

snip....

Mel Gibson is an exception, perhaps the exception. Any actor who remarks, “Feminists don’t like me and I don’t like them. I don’t get their point,” clearly has no use for Tinseltown conventional wisdom. But there’s more heresy where that came from.

For starters, Gibson is devoutly religious, and unapologetic about it too. To Redbook, he said that mankind was created for the purpose of “the afterlife. This life is just a testing ground. It’s not a popular view, I know. People will…say that I’m sort of a mindless robot who’s using religion as a crutch to get through life. Well, I’m not a mindless robot, but I am using as a crutch to get through life.”

He’s a traditionalist Catholic, an endangered species in Hollywood if ever there was one. From the stained-glass logo of his Icon production company to his willingness to publicly oppose not only abortion but also birth control – Neanderthal positions in the sexually frisky entertainment industry – he’s not shy about it, either. “God is the only one who knows how many children we should have,” he told the Spanish newspaper El Pais, “and we should be ready to accept them.” He and his wife have seven.

What may rankle Hollywood trendies the most, though, is Gibson’s distaste for the homosexual lifestyle. He parodied an effeminate hairdresser in “Bird on a Wire” – the activist group GLAAD was not amused, calling the parody a “demeaning stereotype” -- and in the El Pais interview, he expressed puzzlement that anyone might think he was gay. “Do I look like a homosexual?” he wondered. “Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?”

...snip


http://www.qrd.org/qrd/media/people/1995/mel.gibson.antigay.history-wockner-06.02.95


MEL GIBSON DENOUNCES GAYS IN SPANISH INTERVIEW
by Rex Wockner
Outlines News Service
(Article filed January 1992)

Heartthrob actor Mel Gibson, asked by one of Spain's leading
magazines what he thinks of homosexuals, launched into a tirade
against gay men.

"They take it up the ass," Gibson told El Pais as he got out
of his chair, bent over and pointed to his butt. "This is only
for taking a shit," he said.

Reminded by the interviewer, Koro Castellano, that he worked
with gays while studying at the School of Dramatic Arts, Gibson
added: "They were good people, kind, I like them. But their thing
is not my thing."


...snip

[shekina]

25. *is greatly embarassed*

Um...I'm a dude. Goddamnit, now you made me feel like a pansy. And i have yet to see any proof that would make me think of Mel as a homophobe.

Thanks alot for making me feel like crap though.

[Touchdown]

29. See my post #22

If you require links...it'll take a day.:D

[Hell Hath No Fury]

35. "Pansy"?

.... :eyes:

[Skittles]

26. I absolutely agree

Mel Gibson is a sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, hateful creep. NOW he's concerned about the fascism he's seeing from the very people he supports? F*** off, Mel.

[m-jean03]

8. Except being sexist and homophobic

:shrug:

[Prodemsouth]

9. What are you asking? with a shurg.

I don't follow you either.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

18. Why would anyone here be surprised by that?

[shekina]

27. I need proof

before i'd believe he's sexist and homphobic

[Ksec]

12. I think hes making amends

Giving the left a little something to feel all warm and cozy about. Hes just smoozing to get back the millions of potential customers hes lost due to his politics.

[Prodemsouth]

13. You are engaging in wishful thinking. He never has apologized for

making hateful movies or saying these crazy things. You think that by helping out or making some movie that might show the group he beat up on in his last flick in a somewhat more positive light means...he is now a good father. (I guess I will have to join some of you on the couch to explain it)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. Hmmm. What "hateful" movies has he made?

[Ksec]

17. OK now shut the fk up

[Skittles]

19. why does he have to "shut the fk up"???

he speaks the truth.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. Oh, right. All of those millions that went to see the "Passion"?

[Mari333]

21. forget it . I never liked his movies.

he plays the same damn character in all of them. His acting sucks.
tiresome , and imo a sociopath. Needs meds. badly.

[neebob]

23. Hmm ... why DID we go over there?

Well, I'm sure there must be a good reason. Fuck that shit.

[Deja Q]

24. "usually conservative"?!?!

This means the writer must be republican and for the war and says that only non-conservatives (liberals and other commie freaks) would be against it.

Another religious film? Oh good. Maybe he can call it "Mel Gibson's Vain Take on Religion, Book ][". :eyes: Unless it's devoted to Christ's life EXCLUDING the last 12 hours, because the last 12 hours are the least meaningful unless you put them in context with His life BEFORE then. Gibson doesn't seem to understand this, the the movie shreiks his petty sense of vanity and bloodlust. Nothing more.

[Finch]

28. Don’t get why people dislike Mel…

...he’s a conservative catholic and its not surprising he has backed Bush in the past, but from all that I have heard and seen he is a stable guy and has a healthy family life and has never been involved in any thing untoward… some would argue that the “Passion” is anti-Semitic then why did a number of practising Jews playing leading roles in the film?... added to this while Gibson is a little light handed when it comes to Pilot (I think he should have been harsher) it was the mob that killed Jesus that it was a Jewish mob should not be the issue… theologically speaking it is that a mob of men motivated by those in positions of power who claimed to have moral authority passed judgment upon and put “God” to death … it incites racial hatred of Jews no more than Shcindler’s list does to Germans… the shocking and perhaps worrying thing about this film is the violence… which can be very extreme but I understand why it was included by Gibson…

But the good thing is that the Iraq issue is an issue that is important and worrying to even conservative voters like Gibson…

[Skittles]

36. UM

HE IS A HOMOPHOBIC, SEXIST, ANTI-SEMITIC CREEP. Any questions ???