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Tag: American politics

Texas Legislature Special Session, Activism & Respect For Politicians (Black Tower Radio)
Activists in pink t-shirts enter the Texas House on on a day of lobbying for Planned Parenthood. July 31, 2017. (Kit O'Connell, Creative Commons license)
August 2, 2017
Kit
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Texas Legislature Special Session, Activism & Respect For Politicians (Black Tower Radio)

Posted in Audio, Austin, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

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

Texas Republicans ensured that the legislature would close earlier this year with crucial business unfinished, forcing Gov. Greg Abbott to call for a special session that reopens the door to unpopular issues like new abortion restrictions, attacks on transgender rights, and even new laws restricting unions, Planned Parenthood, and the protection of historic trees.

Also, what respect do we owe politicians and government officials? What kinds of activism are appropriate when human lives and the planet are at stake?

Read moreTexas Legislature Special Session, Activism & Respect For Politicians (Black Tower Radio)
Do We Owe Politicians Our Respect? (Respect Is Earned #GonzoNotes)
During a Black Lives Matter protest in the streets of New York City, an activist holds a sign reading "Rational people against untenable arguments." December 13, 2014. (Flickr / Ella CC NC license)
July 31, 2017
Kit
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Do We Owe Politicians Our Respect? (Respect Is Earned #GonzoNotes)

Posted in Creative Commons, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

If they won’t let us dream, we won’t let them sleep

Time and again, one of the resounding criticisms of activist movements from the right and from the center-left is our lack of decorum.

While we sometimes acknowledge that acts of resistance can be effective, we’ve sanded all the rough edges off of our memories of these moments. Frequently cited are the successes of the Black Civil Rights movement, but in the popular imagination their victories were won by respectful, soft-spoken men and women dressed in suits, calmly advocating for their rights.

Read moreDo We Owe Politicians Our Respect? (Respect Is Earned #GonzoNotes)
What Is Hempcrete? And Democrats Resistance To Change (Black Tower Radio Interview)An activist waves a yellow and black Occupy Wall Street flag in New York City on March 23, 2012.
An activist waves a yellow and black Occupy Wall Streeet flag in New York City on March 23, 2012. (Flickr / B.C. Lorio, CC NC ND license)
July 13, 2017
Kit
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What Is Hempcrete? And Democrats Resistance To Change (Black Tower Radio Interview)

Posted in Act Out!, Audio, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

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

Hempcrete is a simple and unique building material that creates sustainable, durable, and healthy homes. Leigh Humphries, a student at Cape Fear Community College in North Carolina used hempcrete to create a unique doghouse as her final project, but hempcrete is not just for dogs. It’s appearing in more and more buildings across the United States.

Plus, the Democrats are calling for a “summer of resistance” but the history of the party suggests they’re unable to embrace real progressive change. We look back at the history of the Wisconsin Uprising, and examine the problems in modern democracy.

Read moreWhat Is Hempcrete? And Democrats Resistance To Change (Black Tower Radio Interview)
June 22, 2017
Kit
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The Democrats’ ‘Resistance Summer’ Is Really Resistance To Change

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

We’ve got a hot summer ahead, and I don’t just mean record-breaking temperatures thanks to climate change.

Assuming the fuck-ups in the GOP clown car, currently careening out of control across our nation, can get their act together, we’re poised to see devastating legislation targeting some of the most vulnerable people in America. People are angry, and ready to active against the system, in a way we haven’t seen in years.

And huddling in corner number two — are the Democrats. And despite their feeble attempts at both resistance and distinct alternatives, their proposed “Resistance Summer” is designed to attract new activists and bring a flood of new liberal voters to the polls in upcoming elections.

Despite the catchy, chic, goes-with-a-beach-tote name, we’ve seen this sort of thing before from the Democrats. Indeed, while the party claims to support progressive causes, Democrats have a long history of sucking the life out of grassroots movements, taking their momentum for revolutionary change and directing the energy back into the American status quo at the ballot box.

Read moreThe Democrats’ ‘Resistance Summer’ Is Really Resistance To Change
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
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