Kit O'Connell

A gonzo journalist from Austin, Texas and Staff Writer for MintPress News, Kit O'Connell's writing has also appeared at Truthout, the Texas Observer, and The Establishment.

From Bathroom Bills To Islamophobia: It’s All Connected In America’s Anti-Diversity Backlash

‘There’s a lot of profit in paranoia,’ said the author of a report linking Islamophobia to a right-wing agenda that promotes the interests of the country’s shrinking white majority amid a dramatic demographic shift.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
The LGBT Congressional Staff Association, the Congressional Muslim Staff Association, and members of Congress gather for a prayer and moment of silence on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 13, 2016.

AUSTIN, Texas --- From anti-Muslim legislation to violence targeting mosques and those who worship there, it’s clear that Islamophobia is on the rise in the United States. While opponents of Muslims’ religious freedom often cite terrorist attacks carried out by religious extremists to justify their bigotry, analysis of the sources of

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Texas Prison Objects To Ruling That It Must Provide Arsenic-Free Water To Prisoners Amidst Deadly Heat

The judge sharply criticized the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and prison officials for failing to maintain ‘contemporary standards of decency’ in the unit.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
A prison guard on horseback watches inmates return from a farm work detail at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La.

AUSTIN, Texas --- As summer sun sends temperatures soaring across much of the country, a federal judge has ordered the Lone Star State to stop giving poisonous drinking water to some of its most vulnerable prisoners. On June 21, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison gave prison officials 15 days to replace the arsenic-laden water supply at the

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Israel Cutting Palestinians Off From Their Own Water Supply

According to an experienced reporter on Palestine, 50 percent of the water to a city of 40,000 people has been cut off during Ramadan, a time ‘when people need to have access to food and water more than any other time.’

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Palestinians fill empty bottles of water at the New Gaza Boys United Nations School. Israel controls access to Palestinian aquifers, and has been restricting access to local residents.

JERUSALEM --- Apartheid Israel is limiting access to water in Palestine, a long-standing practice that’s only intensified during the holy month of Ramadan, when access to water becomes even more important than usual. Cuts in water supply are hitting the Occupied West Bank especially hard, Al-Jazeera reported on June 23. “Water shortages and

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Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Movement Urges Carlos Santana To Cancel Tel Aviv Concert

The concert, scheduled for July 30, would mark Carlos Santana’s first appearance in Israel in 29 years.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Can BDS Movement Stop Carlos Santana From Getting So Smooth In Apartheid Israel?

AUSTIN, Texas --- Opponents of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine are urging superstar guitarist Carlos Santana to support their boycott of Israel’s apartheid policies. Santana’s Luminosity Tour is scheduled to stop in Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park on July 30, but activists from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement are hoping

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House Passes Koch-Backed Bill Aimed At Opening Doors To Foreign Donors, Dark Money

‘The Republican majority believes the more hidden money in politics, the better,’ proclaimed a prominent Democratic opponent of the bill, which is likely to stall in the Senate or face President Obama’s veto.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
David Koch, Executive Vice President of Koch Industries, Inc., attends The Economic Club of New York, Monday, Dec. 10, 2012.

WASHINGTON --- Rather than following the lead of prominent advocates for campaign finance reform, the House of Representatives recently voted to make American politics less transparent than ever. The issue of the influence of so-called “dark money” on politics -- hidden, high-dollar donations made possible by reforms to campaign finance law like

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Oaxaca Protests Swell Over Police Killings And Neoliberal Education Reforms

The reforms would institute nationwide standardized testing, similar to programs that have been controversial in the United States. They would also threaten the “normal” school system, a traditional system of teacher-training colleges whose graduates often promote a social and economic justice agenda.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell

AUSTIN, Texas --- A brutal attack on protesters in Mexico has drawn expressions of solidarity from around the world, including a vigil held on Thursday at the Texas State Capitol. At least eight civilians were killed and dozens injured on June 20, when police opened fire on a group of teachers, students and their allies blocking a section of

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ACLU & Anti-Poverty Campaign Sue Philadelphia Over The Right To Protest At DNC

The ACLU of Pennsylvania’s executive director said free speech rights are especially vital during political conventions: ‘It is vital to our democracy that there be every opportunity for public participation in that national conversation.’

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Chris Kite with the Community Singers speaks with one person listening, in the "Free Speech Area," during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

PHILADELPHIA --- The ACLU of Pennsylvania is suing the City of Philadelphia after anti-poverty activists were denied the right to protest during next month’s Democratic National Convention. The NGO is suing on behalf of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. The interracial, intergenerational movement to end poverty is led by activist

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