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Tag: American politics

Middle Fingers Up In Austin After End of ‘Roe’Activists sit in the streets of downtown Austin, holding up their middle fingers towards the Texas Capitol, under a bright summer sun.
Austin took the streets to protest the end of Roe v. Wade. (Kit O'Connell)
June 25, 2022
Kit
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Middle Fingers Up In Austin After End of ‘Roe’

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and The Texas Observer

More than 1,000 people marched through downtown Austin on Friday, June 25 to express their anger and sadness over the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe V. Wade and the impending, widespread erosion of abortion access as a result.

Organized coalitions like Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights and others called for protesters to gather at the federal courthouse and in the surrounding Republic Square Park on the night after the Supreme Court decision came down. Word spread rapidly via social networks and posters affixed to lampposts throughout the city.

Read moreMiddle Fingers Up In Austin After End of ‘Roe’
We Didn’t Fix Austin (Or America)’s Nazi ProblemA massive supercell storm cloud forms in a funnel shape over the fields of Oklahoma.
Just looking at this photo causes me a twinge of fibromyalgia pain. (Unsplash / Raychel Sanner, public domain)
September 1, 2021
Kit
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We Didn’t Fix Austin (Or America)’s Nazi Problem

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, and Journalism

A friend that lives in Portland posted on his Facebook about the latest spasm of white supremacist violence that took place there.

Someone that I’ve a bunch of mutuals in common with responded. A sort-of-smug comment to the effect of “thank goodness we ran those people out of Austin, Texas!” And I’ll be honest, that comment shocked me: we did what?

The comment reminded me that this attitude is probably widespread in my city and across the country.

I asked myself, are there people in this country that go days without thinking about the rise of fascism and the collapse of the climate? What must that be like?

Read moreWe Didn’t Fix Austin (Or America)’s Nazi Problem
Anyone Can Adopt Any Activist Tactics: A Spencer Sunshine InterviewA photo of a banner drop on an overpass, but the banner has been pixellated to make it illegible. Three small figures are visible behind the banner, attaching it to the bridge.
Banner drops and other tactics don't "belong" to the Left. (From a 350 dot org image on Flickr, CC NC SA license)
March 17, 2021
Kit
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Anyone Can Adopt Any Activist Tactics: A Spencer Sunshine Interview

Posted in Creative Commons, and Journalism

Activists sometimes forget that anyone can use tactics like banner drops, including the fascist far right.

Late in 2020 and in the first days of 2021, I spoke twice to Spencer Sunshine, a researcher of the far right and ways to oppose them. I included “40 Ways To Fight Fascists,” the zine he co-wrote with PopMob, in my Virtual Gonzo Zine Library.

Since Trump’s election, I’ve noticed more American fascists using tactics traditionally associated with leftist activism, like banner drops or wheatpasting. Patriot Front is one of several groups that frequently drops banners, with messages in support of white supremacy, from buildings and overpasses.

Read moreAnyone Can Adopt Any Activist Tactics: A Spencer Sunshine Interview
Taking Space Feels Like A Drug: Reflections On A Coup AttemptSoftgel capsules full of glitter and sparkly confetti.
Will the buzz of participating in a coup attempt be worth the hangover after? (Flickr / Rawpixel Ltd, CC license)
January 11, 2021
Kit
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Taking Space Feels Like A Drug: Reflections On A Coup Attempt

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Occupy Wall Street

After watching the coup, I keep imagining the feeling of breaking through. The rush. The giddy high of taking space.

Like so many antifascists, I saw something like this coming. I wasn’t surprised, but I was still shocked at the sight of a war-helmeted christofascist raising his fist in the air as he stood atop the heart of American political power.

And I keep coming back to how good they must feel. These nasty fucking fascists, white supremacists, and Qsuckers are riding one of the biggest highs of their lives. And that makes them even more dangerous.

Read moreTaking Space Feels Like A Drug: Reflections On A Coup Attempt
August 1, 2019
Kit
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Kit Defends Antifascism on TV, Helps Uphold Betteridge’s Law

Posted in Journalism, and Video

Earlier this week, I appeared on The Newsmakers, a show on TRT World, which is an international version of a Turkish government TV station. A producer from Newsmakers invited me to defend antifascism. They framed the episode around the recent threats by Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and other right wing fascists, to declare “ANTIFA” as terrorists.

Read moreKit Defends Antifascism on TV, Helps Uphold Betteridge’s Law
Hemp Water Wars Won: Montana Hemp Farmer Earns Right To IrrigateA water bird flies over the blue waters of Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana, seen from the rocky and grassy shore. The blue sky is partly cloudy.
Montana Hemp Farmer Kim Phillips won the right to irrigate her crops using water from the Canyon Ferry Reservoir. (Flickr / Mark Holloway, CC-BY license)
October 17, 2018
Kit
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Hemp Water Wars Won: Montana Hemp Farmer Earns Right To Irrigate

Posted in Hemp Magazine, and Journalism

In late May, Montana hemp farmer Kim Phillips finally learned that her long struggle with the federal government was over: She had won the right to irrigate her crops with federal water.

“They tried every which way to stop it, but I lucked out and would not back down,” Phillips said.

On May 31, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation informed Phillips that they would allow her access to federal water for use on her hemp fields. The news came just in time, as hemp growing season was right around the corner.

Read moreHemp Water Wars Won: Montana Hemp Farmer Earns Right To Irrigate