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Category: Journalism

Audio: Reportback from June 10 Anti-Muslim Rally Shutdown In Austin, Texas
Masked and helmeted antifascist activists face off with Texas State Troopers in riot armor at a June 10, 2017 counter-protest to the anti-Muslim "March Against Sharia" in Austin, Texas. (Flickr / Ann Harkness, CC license)
June 15, 2017
Kit
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Audio: Reportback from June 10 Anti-Muslim Rally Shutdown In Austin, Texas

Posted in Audio, Austin, and Journalism

In this audio reportback, It’s Going Down speaks with Kit O’Connell, of the OSWN Collective in Austin, Texas. In the interview, we discuss what happened on June 10th, and how a group of anarchists and antifascists were able to shut down a anti-Muslim rally attended by neo-Nazis and Alt-Right ‘Stickmen.’

Kit explains the context of what is happening in Austin, going back several months to talk about numerous armed demonstrations that the far-Right and Alt-Right have organized, and how people in Austin and Texas moreover have responded. We also talk about the recent debacle in Houston, where Alt-Right trolls created the threat of a fake antifascist rally to fleece far-Right supporters of thousands of dollars through crowdfunding. Popcorn time!

We end by talking about the nuts and bolts of the demonstration, how and why it was a success, and what went into making it so.

Read moreAudio: Reportback from June 10 Anti-Muslim Rally Shutdown In Austin, Texas
Hemp Is Rebuilding Agriculture In America’s Conservative Tobacco Country
An abandoned farmhouse stands in a desolate field against a gray sky. A dead tree appears to the left. (Unsplash / Markus Petritz, public domain)
June 9, 2017
Kit
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Hemp Is Rebuilding Agriculture In America’s Conservative Tobacco Country

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Hemp is reviving agriculture where tobacco was once traditionally grown.

Tobacco is still a multi-million dollar industry, but its fortunes have fallen greatly due to changes in laws and growing social stigma around smoking and its effects on human health.

At the same time, the excellent climate in many tobacco-growing states make industrial hemp, the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana, a near-perfect replacement.

Read moreHemp Is Rebuilding Agriculture In America’s Conservative Tobacco Country
Donald Trump’s Budget, The Disappearance Of ‘Hemp For Victory’ (Black Tower Radio Interview)
A wild hemp plant growing at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. (Wikimedia Commons / US Fish & Wildlife Service, public domain)
June 7, 2017
Kit
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Donald Trump’s Budget, The Disappearance Of ‘Hemp For Victory’ (Black Tower Radio Interview)

Posted in Audio, Journalism, Lee Camp, and Ministry of Hemp

On the first Wednesday of every month, I appear on Black Tower Radio to discuss my latest journalism.

Donald Trump’s proposed budget would hurt the poor young people, the disabled, and children the most. How can people like this claim to be “pro-life” with a straight face?

Also discussed: How the USDA made “Hemp For Victory” to encourage patriotic hemp growing, and then made the same film disappear after World War II. Hemp growing is returning to the USA, but slowly — what’s keeping it from booming?

Read moreDonald Trump’s Budget, The Disappearance Of ‘Hemp For Victory’ (Black Tower Radio Interview)
Why Austin (& The US) Must Resist Fascism & The March Against Sharia On June 10 (AUDIO)
Masked activists show their middle fingers during a protest in Sao Paolo, Brazil and February 22, 2014. (Flickr / dfactory, CC license)
June 6, 2017
Kit
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Why Austin (& The US) Must Resist Fascism & The March Against Sharia On June 10 (AUDIO)

Posted in Audio, Austin, and Journalism

On Tuesday, I appeared on the Smooth and Demented Show to discuss the March Against Sharia, an upcoming nationwide mobilization of the Islamophobic group ACT For America.

Islamophobia Monitor describes ACT For America as “an anti-Islam hate group.” According to its founder Brigitte] Gabriel, “‘every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim,’ a Muslim ‘cannot be a loyal citizen of the United States,’ and that Arabs ‘have no soul.’ She also argues that, ‘America is at stage two Islamic Cancer.'”

ACT has called for a nationwide “March Against Sharia” in cities all over the United States on Saturday, June 10. In addition to local supporters of ACT, we expect numerous neo-nazis, alt-right fascists, and dangerous 4chan trolls to mobilize for the event. It’s crucial that communities come out to support and protect their Muslim neighbors from this bigoted event which occurs during their holy month of Ramadan.

Read moreWhy Austin (& The US) Must Resist Fascism & The March Against Sharia On June 10 (AUDIO)
June 2, 2017
Kit
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What Is American Fascism And Who Are The Antifa?

Posted in Act Out!, Austin, Creative Commons, Journalism, and Video

You’ve seen them on TV: black clad activists marching against, and even openly fighting with neo-nazis, nationalists, and white supremacists. Since the election, antifascists have seemingly been everywhere online and in the media. Some call them terrorists, while others call them heroes, but really they’re just humans like you and me. Humans who hate fascism.

Who are the antifa, where did they come from aaaand what, really, is fascism anyway?

A question that’s no longer simply academic: across the U.S., and indeed, in Europe too, far right forces are growing in power. Whether they call themselves “nationalists” or claim to be opposed to “radical” Islam while targeting innocent Muslims for threats and violence, the bad old days are coming back round again on insanity’s loop.

Read moreWhat Is American Fascism And Who Are The Antifa?
Trump’s Budget Suckerpunches The Poor & Disabled; Democrats Respond With A Whimper
A huge "15" sculpture is held over a crowd of Fight For 15 activists in Columbus, Ohio on April 14, 2015. (Flickr / Stephen L, CC NC license)
May 30, 2017
Kit
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Trump’s Budget Suckerpunches The Poor & Disabled; Democrats Respond With A Whimper

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and Lee Camp

Pres. Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slash the social safety net to ribbons, while continuing the process of dismantling or privatizing virtually all parts of the U.S. government that don’t directly benefit the war machine.

In response, Bernie Sanders and the Democrats have come out SWINGING with a comprehensive and radical list of human-rights centered amendments. They’re even threatening to SHUT DOWN the government! …Just kidding. They promised to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024.

Read moreTrump’s Budget Suckerpunches The Poor & Disabled; Democrats Respond With A Whimper