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‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections
At a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site, Native American activists chained to construction equipment hold a banner that reads "Water Is Our First Medicine." (Flickr / Prachatal)
September 8, 2016
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‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The corporation behind the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline also operates its own political action committee that has a record of donating to the campaigns of candidates who support the company’s pro-corporate, pro-fossil fuels agenda in Congress.

However, the political war chest of the Energy Transfer Partners PAC amounts to pennies compared to the wealth of Kelcy Warren, the chairman and CEO, who has spent millions becoming one of the most politically powerful oil tycoons in Texas.

“Unlike the federal system, here in the state of Texas, for state candidates, there are no limits on campaign contributions. We call it the Wild West of money in politics,” Andrew Wheat told MintPress News.

Read more‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections
Amid Opioid Overdose Epidemic, DEA Wants To Ban A Popular Plant-Based Treatment For Addiction
The leaves of a kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa) plant. (Wikimedia Commons / ThorPorre) (Wikimedia Commons / ThorPorre)
September 6, 2016
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Amid Opioid Overdose Epidemic, DEA Wants To Ban A Popular Plant-Based Treatment For Addiction

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

The Drug Enforcement Administration appears set to schedule kratom, a plant used in traditional medicine in Southeast Asia that has gained popularity in the United States as a chronic pain management tool and a way to kick opiate addiction.

On Aug. 31, the DEA announced the impending kratom ban, due to take effect on Sept. 30. At that time, kratom will join other “Schedule I” substances like heroin, cocaine and cannabis which the government deems both dangerous and lacking in medical use.

In the statement, the DEA says the plant’s “active materials” pose an “imminent hazard to public safety.” Advocates for the plant’s continued legal use argue otherwise, saying kratom is a safe alternative to opioid painkillers that has already helped ease withdrawals symptoms for thousands of people weaning themselves off of other addictive substances.

Read moreAmid Opioid Overdose Epidemic, DEA Wants To Ban A Popular Plant-Based Treatment For Addiction
Boycott, But Then What? CodePink Wants You To Build A New, Local Peace Economy
At a CodePink rally in Washington, D.C., activists hold a "Don't Bomb Iran" banner. September 15, 2007. (Flickr / CodePink Women For Peace / Jes Richardson)
September 5, 2016
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Boycott, But Then What? CodePink Wants You To Build A New, Local Peace Economy

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Boycotts are a powerful tool in the arsenals of those seeking justice and a better world.

And while financial divestment from corporations can successfully pressure them to change their most harmful practices, divestment represents just the beginning of the long, difficult work of building a new, alternate economy that puts people and sustainability first.

“What we’re trying to do is encourage people to be more aware of and reflect on how we’re all invested in a war-like, violent, capitalist economy,” Mendoza Castillo, director of Economic Activism at CodePink, told MintPress News in an interview about her Local Peace Economy initiative.

Read moreBoycott, But Then What? CodePink Wants You To Build A New, Local Peace Economy
Israel And Honduras Enter New, Blood-Soaked Military Alliance To Support State-Sponsored Terrorism
Israeli soldiers aim rifles during a large-scale military exercise on October 30, 2014. (Flickr / Israel Defense Forces / Gadi Yampel)
August 29, 2016
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Israel And Honduras Enter New, Blood-Soaked Military Alliance To Support State-Sponsored Terrorism

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Israel and Honduras announced a new security agreement this month in which Israel will supply weapons and training to the Honduran military.

Honduras is ruled by an oppressive and murderous regime that took power after a 2009 coup, and the agreement marks just the latest chapter in Israel’s long, bloody history of arming Central American despots.

The deal, inked on Aug. 20, would dramatically upgrade the Honduran regime’s offensive capabilities.

Read moreIsrael And Honduras Enter New, Blood-Soaked Military Alliance To Support State-Sponsored Terrorism
UPDATE: British Judge Rules Alleged Hacktivist Lauri Love Can Be Extradited To US
Lauri Love smiles at the camera, wearing a winter hat and a pair of headphones on his neck. (Facebook / Free Lauri Love)
August 17, 2016
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UPDATE: British Judge Rules Alleged Hacktivist Lauri Love Can Be Extradited To US

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Lauri Love, an alleged British hacktivist, faces extradition to the U.S. over charges of supporting deceased programmer and activist Aaron Swartz.

In an interview with MintPress News, Naomi Colvin, a U.K.-based campaigner for the Courage Foundation, which supports hacktivist and whistleblower political prisoners, says Love could suffer a similar fate to Swartz if he’s extradited.

“There’s a blatant and rather unpleasant irony in that for allegedly protesting against the prosecutorial conduct and coercive plea bargaining that took place in Aaron Swartz’s case, he’s now facing exactly the same kind of treatment himself,” Colvin told us.

Read moreUPDATE: British Judge Rules Alleged Hacktivist Lauri Love Can Be Extradited To US
‘Which Side Are You On?’ Rapper B. Dolan On Corporate Power & Making Racists Afraid Again
B. Dolan performs at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on july 11, 2015. (Flickr / Tony Pacitti)
August 15, 2016
Kit
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‘Which Side Are You On?’ Rapper B. Dolan On Corporate Power & Making Racists Afraid Again

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and SXSW

B. Dolan was my favorite discovery of SXSW, an unabashedly political rapper from Rhode Island, and also an anti-corporate activist with Knowmore.org. I caught him during the same show where I saw Wheelchair Sports Camp and I knew we’d have to talk more.

It took until early last month before we finally connected with an interview, and then another month (thanks to the distracting spectacle of the election) before I finally put his words up on my site.

Thanks, B. Dolan, for taking the time to talk, and for your patience in seeing this published!

Kit O’Connell, Approximately 8,000 Words: Talk to me about what it’s like to play a huge commercial event like SXSW, especially the impact it can have good and bad on a community or your career. We had anti-gentrification protests at the event this year, in fact — is this something you take into consideration, as a politically aware musician?

Read more‘Which Side Are You On?’ Rapper B. Dolan On Corporate Power & Making Racists Afraid Again