Mike O’Connell

Oh ffs

[“Take my advice, when you meet anything that’s going to be human and isn’t yet, or used to be human once and isn’t now, or ought to be human and isn’t, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet.” — Mr Beaver, The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe]

C. S. Lewis tried to warn us about AI

The Olympics are the best. A week ago I forgot curling was a thing. Now I’m deeeeply invested in the American Curling K/Coreys

Macbeth: SHIT

The Sermon on the Mount, by Beryl Lewis, before 1965, 📸 by @ScottStrazzante

Me: I don't totally understand what I'm watching but I love it.

Them: I don't totally understand what I'm watching so I hate it.

A Novel of Infinite Jest A (mostly personal) reflection on David Foster Wallace's masterpiece, on its thirtieth birthday

Here’s something (largely though not entirely personal) I wrote about reading Infinite Jest

Bezos isn't destroying the Washington Post because it isn't profitable. He's destroying the Washington Post because he's calculated that a robust free press threatens the ability of his class to warp society around their interests

No. Commonsense reform is to burn ICE to the waterline and scatter the rubble so that all of us who value a constitutional republic with a Bill of Rights can prevent such a monstrosity from ever being constructed again.
And nothing above is hyperbole.

God, but you are not a leader for this time.

Protest sign from MN that says, “DEARLY BELOVED. WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TODISMANTLE THIS THING CALLED ICE.” with a picture of Prince in the left hand lower corner.

10/10 ICE protest sign

Yeah — this feels very prescient

George Saunders loves telling ghost stories George Saunders's place among the best living American writers is secure. And while Saunders is not often included in discussions of the best Catholic writers, in both his upbringing and his thematic ...

Wrote about George Saunders’s new novel — and his literary project more broadly

After the Boston Massacre, the soldiers responsible were arrested and received fair trials. King George recalled the regiment to England, and then American leaders were like “good, that was enough, we’ll remain your loyal subjects forever…” wait, that’s not right…

Immigration is a net good. It improves the lives of the people who immigrate and the people in the areas the immigrate to. Supporting immigration is both morally and economically sound and a good government would encourage and facilitate it instead of making it as difficult as possible

ICE murdered Renée Good in broad daylight. Less than 3 weeks later, they killed Alex Pretti, shooting him 10 times. Every day, we watch as people are ripped from their cars, their homes, their lives.

We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE.

One of the best things I’ve read in a while:

Due to weather, we’re closed all day today, Jan 25. Stay safe and perhaps read a great book like George Orwell’s 1984, which includes poignant and relevant quotes such as, “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

are they not monsters?

2026 national title run starts now ☘️ #goirish

Wow

The pope sings into a microphone, appearing emotional. Surrounding him are various individuals, including a man in a dark suit holding a camera, and another in black attire with a red hat. The setting is crowded, likely at a religious event or gathering.

"Lord, if you're listenin..."

the leaders of the civil rights era could not propose or veto legislation. they had no "power." but they had legitimacy because they were out there. Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written...FROM JAIL. But with these guys "Hey it's crazy right now and we can't do much, but give us money." LOL ok.

Boardwalk by Third Sister Lake in Ann Arbor, MI

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Abolish and prosecute ICE. They did a murder in broad daylight today. Imagine what they're doing in the closed facilities we're somehow not even allowed to see.

Review: the catholic Catholic imagination of John Darnielle & the Mountain Goats John Darnielle's 'This Year: 365 Songs Annotated' collects lyrics from, and brief reflections on, 365 different Mountain Goats songs. Catholicism saturates his lyrics, which include references to sain...

Reviewed the (great) new book by @themountaingoats.bsky.social for America

Yeah. Stopped using Spotify for podcasts cause I got annoyed at having to turn off the auto-playing video every time

“Pluribus” and the Gift of Ambiguity - Jesuit Media Lab “Pluribus” is compelling in part because, depending on one’s perspective, it could be a utopian or a dystopian story.

I wrote about the most thought provoking show of the year whttps://jesuitmedialab.org/pluribus-and-the-gift-of-ambiguity/e

Sin, grace and absolution weave through 'Wake Up Dead Man' "Wake Up Dead Man," the third film in Rian Johnson's ongoing "Knives Out" series, emits a Catholic cosmology that transcends cinematic caricatures.

Reviewed @rianjohnson.bsky.social ‘s new Knives Out (it’s fantastic)