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Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words Posts

Zines For Surviving Under Rising FascismA queer couple embrace in front of an antifa flag at a protest, as police look on. Vienna, Italy 2013.
We're all going to have to work together to help each other survive these emergencies. (Couple embraces in front of antifa flag, Verona, Italy, September 2013 by CitizenPost / Flickr, Creative Commons NonCommercial NoDerivatives license)
October 1, 2020
Kit
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Zines For Surviving Under Rising Fascism

Posted in Journalism

It’s becoming very obvious that we face a dangerous fight against fascism in the U.S. (and elsewhere).

Even though I’ve been sounding the alarm for a while, I’m still alarmed at the speed with which things are progressing towards a full blown authoritarian state, the rate of escalating fascist political violence, and the general feeling that we’re all less prepared than we should be.

This is just a brief post to say that what you are seeing happen in front of you is real and scary to me too. Don’t believe anybody who tries to tell you that you’re over-reacting.

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Any Journalist Can Become A Media Troll, Even ‘Neutral’ JournalistsA citizen journalist hangs on a light pole to get a better view of a protest as he films on a smartphone.
Journalists can't endanger movements then expect to be welcomed by protesters. (Photo: Seattle Women's March 2018, Cindy Shebley / Flickr, Creative Commons license)
September 25, 2020
Kit
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Any Journalist Can Become A Media Troll, Even ‘Neutral’ Journalists

Posted in Creative Commons, and Journalism

The First Amendment doesn’t grant you the right to film people’s faces or put protesters at risk without facing social consequences.

Recently, I’ve watched protesters turn increasingly hostile against some media, especially livestreamers. Even though I’m a journalist, I find myself agreeing with protesters that streamers can put them at risk.

Any journalist, even well meaning ones, can become a media troll if they endanger movements. And right now, as we face off with ascendant fascism, the potential risks to activists are very high.

Read moreAny Journalist Can Become A Media Troll, Even ‘Neutral’ Journalists
Best Hemp Pre-Rolls And Hemp Cigarettes Of 2020The hand of one person (wearing a diamond ring) accepts a smoking hemp pre-roll passed by another person's hand.
Smoking hemp pre-rolls can be relaxing. It's a very rapid way to feel the benefits of CBD. (Pixabay / Jeff W, public domain)
September 18, 2020
Kit
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Best Hemp Pre-Rolls And Hemp Cigarettes Of 2020

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Smoking hemp can be relaxing and calming, even pain relieving, and pre-rolls (“joints”) or hemp cigarettes make this experience even more convenient. That’s why we selected the best CBD pre-rolls for your enjoyment.

When we started this website, it was hard to even find CBD oil. Nowadays, there’s been an explosion in CBD products with thousands available on the market. Hemp flower is an especially fast-growing category. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, you can legally smoke hemp anywhere in the U.S. Many websites and stores now sell hemp in both “loose flower” (nuggets of smokable hemp) or pre-rolled hemp cigarettes (hemp joints or CBD pre-rolls). Some brands also now make cigarette style hemp smokes, which resemble the tobacco version but with less harmful contents.

Read moreBest Hemp Pre-Rolls And Hemp Cigarettes Of 2020
Fake CBD, CBD Scams & Other Bad IdeasA bottle of generic CBD oil, alongside some hemp leaves and hemp seeds, all sitting on natural-colored hemp fabric.
Some fake CBD oil products are made from hemp seed oil (instead of actual hemp extract). (Photo: Pixabay / Julia Teichmann, public domain)
August 8, 2020
Kit
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Fake CBD, CBD Scams & Other Bad Ideas

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Though there are hundreds of quality products available, the CBD market is flooded with scams, frauds, misleading products and just plain bad ideas.

Currently, the CBD market is completely unregulated. Almost anyone with some capital can get into the CBD business, and there’s been a glut of raw materials (raw hemp extract) available at falling prices over the past year, especially if you’re not too picky about the quality.

While we normally focus on the positive aspects of the industry, and the highest quality CBD products, we also think it’s important to warn our readers … and put pressure on the hemp industry to do better.

Read moreFake CBD, CBD Scams & Other Bad Ideas
Reminder: It’s Against The Law To Fire Austin’s Police ChiefPhoto: Austin Police guard the brick facade of APD headquarters as activists raise their fists during a Black Lives Matter protest.
It's against the law to fire Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, further proving that the police are unaccountable. (Photo: Unsplash / Charles Fair, public domain)
July 30, 2020
Kit
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Reminder: It’s Against The Law To Fire Austin’s Police Chief

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, and Journalism

Did you know it’s literally against the law to fire Austin’s chief of police?

I found myself tweeting this fact over and over again, each time some new fresh horror surfaced from Austin’s police force. So I thought I should write something too.

It would be an extraordinary fact at any time, but it seems worth repeating at this moment when so many people are demanding accountability from our nation’s police. One of the key forms of accountability under capitalism, firing a bad worker, is actually off limits.

Read moreReminder: It’s Against The Law To Fire Austin’s Police Chief