Increasingly controversial actor and director Mel Gibson lies in the midst of an anti-Semitic uproar. Apparently, Gibson, who was recently arrested for drunk driving, went on an anti-Semitic tirade the night of his arrest.
Who knows if Gibson is biased against Jews (he probably is, after all alcohol only destroys inhibition, it doesn’t create prejudice), but does that mean he should be prosecuted for his thoughts? Apparently the answer is yes, according to members of the Jewish community, including the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL and others have called for criminal probe of Gibson. The ADL has been no fan of Gibson since the release of Passion of the Christ, which they contend was anti-Semitic, an assertion which is devoid of fact. Nonetheless, the ADL Director Abraham Foxman, says there should be “consequences to bigots and bigotry.” Apparently those consequences include prison time or some other extra-constitutional punishment for thought.
While Gibson’s tirade, if true, is quite disgusting and deplorable, Gibson is no less entitled to harbor such thoughts if he so desires. Freedom of expression extends to hateful expressions as well and there simply is no lawful justification to prosecute Gibson or any other bigot for such comments, which underline the fundamental flaw with hate crimes legislation that punish individuals for their thoughts, rather than their actions. If Gibson is prosecuted for his comments then the archivists at the National Archives should immediately remove the US Constitution from its hermetically sealed container and have a bonfire on the national mall.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1107012006
