James A. Robichaux
@jamesrobichaux.bsky.social
I am working to purge the dishonest and destructive mythologies of Monetarism and taxpayerism from people's brains.
You can read my essays on those subjects here:
https://jamesarobichaux.substack.com/
You can read my essays on those subjects here:
https://jamesarobichaux.substack.com/
For me, it always was a hauntingly beautiful song. 💜
Read this great essay from Ian Hoch about a great song.
Read this great essay from Ian Hoch about a great song.
Where did “O Holy Night” come from, anyway? It’s always been my favorite, but I had no idea who wrote it, or when, or why. What I found blew me away.
Ian: The surprisingly radical history of "O Holy Night"
Already controversial in in France, “Cantique de Noël” made some people uneasy; but in America, the English translation into “O Holy Night” dumped gasoline on a fire.
www.audacy.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:37 AM
For me, it always was a hauntingly beautiful song. 💜
Read this great essay from Ian Hoch about a great song.
Read this great essay from Ian Hoch about a great song.
This right here is a rare version of the CORRECT way to look at public resource outlay decisions, generally, and military spending, specifically.
🧵
x.com/TransitionSe...
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x.com/TransitionSe...
December 26, 2025 at 10:33 PM
This right here is a rare version of the CORRECT way to look at public resource outlay decisions, generally, and military spending, specifically.
🧵
x.com/TransitionSe...
🧵
x.com/TransitionSe...
December 26, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
What we’re being told is that a guy who is an adjudicated rapist, who was credibly accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, who paid hush money to a porn star, who cheated on all his wives, who is mentioned hundreds of times in the Epstein files, couldn’t possibly be a sexual predator.
December 24, 2025 at 5:12 AM
What we’re being told is that a guy who is an adjudicated rapist, who was credibly accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, who paid hush money to a porn star, who cheated on all his wives, who is mentioned hundreds of times in the Epstein files, couldn’t possibly be a sexual predator.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
In case you need a positive reminder:
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:51 AM
In case you need a positive reminder:
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Look folks, anyone waiting for an easier point in the future to remove the regime is living in a fantasy land.
They got their budget and they are going to use it. They will get better at this the longer it goes on.
They got their budget and they are going to use it. They will get better at this the longer it goes on.
‘We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’—Trump’s Mass Deportations Will Only Grow From Here www.wired.com/story/expire...
‘We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’—Trump’s Mass Deportations Will Only Grow From Here
Militias and far-right extremists believed they would be central to Trump’s mass deportation plans. Instead he militarized law enforcement agencies.
www.wired.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Look folks, anyone waiting for an easier point in the future to remove the regime is living in a fantasy land.
They got their budget and they are going to use it. They will get better at this the longer it goes on.
They got their budget and they are going to use it. They will get better at this the longer it goes on.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Prosecute them all. Beyond the depravity of this, it's pure theft. The local prosecutor should open an investigation and charge them all.
ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries.
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
December 26, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Prosecute them all. Beyond the depravity of this, it's pure theft. The local prosecutor should open an investigation and charge them all.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
How the “Taxpayer” identity shapes our politics (for the worse):
1 Fueled a second #Trump term.
2 Birthed the #DOGE mentality.
3 Starves #Medicare, #StudentLoans, #PublicSchools, & #SNAP.
4 Justifies the cruel logic of mass deportation.
The only escape is to shatter the "Taxpayer money" story.
1 Fueled a second #Trump term.
2 Birthed the #DOGE mentality.
3 Starves #Medicare, #StudentLoans, #PublicSchools, & #SNAP.
4 Justifies the cruel logic of mass deportation.
The only escape is to shatter the "Taxpayer money" story.
Merry Christmas to everyone! 🎄 ❤️
Remember that "your tax dollars" is a fascist trope, as is "taxpayer".
Thanks! 😊
jamesarobichaux.substack.com/p/why-taxpay...
Remember that "your tax dollars" is a fascist trope, as is "taxpayer".
Thanks! 😊
jamesarobichaux.substack.com/p/why-taxpay...
Why 'Taxpayer' Identity And Thinking Is Morally Bankrupt In Every Context
'Taxpayer' identity and thinking is not appropriate even when discussing measures at the state and local levels.
jamesarobichaux.substack.com
December 25, 2025 at 2:49 AM
How the “Taxpayer” identity shapes our politics (for the worse):
1 Fueled a second #Trump term.
2 Birthed the #DOGE mentality.
3 Starves #Medicare, #StudentLoans, #PublicSchools, & #SNAP.
4 Justifies the cruel logic of mass deportation.
The only escape is to shatter the "Taxpayer money" story.
1 Fueled a second #Trump term.
2 Birthed the #DOGE mentality.
3 Starves #Medicare, #StudentLoans, #PublicSchools, & #SNAP.
4 Justifies the cruel logic of mass deportation.
The only escape is to shatter the "Taxpayer money" story.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Guys, I hope you are had a great Christmas with friends and family. But please spare a moment to remember those who are so alone, they spend the entire day posting hateful messages. And then remember that one of those guys is in charge of the country.
December 26, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Guys, I hope you are had a great Christmas with friends and family. But please spare a moment to remember those who are so alone, they spend the entire day posting hateful messages. And then remember that one of those guys is in charge of the country.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
I did not understand this: one of the five Europeans the US has barred from traveling to the United States...is a permanent resident who lives with his family in the US.
Now he is worried about being arrested and deported for the crime of monitoring online hate.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Now he is worried about being arrested and deported for the crime of monitoring online hate.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Judge Blocks Detention of British Researcher Who Scrutinizes Online Hate
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:55 AM
I did not understand this: one of the five Europeans the US has barred from traveling to the United States...is a permanent resident who lives with his family in the US.
Now he is worried about being arrested and deported for the crime of monitoring online hate.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Now he is worried about being arrested and deported for the crime of monitoring online hate.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
nothing makes me fear for the future more than thinking about how stupid YouTube ads were ten years ago, and how they’ve somehow become much more stupid today
Number one YouTube line I've heard playing from my father-in-law's phone today is a dude who sounds like Toby Keith saying "men over 50, I'm about to tell you about the viral tomato sauce trick." I assume it's something to do with either buying gold or prostate health, he skips away pretty fast.
December 26, 2025 at 6:19 AM
nothing makes me fear for the future more than thinking about how stupid YouTube ads were ten years ago, and how they’ve somehow become much more stupid today
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
I hope the grad student has funding (or they've offered an RA or admin job). If her family isn't well-off, her not being able to finish her degree seems pretty unfair.
Compared with the student's situation of getting a low grade and feedback about how to improve her work.
Compared with the student's situation of getting a low grade and feedback about how to improve her work.
December 25, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I hope the grad student has funding (or they've offered an RA or admin job). If her family isn't well-off, her not being able to finish her degree seems pretty unfair.
Compared with the student's situation of getting a low grade and feedback about how to improve her work.
Compared with the student's situation of getting a low grade and feedback about how to improve her work.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
I forget who pointed it out on the A Bit Fruity podcast, but it’s so notable that the cis woman supervising professor agreed with the grade the TA gave the paper, yet the university’s punishment is solely meted out to a trans graduate student. So much shame on University of Oklahoma.
December 25, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I forget who pointed it out on the A Bit Fruity podcast, but it’s so notable that the cis woman supervising professor agreed with the grade the TA gave the paper, yet the university’s punishment is solely meted out to a trans graduate student. So much shame on University of Oklahoma.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Something that's getting lost in this story is that the "instructor" in question is not a professor with a PhD; she is a Graduate Teaching Assistant, meaning the University of Oklahoma has thrown one of ITS OWN STUDENTS under the bus to appease a right wing grifter who tried to dunk on a trans woman
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”
cnn.it
December 24, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Something that's getting lost in this story is that the "instructor" in question is not a professor with a PhD; she is a Graduate Teaching Assistant, meaning the University of Oklahoma has thrown one of ITS OWN STUDENTS under the bus to appease a right wing grifter who tried to dunk on a trans woman
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
When I was on CNN's northeast desk, the first job at 6a every morning was to read the local papers. That guided some of what the massive CNN machine followed every day.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
"The newspaper industry served as a feeder for our entire news media ecosystem. So when we lose those newspapers, we've lost that journalism. In the early 2000s, we had 40 journalists per 100,000 people. We're now down to 8 journalists per 100,000 people," says @victorpickard.bsky.social.
December 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
When I was on CNN's northeast desk, the first job at 6a every morning was to read the local papers. That guided some of what the massive CNN machine followed every day.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” speech *defended* conservatives.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Kind of wild how the take that some of Trump's supporters were "deplorable" was some huge scandal, but regularly screaming about "radical left scum" is just a thing he'll say with no media backlash.
December 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” speech *defended* conservatives.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Lubbock set a December monthly high temperature of 86F today, breaking the previous Christmas Day record by 10 degrees. The top 3 warmest December high temperatures in Lubbock (records back to 1911) occurred in the last 4 days. #txwx
December 26, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Lubbock set a December monthly high temperature of 86F today, breaking the previous Christmas Day record by 10 degrees. The top 3 warmest December high temperatures in Lubbock (records back to 1911) occurred in the last 4 days. #txwx
December 26, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Brett Cooper on Nazis in her party: "I don't think I need to sit here and condemn anyone either way."
Brett Cooper on people who took risks to defy Nazis in the 1930s: Those people are heroes, legends. We should all strive to be like that.
Brett Cooper on people who took risks to defy Nazis in the 1930s: Those people are heroes, legends. We should all strive to be like that.
December 25, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Brett Cooper on Nazis in her party: "I don't think I need to sit here and condemn anyone either way."
Brett Cooper on people who took risks to defy Nazis in the 1930s: Those people are heroes, legends. We should all strive to be like that.
Brett Cooper on people who took risks to defy Nazis in the 1930s: Those people are heroes, legends. We should all strive to be like that.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
This is a fantastic (and short) story
I'm going to tell my favorite story again about reflecting the certainty of beliefs back at people who don't expect it.
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
December 25, 2025 at 8:41 PM
This is a fantastic (and short) story
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
This was exactly Adolf Eichmann's job.
“Like Prime, but with human beings.”
December 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM
This was exactly Adolf Eichmann's job.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Yeah this is just what his communications team wants right now
Trump: I am fine. You sound beautiful and cute. How old are you?
Caller: I am eight
Caller: I am eight
December 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Yeah this is just what his communications team wants right now
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
There is nothing more morally bankrupt and intellectually dishonest than pretending that criticism of the state of Israel’s war crimes is actually just antisemitism and yet it’s the only move the dead-end defenders of genocide have left.
People get off on accusing Jews of genocide. They'll keep at it no matter how many times they have to change their underwear.
The genocide will continue until morale improves.
December 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
There is nothing more morally bankrupt and intellectually dishonest than pretending that criticism of the state of Israel’s war crimes is actually just antisemitism and yet it’s the only move the dead-end defenders of genocide have left.
Reposted by James A. Robichaux
Cutting to the chase, Bari Weiss is an extremist Republican hiding behind the incorrect belief that she is a rational Centrist. In a world in which toxic naziism overtakes a government, the normal-person response is to take a polar opposite position, not a warm-fuzzy embrace of awful.
Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
December 24, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Cutting to the chase, Bari Weiss is an extremist Republican hiding behind the incorrect belief that she is a rational Centrist. In a world in which toxic naziism overtakes a government, the normal-person response is to take a polar opposite position, not a warm-fuzzy embrace of awful.