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Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words Posts

Activists Beat Texas GOP With Social Media & Old-School Resistance Tactics
Kids hold signs inspired by "The Lorax" on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. August 2, 2017. (Defend Texas Trees, used with permission)
October 11, 2017
Kit
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Activists Beat Texas GOP With Social Media & Old-School Resistance Tactics

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, Journalism, and Yes! Magazine

Who could resist images of smiling children gathered under an ancient oak tree on the grounds of the Texas Capitol, transfixed by Democrat and Republican lawmakers doing a tag-team recitation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax?

Apparently not the good folks of Texas.

A broad coalition of environmental activists employed just such a strategy during a special session of the Texas Legislature this summer as a way of stealing the spotlight and defeating a bill meant to strip municipalities of their power to protect historic trees.

Read moreActivists Beat Texas GOP With Social Media & Old-School Resistance Tactics
Science Explains How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Arthritis
A pair of clay-stained hands work a clay mug or bowl on a potters wheel. (Pixabay / Lubos Houska, public domain image)
October 6, 2017
Kit
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Science Explains How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Arthritis

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the United States.

With almost half of adults 65 years and older experiencing some form of this painful disorder, it’s a condition many of us will experience if we live long enough. In all, the Arthritis Foundation, which compiled these facts on arthritis sufferers in the U.S., estimates that 50 million adults, and even 1 in 250 children, suffer from arthritis.

At Ministry of Hemp, we’re always curious if hemp, and especially CBD oil, can improve people’s quality of life. Previously, we’ve looked at how hemp can help the elderly live less stressful lives. We’ve also looked at whether cannabidiol (CBD) can help other medical conditions like chronic pain and epilepsy. Since arthritis is so common, we thought it deserved a closer look.

Read moreScience Explains How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Arthritis
Intersectional Left Collaboration In Texas, Nazis Attack A Book Fair (Black Tower Radio)
Painted banner reading "Houston Anarchist Bookfair" hangs from a fence outside a community center in Houston, Texas, before it was stolen by neo-nazis. September 24, 2017. (Houston Anarchist Bookfair)
October 4, 2017
Kit
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Intersectional Left Collaboration In Texas, Nazis Attack A Book Fair (Black Tower Radio)

Posted in Audio, Austin, and Journalism

In Kit’s latest appearance on Black Tower Radio, a discussion of a recent nazi attack on the Houston Anarchist Bookfair, where Kit was teaching a class on antifascism. Kit and Jake talk about diversity of tactics including antifa clowning.

Next, they pivot to a discussion of activists successful opposition to the Republican agenda during a recent special session of the Texas Legislature. Kit O’Connell also discusses the general ineffectiveness of the Texas government, which only meets for a few months every two years.

Read moreIntersectional Left Collaboration In Texas, Nazis Attack A Book Fair (Black Tower Radio)
White Nationalists Terrorize Houston Anarchist Book Fair (Alternet)
Masked fascists in matching khakis and white polo shirts gather outside the Houston Anarchist Bookfair 2017 on September 24, 2017. (Screenshot)
September 28, 2017
Kit
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White Nationalists Terrorize Houston Anarchist Book Fair (Alternet)

Posted in Journalism

Alex Reid Ross wrote up a detailed account of the nazi attack on the Houston Anarchist Bookfairfor Alternet (it’s also been picked up by Raw Story). 

I appreciate that Ross got so many quotes from others at the fair, including organizers, and that he highlighted the involvement of some well known white supremacists like William Fears and Robert Warren Ray, a.k.a. Azzmador:

Read moreWhite Nationalists Terrorize Houston Anarchist Book Fair (Alternet)
Nazis Target Kit’s Class At Houston Anarchist Bookfair 2017
Neo-nazis, most dressed in face masks, matching khaki pants and white polo shirts, lit flares and chanted while holding a racist banner outside the Houston Anarchist Bookfair on September 24, 2017. (Kit O'Connell, public domain image)
September 26, 2017
Kit
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Nazis Target Kit’s Class At Houston Anarchist Bookfair 2017

Posted in Journalism

On Sunday, I attended the Houston Anarchist Bookfair with my educational collective, Oh Shit! What Now? We offered a selection of zines and I taught my class on antifascism, called “Punching Nazis.”

Actual nazis from “Vanguard America” (recently rebranded as “Patriot Front), the same nazi party responsible for the death of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, attacked the bookfair during my class, and only the quick work of the volunteer security team kept the people inside safe from their attacks. Zach Despart, editor of the Houston Press, interviewed me about the incident:

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See Kit O’Connell On Sunday At The Houston Anarchist Bookfair
A possum snarls at the camera. (Pixabay / royguisinger, public domain)
September 22, 2017
Kit
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See Kit O’Connell On Sunday At The Houston Anarchist Bookfair

Posted in Archive, and Journalism

I’m appearing this Sunday at the Houston Anarchist Bookfair along with my educational collective, Oh Shit! What Now? I’ll teach a revised version of our class, “Punching Nazis” from 11:15am to 12:15pm at MECA Houston (1900 Kane St) on September 24, 2017. The event is free and open to the public.

Read moreSee Kit O’Connell On Sunday At The Houston Anarchist Bookfair