Free Republic

Wither The Mainstream Media? By William Bennett In many ways—especially from the views of Blackrock, 30 Rock, and Times Square —President George W. Bush should not have been re-elected: the economy was in less than stellar shape; images of terrorism and death from Iraq flooded the news coverage; civilians were being kidnapped and beheaded; President Bush did not acquit himself well in the presidential debates; and Osama bin Laden gave us a long-awaited (and, in some cases, long-unexpected) proof-of-life days before the election. And, yet, instead of George W. Bush packing up his office this December and January, Dan Rather...

Here's a reminder. The Sean Hannity "Get Out The Vote Tour" hits the 'nati tonight, Blue Ash, Ohio town square. The wet weather should be out of here so let's pack the place. It's starts at 8pm with Sean, Oliver North, and Bill Bennett arriving at 8:30.. I understand 55KRC is even allowing 700WLW's Willie to make a speech. Also there will be a limited number of tickets for the Presidents visit to Great American Ballpark tomorrow night, downtown. Maps and other info are on the 55KRC web page. On and unrelated note, I've been watching High Noon on TCM....

CAMARILLO, Calif., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Salem Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: SALM - News), the leading radio broadcaster focused on religious and family themes programming, said that Salem Radio Network (SRN), a division of Salem Communications, this morning announced that former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett will host a new, national morning talk radio show on the network beginning Monday, April 5th. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040225/SALEMLOGO ) "We'll deliver a fast-paced, eye opening national morning show with news, headline-making guests from the worlds of politics, media, sports and entertainment, and we'll open up a dialogue with listeners from coast to coast every...

Liberty for All Last week, Michael Newdow argued before the Supreme Court that the phrase "under God" renders the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. Newdow also seemed to make the shaky assertion that atheists have the right not to feel excluded, but recent trends suggest that atheists aren't the only ones being left out of public life. In our November/December 1995 Issue, "Who Are America's Religious Conservatives," we present the reader with... The Case for A Religious Liberty Amendment Conservative spokesman William Bennett describes religious discrimination as "the last respectable form of bigotry in America." Yale law professor and self-described liberal...

MANCHESTER — Former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett last night fired back at several of the Democratic Party’s Presidential hopefuls who have attacked President George W. Bush for his handling of national security issues. In a 30-minute address to an often-boisterous student audience, Bennett also stood up for the incumbent President’s performance, saying he had disrupted terrorist activity abroad. “By any measure, the charge that we are less safe under George W. Bush than we were before is simply not true,” said Bennett, adding a short time later, “Because of President Bush and no President before him, Osama bin...

<p>When Arizona schools superintendent Lisa Graham Keegan and a group of predominantly conservative educators launched the Education Leaders Council (ELC) in 1995, their proclaimed goal was to upset an educational establishment long dominated by the Democrats and left-leaning teachers unions.</p>

Spots Show On White Hats There is an old saying among political-campaign professionals that if you wear the white hat, you'd better be sure it doesn't get any spots on it. That's just another way of saying that if you choose to be judgmental of others and moralistic, then you'd better be sure there are no skeletons in your closet. People are tolerant of rascals; they tend to be intolerant of guys who pretend to be holier than the rest of us. Thus, accusing Arnold Schwarzenegger of a few sexual- and dope-related escapades in the context of Hollywood, a Babylon...

Just as human nature has inherent purpose, so does human sexuality. There is a natural sexual order, a proper order for love — an ordo amorum, as St. Augustine put it. We are made male and female, and these immutable characteristics define proper sexual behavior. Because this proper sexual behavior quite commonly results in childbearing, these characteristics also define the appropriate relationship for sexual behavior: marriage. In marriage alone do men, women and children find the relationship that balances their sometimes mutual, sometimes competing, needs. "Marriage is our attempt to reconcile and harmonize the erotic, social, sexual and financial needs...

The state teachers union went to court Thursday to shut down an online education program popular with hundreds of home-schooling families. Education Minnesota argues that state officials erred when they certified Minnesota Virtual Academy to receive public funding because the school relies mainly on parents to deliver the instruction while state law requires that licensed teachers do the teaching. “Is it public education or are we funding home schooling?’’ asked Education President Judy Schaubach. “Parents can make a choice to home school their children. But what we are talking about is what is the definition of public education.’’ State education...

The sad business of William Bennett requires discouraging commentary. There is, first, the existential point, which is that Bill Bennett is through. We speak, of course, of his public life. He is objectively discredited. He will not be proffered any public post by any president into the foreseeable future. He will not publish another book on another virtue, if there is any he has neglected to write about. It is possible that the books written by him on the subject, sitting in bookstores, will work their way to the remainder houses. These are the consequences of the damage he has...

I was away from the office, indulging a slavish addiction to yard work (not, I hasten to add, my only bad habit), when news broke about William Bennett's overgrown taste for gambling. I can't resist reacting to some of the predictable reaction Bennett's embarrassment has inspired. A good example came from the Chicago Tribune. Noting that Bennett, the high-profile "moral crusader" and author of "The Book of Virtues," will inevitably be diminished by revelations that he has "lost some $8 million in high-stakes gambling over a decade," the Tribune editorial page mused that if damage occurs "it won't be because...

Public revelations of former drug czar William J. Bennett’s penchant for high-stakes gambling has produced immediate reform for the Book of Virtues author: “It is true that I have gambled large sums of money.... I have done too much gambling, and this is not an example I wish to set. Therefore, my gambling days are over.” It is very tempting — and it would be very easy — to bash Bill Bennett mercilessly for being a hypocrite. After all, he has built a career of national prominence on his alleged moral stature and on his great pontifications on the necessity...

<p>''THE BOOKIE of Virtue.'' ''The Man of Virtues Has a Vice.'' One could almost visualize the gleeful rubbing of hands in response to the revelation that conservative activist, moralist, and best-selling author William Bennett is a heavy gambler, a ''preferred customer'' in several Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos. Bennett, a former secretary of education and former ''drug czar,'' has also been something of a self-appointed ''morals czar'' to the nation, celebrating old-fashioned virtues and castigating America's moral decline in his books, ''The Book of Virtues,'' ''The Moral Compass,'' and The Death of Outrage.'' To Bennett's liberal critics, he is the latest example of a self-righteous moralizer exposed as a hypocrite. To his conservative defenders, the liberals are the real hypocrites, claiming to champion privacy while joining a witch-hunt against Bennett for his private behavior.</p>

If I were a betting man, I would wager that the demons in hell are rejoicing over the news that William Bennett has been outed as a gambler. His critics, who never liked imposing a moral code on themselves and so rejected the idea that such a code was good for anyone else, are celebrating what they perceive to be a vindication of their position. That attitude was expressed in a column by Michael Kinsley in the May 5 Washington Post: ''Sinners have long cherished the fantasy that William Bennett, the virtue magnate, might be among our number.'' It is...

May 7, 2003, 10:30 a.m.Bennett’s Real ProblemWas he thinking? As NRO readers are fully aware, William Bennett has received the Big Flak over revelations that he's a high roller, so much so that he's sworn off the dice. "It is true that I have gambled large sums of money," Bennett announced Monday. "I have also complied with all laws on reporting wins and losses. Nevertheless, I have done too much gambling, and this is not an example I wish to set." There is much pain here. Being chased away from your pleasures, after all, is no one's idea of...

Virtues, Values and Vegas By JAMES McMANUS CHICAGO "Virtue Is as Virtue Does?" reads a headline in the current issue of Newsweek. The Washington Monthly Online puts a similar story under the heading "The Bookie of Virtue." The reporters Jonathan Alter and Joshua Green, in a joint effort by the publications, explain that the conservative author William Bennett likes to gamble and "speaks out, often indignantly, about almost every moral issue except one — gambling." The implication here is that playing high-stakes video poker makes Mr. Bennett a hypocrite. And on top of it, he's a "loser" too, according to...

The news is startling. At first glance one wonders if William Bennett, bestselling author of books on education and virtue, former Secretary of Education, former anti-drug czar, founder of K12 Inc., a for profit online virtual school and a recent debate opponent of Noam Chomsky on CNN, has unwittingly offended someone in the city of (sarcasm on) light and all things wonderful and good, Las Vegas. (/sarcasm off) Yet something much more insidious than the "dirt" on Bill Bennett is at play here. There's method to the madness of the left. The left are looking for payback and this is...

James Woolsley, William Bennett and others leading "TEACH-IN" on Terrorism at UCLA - Tune In!

Americans for Victory Over Terrorism to Hold Teach-In at Columbia University: America, Iraq and the War on TerrorismWilliam Bennett, James Woolsey, Ambassador Paul Bremer, Frank Gaffney and Prof. Walid Phares will speak to university students and faculty and make the case for America’s war on terrorist organizations and terror regimes. On Wednesday, February 12, 2003, at Columbia University, Americans for Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT) will host the second of a series of teach-ins and lectures on university campuses across the nation. As the United States continues to lead the world in the fight to eradicate terrorists and their networks, America...

Washington, D.C., January 10, 2003—Today, Former Education Secretary and co-director of Empower America William J. Bennett sent a memo to the White House and the U.S. Congress urging them to embrace a true civil rights agenda based on colorblind policies and equal opportunity for all. Bennett advises that in the coming year a civil rights agenda should be crafted around three action items: • Ending the double standard of racial preferences in higher education admissions: The Bush Administration and Members of Congress should immediately file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of the plaintiffs in Grutter v....