Pop Culture Saturday: Celebrities Can Be Criminals, Too

Pop Culture Saturday is intended to be a more light-hearted look at American culture. There's much more going on in America than the darkness of Liberalism.

The mugshots of Glenn Campbell, James Brown and Nick Nolte are imprinted on my memory forever. It's unfortunate because there are so many other things that should fill the space. These mugshots make you wonder what happened to the hair stylist and makeup artist. And you can almost hear the arresting officer saying something like "If you settle down, you can make your phone call in just a minute!" But we flock to celebrity arrests like they are Interstate accidents. By contrast, Mel Gibson looks rather dapper in his mugshot.

As the star of Mad Max and Lethal Weapon series on the big screen, Mel Gibson must be doubly sorry about his arrest because the entire episode was captured on police video. Oops! To make matters worse, the acclaimed director and producer of Passion of the Christ launched into a tirade of anti-semitic epithets during the recorded episode. Oops again! He must be one of those angry drunks!

In a 2004 interview as his blockbuster movie premiered across the United States, Gibson admitted that he'd been "addicted to everything imaginable" in his lifetime. Apparently, the alcohol addiction is something that he hasn't quite kicked. While most people are ranting about his anti-semitic remarks, I'd like to rant about his preferential treatment. Driving under the influence should have landed him in jail. Do not pass Go! Do not collect $200! I would especially want Mel in jail because this is the third time he's been cited for a blood-alcohol level above the maximum. I drove 120 miles one-way in 1992 to appear in court and make sure one drunk driver saw the inside of a cell. I'd do it again in a heartbeat - even if it was Mel Gibson.

Are you as tired as I am of celebrities getting preferential treatment in our legal system? Oh yes, I'm sure O.J. is still looking for Nicole Simpson's murderer. Robert Blake did the crime, but is not doing the time (recall the Baretta theme?). Michael Jackson has found another neighborhood where he can exploit adolescent boys. These acts are heinous criminal acts. Fortunately, Mel was stopped before he killed someone with his car. But he made the conscious decision to drink and drive, and he should suffer the consequences.