"What Liberal media"??

[reconeil]

Still, I fail to see where Bennet's gambling problem/addiction (or not?) is of national relevence,...as Gimpy seems to believe. Sure he's a notable. But, so what?

Bennet is a private sector citizen notable, much like The Hollywood Crowd of liberal and pro everything foreign fools are. Sure "He" is a well spoken conservative and must automatically be held to a much higher standard than most of: "The End justifies The Means" liberals/socialists. But, and since he too took no oath to The Citizenry just like The Hollywood and/or dribble-spouting liberal fanatics don't, why is he singled-out by liberals as being a GREAT SOCIETAL PROBLEM? Liberals/Socialists don't gamble?

Besides, and since apparently all liberals see nothing wrong with even OATH TAKERS having sex, drug, and lying addictions during working hours with subordinates,...why-the-hell should The Morally Superior Dems/Libs (in their eyes only) give-a-rat$-a$$ what some Private Sector Citizen does (or not) for SOLELY relaxing and WHILE NOT ON THE JOB? Or, and even for that matter,...while ON THE JOB at his Private Sector and/or NOT Taxpayer Paid For position and place of work.

Neil :cd:

[Keith_Hixson]

Well, if one preaches his or her gospel he must not get caught in the web of hypocrisy. However, according to the news I read, no one knows the exact amount of his gambling though there has been speculation and the casino isn't talking. But, he didn't rob anyone, steal from anyone, kill anyone, and it was his own money. The only thing I can see here is that he got caught in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Several years ago I went to Nevada to pick up a cement truck for a friend. I had lunch in this restaurant and they gave us $2.00 to play the one arm bandit. I played until my $2.00 was gone. Didn't feel it was gambling because it wasn't my own money. But, if someone saw me pulling the handle, I would have been accused of gambling. Must be careful to have all the facts.

Keith

[Gimpy]

the "hypocrisy" of this "spokesperson" of the so-called "morally superior" right-wing radical types like Bennet.

But Neil, knowing how "open-minded" you are about the "failings" of some of those of "right-headed" and "Super-Kornsurvativeness" types, I doubt it will very much after all. But, WTH here goes anyway.


****************************

We should know that too much of anything, even a good thing, may prove to be our undoing...[We] need ... to set definite boundaries on our appetites."

--The Book of Virtues, by William J. Bennett

No person can be more rightly credited with making morality and personal responsibility an integral part of the political debate than William J. Bennett. For more than 20 years, as a writer, speaker, government official, and political operative, Bennett has been a commanding general in the culture wars. As Ronald Reagan's chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, he was the scourge of academic permissiveness. Later, as Reagan's secretary of education, he excoriated schools and students for failing to set and meet high standards. As drug czar under George H.W. Bush, he applied a get-tough approach to drug use, arguing that individuals have a moral responsibility to own up to their addiction. Upon leaving public office, Bennett wrote The Book of Virtues, a compendium of parables snatched up by millions of parents and teachers across the political spectrum. Bennett's crusading ideals have been adopted by politicians of both parties, and implemented in such programs as character education classes in public schools--a testament to his impact.

But Bennett, a devout Catholic, has always been more Old Testament than New. Even many who sympathize with his concerns find his combative style haughty and unforgiving. Democrats in particular object to his partisan sermonizing, which portrays liberals as inherently less moral than conservatives, more given to excusing personal weaknesses, and unwilling to confront the vices that destroy families. During the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Bennett was among the president's most unrelenting detractors. His book, The Death of Outrage, decried, among other things, the public's failure to take Clinton's sins more seriously.



His relentless effort to push Americans to do good has enabled Bennett to do extremely well. His best-selling The Book of Virtues spawned an entire cottage industry, from children's books to merchandizing tie-ins to a PBS cartoon series. Bennett commands $50,000 per appearance on the lecture circuit and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants from such conservative benefactors as the Scaife and John M. Olin foundations.

Few vices have escaped Bennett's withering scorn. He has opined on everything from drinking to "homosexual unions" to "The Ricki Lake Show" to wife-swapping. There is one, however, that has largely escaped Bennett's wrath: gambling. This is a notable omission, since on this issue morality and public policy are deeply intertwined. During Bennett's years as a public figure, casinos, once restricted to Nevada and New Jersey, have expanded to 28 states, and the number continues to grow. In Maryland, where Bennett lives, the newly elected Republican governor Robert Ehrlich is trying to introduce slot machines to fill revenue shortfalls. As gambling spreads, so do its associated problems. Heavy gambling, like drug use, can lead to divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, and bankruptcy. According to a 1998 study commissioned by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, residents within 50 miles of a casino are twice as likely to be classified as "problem" or "pathological" gamblers than those who live further away.

If Bennett hasn't spoken out more forcefully on an issue that would seem tailor-made for him, perhaps it's because he is himself a heavy gambler. Indeed, in recent weeks word has circulated among Washington conservatives that his wagering could be a real problem. They have reason for concern. The Washington Monthly and Newsweek have learned that over the last decade Bennett has made dozens of trips to casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where he is a "preferred customer" at several of them, and sources and documents provided to The Washington Monthly put his total losses at more than $8 million.


Bennett has been a high-roller since at least the early 1990s. A review of one 18-month stretch of gambling showed him visiting casinos, often for two or three days at a time (and enjoying a line of credit of at least $200,000 at several of them). Bennett likes to be discreet. "He'll usually call a host and let us know when he's coming," says one source. "We can limo him in. He prefers the high-limit room, where he's less likely to be seen and where he can play the $500-a-pull slots. He usually plays very late at night or early in the morning--usually between midnight and 6 a.m." The documents show that in one two-month period, Bennett wired more than $1.4 million to cover losses. His desire for privacy is evident in his customer profile at one casino, which lists as his residence the address for Empower.org (the Web site of Empower America, the non-profit group Bennett co-chairs). Typed across the form are the words: "NO CONTACT AT RES OR BIZ!!!"

Bennett's gambling has not totally escaped public notice. In 1998, The Washington Times reported in a light-hearted front-page feature story that he plays low-stakes poker with a group of prominent conservatives, including Robert Bork, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist. A year later, the same paper reported that Bennett had been spotted at the new Mirage Resorts Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, where he was reputed to have won a $200,000 jackpot. Bennett admitted to the Times that he had visited the casino, but denied winning $200,000. Documents show that, in fact, he won a $25,000 jackpot on that visit--but left the casino down $625,000.

Bennett--who gambled throughout Clinton's impeachment--has continued this pattern in subsequent years. On July 12 of last year, for instance, Bennett lost $340,000 at Caesar's Boardwalk Regency in Atlantic City. And just three weeks ago, on April 5 and 6, he lost more than $500,000 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. "There's a term in the trade for this kind of gambler," says a casino source who has witnessed Bennett at the high-limit slots in the wee hours. "We call them losers."

Asked by Newsweek columnist and Washington Monthly contributing editor Jonathan Alter to comment on the reports, Bennett admitted that he gambles but not that he has ended up behind. Bennett claims he's beaten the odds: "Over 10 years, I'd say I've come out pretty close to even."

"You can roll up and down a lot in one day, as we have on many occasions," Bennett explains. "You may cycle several hundred thousand dollars in an evening and net out only a few thousand."

"I've made a lot of money [in book sales, speaking fees and other business ventures] and I've won a lot of money," adds Bennett.

But the documents show only a few occasions when he turns in chips worth $30,000 or $40,000 at the end of an evening. Most of the time, he draws down his line of credit, often substantially. A casino source, hearing of Bennett's claim to breaking even on slots over 10 years, just laughed.

"You don't see what I walk away with," Bennett says. "They [casinos] don't want you to see it."

Explaining his approach, Bennett says: "I've been a 'machine person' [slot machines and video poker]. When I go to the tables, people talk--and they want to talk about politics. I don't want that. I do this for three hours to relax." He says he was in Las Vegas in April for dinner with the former governor of Nevada and gambled while he was there.

Bennett says he has made no secret of his gambling. "I've gambled all my life and it's never been a moral issue with me. I liked church bingo when I was growing up. I've been a poker player."



But while Bennett's poker playing and occasional Vegas jaunt are known to some Washington conservatives, his high-stakes habit comes as a surprise to many friends. "We knew he went out there [to Las Vegas] sometimes, but at that level? Wow!" said one longtime associate of Bennett.

Despite his personal appetites, Bennett and his organization, Empower America, oppose the extension of casino gambling in the states. In a recent editorial, his Empower America co-chair Jack Kemp inveighed against lawmakers who "pollute our society with a slot machine on every corner." The group recently published an Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, with an introduction written by Bennett, that reports 5.5 million American adults as "problem" or "pathological" gamblers. Bennett says he is neither because his habit does not disrupt his family life.

When reminded of studies that link heavy gambling to divorce, bankruptcy, domestic abuse, and other family problems he has widely decried, Bennett compared the situation to alcohol.

"I view it as drinking," Bennett says. "If you can't handle it, don't do it."

Bennett is a wealthy man and may be able to handle losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Of course, as the nation's leading spokesman on virtue and personal responsibility, Bennett's gambling complicates his public role. Moreover, it has already exacted a cost. Like him or hate him, William Bennett is one of the few public figures with a proven ability to influence public policy by speaking out. By furtively indulging in a costly vice that destroys millions of lives and families across the nation, Bennett has profoundly undermined the credibility of his word on this moral issue.

Reporting assistance provided by Robert W. J. Fisk, Soyoung Ho, and Brent Kendall.

******************************

HYPOCRISY AT IT'S FINEST!

Oh, BTW Keith----I appreciate your positive comments about being "good men" and not "anti-american"---But, the part about being "misguided"??? According to WHO? Or what doctrine or manifestation of "right" or "wrong"? I do believe that Jesus himself was "considered" to be somewhat of a "liberal" by his Roman detractors during HIS time--was he not?? Here's what HE said about such men as Bennet!

St. Matthew, Chaper 6 Verse 1 through 5--

"Take heed that you do not your aims before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2-Therefore when thou doest thine aims, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
3- But when thou doest aims, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4- That thine aims be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5- And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they pray standing in the synagogues and the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you. They have their reward.

Anyway, if ANYONES being "misguided" it's the folks that have been listening and attempting to "follow" the "guidence" of Bill Bennet!

[Keith_Hixson]

misguide?

Just pokin a little fun at you and James!

You noticed my smile.


Keith

[Gimpy]

Didn't mean to come on so strong.

[reconeil]

After all, it's only logical that Bennet like all other Private Sector pundits, commentators, journalists and notables (Public Sector oath-takers inclusive) having Conservative/Republican beliefs,...MUST BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD than any and all Leftists worldwide. And, why not? Cons/Reps want only to starve children and old folks. Whereas Dems/Libs love everyone and patronize most everyone.

Also, why-the-hell would SO MANY like-minded French, Germans, Russians (plus about half of The UN) and even SO MANY Leftists in authority here despize having A Conservative America and/or a place where The American Constitution ONLY COVERS The American Citizenry EQUALLY (ie. NOT the preferential Dem/Lib variation wanted). Screw what Our Forefathers envisioned and once penned. What-the-hell did "They" know, anyway?

Besides, EVERYONE KNOWS that Our Constitution covers every living and breathing creature (even our enemies and those sneaking into MY/OUR country) on earth. Yeah sure,...and I'm The Right-Wing Tooth Fairy and don't know how to read.

Regardless, and given that so many American Leftists/Socialists and/or A Dem/Lib State ABOVE ALL ELSE types are in authority here, and are so likeminded as their multitude of foreign counterparts,...you must be RIGHT.

Still Gimpy, I must go along with The America and Americans Above All Else Crowd, since to me such means a better chance at longevity and National Survival. I just don't see such niceties in store for America and Americans led-by-the-nose by The Dems/Libs/Socialists,...or any other superior(?), all-knowing(?) and all-caring(?) types for that matter. If it sounds too good to be true,...IT'S JUST NEVER TRUE.

Though, and in fairness to me, and since never a truly good, obedient and unquestioningly faithful follower of The Catholic Religion, having only One God,...how-the-hell could I ever be faithful to any religion that changes their all knowing gods every 2, 4, or 6 years. Just not possible.

Neil

[Gimpy]

Huh?

[SuperScout]

If a liberal intellectual (and some might consider this an oxymoron) were to play the stock market with a rather large sum of money than he had earned from various legal sources, and over the years still provided amply for his family, but ended up losing $10 million, would this same condemnation apply to him as it does to William Bennett? If his hobby was making risky investments, hoping for the home run of pay-offs, would anybody care?

In those places where Bennet practiced his hobby, is gambling illegal? Did he commit any crime? And one of you Biblical scholars show me where gambling is considered a sin by my Lord. All this condemnation of Bennett is simply liberal whining, trying to demonize someone because they have nothing positive to bring to the table, nothing contructive, just bitching, complaining, and negativity.

[blues clues]

that's like the pot calling the kettle black,HE'S the one who put himself on a higher plain then the rest of us.
razz

P.S give you 2 to 5 he wishs this had't come out.

[reconeil]

Re: "On a higher plain than the rest of us", that's exactly how Mr. and Senator Clinton, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and such types perpetually act(both ways),...and no one gets-on-their-case when "They" fall or stumble. Hell "Fall or stumble",...since with Dems/Libs (some even oath-takers) it's usually no-big-deal even when "They" are caught fat-out-lying or illegally receiving large sums of monies.

Whereas, if a Conservativative/Republican Street Sweeper or Dog Catcher are caught doing similar,...such must be nailed-to-the-cross. Such is what Dems/Libs consider to be: TRUE bipartisanship.

Neil