Skip to content

Tag: American politics

Beyond The Dumpster Fire: Political Predictions For 2018
A worn analog alarm clock with a water-stained face sits atop a cracked wooden surface. (Pixabay / Monoar, public domain)
January 6, 2018
Kit
Leave a Comment

Beyond The Dumpster Fire: Political Predictions For 2018

Posted in Creative Commons, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

2017 was a challenging year, but one that was actually rewarding on a personal level.

I began the year by losing my job at MintPress News, but by the end of the 2017 I’d accepted a position as editor of Ministry of Hemp, a niche media site that’s still in its early stages but rapidly growing into a respected voice.

I started Gonzo Notes in late 2016, and during 2017 it reached many new people and became an important part of my monthly output. One issue, “What Are The Antifa Doing After Harvey?” was quoted internationally.  My writing career continues to grow more rewarding in all kinds of ways, especially in the feedback and support I get from my readers.

Read moreBeyond The Dumpster Fire: Political Predictions For 2018
What Were The Most Important Hemp Stories Of 2017?
The top of an agricultural hemp plant growing in a field. (Pixabay / herbalhemp, public domain)
December 30, 2017
Kit
Leave a Comment

What Were The Most Important Hemp Stories Of 2017?

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

2017 was an exciting year for supporters of hemp.

The stigma surrounding this plant has continued to decrease as more and more people discover hemp’s almost limitless uses. While hemp isn’t completely legal in the U.S. (yet), there’s growing bipartisan support in Congress, and at every level of our government, in support of full legalization.

And since we’re big fans of CBD oil, a healing supplement made from hemp, we were thrilled that more people learned about CBD and its many benefits. Global attitudes are changing too, with some of the most influential authorities on international drug policy also changing their tune about CBD in 2017.  

Read moreWhat Were The Most Important Hemp Stories Of 2017?
Don’t Wait To Take The Streets, Don’t Wait To Organize (Gonzo Notes)
An armored and helmeted riot cop menacingly holds a shield as he movs down a street blocked by police vehicles. Washington, D.C. January 20, 2017. (Flickr / Joe Catron, CC NC license)
November 24, 2017
Kit
Leave a Comment

Don’t Wait To Take The Streets, Don’t Wait To Organize (Gonzo Notes)

Posted in Creative Commons, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

A year after Donald Trump’s election and, despite everything that’s happened, some on the left want the “resistance” to stay home.

No one expected all of the thousands upon thousands who came out for the Women’s March and other inaugural protests to stay engaged, but many have remained, protesting outside lawmakers offices against brutal cuts to health care or inhumane tax plans. Others have organized around radical, anarchist, socialist, and antifascist movements and issues of all kinds.

Overall though, the picture is grim despite some recent electoral victories (for those who put stock in voting). Each day brings some new atrocity or takes us a step closer to a pointless, brutal new war with whomever President Skidmark offends on Twitter.

Read moreDon’t Wait To Take The Streets, Don’t Wait To Organize (Gonzo Notes)
What Can We Learn From Hemp Legalization In Canada?
A scenic view of a Canadian farm on the shore of a lake, with a stunning view of mountains behind. (Pixabay / 12019, public domain)
November 14, 2017
Kit
Leave a Comment

What Can We Learn From Hemp Legalization In Canada?

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

“My best advice is walk before you run.”

When it comes to the agricultural hemp, Shaun Crew knows more than most about what it takes to be successful. The president and founder of Hemp Oil Canada, he’s been in the hemp business longer than nearly anyone in his country and he’s seen the many hurdles the industry had to overcome since growing returned to Canada.

While industrial hemp returned to the United States on limited terms in 2014, all Canadians have been allowed to grow hemp since 1998, though the plant remains more restricted than other crops. Today, about 100,000 acres of hemp are grown annually in Canada according to experts we interviewed, and hemp is a well-established industry with government support.

Read moreWhat Can We Learn From Hemp Legalization In Canada?
‘I Feel Like A Political Orphan’: Talking Sex Work & Cannabis With Mistress Matisse
A wooden swing hangs over lush green grass. A single green leaf sits on the swing. (Pixabay / Skitterphoto, public domain)
October 20, 2017
Kit
Leave a Comment

‘I Feel Like A Political Orphan’: Talking Sex Work & Cannabis With Mistress Matisse

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Sex & Relationships

“The idea that we’re protecting people by keeping sex work illegal is ridiculous,” Mistress Matisse told me. “We’re protecting no one like that.”

I’ve been a fan of Mistress Matisse for years, since I discovered her through her column “Control Tower,” which ran until 2011 in “The Stranger,” the same publication as Dan Savage’s classic sex advice column “Savage Love.” Along with a calendar of sex-positive events in Seattle (which I’d fantasize about attending from miles away Texas), “Control Tower” offered sensible advice on BDSM, kink, and nontraditional relationships.

Matisse is a pro-domme, an outspoken advocate for sex workers’ rights and, most recently, a cannabis entrepreneur. Her unique water-based THC and CBD-infused lube, Velvet Swing, is available for sale in Washington state. While Matisse reached out to me to promote Velvet Swing, I knew there’s a lot more to her than just giving people better orgasms by getting their genitals buzzed.

I most wanted to hear her thoughts on our bizarre political moment.

Read more‘I Feel Like A Political Orphan’: Talking Sex Work & Cannabis With Mistress Matisse
On Punching Nazis & Forbidden Knowledge In 2017 (#GonzoNotes)
In 1933, Nazis burned 10,000s of journals, books and documents from the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, an institution devoted to studying gender & sexuality and an early proponent of transgender rights. (Wikimedia Commons / National Archives & Records Administration, Public domain)
October 18, 2017
Kit
Leave a Comment

On Punching Nazis & Forbidden Knowledge In 2017 (#GonzoNotes)

Posted in Gonzo Notes, Journalism, and LGBTQIA

Almost a month ago, in broad daylight in a busy urban neighborhood in Houston, nazis tried to shut down a book fair.

If you follow me online, you’ve heard about this incident: a group of about two dozen nazis targeted the Houston Anarchist Bookfair while I taught a class on antifascism (called “Punching Nazis”) inside. The volunteer security team prevented them from entering the building, and they left after throwing a temper tantrum for their livestream viewers. The book fair, and my class, continued after a brief but terrifying interruption.

Master gaslighters, as always, the nazis began their livestream by declaring themselves to be “peaceful,” then stood outside a community center armed with tactical gloves demanding that I — they called for me by name — come out and fight them. The bookfair’s organizers pointed out the likely results if we’d been drawn into a fight:

Read moreOn Punching Nazis & Forbidden Knowledge In 2017 (#GonzoNotes)