Barbara O'Brien
@mahabarbara.bsky.social
Zen student and history/politics nerd. Author of The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World (Shambhala, 2019). My personal blog is The Mahablog (mahablog.com), and I write for Patheos as The Religious History Nerd.
I'm looking for someone who is a WordPress wiz who might help a poor old lady (me) move her WordPress blog to another web host.
November 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
I'm looking for someone who is a WordPress wiz who might help a poor old lady (me) move her WordPress blog to another web host.
I understand that part of the Netflix miniseries Death by Lightning takes place in the Oneida Community, which I wrote about awhile back. It was, um, something else. www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
The Oneida Community: An Experiment In Perfectionism
The United States in the 19th century was a surprising place. Although it was marked by the Victorian era, famous for fuddy-duddiness, it was also a time
www.patheos.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I understand that part of the Netflix miniseries Death by Lightning takes place in the Oneida Community, which I wrote about awhile back. It was, um, something else. www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
Republicans in Congress must be thinking hard about the midterms. www.mahablog.com/2025/11/05/n...
Not Even Close - The Mahablog
It's been a while. It's possible that, somewhere in the U.S., a Republican won an election yesterday. But I can't find any examples. The unofficial results in my voting precinct show a Democratic swee...
www.mahablog.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Republicans in Congress must be thinking hard about the midterms. www.mahablog.com/2025/11/05/n...
Marcy Wheeler writing at TPM. Without Online Trolls, There Would Be No Donald Trump talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/witho...
Without Online Trolls, There Would Be No Donald Trump
On July 8, something happened to Donald Trump that I’ve not seen...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Marcy Wheeler writing at TPM. Without Online Trolls, There Would Be No Donald Trump talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/witho...
Some history that highlights how profoundly ridiculous Donald Trump really is. www.mahablog.com/2025/11/01/w...
Why Lincoln Never Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom - The Mahablog
Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln bedroom because, when he was President, the room wasn't a bedroom. He used the space as an office and cabinet meeting room. He signed the Emancipation Procla...
www.mahablog.com
November 1, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Some history that highlights how profoundly ridiculous Donald Trump really is. www.mahablog.com/2025/11/01/w...
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
"A critical mass of people who decided the election were bamboozled by America’s horrendously broken information environment, and don’t like the results of their own choices." prospect.org/2025/10/29/v...
Voters Did Not Understand the Stakes in 2024 - The American Prospect
A large majority of American voters are greatly dissatisfied with the state of things, most especially the economy. It turns out that median voters were catastrophically misled about the stakes of the...
prospect.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 PM
"A critical mass of people who decided the election were bamboozled by America’s horrendously broken information environment, and don’t like the results of their own choices." prospect.org/2025/10/29/v...
We're about to go to war with Venezuela ... why, exactly? thehill.com/homenews/sen...
thehill.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:17 PM
We're about to go to war with Venezuela ... why, exactly? thehill.com/homenews/sen...
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
October 24, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The letter written by George Washington that Christian Nationalists don't want you to know about. www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
George Washington's Letter To Touro Synagogue
President George Washington's letter to the Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the "founding documents" that, I believe, really ought to
www.patheos.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The letter written by George Washington that Christian Nationalists don't want you to know about. www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
Cato put out this brief statement from me critical of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug running boats, strikes that kill those aboard "without trial, legal process, or public accountability." These extrajudicial killings would be unlawful, I observe, even if all the smuggling claims were true.
Cato Legal Fellow Available to Discuss Unlawful U.S. Strikes at Sea
A senior legal scholar at the Cato Institute is raising concerns about U.S. military strikes on boats suspected of smuggling — strikes that kill those aboard without trial, legal process, or public ac...
www.cato.org
October 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Cato put out this brief statement from me critical of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug running boats, strikes that kill those aboard "without trial, legal process, or public accountability." These extrajudicial killings would be unlawful, I observe, even if all the smuggling claims were true.
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
No Kings couldn't have gone better - massive turnout, no violence, and it drove Trump so crazy his response was "Kings are good and I poop on everyone." Best of all was the effect on the millions of participants and everyone watching.
My latest at Public Notice: www.publicnotice.co/p/no-kings-p...
My latest at Public Notice: www.publicnotice.co/p/no-kings-p...
No Kings was a huge success. Just look at Trump's response.
Turnout was enormous. There was no violence. And the wannabe king is triggered.
www.publicnotice.co
October 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
No Kings couldn't have gone better - massive turnout, no violence, and it drove Trump so crazy his response was "Kings are good and I poop on everyone." Best of all was the effect on the millions of participants and everyone watching.
My latest at Public Notice: www.publicnotice.co/p/no-kings-p...
My latest at Public Notice: www.publicnotice.co/p/no-kings-p...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. I've been saying this for years. the problem isn't (always) that Dems have a bad message. the problem is that most voters don't hear it. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/o...
Opinion | Chris Hayes: The Democrats’ Main Problem Isn’t Their Message
www.nytimes.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. I've been saying this for years. the problem isn't (always) that Dems have a bad message. the problem is that most voters don't hear it. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/o...
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
Trump’s EPA canceled a $20M flood protection grant for the area in May, calling it “wasteful DEI spending.”
October 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Trump’s EPA canceled a $20M flood protection grant for the area in May, calling it “wasteful DEI spending.”
My view of the No Kings rally in Ossining, NY. Organizers expected 400 and got at least twice that. Lovely afternoon. Much flag-waving and cheering for America. Much booing of Mike Lawler.
October 19, 2025 at 12:58 AM
My view of the No Kings rally in Ossining, NY. Organizers expected 400 and got at least twice that. Lovely afternoon. Much flag-waving and cheering for America. Much booing of Mike Lawler.
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
I never again want to hear House Republicans disparage people they claim are too lazy to work
It's official: Speaker Johnson just cancelled all votes in the House next week.
The next scheduled voting day is 10/27; the last time the House was in session was 9/19.
The next scheduled voting day is 10/27; the last time the House was in session was 9/19.
October 17, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I never again want to hear House Republicans disparage people they claim are too lazy to work
So this just happened. 7th Circuit: ‘The Administration Remains Barred From Deploying the National Guard of the United States Within Illinois’ talkingpointsmemo.com/news/7th-cir...
7th Circuit: ‘The Administration Remains Barred From Deploying the National Guard of the United States Within Illinois’
A 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled unanimously Thursday to maintain...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:44 PM
So this just happened. 7th Circuit: ‘The Administration Remains Barred From Deploying the National Guard of the United States Within Illinois’ talkingpointsmemo.com/news/7th-cir...
Good job tipping off Venezuela about the "covert" operations, genius. www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-...
Trump says he authorized CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela
President Trump announced he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The move comes after a series of U.S. military strikes on boats that U.S. officials say were from Venezue...
www.cbsnews.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Good job tipping off Venezuela about the "covert" operations, genius. www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-...
I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS Ossining” - sign up now to join me! (If you live in Westchester) www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
NO KINGS Ossining · No Kings
President Trump thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we don’t have to accept chaos, corruption, and cruelty from our government.
Trump and his MAGA minions want us to...
www.mobilize.us
October 15, 2025 at 7:18 PM
I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS Ossining” - sign up now to join me! (If you live in Westchester) www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the "ancient art of lying" and manipulation.
Pope urges news agencies to stand as bulwark against lies, manipulation and post-truths
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the “ancient art of lying” and manipulation.
bit.ly
October 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the "ancient art of lying" and manipulation.
How Trump re-created the famous Bush-on-9/11 photo to announce that his hostage exchange deal appears to have been accepted, and other outrages. www.mahablog.com/2025/10/09/t...
Trump’s Fake Photo-Op Ceasefire Announcement - The Mahablog
Remember this famous photo of George W. Bush being told about the September 11 attacks? And let us not forget that Bush spent most of the rest of that day flying in circles in Air Force One while argu...
www.mahablog.com
October 9, 2025 at 1:38 PM
How Trump re-created the famous Bush-on-9/11 photo to announce that his hostage exchange deal appears to have been accepted, and other outrages. www.mahablog.com/2025/10/09/t...
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
The only reason that Trump is allowed to personally profit from the White House and break laws is because of Pam Bondi. She is the most corrupt AG we have seen in our lifetimes.
October 8, 2025 at 11:48 AM
The only reason that Trump is allowed to personally profit from the White House and break laws is because of Pam Bondi. She is the most corrupt AG we have seen in our lifetimes.
Reposted by Barbara O'Brien
When a Guardian reporter pointed out on social media that the image was not a genuine photograph of the generally small and tame protests outside the ICE field office in Portland, the Oregon Republican Party’s X account replied: “We’re not reporters, just bad memers”
Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America
A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland
www.theguardian.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
When a Guardian reporter pointed out on social media that the image was not a genuine photograph of the generally small and tame protests outside the ICE field office in Portland, the Oregon Republican Party’s X account replied: “We’re not reporters, just bad memers”
This is a history post that points to the rise of the New Apostolic Restoration (NAR), a truly dangerous new movement that makes standard right-wing evangelicals look like cupcakes. NAR has a lot of clout in the Republican Party and Trump Administration. www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
This Is A Third Great Awakening?
Claims of a Third Great Awakening echo history—but today’s movement leans toward dominion, not unity, raising spiritual and civic concerns.
www.patheos.com
October 4, 2025 at 7:05 PM
This is a history post that points to the rise of the New Apostolic Restoration (NAR), a truly dangerous new movement that makes standard right-wing evangelicals look like cupcakes. NAR has a lot of clout in the Republican Party and Trump Administration. www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
Yom Kippur greetings. This is from Jewish Insider. The ADL said something disrespectful about Charlie Kirk.
October 2, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Yom Kippur greetings. This is from Jewish Insider. The ADL said something disrespectful about Charlie Kirk.
All the ways Pete Hegseth reminds me of every bad manager I've ever worked for. www.mahablog.com/2025/10/01/h...
How Not to Address the Military Brass - The Mahablog
Welcome to Day 1 of the shutdown. We'll see how it works out. It's telling, perhaps, that Chuck Schumer went ahead with it. Last March when he supported a continuing resolution he got slammed by other...
www.mahablog.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:30 PM
All the ways Pete Hegseth reminds me of every bad manager I've ever worked for. www.mahablog.com/2025/10/01/h...