Hollywood superstar, Mel Gibson, is in the smoldering spotlight once again. No, he is not on a worldwide promotional tour for a new summer blockbuster. Hey Mel, my son-in-law is anxiously awaiting Lethal Weapon IV, but that’s for another day. Judging from the recent public-relations disaster whirlwind in which Mel Gibson seems to have dim-wittily engulfed himself, surely, he is at ease with being in the spotlight and on the spot. A certain superhero once said – “With great power comes great responsibility.” Now, I’m no comic guru, but I’m quite sure that said superhero walked a tight rope with the populace. One slip-up and the mob squad would picket with rakes and shovels, all the while calling for his head. But was the populace justified? Mel Gibson is an entertainer, and we, his audience. Our big bucks produced the soaring Box Office numbers that sent him smiling to the bank with the release of his signature production, The Passion of the Christ. I won’t contest our right to judge the entertainer. But what of the person – are we qualified to be his judge, jury, and executioner? The audience feels justified without deliberation in crucifying Mel Gibson for his crude conduct. I don’t share their enthusiasm. Being party to this audience, I will not decline a complimentary seat on this deliberate jury, but I will attempt to leave behind all prejudice.

Before his anti-Semitic rant, which I initially perceived to be a momentary loss of good sense due to an over-indulgence in alcohol, Mel Gibson seemed to mosey along in both his personal and public life as if they were well-oiled trolleys. The media painted Mel as the extremely successful multi-millionaire actor and producer, who could not only thrill men in Mad Max, but also, swoon the ladies with his signature swagger in What Women Want. His life, according to Hollywood, was one without distraction. But Hollywood is in the business of story telling.

Every living creature experiences distractions or interruptions in their lives. No human is immune from hardship, no matter how lengthy or severe. Either divinely orchestrated to teach life’s lessons or caused by dastardly detractors for the sole purpose of derailment, hardship is ugly. Thus, we must manage these ugly interruptions with extreme caution and care. By choice of their profession, politicians and celebrities, in particularly embarrassing fashion, manage before the peering eyes of the picking mob under the smoldering spotlight.

Who can ignore the mega-bucks media conglomerate of print and television? Are we incapable of turning deaf ears and blind eyes to the publishers and smugglers that find saturating the audience’s insatiable appetite for tabloid fodder to be a particularly rewarding niche? When we elect politicians on the promise that they will rid the city of gang violence, are we entitled to know and discuss the intimate details of their degenerate sons and daughters? Are elected officials, inept at preserving order in their homes, capable of doing such for a city, state, or country? If they wrongly invest their time and resources into falling marriages, perhaps due to seedy spouses, should we chalk the misfortune up to bad judgment? And what if they perform their jobs well OR exceptionally well for that matter? Is the condition of their personal lives no longer an obligatory precursor to the condition of their career? I can empathize with either position. We earn SOME right to express legitimate discontent concerning the personal issues in the lives of the candidates for whom we bestow our trust at the ballot box. Celebrities may be another matter.

A quest is undertaken with a promise of reward; thus taking on a relationship almost entirely symbiotic in nature. Periodically, a quest may require immense endurance and perseverance to complete, and upon fulfillment, a GREAT reward is typically yielded upon the achiever. It is in this paradigm that the pusher and smuggler of tabloid fodder find their justification. They dig deep into the cavernous lives of celebrities, doing so with little to no regard for the well-being and safety of their targets. They are alert to the gratuitous figures their intended audience will pay for fresh scandal. The more intimate the details, the greater the bounty. Uncovered subject matter brim with details of divorce, drug usage, infidelity, and similar obscenities are a valuable variety. Naturally, they grace the cover of magazines that are positioned next to the potato chips and candy bars that very often grab the attention of our nation’s children. I digress. Regardless of the business model’s successfulness, it will never sit well with me. Sleaze peddlers suffer with a morality crisis due to their win-at-all-cost and get rich fast approach. Yet, above all, what I find more inexcusable is the tranquil sense of entitlement these peddlers share. They lay claim to the image, to the voice, and to the very persona of other individuals.

In the case of Mel Gibson versus the media, the Box Office, and all others interested - regarding allegations of gross misconduct, political incorrectness, anti-Semitism, and the verbal and physical abuse of the mother of his child - do the crimes REALLY warrant the punishment? If the reigning Hollywood elite act as defacto measuring bar, Mel Gibson would leave the court of opinion with only a slap on the wrist. Think Roman Polanski or Kobe Bryant.

I can only assume that Mel is very familiar with the contending sounds and voices every performer hears when a new scene is about to commence. When the curtains are drawn in stage performances, the backstage crew and the upstage audience applaud simultaneously. Yet, only one applause is relevant for the future scene - instructions and criticism from the backstage crew. Everything else is the noise from the fury of life and living. They signify nothing and produce only one result; even more pressure and demand on the performer's emotions. The foundation of inner rage, verbal rant, and unfamiliar behavior is not necessarily excessive testosterone but an emptiness that can only be filled with God's presence. The answers we seek at sucj critical times can usually be found in the voices from backstage - in the inner recesses of our minds.

To the audience of one or many, I say "he who is without fault should cast the next stone." I rest my case!