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 ABCs To CBD: New Jersey, Colorado Allow Students Medical Marijuana At School

‘It is criminal that this medicine isn’t available to every single citizen in the United States of America today,’ a member of the cannabis industry told MintPress News.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Stacey Linn jokes with her 15-year-old son, Jack, who has cerebral palsy, but is not allowed to wear a skin patch delivering a cannabis-derived treatment to school. A new Colorado law allowing medical marijuana use at public schools will be looked at by state lawmakers Monday because no school districts are allowing it even though the law says they can.

DENVER --- As more families press for their children to be allowed to consume medical cannabis at school, more states are moving toward allowing students access to the substance that remains banned at the federal level. Last week, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed “Jack’s Law,” which will allow students with a prescription to receive

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Saudi Arabia’s Threats Against UN Put Millions Of Middle Eastern Children At Risk

Over 1,000 children have died in the Saudi coalition’s attack on Yemen and hundreds of thousands face starvation, so how did the Gulf kingdom get removed from a U.N. blacklist of countries which kill children?

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
ing Salman bin Abdul Aziz, right, meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

UNITED NATIONS --- The Saudi-led attack on Yemen has drawn international criticism for the extremely high civilian death toll, including many children, and the brutal war crimes that have caused widespread starvation and suffering. So how did the Gulf kingdom and its allies get taken off a United Nations blacklist of countries which harm and

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Domestic Workers Remain Enslaved In Saudi Arabia: ‘I Thought They Would Kill Me’

Although the U.S. removed Saudi Arabia from a blacklist of countries involved in human trafficking last year, human rights experts say the problem remains widespread in the Gulf kingdom.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Relatives of Kasthuri Munirathinam, an Indian woman who lost an arm during an escape attempt from her Saudi employer. display a photo of her and copies of her employment documents, in Chennai, India, Oct. 24, 2015.

RIYADH --- Despite reassurances by U.S. government officials that Saudi Arabia is taking steps to end slavery within its borders, human rights experts believe the problem is still widespread, especially among the Gulf kingdom’s domestic workers. "I thought they would kill me. I had to escape. I wasn't given enough to eat. They had my wages, my

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Green Party Candidate Jill Stein Endorses BDS Movement As Dem- & GOP-Backed Bans Spread

The Green Party endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in 2005, and Dr. Jill Stein continues to support Palestinian liberation in her current presidential campaign.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Green Party candidate Jill Stein believes third parties, including the Green Party, are key to curing what ails democracy.

AUSTIN, Texas --- While members of both major political parties seek to oppress the free speech rights of human rights activists, the presumptive Green Party nominee is taking a stand against foreign wars and imperialism. On Monday, Dr. Jill Stein tweeted a link to a statement in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement,

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As Income Inequality Grows, Experts Consider Guaranteed Universal Income

Although economist Yanis Varoufakis called a guaranteed basic income a ‘wonderful experiment’ for a rich country like Switzerland, about 77 percent of voters there rejected the idea on Sunday.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
A pedestrian exits a subway station as a homeless man sleeps covered in cardboard packaging, outside the main railway station in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. The sewers around the railway station are a popular shelter for the town's many homeless, especially in the bitter Balkan winter weather. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

AUSTIN, Texas --- On Sunday, Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected the idea of a universal income, under which every resident would receive a monthly stipend, regardless of their employment status. Under the plan, every adult over 18 would have earned a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs (about $2,563). Children would have also received a

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Law Enforcement Lobby Succeeds In Killing California Transparency Bill

A legislative advocate at the ACLU of California told MintPress News that the state Legislature ‘caved to the tremendous influence and power of the law enforcement lobby’ and ‘failed to listen to the demands and concerns of everyday Californian people.’

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
California has some of the most secretive rules in the country when it comes to investigations into police misconduct and excessive use of force.

SACRAMENTO --- A California Senate committee killed a bill to increase transparency in police misconduct investigations, hampering victims’ efforts to obtain justice. Chauncee Smith, legislative advocate at the ACLU of California, told MintPress News that the state Legislature “caved to the tremendous influence and power of the law enforcement

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‘A Fig Leaf For The Occupation’: Israeli Human Rights Group Ends Cooperation With Israeli Military

“[T]he way in which the military law enforcement system functions precludes it … from achieving justice for the victims,” noted a report from B’Tselem, the human rights group which has ceased cooperating with Israeli military investigations into crimes committed by Israeli soldiers.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Palestinian volunteers with the B'Tselem human rights organization learn how to use video cameras to document the actions of the IDF and Israeli settlers in the West Bank, in 2014.

JERUSALEM --- An Israeli NGO that protects the human rights of Palestinians announced last month that it would cease cooperating with the Israeli military in investigating soldiers’ crimes. Founded in 1989, B’Tselem is dedicated to “promoting a future where all Israelis and Palestinians will live in freedom and dignity.” One of the group’s

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