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Socialize the EpiPen

Adam Gaffney Jacobin
My proposed solution to the EpiPen mess follows this line of thought: essentially, bust the damn patent. Or, at least, the US government should threaten to bust the patent, and we should then watch the price fall faster than you can jab yourself in the thigh with an adrenaline-filled pen.

What a Black Lives Matter Economic Agenda Looks Like

Jannell Ross The Washington Post
Even a good job creation/infrastructure bill must include "targeted" language to ensure that funds flow into black communities, and community residents have access to those jobs.

Time to Stand Up to Apple

Robert Reich Robert Reich
Designs, software, and patented ideas, which are at the core of Apple's business model, are a perfect vehicle for tax avoidance.

Necessary Durability

Julie Demoff-Larson Cultural Weekly
To honor working-class women on this Labor Day weekend, Julie Demoff-Larson's poem addresses a hidden aspect of "necessary durability" women had to bring to their work.

Trump, in a Major Immigration Speech, Is Back in Fearmongering Form

Julianne Hing; Deirdre Fulton The Nation
In Mexico, Trump is solemn and praising; in Arizona, he's back to hysterical horror shows. His return to his old self was swift. Trump's Wednesday night speech was fiery, leaning on his usual depictions of immigrants as murderous, villainous, sexually deviant leeches. And then, he not only pledged every harsh anti-immigration tactic he'd floated for the past year, he expanded on them all - aimed at revving up his conservative base.

Both Trump and Clinton Curb Press Access - Plane Rides and Presidential Transparency

Jim Rutenberg, Media Mediator The New York Times
Breaking with historic tradition, both Clinton and Trump do no allow reporters to travel with them. This is about something much bigger than eyewitness accounts and plane rides. It's about how much we want to know about each candidate's plans for the White House, and how open and accessible we want them to be as president. And ultimately, it's about whether we truly believe in the premise that transparency is vital for democracy.

Slavery and the National Anthem: The Surprising History Behind Colin Kaepernick's Protest

AJ Willingham CNN
Jackie Robinson, writing in 1972: I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag. I know that I am a black man in a white world. Jim Brown, the Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame running backin 2016 said he stands '100 percent' behind Colin Kaepernick. Further, Kaepernick 'made all the sense in the world' in explaining his position. This is part of a long tradition of athletes, especially African American athletes combining sport and protest. (* ESPN)

An Academic Defense of Grad Student Unions - An Open Letter to Columbia Provost John Coatsworth

Hank Reichman Academe Blog
As a proud Columbia alum (College '69) and an officer of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) I was excited to learn of the NLRB's decision last week. However, I was shocked and, frankly, disgusted to read your condescending and arrogant message to the campus community. As one graduate student put it, your letter 'simply encourages graduate workers to eschew this newly right, like telling workers management will look to their interests.'

Tidbits - September 1, 2016 - Reader Comments: Lots of good stuff-. Black Lives Matter; Fannie Lou Hamer; Single-Payer; BLM and Palestine; Oil Industry; James Brown; Sex Workers?; The Left-Wing of the Possible; and much more...

Portside
Reader Comments: Lots of good stuff this week. What Does Black Lives Matter Want; Single-Payer Healthcare System Is Inevitable?; BLM and Palestine Solidarity; Oil Industry and Peak Oil; James Brown; Sex Workers?; and much more... Announcements: Triangle Fire opera; Women 9/11 First Responders Panel Discussion; The Left-Wing of the Possible - How Can the Sanders' Phenomenon Transform American Politics; Protect Pacifica Archives; Labor, Islam, and War...