October 2016 - Page 3 of 4 - Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words

Interview with Black Tower Radio: Syrian No-Fly Zone, Booz Allen Hamilton

Vladimir Putin meets with Russian army soldiers. September 19, 2015. (Wikimedia Commons / Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)

October 13, 2016

Kit

Leave a Comment

Interview with Black Tower Radio: Syrian No-Fly Zone, Booz Allen Hamilton

Posted in Journalism, MintPress News, and Occupy Wall Street

Both the Democrats and Republican party tickets are calling for a no-fly zone in Syria, even though this could provoke a nuclear war with Russia in a worst-case scenario. Meanwhile, the mainstream media, and even many “progressive” news outlets are beating the drums of war. And who is Booz Allen Hamilton, the NSA contractor linked in two significant leaks of classified information?

On Wednesday, I made my monthly appearance on Black Tower Radio to touch on overlooked or poorly reported news. Also mentioned in our discussion: Occupy Austin, independent journalist Vanessa Beeley’s reports from Aleppo, and Tim Shorrock’s reporting on the NSA’s “Private Spies.”

‘Fuck It, I Quit’: News Anchor-Turned-Cannabis Advocate Faces 54 Years In Prison

Charlo Greene at a cannabis convention. (Facebook / Charlo Greene)

October 13, 2016

Kit

Leave a Comment

‘Fuck It, I Quit’: News Anchor-Turned-Cannabis Advocate Faces 54 Years In Prison

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Charlo Greene, the local news anchor from Alaska who became a viral sensation for quitting her job while voicing her support for cannabis legalization during a live broadcast, now faces decades in prison on a growing list of drug-related charges.

“Fuck it, I quit,” Greene famously declared live on KTVA on Sept. 22, 2014 at the end of a report on the Alaska Cannabis Club. In addition to revealing that she was actually the owner of the club, she said she was leaving the station to work on the business and push for cannabis law reform full-time.

In the November 2014 election, Alaska became the third state to legalize recreational cannabis, but Greene stands accused of illegally selling the drug in the time between when the vote to legalize took place and the state fully implemented the law. Alaskan police conducted multiple raids and undercover investigations of the club.

US Condemns Latest Israeli Land Grab, Still Offers $38B In Military Aid

Israeli soldiers guard settlers at a checkpoint in Palestine. September 24, 2011. (Flickr / Andrew E. Larsen)

October 12, 2016

Kit

Leave a Comment

US Condemns Latest Israeli Land Grab, Still Offers $38B In Military Aid

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Just months after agreeing to a record-breaking U.S. military aid package, Israel announced a major new expansion of its illegal settlements in the West Bank of Gaza.

In July, the United States agreed to give Israel $38 billion in military aid over the next 10 years, a dramatic increase from current aid levels. On Sept. 28, the Israeli foreign ministry announced plans to create 98 new housing units in the West Bank of Gaza, drawing condemnation from both the United Nations and the U.S. State Department.

“We strongly condemn the Israeli government’s recent decision to advance a plan that would create a significant new settlement deep in the West Bank,” Mark Toner, deputy State Department spokesperson, said in a statement published online on Oct. 5.

Booz Allen Hamilton: NSA’s ‘Digital Blackwater’ A Sign Of Deep Ties Between US Gov’t & Private Spies

A stencil by Banksy on a wall opposite a surveillance camera reads, "What are you looking at?" (Flickr / nolifebeforecoffee) (Flickr / nolifebeforecoffee)

October 8, 2016

Kit

Leave a Comment

Booz Allen Hamilton: NSA’s ‘Digital Blackwater’ A Sign Of Deep Ties Between US Gov’t & Private Spies

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Booz Allen Hamilton, a powerful government contractor at the heart of multiple leaks of classified material from the NSA, also spends big on D.C. lobbying, and its employees have given generously to presidential campaigns this election cycle.

In light of Booz Allen Hamilton’s role in two major leaks of government surveillance secrets, the corporation’s lobbying efforts and its employees’ campaign contributions reflect the deep ties between private corporations and the U.S. government and its national intelligence apparatus.

In August, the FBI quietly arrested Harold Thomas Martin, a Booz Allen Hamilton contractor, for stealing classified documents. News of his arrest finally surfaced last week. Martin may have been responsible for the leak of a suite of malware tools that the NSA uses to secretly access computers.

Noam Chomsky: US Had A ‘Pretty Supportive Attitude’ Toward Fascism In 1930s

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, 1937. (Wikimedia Commons / United States Holocaust Memorial Museum / Muzej Revolucije Narodnosti Jugoslavije)

October 7, 2016

Kit

Leave a Comment

Noam Chomsky: US Had A ‘Pretty Supportive Attitude’ Toward Fascism In 1930s

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

While the typical narrative of American history positions the United States as a supporter of democracy and opponent of fascism which helped to defeat the Nazis, key figures in Washington also supported dangerous dictators in Italy and Germany in their early days of power.

Noam Chomsky, the renowned political philosopher, historian and scholar, examined the flip side of U.S. opposition to dictatorship in a conversation with Zain Raza, a senior editor at the independent media outlet acTVism Munich. An excerpt from the conversation was published Sept. 30 as part of acTVism Munich’s “Reexamining History” series.

Speaking to Raza about Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, Chomsky said President Franklin Roosevelt was “pretty supportive of Mussolini’s fascism.”

Poking The Bear: Dems & Reps Court War With Russia By Supporting Syrian No-Fly Zone

A group of Russian army soldiers stand near an armored vehicle during a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. November 1, 1996. (Wikimedia / Department of Defense / SPC Alejandro Cabello)

October 7, 2016

Kit

Leave a Comment

Poking The Bear: Dems & Reps Court War With Russia By Supporting Syrian No-Fly Zone

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

During Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Republican nominee Gov. Mike Pence called for a no-fly zone in Syria, a sign of growing bipartisan support for a measure that military experts have warned could ultimately provoke war with Russia.

It’s an alarming prospect that comes amid rising tensions between the two superpowers, and some suggest it could even lead to a devastating exchange of nuclear weapons.

“The United States of America needs to be prepared to work with our allies in the region to create a route for safe passage [for humanitarian aid] and then to protect people in those areas, including with a no-fly zone,” Pence saidduring a discussion of the crisis in Syria and a proposal for creating humanitarian “safe zones.”