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Tidbits - September 8, 2016 - Reader Comments (lots): Solidarity with Standing Rock; Genocide; Colin Kaepernick; National Anthem(s); Woody Guthrie; Trumpism; Yemen; and more...

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Reader Comments (Lots): Solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against Dakota Access Pipeline - And Then the Dogs Came; America's Own Genocide; Slavery and the National Anthem; Sit with Colin Kaepernick; Woody Guthrie's Assault on 'Old Man Trump'; Donald Trump and White Voters; How Fugitive Slaves Kept Their Freedom - Deep in the Swamps; Black Lives Matter; Fred Hellerman; Gene Wilder; Solidarity with Yemen; Announcements; and more...

NBC's Farcical Commander-in-Chief Forum

James Carden The Nation
This was a big missed opportunity for the network-and for voters. It showed that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, will say just about anything to win in November. Hours before, Trump made an address in Philadelphia where he kowtowed to the Republican foreign-policy establishment, pledging to lavish tax dollars on the military. In a rambling answer to a question about Iraq, Trump noted the biggest mistake made in Iraq was that the U.S. did not 'take the oil.'

Pennsylvania Tax Dollars At Work, Siccing Dogs on Native American Protesters

Will Bunch, Daily News Columnist Philly.com - The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News
A big chunk of money coming out of Pennsylvania is financing the dog siccers and the pepper sprayers -- including tax dollars. It turns out that one of the major investors in Energy Transfer Partners is...the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Records show that as of this June, the commonwealth -- through its pension funds -- owned some 5 million shares of ETP -- valued at some $192 million. That's more than any other governmental or quasi-governmental agency.

Native Rights, Water, Dogs and Pipeline - Attack on Original Nations and Larger Threat to Earth's Water Supply; Sept. 13 Nationwide Solidarity Actions

Jim Gray; Steven Newcomb Indian Country
In North Dakota the largest gathering of Native people in opposition to the construction of a massive pipeline project is now going on near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. The project threatens the only water supply for the impoverished reservation and adversely affects the quality of life for Indian and non-Indian people in the area. Private security with vicious dogs have been used against protesters. Join the Sept. 13 national day of action against the pipeline

Obama’s TPP Would Widen the Divide

Manuel Pérez-Rocha Inequality.org
NAFTA worsened poverty in Mexico. But some did profit from "Free Trade." Mexico now has 12 billionaires. Before our government started selling off public enterprises to cronies to lay the groundwork for NAFTA, we didn’t have one.

Woody Guthrie's Assault on 'Old Man Trump'

Will Kaufman The Conversation
In a newly discovered song, Woody Guthrie sings about his abusive and racist landlord, 'Mister Trump made a tramp out of me.' The Trump he's talking about is Donald's father.

Young People Must Have the Right to Counsel Before They Are Questioned by Police

Bernardine Dohrn Truthout
A deeper conversation about an immediate right to counsel at the beginning point of police questioning (when it matters most) and the perils of police interrogation of youth is essential for all youth and youth advocates within the US, to clarify where our strategies for youth justice are headed.