[eccl1212]

It may not silence him. After all, he did not lose his rights to speak... just the respect of some of those who have listened to him in the past.

But his gambling behavior vs. his moralistic preaching at americans about the importance of morals and virtues... has pretty much turned my ear away. Not from morals and virtues, but away from listening to him.

I don't listen to Swaggart, or brother bishop buggeror either...

People who insist we "do as we say, not as we have done" are pretty much self silencing. I can't help it, hypocracy simply discredits folks who practice it.

Every body gambles in some way, a traffic light turning yellow... a car payment they cannot afford unless everything goes as planned... and so on. But with Bennett it was the degree and the length of time he was involved that really trips the trigger... MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of dollars... and he did it for years.

He knew better. He kept it up. He did not get help.

I see swaggart bawling on stage "I have sinned!" and turn the channel.

[Bonesman]

Honestly, Bennett's opinion on virtue and morality still the same, not insignificant, amount of weight for me. Sure, high-roller gambling isn't the most virtuous of behaviors - but I do not recall a large part of Bennett's moral message having any relation to gambling.

If someone has the money to gamble, and they find it an enjoyable and entertaining activity, I have no quarrel with it. To me, it seems no more frivolous than a millionaire spending millions on a classic car collection. Let him do with his money as he pleases - he can afford it. The immoral part of gambling comes when someone is gambling away everything they have in the hopes of getting rich quick.

That said, if he sees it as a problem, then he should fix it. I see no, or virtually no, moral component to the gambling habits of a multi-millionaire. If he can afford it, then he should be welcome to spend his free time as he chooses. It's still probably cheaper than golf. :)

Cordially,
ADE

[Rodney King]

A friend of mines father went to college with Bennett. Has been telling me for years that Bennett is a fraud. He was right.

[goldstategop]

Bill Bennett is a class act. He takes personal responsibility for his behavior. Name ONE liberal who has done the same.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Bennett said he was faced with the choice of either changing his behavior or changing his standards. "So, in this case, the excessive gambling is over," he pledged.

Dammit, Bill, you still don't get it. You have a problem - and ALL gambling needs to be over in your life, because you can't handle it.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

A spokesman for Caesar's Boardwalk in Atlantic City - one of the casinos named by Newsweek and the Washington Monthly - told NewsMax in May that they take every precaution to preserve the privacy of high rollers, and that the release of Bennett's records was the subject of an internal investigation.

And one or more democrat weasels who thought this would be a fun smear with little repercussion suddenly have become aware that the casino industry doesn't like actions which impact the bottom line, and will take more, um, direct and personal action against the malfeasors than a mere firing.

If I was them, I'd be looking for a new identity and a good plastic surgeon.

[palmer]

All missing the point again. Bennett is not addicted to gambling, he is addicted to having his a$$ kissed. The high rollers do it because they are treated like royalty, not because they like to throw money away. Bennett needs to spend a little time on the farm (a decade or two should do it) before he can speak with any authority about morality.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Bill Bennett: Gambling Hit Pieces Won't Silence Me

It's not a question of "silencing" him. It's a question of who's going to continue to pay attention.

[Dante3]

What's the problem? I don't ever recall Bennett preaching against gambling. While I presonally never gamble and have no interest in gambling, I'm not shocked or offended if someone does gamble.

I'm far more concerned that my personal financial records might be made public. Not that I have anything to hide -- it is just a matter of privacy.

[budwiesest]

"Some of these people were trying to take me out, saying, 'You're gone, man, you're out of public life.' And I don't not accept that."

Addicted to gambling.
Addicted to the warm glow of the public spotlight.

Can't get enough of those Sugar Crips too, probably.

[Reagan Renaissance]

Kind of reminds you of Newt's days as Speaker, and Livingston. They were thinking with the wrong head. Bennet was speaking with both forks of his tongue, or maybe one tongue was in cheek. He has made it a lot harder for his books to become standards of moral authority. And he poured feces on the efforts to set examples for kids and young adults. The left doesn't shoot itself in the foot when they have accidents like this. It is part of the culture and their heroes may even grow in stature over events like this. But it is very detrimental to conservative efforts to establish what is right and what is wrong. And it is detrimental to convincing people to choose the right over the left.

Now it appears he is adding hypocrisy to his vices and intends to compound the problem that he has already caused. If he were contrite and issued a humble apology seeking forgiveness, he might eventually recover some credibility. But it appears that he is more likely to be self-destructive and embarrass conservatives even more than he has already done.

Grow up Bill, or shut up!

[colorado tanker]

What Bill Bennett was doing was terrible, just terrible. Oh, this story reminds me, I'd better pick up a Powerball ticket on the way home tonight.

[ladyinred]

I personally don't have a problem with what he did in the first place, and don't see why anyone does.

[Mr. Mojo]

Bill Bennett: Gambling Hit Pieces Won't Silence Me

Perhaps (and unfortunately) not. But "allegations" of other types of activity in which some people participate in Nevada just might. This shifty-eyed fraud is going down in a big way.

[xm177e2]

Bennett is such a damn hypocrite. He says he isn't because he never specifically singled out gambling for criticism... but just imagine the logical equivalent:

A guy on television named Will Wennett starts angrily pointing his finger and screaming out "Peanuts are vile! Walnuts are sinful! Cashews are the chewy nuts of Satan! Brazil nuts are demonic! Only weak people eat pine nuts! Nuts are the stuff of the DEVIL!"

And then one day he's caught with a bag of roasted macadamias. He says, "ah, but I never specifically condemned macadamias. Therefore, I am not a hypocrite for eating them. I am not sure whether or not I will stop eating them. Just give me a few months until this all blows over, and then I will go back to telling all of you not to eat nuts."

I wrote a logical equivalent #2, but I'll just post the condensed version, for propriety's sake: A preacher condemns all sorts of specific sex acts. Then he's caught engaging in [insert the name of a dirty sex act here], a very similar and equally perverted act. He says "ah, but I never condemned this act by name! Therefore I am not a hypocrite. As soon as this blows over, I will go right back to telling everyone else how much of sinner they are."

Bennett tells us to live a moral life, we have avoid stuff like gambling, even if he avoided mentioning it by name. He certainly never explained how gambling is any different than any of the other "sins" he comes out against, except to say that he never condemned it!

[narses]

Ping.