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June 24, 2017
Kit
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Religious Liberty, Bathroom Bigotry (Traitor Radio Podcast)

Posted in Audio, Journalism, LGBTQIA, and Traitor Radio

Increased visibility has become a double-edged sword for transgender, intersex and non-binary Americans, who are increasingly targeted by religious conservatives and Republican lawmakers. You’ve probably heard of “bathroom bills” like HB 2 in North Carolina, which force people to use public restrooms according to the gender they were assigned at birth. But in addition to playing bathroom police, politicians are also championing “religious liberty” legislation — bills that are, in actuality, just about letting people discriminate against trans, intersex, non-binary and other queer folk if they claim Jesus told them to.

We’re at a pivotal political moment, and allies must support trans, intersex, non-binary and queer activists in their fight for freedom. On this episode of Traitor Radio, we talk about how.

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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
You’re Never ‘Just’ A Journalist: Reporting From The Left & The Far Right (Gonzo Notes)
A photographer focuses his camera on a subject. (Unsplash / Dương Trần Quốc. free image)
June 20, 2017
Kit
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You’re Never ‘Just’ A Journalist: Reporting From The Left & The Far Right (Gonzo Notes)

Posted in Creative Commons, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

It’s a gift to be a journalist in this moment.

Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves. It’s the only way to get through.

Freelancers (like I am right now) spend every month counting our pennies, making sure we’ll make rent and have a little left over for food and coffee and the other vices of our profession. For those lucky few with a steady job, they’re wondering how long until downsizing and budget cuts will put them out on the street.

In addition to journalism’s grim financial picture, we’re finding ourselves targeted by the government and by far-right fascists for violence and repression in a way we haven’t faced in decades.

Read moreYou’re Never ‘Just’ A Journalist: Reporting From The Left & The Far Right (Gonzo Notes)
New Large Scale Study Proves Effectiveness Of CBD For Epilepsy
A young child with a pensive expression in a yellow shirt against a blue background. (Unsplash / Sean Gorman, free image)
June 19, 2017
Kit
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New Large Scale Study Proves Effectiveness Of CBD For Epilepsy

Posted in Ministry of Hemp

A newly released study adds more scientific evidence that CBD oil can relieve the symptoms of epilepsy.

Published May 2017 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the new research focuses on CBD as a treatment for Dravet syndrome, a complex and difficult to treat form of childhood epilepsy.

Worldwide, parents of kids with epilepsy, along with adult sufferers as well, are already using hemp-based CBD extract to great benefit. The medical establishment and the law, however, have been slower to catch up.

Read moreNew Large Scale Study Proves Effectiveness Of CBD For Epilepsy
No Platform For Islamophobia: How Austin Shut Down ‘March Against Sharia’ White Supremacist Rally
Activists celebrate as they claim the gate of the Texas Capitol in downtown Austin, Texas after drowning out an Islamophobic rally with a noise demonstration. Signs include "Austin <3 Muslims" and "All are welcome here!" June 10, 2017. (Flickr / Ann Harkness, CC license)
June 15, 2017
Kit
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No Platform For Islamophobia: How Austin Shut Down ‘March Against Sharia’ White Supremacist Rally

Posted in Austin, and Journalism

It was called the “March Against Sharia,” but thanks to a lot of very loud Austin activists this white supremacist gathering could barely speak, much less march through the city.

The openly Islamophobic gathering was part of a June 10 national day of action organized by ACT For America, a hate group that uses fearmongering about the mythological spread of “Sharia law” in America as a way to foment hatred and violence against Muslim people.

As with every similar gathering in Texas since the election, from the March 4 Trump to May Day, the event attracted a range of fascists, neo-nazis and far-right nationalists that makes these events virtually indistinguishable from one another. Whatever the ostensible reason for gathering, whether it’s expressing loyalty to the president or opposing immigrants, these events essentially promote the same white supremacist agenda.

Read moreNo Platform For Islamophobia: How Austin Shut Down ‘March Against Sharia’ White Supremacist Rally
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