Massachusetts Bishops Appoint Former Gambling Executive, James Driscoll

The Pilot has announced that world-wide search for an executive director for the Mass Catholic Conference ended this week when the Massachusetts Bishops appointed former Assistant Counsel and Assistant Executive Director of Massachusetts Scratch Tickets and Keno, James Driscoll.

The former gambling exec was called a gifted public servant who is experienced and dedicated by interim director Gerry D'Avolio:

In Jim Driscoll the Bishops have chosen a gifted public servant who is experienced and dedicated to the good works of the four dioceses. I also wish to thank Bishop Coleman and the members of the search committee for their thorough and extensive process in selecting Jim for this position.

Though many Massachusetts Catholics who have been active lobbyists for the past twenty years knew of several candidates faithful to the teachings of the Church with extensive lobbying credentials who applied for the position, our telephone conference calls have been unable to scrounge up anyone who has ever heard of him or seen him up at Beacon Hill. Maybe they were short on space for this week's Pilot, but the announcement seems seems to be missing his political lobbying credentials. A preliminary google on his political contributions have come up with bupkis.

I hate to be a cynic but when it comes to politics, somebody who hasn't given any politicians any money is about as influential as a Bishop at a casino.

As luck would have it, the appointment comes at a critical hour for legalizing casinos and slot machines:

Right now, lawmakers are considering bringing legislation that would legalize casinos and slot machines in Massachusetts, a move the church opposes and an issue Driscoll said will likely be big from the start of his new job.

He was for legalized gambling for twenty years before he was against it.

He later worked for the lottery commission before joining the auditor’s office. Driscoll said his time on Beacon Hill, particularly working with lawmakers when he was with the lottery commission, would serve him well at a new job he called "a chance of a lifetime."

Wait a minute... it doesn't actually say he is against it does it. Just says working with lawmakers to promote gambling will serve him well at the chance of a lifetime.

Any thoughts on how this is going to pan out of us?

Operators for the Massachusetts Legislators are standing by waiting for the phone calls. Just like everything else the Mass Catholic Conference has done under the leadership of Kennedy School of Government Chancery mole Bryan Hehir, when the phone doesn't ring, you'll know it's them.

URGENT: Mass Catholics need help cracking the code of the MA Bishops Statement on the Election

This just in.    The Massachusetts Bishops Release a statement to give us guidance on how to vote in accord with Catholic teaching.

They said you need to vote in accord with Church teaching.   

There are certain moral issues that are fundamentally important.

Human rights should benefit everyone.  Nobody should be excluded. 

Our deeply-rooted concern for the common good has moved us throughout history.

The Massachusetts Bishops have convictions about voting which are bolstered by the innate sense of hope that has endowed the nation in good times and bad.

I know what you're asking.    What are they saying? Which candidates will best represent the culture that Catholics want to hand their children ?    

Here's what Catholics have got to do:  step up to the plate and share your vision of a better society at the polls.

Catholics are people of hope, they said.

Get it?

What's that you say?  Still don't know who or what to vote for?

Here's some more of the statement:

Hope is the Christian virtue that confirms our belief that we are never abandoned, that we are always loved by God.

We express these truths every time we extend our love to others as part of one big human family.

This same hope guides our civic involvement, they said.

See the lovely tapestry they're weaving?   (Is it me or does it have the stink of Bernadin?)

They were able to slip in some advice from Pope Benedict:   "participate in political life in a manner consistently in accordance with the Church's teachings, bringing well-founded reasons and high-ideals into the democratic debate"

They said for Catholics, voting is an exercise of reason inspired by faith.

You're vote has far-reaching consequences they warn.  There are moral consequences.   People

"should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilization.”

I know you're anxious for the close.  Surely they have something profound to say for the good of our civilization, right?

Ready?

"Deciding which candidate in any particular race offers the best opportunity to take us in the right direction is not an easy task. Yet there is a measuring rod by which all electoral choices must be evaluated: will my vote enhance human dignity? Certain moral and social issues are fundamentally important, since human rights are at stake and must be protected to help democracy to flourish in a way that benefits every citizen. These include the defense of the sanctity of life, the family based on marriage between a man and a woman, religious freedom, and the well-being of the poor. As shifts in societal challenges are inevitable, it is also vital to determine from election to election which human rights face the greatest threat at the time of voting."

Their full statement can be found HERE. 

If you can crack the code, please call 1-800-SEDE-VACANTE.  

Operators are waiting for your call.

Thank you.