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.

North Carolina Cuts Use Of Prison Torture In Half

‘If that ain’t a form of torture, I don’t know what is,’ one North Carolina inmate said of his experience in solitary confinement.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
Solitary Confinement

RALEIGH, North Carolina --- Half as many prisoners in North Carolina face solitary confinement, thanks to dedicated efforts to cut back on the controversial practice often equated with torture. “Last spring, roughly 5,330 of the state’s 38,000 prisoners – 1 in 7 – were segregated from other inmates on any given day,” wrote Taylor Knopf on May 26

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Aquatic ‘First Responders’ Form Mosquito Fleet To Halt Climate Change & Shell Oil

As Shell Oil prepares to put delicate ecosystems and human communities at risk as it increases its exports to Asia, activists are also escalating their efforts to put the brakes on their business.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
The Mosquito Fleet taunts Shell's on-water security crew with a snarky banner on May 15, 2016.

ANACORTES, Washington --- After years of marches and land-based blockades, environmental activists are now taking to the seas to stop the growth of the fossil fuel industry and protest the environmental threats facing them. Inspired by actions last year against Shell Oil Co.’s plans to drill in the Arctic Circle, which included a kayak-based

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This Memorial Day, Remember The ‘Used & Betrayed’ Veterans Subjected To Horrific Experimentation

‘It felt like you were on fire,’ recalled one black Army veteran who was deliberately exposed to mustard gas by the U.S. military during World War II.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell

AUSTIN, Texas --- Every Memorial Day, American leaders make passionate speeches about their love and admiration for the sacrifices made by the country’s brave military veterans. “There’s no phrase U.S. politicians love more than ‘support the troops,’” journalist Abby Martin declared on a recent episode of her show, “The Empire Files.” Yet, as

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‘Chilling Attack On Free Speech’: Multinational Corporation Sues Gov’t Transparency Watchdog MuckRock

Undaunted by the legal threats, the founder of MuckRock promised that the website ‘will not be complying with their demands’ to remove Seattle city records and share site visitors’ private information.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell

AUSTIN, Texas --- A popular website dedicated to government transparency is facing legal threats from a multinational corporation that hopes to block publication of documents related to their electricity meters. MuckRock helps researchers, journalists, and normal citizens obtain government documents through Freedom of Information Act requests,

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Come To Guantanamo & See The Iguanas: Snowden Files Offer Glimpse Inside NSA Culture

Newly released internal NSA documents show that torturing prisoners and water skiing were part of the daily routine for agents stationed in Guantanamo Bay during the Iraq War.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel patrols Guantanamo Bay,.

AUSTIN, Texas --- Water skiing in the morning, supervising the torture of a prisoner of the global war on terror in the afternoon -- that’s just a typical day for National Security Agency personnel. That’s one of the many glimpses of National Security Agency life found in newly released documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden’s leaks, which

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After Iraq War, Monsanto, Cargill & Dow Chemical Took Over Iraqi Agriculture

According to one environmental activist, under U.S. diplomat Paul Bremer’s orders, ‘Iraqi farmers are not allowed to save seeds, they are not allowed to share seeds … and they are not allowed to replant harvested seeds.’

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
A farmer holds Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Soy Bean seeds at his family farm. (AP Photo / Dan Gill)

BAGHDAD --- In the aftermath of the Iraq War, Iraq’s seed and agriculture industry was destroyed by U.S. corporations, with the aid of the U.S. government. In May 2003, after the war officially ended, U.S. diplomat Paul Bremer became the head of the occupational authority, essentially controlling Iraq’s government. He issued 100 orders that set

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Texas Grand Jury Won’t Indict Cop Who Shot Naked, Unarmed Black Teen

The lawyer for the family of the slain teen called it ‘a sad day for justice’ and said the case ‘calls into question the entire grand jury process in cases involving police misconduct.’

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
David Joseph, 17 years old, was gunned down by police while naked and unarmed.

AUSTIN, Texas --- On Tuesday, a grand jury declined to indict a police officer who shot a naked, unarmed black teen early this year. Geoffrey Freeman, an Austin police officer, who is also black, shot David Joseph on the morning of Feb. 8 after police received calls about a neighborhood disturbance. Police say Joseph charged at Freeman as he

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