I wrote critically of former Star Tribune reporter and current Star Tribune editorial board member in “Some dare call it smugness.” In her current column, Olson toes the DFL line on the Annunciation Church shooting in toto: “Should the next school shooter be able to use an assault rifle? Republicans seem to think so.”
Murderer Robin (formerly Robert) Westman did not use an “assault rifle” in the shooting. The party line that Olson toes in this column has nothing to do with the facts of the case. It’s all DFL politics. A reader writes: “See how long it takes you to notice which crucial detail about the [Annunciation Church] shooting she has left out of her propaganda piece.”
This isn’t exactly what the reader refers to, but Olson doesn’t even mention the name of the shooter. He is conspicuous by his absence. His absence is a clue. As in the classic Sherlock Holmes story “Silver Blaze,” Westman is the dog that doesn’t bark.
I took the facts of the case into account with my own proposal in the Alpha News column “Any special session after Annunciation shooting should address ‘conversion therapy’ ban.” In the unlikely event that you need help responding to the reader’s challenge, compare and contrast Olson’s column with mine.
One more thing. Here is a photo of Olson on her way to cover the 2024 Democratic convention as a Star Tribune reporter. That’s Olson at the right flashing her Team DNC badge or cookie (?).
