Carl E. Olson

More praise for The Most Asked Questions about Faith, Reason, Jesus, and the Bible (@IgnatiusPress; Nov 14th), which I authored with Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ. “A brilliant refutation of the agnosticism of modern culture. It establishes that God can be known and is known in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I cannot recommend this text more highly!” — @LarryChappGS22 “Apologist Olson and priest/scientist Spitzer have produced a book that dismantles the doubters, subverts the sentimentalists, and educates the ignorant. Indispensable for all who are truly searching.” — @dlongenecker1 ignatius.com/the-most-asked-…

God alone will judge Biden's soul. But we can judge these actions: • He supported abortion—ardently—for decades. • Was endorsed by NARAL and PP. • He "officiated" at a "gay marriage" as VP and basically forced Pres. Obama to endorse the same. • Supported expanding and protecting access to contraception. • Staunch supporter of the transgender ideology/cult. • Loud and proud cheerleader for LGBTQXYZ+ depravity. • Attacked and smeared Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas in ways that (at the time) shocked even other liberals. • As VP/POTUS, sought to force Catholic religious orders/organizations to pay for contraceptives, etc. There's much (much!) more, but that's plenty. The man was either delusional or a liar. I happen to think he was somewhere on the sociopath spectrum. Regardless, his public record as a Catholic is a shameless and scandalous one.

Actually, I'm a man, husband, and father who, with my wife of 32 years, went through five adoptions and raised three adoptive children. We've worked our asses off to provide for them and educate them. So, while these moral zombies are casting out moronic insults, we are doing the real work.

She seems nice.

Writing @cworldreport a year ago, @HenricksJayd said this about @CardinalBCupich: Cardinal Cupich is his own man, and he has proven many times that he is willing to go his own way, or the way of a small minority of bishops, and create division. Perhaps he has the smell of the sheep, but his sheep tend to huddle in the far-left corner of the yard. I do not know Cardinal Cupich personally, but I have been around him enough to have a sense of the man. He was my rector at the seminary for first-year theology, and even then, in 1995, he went his own way. I remember one evening he cancelled all classes and pastoral activities for a special convocation, something unprecedented for the seminary. He called us together to announce he had been made a monsignor. I felt bad for him then because I thought about how isolated he must be to believe that any of us cared. He also imposed on the seminary a liturgical sensibility that was out of touch with the seminarians: Mass in the round (actually, it was a square), rubrics ignored, Adoration offered once a month in a far corner of the seminary that had a sense of marginalization, and open conflict with admired faculty members, among other things. None of us at the time imagined he would ever rise in the ranks. Monsignor Cupich would, however, find his way to the top. When I worked at the USCCB, he did not hold any significant leadership positions. He could not get elected due to how unpopular he was (and remains), and yet he frequently muscled his way around with staff. He created a climate of fear, so familiar during the Francis pontificate, that impacted the daily work of lay staff. His move to Chicago was a sign from Pope Francis that the Pope wanted a disrupter among the U.S. bishops. For reasons unknown, Pope Francis did not like the American bishops, and moving Blase Cupich to Chicago and elevating him to the rank of cardinal was an attack on the collegiality forged by the post-Bernandin Conference. Cardinal Cupich seemed to relish the role. He was the voice of the Vatican when the USCCB planned to take decisive action in the wake of the McCarrick affair. Cardinal Cupich delivered the message that the Holy See would take a different approach, and the USCCB must stand down. Unfortunately, the USCCB leadership capitulated, and Cardinal Cupich had another Pope Francis feather in his zucchetto.

And who is going to help Oregonians who keep getting the short end of the stick from the sprawling government bureaucracies and agencies in this state? It's not an either/or issue. In most cases, big government and big business like to fight in public while they sleep together in private. But Komrate Kotek is deflecting attention from the growing and ugly donkey in the room.

From my February 2015 @cworldreport piece "A Tale of Two Bishops," written shortly after Cupich—described by some as "America's Pope Francis"—was moved to Chicago from Spokane: While the national press and CRUX have praised Cupich, they have offered remarkably little by way of specifics to warrant their praise. “On a personal level,” Allen wrote in his September 2014 piece, “Cupich is regarded as humble and open, precisely the sort of pastor who ‘carries the smell of his sheep’ that Francis has said he wants.” Yet, having spent quite a bit of time in Spokane—I grew up two hours east of the city, in western Montana—and having spoken to many Catholics there, I’ve heard a more complicated and distressing story. The overall sense, expressed in varying degrees of detail, is that Cupich’s time in Spokane was quite disappointing and frustrating, especially for those looking for vibrant, clear, and accessible leadership. Those familiar with Cupich’s schedule and activities say that he was often out of the diocese for long periods of time, even more so than the amount of time Skylstad traveled while president of the USCCB. When Cupich was in the diocese, he was not readily available, rarely meeting with diocesan priests, especially not on an individual basis, although he apparently met often with certain, older Jesuit priests at Gonzaga. When asked by CBS’s O’Donnell how he plans to “bring the pope’s vision to Chicago”, Cupich responded, “I’m going to do what I’ve tried to do the 16 years that I’ve been a bishop of a diocese. And that is to get to know people.” Yet the two descriptives used several times by those familiar with the bishop’s “style” while in Spokane are “detached” and “impersonal.” ... The seminary situation is noteworthy, since prior to Cupich’s arrival, it was thriving, with over two dozen seminarians. Following the removal in 2011 of Fr. Darrin Connall, co-director of vocations and rector of the seminary since 2000, the number of seminarians has fallen to less than a half dozen. In addition, Kries notes that Cupich “had no interest in involving himself” in “direction of Gonzaga’s core curriculum,” a statement confirmed by others with direct knowledge of the situation at the Jesuit school, which has, to put it simply, been shedding its Catholic identity with determined efficiency (as Kries describes). (Full piece: catholicworldreport.com/2025…)

We interrupt our regular programming for some photos taken in the late afternoon and early evening, between some light rains...

As 'reported' by BBC 'news'.

I first heard @mcbridesworld on @Joshua_Redman's 1993 debut album, and I've enjoyed his exceptional and wide-ranging bass-playing ever since. This 2013 trio date is A-grade all the way, as McBride, the young @christiansands1 (piano), and the prolific @UlyssesOwensJr (drums) are masters of the tradition, incorporating elements of gospel, R&B, and classical into straight-ahead jazz that is thoroughly enjoyable and often joyful. The recording is near perfect. Highly recommended. 9.5/10.

Great questions. The answers are obvious.

A pro-abortion billionaire is being given a prominent award by the @archchicago because he's "well-respected" in Chicago and the Jewish community. In defending the choice, @CardinalBCupich plays the antisemitic card, saying, "Refusing to honor or engage with Jews solely because they hold conflicting religious or political positions can risk mimicking historic patterns of antisemitism through exclusion and bigotry, which, frighteningly, is on the rise." Solely? The sole issue is Mr. Sacks' financial support (reportedly $600,000) of abortion initiatives. Surely there are prominent pro-life Jewish leaders in the Chicago area? Also, what if, theoretically, it were discovered that Mr. Sacks had given money to a pro-MAGA group? Would the antisemitic card still be used?

Just one point, as this sort of Fundie trash talk is a waste of time: My father co-founded a Fundamentalist Bible Chapel when I was five, around the same time that I asked Jesus into my heart to be my Lord and Savior. I attended church 3 or 4 times a week; I attended Bible camp in the summer; I attended all sorts of church-related events, including weekly Bible studies, student prayer meetings, etc., etc. I went to Bible college for two years and earned an Associate's degree, then attended several different Evangelical churches into my mid-20s. Guess how many times I ever said or heard the prayer that Jesus gave the Apostles, telling them: "Pray then like this..."? A 100? 50? 20? 10? Try: Zero. Never. Zilch. Not. One. Time. So, when these sort of people talk about "loving Jesus" and "obeying the Bible" and "doing what Jesus says," I say they are full of ... nonsense. And what's the reason they don't pray the Our Father as Jesus said they should? Because it's too Catholic; it's too rote and repetitive. It's all selective; it's very subjective; it's deeply anti-Catholic. Here I am, around the age of 10, with my parents and my sister (who is now Eastern Orthodox):

I often call her Komrade Kotek, but Tyrannical Tina works just as well. This is damning stuff. It's also not surprising at all. I've heard similar stories from others who have direct experience with her.

I agree, for once, with Ivereigh. There is no excuse for being duped by petulant, narcissistic, arrogant, vindictive, vulgar, facile, cynical, politically obsessed, power-hungry leaders.

I miss these days already. Sure, they were only two days ago, but the rains have now commenced in earnest. This October has been one of the most beautiful I've experienced in my 35 years in Oregon. My first October (in Portland, 1991), it rained for three weeks straight. I almost gave up. But here I am (but not in Portland, thank goodness).

“If you like your health care plan, you can keep it...” President Barack Obama, many times over, 2009-2013 Yeah, character matters. Except when it doesn't. Which is most of the time for most politicians. Including this lying grifter.

Fundie: "See? Catholics exalt Mary over the word of God!" Catholic: "No. We simply recognize that Mary obeyed the word of God and is the mother of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ." Fundie: "Ha! See?! You're putting Mary above the word of God!" Catholic: "Uh, no. We're recognizing that Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was pregnant with the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, and so she is the mother of God who tells us all, 'Do whatever he tells you.'" Fundie: "So, you worship Mary?! She was just a biological vessel for Jesus?" Catholic: "Um, like your mother was just a biological vessel for you?"