It is time for me to apologize.
To apologize for the dozens of news articles and columns I have written during the past 24 years that, even if in just a small way, helped Bob Carlson become the seemingly untouchable and powerful and respected person who had such unlimited access and control of this community for decades.
I’m not naive or egotistical enough to not understand that I didn’t do this on my own. I don’t have that much influence. But I was a party to it. I helped. He, of course, knew I could and he used that to his advantage and I went right along like a well-trained, love-sick little soldier.
It would appear from the 104-page investigation into his alleged child sexual abuse allegations that while I was writing stories of his honor, virtue, selflessness and good work, he was sexually molesting little boys in dark parking lots.
And, of course, the truth is you cannot be honorable, virtuous, selfless or good if you are sexually abusing anyone, particularly children.
There is no room for both and I may have suggested in an earlier column that there was.
I’m sorry. I was wrong if I left that impression. There isn’t.
Carlson and I had a pretty long history. I met him while he was chaplain for the Bangor Police Department and I was a very young and inexperienced police beat reporter. I immediately fell for his charm, his sense of humor and what appeared to be his total commitment to others.
He was the coolest, most tolerant, funniest, open and loving minister I had ever met in my life, and I was smitten from the beginning.
Eventually my fiance and I joined his church. He performed our marriage ceremony and baptized our children.
He counseled us and lifted us up when we struggled. When he jumped to his death last November my family had to scramble for someone else to conduct my sister’s funeral. She was in the process of dying and Bob was on tap for that job.
During much of my career I had a decent reputation as a good investigative reporter.
Sometimes I may have got a bit of a big head about it.
Trust me now. I have been kicked down to size.
I am clearly not nearly as good a judge of character as I once thought, and being a good judge of character is at least a part of what being a decent investigative journalist is about.
But of this I can assure you: I never had any idea, not a thought, not a hint or a clue that Bob Carlson was not exactly who he portrayed himself to be.
Just a couple of months before he jumped, I called him up to talk about my son, whom Bob knew so well.
I told him that my son was having some teenage angst and perhaps had some spiritual questions I didn’t know how to answer. He was having trouble sleeping, I told him.
Perhaps you guys could have lunch? I asked.
Spend some time together?
Bob told me he’d be happy to, but time slipped by — thank God — days, then weeks, then a month or two and then — well, then the end.
I know there is nothing I can do now to help the victims or their families who have spent years or even decades watching Bob Carlson be splayed across their newspaper and TV screen as a community leader — a hero.
But for whatever role I played in perpetuating that image, I’m sorry.
I hope that you find some solace that I and others truly now know and understand that he was not a good man.
The differeance is that your not a sworn officer or mandated reporter like the others that turned there cheek, but I do appreciate your honesty.
Ms. Ordway you are not the only one who was charmed by and misjudged the late Mr. Carlson…..while many did not have the more personal relationship with him as their minister and family friend many are in the very same predicament as you and second guessing themselves….and many are feeling that even casual relationships with Mr. Carlson were used to his advantage and thus many have realized they also were victims of his charm and charisma…..kudos to you for this article…..
You are so right. It was a crying shame what this beast did and Ms. Ordway thanks for what you said. I grow up in Orrington and have known him all my life. I am totally shocked of this whole thing. But all I can say is he is a beast, skinner and pig and he will never make it to heaven. He is going to rutt in the grow below forever and ever. Amen too everyone that has been hurt by this beast.
Don’t feel too bad, he fooled the BPD and the County Sheriffs, too.
Or was using them for them for cover, which is even worse.
He didn’t fool them all.
Well, I’m sure lots of people do their best, but he got away with his stuff
until he gave the Penobscot Narrows Bridge as a bad a rep as he did the Christian clergy.
I agree with Ms. Foley, it took Ms. Ordway courage to write this,
but it’ll be for naught if people do not look deep inside themselves for the courage to think for themselves and decide that just because it might be shiny, has a cross painted on it and is wrapped in the flag, a bucket of lobster bait is still just a bucket of bait.
The question is how to tell the wolves in their wool suits, with their flag lapel pins, may God forgive him, from people really doing their best to do good, not just covering up some hidden agenda ?
I’d like to be positive, here, but under the circumstances the best I can do on that count is to say the Reverent sure seemed to exploit being close to authority and the perhaps even the authorities, too.
So QUESTIONING AUTHORITY is part of protecting oneself and society
I have to think. Teach that to your children, too.
Or they might be exploited by all those wolves who would use with their
“God given” authority to fool and exploit those good people, who usually are just trying to do their best.
Remember, He was only a quarter of what he claimed he was. He says he was well educated, those schools have never heard of him. He portrayed himself as a police officer when he simply worked at the jail. He said he was a chaplain when departments like Bangor said they have had their own for years.
The problem with Carlson was that everyone took him for his word. Which we all now know was worthless.
he apparently didn’t fool everyone as they seemed to have know certain things and overlooked them. Or they just didn’t care. Yes, I think they just didn’t care. Because you cannot overlook something like this. The horrible onslaught this man perpetrated is beyond imagination.
I admire the courage it took you write this.
It took courage to write what you did. You were not the only one fooled or taken in by him. I also had a professional relationship with him over an approximately ten year period. He served on a board of an organization I was a member of. I also never saw a hint of the person he turned out to be. Peace to you and your family Ms. Ordway….we can all learn form this.
There were ample hints and clues, you were just another sheeple, that was more than willing to see just what you wanted to see and probaly eagerly assisted him in squashing decent.
You were quick to belittle and discredit my posts about the “Good Reverend”.
Live with your shame, you deserve every bit of it.
First off Cap I asked you if you reported your suspicions and you choose not to answer. So it seems you didn’t since you didn’t answer the question.
I am sorry if your time in Orrington was so difficult on you and your family. You have expressed in the past that you had issues with the Board of Selectmen and now it seems you had problems with EOCC and Carlson.
I have been fairly respectful considering your post have been rather insulting in response.
Believe what you want about what I knew and did not know but I know the truth. Now I suggest that you follow your own advice and stop responding or seeking out my posts.
I revised my comments about your being a liberal because I am trying very hard not to give offense.
This is about ideas, not about people; and men are born to be men, and not sting one another like bees.
But the Republicans ARE a liberal party!
The support for small government, laissez faire, and letting everyone do what they chose as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others, is called liberalism.
One very influential Republican in the state calls it “classic liberalism.”
The technical term for the last point is called “extreme liberalism.”
I think most Republicans believe in small government, laissez faire, and letting everyone do as they chose as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.
Do you believe in those principles, sir?
Bob the Bugger of Bangor was perhaps a Neo-liberal, one of those who believe that government should be expanded to meet the needs of society.
It is clear this particular mushroom grew from the decaying wood of liberal society.
I thought you were trying not to make this “personal” so if that is the case why all the “personal” questions?
Carlson’s support came from both sides of the political spectrum.
Republican aide, Alan David Berlin, was arrested on charges that he wanted to engage in sex acts with a 15 year old boy while dressed in a panda costume.
Republican activist and former presidential campaign chairman Jeffrey Claude Bartleson was arrested on charges of sexually molesting a 5-year old boy.
Republican activist and former chairman of the Christian County Republicans Royce Fessenden pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree statutory sodomy.
Republican parole board officer and former legislator George Christian (Chris) Ortloff pleaded guilty to attempting to lure 11- and 12-year-old girls to have sex with him.
Republican legislative aide Robert R. Groezinger pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
Republican chief of staff Eric Feltner pleaded guilty to showing pornography to a 13-year old girl.
Republican city councilman John Bryan
killed himself after police began investigating allegations that he had
molested three girls,
including two of his adopted daughters, ages 12
and 15.
Republican Mayor Jeffrey Kyle Randall was sentenced to 275 days in jail for molesting two boys — ages ten and 12 — during a six-year period.
Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after “sexually explicit” emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy.
Republican executive Randall Casseday of the conservative Washington Times newspaper pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.
Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres confessed to molesting a 13-year old girl.
Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.
Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
authorized the rape of children in Iraqi prisons in order to humiliate
their parents into providing information about the anti-American
insurgency.
Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was found guilty
of raping a 15-year old girl. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown
children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over
the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large
number of young women.
I’ve got lots more Lots lots more. There are also an equal number of Independents, Democrats, and non-affiliated folks.
Child molestors are EVERYWHERE they are of all races, creeds, and colors.
It takes strength and courage to admit you were wrong about something. Good for you. I, too, misjudged people in my life and it hurts. It’s like a knife right through your heart. You are not a poor journalist, you had faith and trust in a man who portrayed himself as a man of GOD. There are people we SHOULD be able to have faith in, our clergy are some of them. When Carlson died I was so confused and when the allegations first came out, I thought it was a smear campaign. Boy do I feel like a fool now. You are right, he was not a good man.
Why encourage peopleto be sheeples?
why do people automatically assume a “man of GOD” is so special and genuine?
Countless charlatans, pedophiles, and frauds have been exposed over the years (going back to prehistoric days, I’m sure, since the whole racket is based on superstition)–and what about the ones who get away with it, who are never exposed?
It took courage to write this. Now, if you could only admit that Donnie Smith is right and Glen Ross was beyond wrong, that would go a long way in the eyes of the community. Encourage Glen to do the right and MORAL thing and resign his position as Sheriff.
You have nothing to apologize for. He suckered you in as much as he suckered in his abuse victims. He obviously knew how to play people to hide his evil EVIL soul.
“Satan’s successes are the greatest when he appears with the name of God on his lips.”
-MAHATMA GANDHI
hey Renee….I could give you the names of a few other people who are considered “pillars of the community” too who aren’t what they seem…..one of them works at PCHC…..he is a psychiatrist who wouldn’t know what the Hippocratic Oath was if it hit him in the face…..matter of fact I can give you quite a few names of people in the medical community who aren’t what they seem….are you game or will you continue to wear blinders?
Well, now… Maybe you should take the information/knowledge you have and report it. I believe that would be the right thing to do.
she did, it didn’t do her any good, they just lied and covered each others butts. ive known this woman for 10 years and have watched her suffer from things that happened to her.
PCHC has a lot of dirty secrets.. They had to know something.
Like what?
Renee you don’t need to apologize, you have nothing to apologize for. Bob did this. Bob screwed with people’s lives , then he took his own life and left his family dealing with this mess. Here you have the courage to come foward for something you didn’t do. Bob minipulated everyone in the community.I’m so tired of the community saying he was such a giving person but you know what, everything he had was all donated by the community. This man was evil.
Carlson turned PCHC into an impressive (Someone will object to this adjective, also, I imagine.) organization. What’s a better adjective, crappy? You know, sometimes you have to give the devil his due. (I didn’t invent this phrase.)
You have got to be kidding. It is the most disorganized health care facility I have ever been to. Two years ago I wrote to Rep Michaud and complained about it and “Rev” Carlton. Michaud sent me a letter back praising both PCHC and “Rev” Bob. How come little old me saw what a sham Bob and PCHC were 2 years ago?
I wasn’t there 2 years ago. Organizations can change. That’s too bad, sorry to hear it. As for Michaud, Carlson kept his fences mended with all the major Maine politicos.
You can believe whatever you want to about PCHC, but remember he had full access to waiting rooms full of children. What exactly did Carlson do to turn it into “a phenomenal organization”? He was paid more than many of the providers.
I have wondered just what he did to earn such a large salary there. And hasn’t it been said that he founded PCHC?
He organized it into an organization which could meet its mission of providing medical care to poor people in the Bangor area, of which there are many and many who had had only minimal care or none before PCHC. He did not perform the medical care himself and I doubt ever presented himself as possessing medical credentials. He knew that he depended on many capable medical professionals to get the job done. He had a daunting personality and some ability to understand finance – those were his credentials.
I’m fairly certain Carlson had some help- like from the Doctor’s, PA’s, RN’s staff etc….you know the people who actually DO the all work. What I find most disturbing is that apparently no one at PCHC checked Carlson’s credentials-my understanding is that he doesn’t have ANY degrees. He’s not a reverend anymore than I am. I know anywhere I have applied for a job they want my official school transcripts sent directly to the place I have applied to-no problem my colleges send the transcripts. Carlson was a fraud and PCHC dropped the ball- let’s hope they do a better job at checking their other employees credentials out than they did Carlson’s.
IF a provider knew this was going on, and reported it.. chances are they would be fired. no doubt.
Did he? Think about this.. The medical providers were always under the gun to get the patients in and out ASAP. Carlson money was more important that patient care. Let’s not forget about the car either.
Maybe “phenomenal” wasn’t the best choice of words. It is an organization that grew rapidly and like many such organizations, it was largely dependent on government grants, which he seemed to have a talent obtaining. PCHC made medical care available to many who would not otherwise have been able to obtain it.
These are kind words.
But Bob Carlson did not have everyone in the community deceived.
Any clergyman who advocates abortion or SAME SEX MARRIAGE is NOT to be trusted.
From the first time I met Bob Carlson, I distrusted him. As a “minister,” and I use that term loosely, he could not look anyone straight forward in the eyes , and he had a very limp handshake. Handshakes reveal a lot about men and women.
Also, when he was awarded the Penobscot Community Health Center, I thought it strange that it took place so quickly. Should one wonder about a pedophile ring?
Are you my husband??? He says the exact same thing about Carlson! Weird…
Mine, too.
I don’t think it is accurate to say he was “awarded” PCHC. He first became involved with PCHC as a Board Member when it was a very small, struggling organization. Several years later he was appointed President by the Board. PCHC had grown phenomenally under his watch. I was a Board Member and I’m definitely not a pedophile.
I’d be hesitant to judge anyone by a handshake. A nice, strong, handshake–a manly handshake, if you will– is an easy thing to fake.
Yeah that’s what I always go by….a hand shake. hilarious.
I don’t think its too funny. Get a life
Sure I’ll get a life….. but first I have to shake someone’s hand and thus be instantaneously able to judge that person’s character…again hilarious Tabby.
This isn’t a joking matter. It has to do with pedophilia. Looks like the guys intuition was right. So whats there to laugh about?
Hindsight, not intuition,,,
(self-delete)
One already exists.It’s called the Catholic church and the strongest smell is right from Rome.Sinead O’Connor was RIGHT despite the death threats and crap thrown at her including being blackballed.
He apparently had a lot of people snowed. The important thing is that we all become more aware and vigilant. I’m a social worker and probably wouldn’t have recognize the signs. Pedophiles know how to play the game; they are great actors. Don’t beat yourself up.
Probably beyond clichéd to say that “I can’t believe it.”
Unfortunately, in this day & age, I believe it. Knew Carlson for many years
& yes he had his own impact on my family including baptizing all my children
over the years. Does what this man (“allegedly”) did make their baptisms less
meaningful? Struggling w/this.
Your children were baptized in good faith regardless of the qualifications and intent of the one who performed the ceremony. God knows your and your family’s hearts, so please put your struggles to rest. Peace.
Renee first off I have to say that I was probably one of the more vocal critics of your defending Mr. Carlson. The man you thought you knew and the man Carlson really was were two different people. He fooled not just you but many many others, not just in the Bangor Area but throughout the State as well. The man was not only a pedophile, he was a master manipulator and a con man extraordinaire as well. It takes a big person to admit when they have made a mistake. It takes an even bigger one to admit it in the State’s largest daily newspaper. Thank you Renee.
Thank god he did not have alone time with your son. Now do not back down on getting all the facts out. We must never let this happen again. Lets get public support to get Almy to do his job. Might be more hiding in certain circles being covered for because they are respected.
I’m glad to see your apology, and to see you’ve come to your senses about that scumbag. Honestly, the last article you wrote about that scumbag, and all his wonderful contributions to society, made me want to puke! The only good that can come from this entire fiasco is that our community pays better attention to the signs of abuse and abusers.
I very much appreciate your honesty and courage. He clearly used and abused his power and privilege to get what he wanted. So sorry for all of the victims.
Ms. Ordway,
I made repeated posts over my suspicions of Mr. Carlson. If you were indeed a fair to middling investigative reporter, you would have not simply dismissed those words as those of a despot and looked into it. You did not.
In my humble opinion, you failed miserably in your job and in your duty to the subscribers of the BDN.
Will you do the same concerning my repeated posts of a town manager from Orrington that destroyed police reports and the Chief Deputy she admited this in front of at a public meeting?
That’s my opinion of course and we all know what opions really are.
Hey, they still have a mess in Newburgh and its not getting any better. No agency in Maine has the manpower to bring muncipal crooks to justice so they look the other way. Its a shame for all taxpayers. Our reps say they will look into outdated municipal laws and violations, fines, etc but its all talk as they don’t want to bother either and we keep electing them as they cruise along.
This whole piece reads like C.Y.A. This mans defenders are turning out to be accomplices as well, and Ms. Ordway is trying not to be painted with the same brush. She has lost credibility and in her line of work that is all she has, and she is an accomplice to his actions whether she intended to be or not. Her credibility is gone, it is time for her to hang up her pen and Nancy Drew notebook.
No, no….
She is the first one to come forward and state the truth.
That will give her a higher respect for the truth and make her a better reporter.
We cannot deprive someone of their livelihood because they apologize.
The entire liberal establishment is to blame, not Ms. Ordway. Clearly God was protecting her family.
Do you know what an opinion/opion is? It not a feeling or an emotion or a hunch….An opinion is a statement made on the basis of facts and logic.
Leave me alone.
I need another Reverend feeding me self rightous crap almost as much as I need another hole in my head. I trust none of you!
And that Sir, is my opinion based on fact, feeling and distrust! So live with it!
One bad apple does spoil the entire bushel!
Pick another vocation…..Maybe as an English teacher, I don’t care much for them either.
Oh and BTW…save your parayers for someone that cares. If I get to Hades before you, I’ll save you a seat right beside me.
I agree with the other readers- you DO NOT have a need to apologize. It is not wrong to want to see the good in people, especially with someone like Bob Carlson who was so good at masking his dark side with lots of works of good. I just hope that you can continue to have faith, and to see and celebrate the good in people. This man fooled everyone. Being wrong about the overall character of one complex person does not make you a bad judge of character. I also hope this editorial somehow helps to bring you peace as you deal with this situation.
He didn’t fool me for very long.
Within months of meeting him, I told him to his face that I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. That was in 1983.
I my opinion, there is no excuse for blindly following anyone over a cliff.
Just make certain they are not in cahoots with those that can ruin and destroy your life. That was my mistake, but I’d speak out again in a New York minute!
And the adult in this conversation would be who?
Me for ignoring your trolling Sir.
HEY BDN Monitor —
please remove this entire thread.
Right? Considering half of it is removed and the other half is basically unreadable.
Thank-you Renee for this article! Many others were misled by Mr. Carlson as we now know. I applaud you for being on of the few public figures that has stepped forward and aknowlaged supporting this man was wrong. I wish others would distance themselves from him and anything he touched as well. OCC should rename their hall and take down the photo of him out of respect for the victims. Sen. Collins and other public figures should remove any photos on their websites of themselves and this criminal. In my opinion there needs to be a complete overhaul of the good old’ boy network in Bangor who by turning the other cheek allowed this creep to continue his abuse of the victims and everyone he was in contact with. Once again Renee thank-you for being the only one so far to admit they were wrong.
OH! Maybe you should talk to your son about molestation. Was he abused by Bob too?
that was my thought… Time for a heart-to-heart with your son, mom! His symptoms are similar to those of a victim of someone like Carlson. Don’t talk…. just listen and love…
You were going to hand your son over to the predator sure it’s easier than the wolf having to seek out it’s prey………. Pfffffffffffffft.
“Eventually my fiance and I joined his church. He performed our marriage ceremony and baptized our children.”
If you must be religious, which a sane thinking person would ask why, then maybe you should think about checking to see if you were legally married and if you should be getting your children re-baptised and not by the devil this time. Cast thee out Satan. LMAO! Good judge of character, good investigative reporter not.
Do you also go around kicking dogs?
Yes Ms. Ordway and her husband are legally married.
Why do people insist on bashing faith? Faith, and religion, can bring incredible peace of mind. Faith is a personal relationship between an individual and the higher entity that he/she believes in. Evil, in human form or otherwise, will always exist. For many people, it is faith and religion that gets them through it. I don’t understand atheism because I simply can’t fathom the idea of having nothing to believe in, but I certainly won’t criticize someone for being atheist, or any other religion for that matter. As long as you are a good, honest person, then please do whatever it takes to find your own peace. Bob Carlson was an evil person, certainly not an emissary of God, and religion in general should not be blamed for his darkness. Rather, religion should be pitied for being his unwitting cover-up.
In terms of legality, the law states that as long as a couple believes the person marrying them to be a lawful representative, then the marriage stands as legal. I am sure that Ms. Ordway (and hundreds of others) firmly believed Bob Carlson to be a minister, therefore the marriage is legal.
And baptism is a covenant with God, not the individual minister. While I’m sure many people are sickened by the thought that Carlson baptized their children, it does not negate the fact that the parents made a covenant with God, and God only, to raise their children in His love. I pray that parents, and all persons, uphold their end of the bargain.
‘Faith is a personal relationship between an individual and the higher entity that he/she believes in.’ if it’s so ‘personal’ why do I have to keep hearing about it?
That is a theological question.
Can anyone perform a baptism or Christian marriage and is it still valid in the eyes of God?
I do not know the answer to that question.
Can one be married or re-baptized?
Certainly, anyone can be baptized as an adult. That is the belief of the Baptists, and other denominations.
I am a former Board Member of PCHC. I was awestruck at Carlson’s vision and ability to manage an organization. When I first joined the Board, Carlson was Chairman of the Board, i.e., an unpaid volunteer. He was not the founder. PCHC was a tiny organization. A couple of years later it was decided that PCHC needed a President, which would not be a volunteer position, but a well paid position. This development had a slight odor about it but I decided that Carlson really deserved a lot of the credit for creating the growing dynamo that PCHC had become. Carlson himself appeared to be a dynamo. I was impressed until I had a minor run in with him. When I later had a minor run in with a female executive, I decided it was time to go and resigned from the Board. Carlson called me after he heard I had resigned, and wanted to send me a pair of gift certificates for my favorite restaurant, in appreciation for my service on the Board. Then he called me again to come in and get my nameplate as a Board Member. I wanted to tell him to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine but I lacked the spine. I thought, I know I have misgivings about this guy, but he did seem to have some decency about him. This is what is so difficult about Carlson – yes he did do some bad things, but he also did some good things. I never did get my gift certificates, however. So Renee, I can appreciate where you are coming from. I was lucky that I was able to smell something. Maybe this is an example of why Mainers have a long-standing wariness about slick-talkers from Massachusetts!!
Notice that you did’nt get your free dinner, but he got your nameplate!
He did some good things! This moral ambivalence that is still lingering concerning his actions is troubling. If you ran out of gas and somebody stopped and put gas in your car and then jumped in and drove off in your car it would be obvious how much good they had done, it is no different with carlson, only the scope and length of time is different, in my opinion making his actions even that much more evil.
I heard he was always a bully in interpersonal situations, PCHC certainly has something to offer to the story re: carlson but have managed to dodge the investigative bullet for now.
Ah ha! Now you have revealed his modus operandi.
What a nice fellow!
What a very nice fellow!
Dear Renee, I read your story and felt the same way. I too, met him as a young woman in Bangor, and felt the same as you did. There was no way he could of been the monster that people were saying. I thought of all the good he done in Bangor as I grew up and became an adult. Now I wonder just what kind of spell he had on people. He was a monster, and you also fell pray to his cunning, and charming ways. Please, don’t condemn yourself for his wrongs. You are a good report and like all his victims you will heal. Good luck, and God Bless you. a faithful reader.
You know Red Flags should have been flying over the East Orrington Congo Church before he was ever hired at there church….I have never in my life known a Prodestant Minister to dress like he was a Catholic Priest……Not at least untill I met Rev. Bob…..way back in the early 70’s when I was just a child!…. Didn’t like him then and the costume alway made me uneasy.
Episcopals, Anglicans, some Lutherans, and a handful of Congregationalists (which Carlson was) do wear the white collar
Many non-Catholic ministers and priests wear the collar because it makes them recognizable as religious leaders. You may be surprised at how many people approach ministers in public for advice, answers, or prayers. One man using his garb for evil cannot negate the good that most ministers and priests do. It’s really not so different from a police officer wearing a uniform, or a doctor wearing a lab coat. The only difference is that most ministers/priests don’t ever consider their work done, hence wearing the collar full-time. And let’s be honest, doing good, helping others, and praying is a job that will never be done.
You may be surprised at how many people approach ministers in public for advice, answers, or prayers. (Exactly…thank you for that)
What a heartfelt written column, Renee. This will go a long way into helping the community with the healing process.
It’s all about helping others name their ‘shame’ about this – the shame that comes with feeling duped/suckered/naive, etc. Ironically, no one should need to feel any shame at all, but we all have to go through that process to come out to the other side…to where the light is that is found in the truth of things. He was not a good man. Correct.
Thank you, Renee.
I’m sorry for the congregants who loved and admired this man so much. What an awful sense of betrayal they must feel. I’m sure many will appreciate your commentary.
All I can say you totally floored me. I was angry when reading earlier columns….My fear was the city of Bangor was going to name streets, buildings, etc after him and for t he rest of my life I would have to see that. Takes courage to admit when our judgement has been wrong. It is not wrong to want to believe the best in people, I still believe in people….I am however very vigilant when it comes to my children and my grandchildren only because I lived it. Thank you for being one of the few people to admit they were used, and he did use people and the power it gave him. It was scary the power he had through others. You couldn’t go anywhere without running into him. We are free now, but there are others out there. We need to open our eyes and protect our children for they are our future.
I read these posts almost every evening and beyond checking an occasional like for a comment that I feel has real merit, I seldom will post one of my own, however I feel the need to do so now.
I too lived in the town of Orrington for the early part of my life. I am not sure who firecap may be, but I do know that I have read his posts many times and there seems to be a disturbing trend of you, “jd2008jd” of following firecap’s posts with derogatory and belittling comments that can only serve a single purpose and that is to cause the poster pain and anguish. They seldom contain substance, just malice and hate. It makes me wonder why you have such malice for someone that to the best of my knowlege has posted just facts and never utter slurs against anyone that is not a public official or entity.
I do hope someone flags your comments and you are banned from spewing such hate in future posts.
OK gemjet please provide posts where I belittle Cap or use derogatory language towards him.
My initial post was not even directed towards Cap but for whatever reason he felt the need to respond.
I have been insulted, disparaged, maligned, etc…and try as you might you will find very few post where I use derogatory language towards anyone including firecap66,
Do you find the question “did you report your suspicions” offensive? Because that was the first question asked of Cap today which launched his diatribe towards me. He is free to express his opinion as you are. I don’t flag anyone’s post unless they call for violence or use bigoted language. If you want to flag my posts or report me to the BDN please do. I have no issue with that and if you feel you should I encourage you to do so.
As for firecap66 I wish him the best and hope he can find a way to let the hate go…it isn’t good for anyone to maintain that level of hate since the 1980’s.
I guess the shoe pinches Mr. jd2008jd
So I take it you are not going to go searching for post then gemhjet.
I am not going to get into an argument over this with you.
I know what I know.
Perhaps you should spend $.50 and call someone that cares. Your previous behaviour does not warrant my wasting my time fighting with you. Please leave me alone! Thank You.
LOL OK gemjet, I only asked for the proof of what you say I did. But you have a wonderful summer evening.
you all need to grow up and realize this article is not about you
You will get no argument from me
Not to split hairs, but are you implying that he use a pay phone? Sorry, that just made me giggle… Stuck in the 80s, indeed.
For all I care, he may use two tin cans and a piece of string.
My concern is that he will begin abusing me when I post as he did sonofBangor last night and seems to be doing to firecap when he posts.
He seems to be an individual that must have the last word at any cost. (look at his replies) I believe they call his method being passive aggressive.
My father was able to teach me just one thing that I have lived by “you can’t win a peeing contest with a skunk”. I don’t bother trying. :-)
Jd2008jd loves to troll the crap out of folks on this site. You are completely right about about him trying to have the last word. Look how long he dragged these comments down the page without a single good point about this current article. He trolled me a few months back and I had to get rid of my account because everywhere I decide to make a productive comment he would be there to get that last word in to prove some oddball point. Get a life jd2008jd or should I just start calling you “King BDN Troll”?
Then why is he allowed to continue with this improper behavior? I know I have refrained from making posts on this web site for that very reason. There must be an avenue in which his actions can be addressed. His actions seem to serve no purpose I can see beyond stroking his own ego.
Yup..he’s like a uneducated hot head 15 year old with a keyboard.
I’d prefer not to get into a name calling contest with anyone over this. That would only give him cause to flag me and have me banned from making posts at all.
SonofBangor post inflammatory “information” about homosexuals which I disagree with.
Things like “pedophiles” =”homosexuals” which isn’t true to name one. If you agree with his “style” of posting and disagree with mine fine. No problem. But if I am attacked by anyone I will and do respond.
As I said to gemjet if you want to flag my posts please do so. If you want to want to call the BDN and complain about me please do so.
Yes, SonofBangor and I get into it. He doesn’t agree with me and I don’t agree with him. That’s called life.
Pffffft!
You fight God’s word,
not me.
Hmmm the post notification that landed in my inbox shows the post as saying this:
“You are a liberal, sir”
but when I click on “Link to comment” the post says this:
“You fight God’s word,
not me.”
I guess it doesn’t really matter but I will answer both.
The last time I checked my voter registration card it indicated that I am registered Republican. I also received an inordinate amount of mail asking for money from Republican candidates and none from Democrat candidates. I receive a number of emails from Republicans asking for money and none from Democrat candidates. I also receive phone calls from Republican candidates and none from Democrat candidates. So I do believe my voter registration card hasn’t changed. But I do consider myself a “moderate” republican. You know what that is don’t you SonofBangor? That means I hold moderate positions on certain things but not all. Now that we have that cleared up….
I do not “fight” you or Gods word. I do fight intentional misstatement of facts like some of what you post.
The United States is a secular country based on secular laws and does not hold any one religion above another religion. That is based on the First Amendment.
and yet you persist………
Thank You Gem
Cap as I have suggested in the past, you really need to put behind you what happened. It does you and your health no good to carry around this level of hate since the mid 1980’s. Live for today, not for the past.
Pfffft!
JD, sometimes, people who have not been through serious traumas such as obviously happened here, have NO idea HOW hard it is to “just let it go”. Lucky you, that you never had your life, livelihood, and family threatened by speaking the truth. I think the very least we can do for Carlsons victims is allow them to grieve and vent…ALL of his victims. I was not one of those who felt blessed to stand in his presence, I actually despised the man. I attended his funeral, and it gave me some peace to do so. why? Because my own demons needed dealing with, and I needed to know i wasnt alone in my confusion and worry. All Firecap seems to want is to know the same. Can you at least try to grant him the respect of getting that he truly WAS a victim, too? Standing up to Carlson, trusting your gut, stepping out of line and being shunned for it SUCKS. Been there done that, bought the tshirt.
Firecap…hats off to you sir. Thank you for trying to stop this.
Thank You for understanding.
I may lack the education to properly express, or to even politely express my feelings in this matter, but I do not feel there is a need for jd2008jd to relentlessly add to my torment either, by constantly belittling my posts.
When I first posted comments concerning the “Good Reverend” jd was relentless in his defence of him, now he seems to have changed his tune and wants only to bury his own blindness as so many others have also choosen to do.
I do appreciate your kindness.
firecap66 I am willing to admit when I am wrong. I have stated publicly more that once that I was wrong in my opinion of Carlson. My earlier defense of him was to wait and let the MSP do their job. I almost never condemn anyone based on hearsay or rumor. I tend to wait for the facts to come out. When Carlson took the big leap I thought one of two things would have lead him to do it and those thoughts were 1) that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer or some such disease or 2) he had been caught or accused of embezzling money. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that he was a pedophile.
Someone that wants to “bury their blindness” does not publicly state that they were wrong. I have done so more then once.
Again, I hope you find peace in your life.
CYA Sir.
The sickness is not with Firecap.
It is with the liberal establishment and its defenders.
Michelle I understand everything you have said.
My wife was a victim of sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a male cousin.
I am a mandated reporter under Maine law.
I do not accept the excuses offered by the mandated reporters identified in the MSP report released this week.
My original post in this comment section had nothing to do with firecap66. I did not attack firecap66 in my original post on this article.
I feel sorry for firecap66 I really do. He has a fair amount of anger and hate built up surrounding Orrington, EOCC, a former Town Manager and at least one of the current Selectmen.
I have freely admitted that I was also blinded or taken in by Carlson. I saw him on a monthly basis for approximately 10 years in a professional capacity and then occasionally (maybe 3 or 4 times a year if that) for another 15 years before he jumped to his death.
But when a poster, any poster say something like the following “…you were just another sheeple, that
was more than willing to see just what you wanted to see and probaly
eagerly assisted him in squashing decent….Live with your shame, you deserve every bit of it.” I will respond regardless of who that poster is.
If I had ANY suspicion about Carlson or anyone else I will report it. In 25+ years I have made that call three (3) times. Twice for child abuse and once for elder neglect. That is my duty and I do not take that duty lightly.
I wish you the best and hope that you can find peace as you move through life.
Firecap is not in need of peace.
He is in need of justice.
Instead, he is called ‘full of hate.’
Justice does not always lead to peace.
Please stop the Freudian psycho-babble.
This is not about Firecap.
This is about how the liberal establishment turned a monster into Bangor’s most honored and respected man.
SonofBangor the only person capable of turning themselves into a “monster” is the monster themselves. Carlson’s supporters came from the right and left, the rich and poor, the educated and uneducated, etc….he was a pedophile and nothing will ever change that. The fact that there existed opportunities to stop him as evidenced in the MSP report but didn’t is where we now need to focus our energy. We need to dig deep and hard to find why the system failed and how to prevent it from happening again. We need to do that for his victims and for the victims of others. My experience tells me if the system failed to stop Carlson it also failed to stop other pedophiles and that needs to be corrected.
So please, join me and other posters on the “DA says it’s unclear whether anyone can be charged for not reporting Carlson’s sexual abuse of kids” thread and call for Almy to do a complete investigation so this doesn’t happen again.
Here are some of the questions that need to be answered –
Why did the therapist that knew of a “half dozen” victims not report their suspicion as required by Maine law?
Why did the two Bangor officers that witnessed Carlson leaving a very dark area of a parking lot with a small boy at night not a) open an investigation, b) report as required by law and c) not install the surveillance cameras they considered installing (the level of darkness had nothing to do with it)?
Why did the PC Deputy Sheriff not report what he called “odd” behavior when he witnessed seeing Carlson in the jail control room at 1 to 2 in the morning with different young boys?
These are questions we need answers to. These are questions Carlson’s victims deserve answers to.
Bob the Bugger of Bangor was the rotten fruit of liberalism.
Like ALL liberals, Bob the Bugger PRETENDED to be a man of good will, but how did he treat his fellow man?
And Firecap is not “consumed by hate.”
That is Freudian psycho-babble tripe.
Firecap is a son of Orrington, and a good Mainer, loyal and true.
Two observations –
why is the post in my inbox from you different from the post I find here when I click on “Link to comment”?
and
while Carlson may have been a “liberal” he was first and foremost a PEDOPHILE. That fact trumps everything else he was or pretended to be.
You couldn’t more right about this. Thank you for standing up to this lamo Internet troll.
I always find it interesting when posters make statements like your and you have never seen there screen name before this moment. Don’t you find that odd?
“He was the coolest, most tolerant, funniest, open and loving minister I
had ever met in my life, and I was smitten from the beginning.”
clearly
Now if only the rest who did know about the abuse would step up and apologize for their wrongfulness in not looking into these matters. Also it is time to take down the rock at Bangor International Airport that the troop greeters put up to honor him since he deserves no honor. Please contact the troop greeters and honor the victims by removing this.
If they haven’t taken it already, they are just another in the long line of those still in denial about who carlson really was. Unbelievable! Serial child abuser has a monument at Bangor International Airport?
Good for you for having the integrity to admit you were wrong about Carlson. I did not know him or even know of him before he committed suicide. He may have masqueraded as a holy man, but he was in reality an evil man. Whatever good he did in his lifetime was negated by his serial molesting of innocent children. But don’t be too hard on yourself, child molesters are often quite charming and manipulative, which is how they get away with their crimes for so long.
Thank you, Renee. As one who wasn’t taken in by what you saw as charm, I saw arrogance, incredible ego, incredible sense of entitlement, insistence on being in the middle of things and demanding to take charge of everything, anger when denied whatever he wanted, and so on. He always had a “Look at me, see how great and important I am!” attitude. I personally couldn’t stand the man and couldn’t understand why others thought so highly of him. It was only in recent years when I heard rumors of his interest in young boys that I questioned that he might be a pedophile. I had no facts to go on, however, just those other people’s suspicions of that. So in that way, I, too, had been taken in by him. I had simply thought that he was one of the most obnoxious persons on earth.
Right on. I met him once in the 70’s, and felt the same way.
Bravo Ms. Ordway. You were not the first to be hornswaggled by smooth talking minister and you likely will not be the last. These people use our faith and love of god against us, but they are just human beings, just men or women..they are not God Almighty. We would do well to remember that.
You and many thousands were fooled by the man in costume. Your honesty is refreshing.
Social acceptance plays a role in this.
We should seek to please God rather than men.
If your neighbors and colleagues thought Bob Carlson was a fine fellow, you did too.
But as Jesus said, “You do err, not knowing the scriptures.”
Any clergyman or clergywoman who advocates abortion or homosexual marriage is not to be trusted. Abortion and homosexual marriage violate God’s law.
It is one thing for a layperson to be deceived in this matter, and it is quite another for “a man of God” to call for the murder of the unborn.
Many of you scoff at this; but I would have been the first to show Bob Carlson the door.
What perplexes me is why any conservative, Bible-believing church in Bangor would be deceived in this matter. Do they value tolerance over God’s law?
Why and how was such a man allowed to become chaplain of the police?
If Bangor values tolerance and political correctness as the highest values in society, this will surely be the result.
If former generations could return to Bangor — Reverend Seth Noble for example — they would weep to see what our city has become, and this includes especially, the so-called Bible-believing churches.
How many did Carlson recruit into the homosexual lifestyle?
It seems from this heartfelt and moving account that God was protecting Ms. Ordway and her and her family.
Do you know anything about Bangor’s history? Do you know where the “red light” district was when Bangor was King and the riverfront was full of ships? Bangor today is “tame” compared to the Bangor of the past.
Could I ask that you treat our fair city with a bit more respect?
Two observations –
why is the post in my inbox from you different from the post I find here when I click on “Link to comment”?
and
current Harlow street from State Street to the waterfront was a place of brothels, honky-tonks, gin mills and salons. To ignore history is an invitation to repeat it.
Why do you speak ill of our city?
You live and work here.
Why would anyone speak ill of their own city?
Not speaking “ill” at all. Those are historical facts.
Like South Boston rioting during disegregtion of the schools in the 1970s. That also is a historical fact.
Oh and I am not from Boston.
There are many historical facts about Bangor —
the fact that it was named after a hymn, for example.
Why did you choose the absolute worst facts about Bangor?
Do you like Mainers?
You must like Maine or you wouldn’t have moved here.
That was a smart choice, do you think, or no?
Why did you not speak well of the history of Bangor?
Why did you say Firecap, a loyal son of Maine, was filled with hate when he himself had problems when he spoke out against Carlson?
Do you not like us?
Please keep taking words and quotes out of context. That is what good politician do everyday of the week and twice on Sunday’s. :)
Recruit? Seriously? are there cash and prizes??
Carlson did not “recruit” anyone into a “homosexual lifestyle.” Carlson was a pedophile — he sexually abused young boys. That is about someone being so consumed with power over others that he will use children for sexual pleasure because they are vulnerable and innocent. This isn’t about sexual orientation, it is about victimization.
You are overcompensating.
The vast majority of pedophiles are adult men who molest little girls. So why aren’t you attacking the heterosexual lifestyle as a potential hotbed for pedophile “recruitment”?
Don’t twist events to support your bigotry.
Sure, sure…we’ve heard it all before.
That explains the phenomenon of Bob Carlson and Jerry Sandusky.
Bob was the Tooth Fairy, and Jerry was the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
That explanation is just as good as yours, better perhaps.
Sleep well Bangor, homosexuals never prey on boys.
Homosexuals don’t. Pedophiles do.
Jesus said nothing about gays or abortion…He said we must love our neighbors as ourselves…Leviticus mentions men with men because the Jews were making a comment about worshiping Ba’al a pagan god. They weren’t make any comment on men loving each other…
Leviticus was referring to idolatry nothing else.
When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is, my neighbors down the lane. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
I have a cousin who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
A friend feels that even though eating clams and mussels is anabomination – Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination thanhomosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there’degrees’ of abomination?
Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I am going to the hospital for cataract surgery. Is that going to be a problem for me at Sunday services? Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
Please don’t mock God and the Bible.
I’ve got a copy hanging on the wall of my back house up at camp.
Very useful.
More blasphemy from the homosexual right movement.
Wake up, people!
“Gay marriage” is a satanic mockery of marriage.
Nope not part of the “homosexual rights movement.” I just do not believe the State should be in the marriage business AT ALL. And as a non-christian citizen, tired of being beat over the head with “the bible.”
Rene, This is one of the most humble, sincere, honest apologies I have ever heard or read. It is truly refreshing to see a reporter express such feelings–this is rare in the world and even more rare for reporters. Every other journalist can learn from you and should. Your column in the BDN should become a teaching tool in journalism classes. You have set a new standard in reporting. Many reporters had the same initial feelings when Carlson died, but you are the ONLY reporter that recognized what really happened and had the humility to apologize. Thank you!
Ok great now go Investigate this Ross guy please!
What a sad tragic story for all victims of sexual abuse. What a sad story for society. Who to trust with our chrildren? At a time when we so despertly need decent, moral leaders to look up to we get blindsided by the evil of Bob Carlson. These postions of power, clergy, doctor, etc. have over the years become a safe haven for sexual abusers. We only need look at our own Catholic Church over the last few hundred years. The ones we felt the safest with are actually the most dangerous for our chrilden. Society believes that power DESERVES trust and until this changes the Bob Carlsons of the world will abuse our chrildren.
There is no apology needed when you look for the best in another human being. We need more of that, not less. If we are proved wrong, so be it, but it is not what we were looking for. Please, don’t let this let you become cynical. Have worked with many of the same type of clientele and it shows me the need; more than ever; to be accountable to others.
But Renee you have the audacity to join the sheep that claim Dennis Deschaine is guilty based on circimstantial evidence. Why the double standards?
The curcumstance is that he’s guilty as hell.
Dennis Dechaine has been begging for DNA testing for years, even willing to pay for it himself. This situation only proves to me, that the ones who are fighting it have something to hide, or they would want the DNA testing done to prove themselves right.
Thank you for saying what you needed and what I feel many in higher powered positions should say. I said it many times and in a few board meetings that people needed to stop allowing him to badger those less fortunate. I was from the streets and would hear much yet no one would listen when I would stand up and say things that I had heard. I wasn’t in their class, pay grade or a@candlday:disqus $ kissing levels. We persecute the poor and build up the rich and powerful. It is what we are taught in this nation and always have been.
Keep an eye out in our community soon. There will be some amazing things coming from those who we overlook and shrug at. The empowering gift of beauty and art will show us that we need to look at all problems in our lives from the ground up. Not from those in power down.
Once again, Thank You for your honesty.
Kristoco
SHUT UP RENEE!It’s all about you on and on.Give up the space in the paper for some other stories.
Renee, you are a person of exemplary character for this thorough recantation. You are always on my “A – list” of good people.
I’m not a big fan of Tim Richardson, but are you going to apologize for slamming him in Jan.? It did lead me to believe you were supporting Mr Carlson.
I think that it is great that you wrote this and dont feel bad that a bad person fooled you. It has happened to alot of people and especially in this case he fooled alot. I did not know Bob but I will not call him Rev. Bob maybe fraud Bob is a bit better. I think it took guts to admit that he fooled you and to tell the public! :)
Takes a lot to admit when you were wrong. Even more so when done in this fashion, to the public, in Maine’s largest daily newspaper. Kudos.
Very well written and definately from the heart. It amazes me how many people use the churches to hide their dirty little secrets and their inexscuable perversions and behaviors. People see them in a ‘picture’ life, but they do not allow those people to see the darkness they posess. It is all a facade.
But we cannot live our lives in fear, and not trusting everyone we come in contact with. Those people have agendas. And I suppose, “if it’s too good to be true”, it likely is. There are people I know who are just plain decent human beings. I try to be, but I am not without my own faults, as you are not. But, I am not a criminal or deviant. You were duped, as were so many. The questions that arise in my mind are not from what you did to promote Carlson, they stem from those people closest to him. His wife especially, and his relatives. The same question plagued me with Sandusky & Paterno. Their wives, close friends…SURELY, those women knew something was not right! Paterno must have confided in his wife of what he knew. Part of me would like to believe that is not the case, but I have been married for 34 years, and I confide in my husband and partner, my best friend. You’re not the one to blame, it’s the other people and Carlson. Please let it go Renee**hugs**
There were people who “fooled” by Robert Carlson (if that’s his real name ) and there were people who simply did not do their job. Had his employers and co-workers taken just a little time to check his credentials way back……….this would be different story…perhaps with fewer or no victims.
Renee, Admitting that you as a reporter and the newspaper have extreme influence on how someone is preceived is enough for me.
The newspaper makes or breaks people all the time, I see it when stories about local politics leaves the front page within hours of the story being printed. The BDN protects its friends in the Bangor City Government all the time.
How about printing a story about how the City Mayor, Mr. Westons Company has most all the Marketing contracts for the Cities imenities and that it could be a conflict of interest for the council to award these to their council chair. We need to know the value of these contracts. Do other council members benifit from their position on the council also.
Now Renee that would be a Story.
P.S. Don’t say you’re sorry for something everyone else believed was true. People enjoy being in the power clique.
An amazing apology by an amazing woman.
apologize and leave it at that! Yet you go on to say how charming and how this and that, he was. Bunk. I was sexually abused and believe me, these abusers do not need a good word, present or PAST whatsoever. T he creep was a coward and he has ruined many a life.
beautifully, sacrificially, said. This had to be the hardest article you have ever written. As a survivor of child sexual abuse, thank you.
He married two friends of ours back in the mid-90’s, and our sole brush with him was during the rehearsals the evening beforehand—honestly, our first impression of Carlson was that he was a very creepy guy that my husband and I both disliked instinctively.
just wondering if you mentioned this to people and were admonished and never said anything again about him/
Renee, don’t beat yourself up. Once people decide to embrace evil into their lives, they don’t turn into froth mouthed, foul smelling demons whose every word defiles all that is holy. It is for this reason that people are so easily fooled. Evil people are skilled at showing themselves to us as all that is good and pure. The betrayal you feel now must be extremely difficult. Bob Carlson played such an important role in your life. There was no way you could have foreseen this day coming. I hope you find peace of mind and may God comfort you and your family as you deal with this tragedy.
Renee, How about you use those investigative skills and get to what the real bottom of this story entails?
It sounds like Mr. Carlson, whom I did not know at all, did a lot of good things and some bad things. The fact that he took his own life rather than face the consequences of his “bad” things seems atonement enough for all those who were unaware of his dark side. Give yourself a break, Ordway, and everyone else. No one reads minds or figures out motives when there doesn’t appear to be a cause for suspicion. Those few who knew of the abuse incidents no doubt are punished enough by Carlson’s suicide. His victims know by now how ashamed he was. Peace to all of you.
It must have sickened you to your gut when you thought of how you’d actually invited that man to “have lunch” with your own son. Imagine if that invitation had, itself, led to abuse. That is the story of his victims. Use of his position of trust and admiration and loyalty of so many to abuse children makes him the absolute worst kind of abuser. His perceived beneficence does not temper his evil side – it only makes it more so.
You weren’t the only one he fooled and the protests of those he didn’t fool fell on deaf ears.
Isnt this like the 10th article about this dead pedophile thats been published in the last few days? Seriously. Enough.
Credit to you for stepping up and writing this. I am glad to see that even though he jumped to his death the truth or at least some semblance of the truth has come out. With the victims unnamed, rightly so of course, we will never know the complete truth but I think enough to know he was, as you said, not a good man.
Now you can go and find out why the girl raped at Kid’s Peace never got justice. She was raped in the shower there over 10 years ago by another inmate, and Kid’s Peace paid the mother to go away. Although the Hancock County D.A. and the Sheriff were informed, neither moved on this case, and eventually it went away too.
I later asked a Kid’s Peace staff member if the agency had learned anything from this experience? She replied that they had learned how they were almost caught (by a tip) and that wouldn’t happen again.
I, too, was fooled by Carlson. He was good, real good. He fooled many of us. I knew he had devils, but NEVER, that he was a pedophile. I would have reported him (unlike Bangor law enforcement, therapists, etc) in a heartbeat if I had been the least suspicious.
You are no different than anyone else who ever had the opportunity to meet Carlson.
Dynamic, charming, eager to please. The “I’ll do anything you want” guy. A real pal.
Unfortunately, we were all duped. He was a master at deceiving people. His proficiently engineered deception fooled everyone he ever met. Ordinary people, church folk, neighbors, friends, law officers, and university officials. We all waved back when he saw us. “Hi there,” he’d call back, never forgetting your name. Even asking if he could continue to render services for you.
He was not just good at what he did – he was a real pro. His performance was Grade A. Weddings – our friends’ wedding. Funerals – our family’s funeral. Many observances – of our friends. No one escaped.
Not since Ferdinand Waldo Demara was hauled off North Haven island in 1957 in handcuffs, has the state ever served as a sanctuary for such an imposter.
De Mara was brilliant. “The Great Imposter” had played every role imaginable. Everything from an operating surgeon aboard a Canadian destroyer, to that of monks, cancer researcher, a director of applied psychology, a lawyer. Yes, even a sheriff’s deputy and assistant prison warden.
He was even known as a child care expert. Yet, nothing ever surfaced to implicate him with any foul misdeeds. A high IQ and photographic memory were attributed to his success into duping everyone into believing he was what he wasn’t.
The “should have’s” and “wished I had” are all weak expressions of self guilt that should be discarded. Like De Mara, Carlson expertly inserted himself into many innocent people’s lives. Unlike De Mara, Carlson’s ulterior motives were sinister.
Ironically, De Mara is quoted as saying that proof of his deception rests solely on the accuser. In Carlson’s case, the accusers were there, but sadly, they failed to act. He could have been taken off stage years ago.
I still don’t believe he jumped. Just a hunch.
Smart predators are good at what they do. Many people were fooled. Only those of us who have been victimized felt the hair go up on the back of our necks whenever he walked into a room. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the proof. There is a well written book entitled, The Gift of Fear. It talks about listening to your inner voice. I always listen to that voice and it hasn’t failed me yet.
I’d never trust anyone who tills me GOD is real!!!
I appreciate your humility. I believe there are reasons why men and woman put others above themselves, but those reasons would be edited out as were my comments on the matter yesterday. Which by the way had no bad language or inflamatory remarks aimed at any individual.
That said, people tend to confuse respect with idolatry. We can still respect certain people for what ever reason without placing them on a pedestal. Add carissma [sp] and you’re really setting yourself up for problems. I know it appears that I am preaching but it is simple. Do not put others above yourself. The irony in this case is that religions have been the biggest offenders in promoting submission and hierarchy.
Will the story of Bob the Bugger change Bangor?
Not at all, for the rot is deeply entrenched.
Bob the Bugger was the product of a moribund society.
For a society to believe in everything (pluralism) is the same as believing in nothing.
The only solution is to return to the God of your fathers, and this you will not do.
You would rather be deceived by “men of god” who smile, pat you on the back, then advocate for abortion, tolerance, and homosexual “marriage.”
BANGOR MUST HOLD AN ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLE IN WHICH THE CITY FATHERS EXPRESS REGRET, CALL FOR REPENTANCE, BEG FORGIVENESS OF ALMIGHTY GOD ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE, AND REDEDICATE THIS CITY TO HIM.
Prey tell what do the city fathers have to “EXPRESS REGRET, CALL FOR REPENTANCE” and “BEG FORGIVENESS” for?
Because Bangor belongs to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It is his city, not theirs.