Scott Olsen appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show and showed exactly why they can tear down the camps, they can arrest people for peaceful, non-violent protesting, they can broadcast every ugly conservative smear, but they cannot win this war.

Frankly, I'm of the belief that losing the encampments is not a bad thing. There's only so much attention they draw, and it declines unless there is a raid or arrests and potentially injuries or worse. It's time for the movement to evolve and work out how they can make an impact in ways that matter: Occupy K Street, Occupy the Media, constitutional amendments to get money out of elections or eliminate corporate personhood, Occupy the Ballot Box, etc. To stay static with the camps does nothing more than to feed into the patented Luntz talking points of dirty hippies with drum circles.

I've been to the camps. I've spoken to these protesters and they're incredibly well-spoken, intelligent and politically engaged. There is more sense coming out of their mouths than the clown brigade currently running for the Republican primary. These are voices that need to be heard, as Scott Olsen tells us, they're not going away:

MADDOW: As the movement goes on, you`ve obviously made a commitment
now to speak out, even as you`re continuing to recover from your injury.
What do you hope happens? What do you -- I mean, I know there`s been a lot
of stupid discussion, frankly, on how specific people`s demands should be
and how -- and how the strategy should proceed.

But what do you want you fellow occupiers to accomplish? What do you
think the movement can accomplish?

OLSEN: I want -- I want them more than anything is to get more people
involved because politics isn`t something that you sit at home and go out
once every few years and vote. It`s about creating a community with your
people and sharing ideas and meeting people and learning their story.

If you would like to donate something for his ongoing recovery, please do so here:

Scott Olsen keeping up the good fight despite some significant recovery is nothing less than inspirational. As you can see, while he's made significant strides, there's a lot more therapy and treatment in his future. We've been thrilled by the outpouring from our readers and we're trying to schedule a time to bring your donations to Scott before Christmas.

Make no mistake about it: The struggle between Wall Street and "the 99 percent" is a culture war. It's a war over our values, our beliefs, and rights. That's why Occupy Wall Street has been so wise not to proclaim specific policy demands.

The movement is trying to change the way we view ourselves and our society. That has started a war: a war of communication, a war of education, a war of perception. It's a war to remind us who we are as a people - or better yet, who we would wish to be.

Here are six pictures from that culture war:

#1: Warriors

After Marine and Iraq War vet Scott Olsen was wounded by police at Occupy Oakland, a page sprang up called "How I feel, as a United States Marine, about what occurred in Oakland." Here are some of the comments to be found there 24 hours later, along with the picture above:

Red Leader; Semper Fi.

I am ashamed of my country. I softly weep for the pain that awaits us all.

I'm a former Marine: 1963 - 1967; Chu Lai, Vietnam: 1965 - 1966. I wholeheartedly agree: YOU DID THIS TO MY BROTHER. And you will find out just how many brothers Scott Olsen has.

Semper Fi brothers, and remember who you are. Protectors of a great nation, not politicians or wealthy money grubbing bankers and the like. When it comes time, I know we'll stand strong.

"I "Name" do solemnly swear to protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC". I remember that oath. Former Active Duty Marine, 0311 3rd Bat 6th Marines, Afghan/Iraq Vet ... I'm not sure if law enforcement has to do the same oath, but I was an active member of my local sheriff's department search and rescue team and I had to swear in with that same oath.

RED LEADER, STANDING BY.

Big red, standing by

Red Sangria, standing by.

Red October, shtanding by

Red Fox, standin' by.

Red Dawn, standing by...

The messages keep coming, even now, one after the other.

#2: Monster Mash

One of the "foreclosure mill" law firms that made millions evicting people from their homes had a Halloween Party, and a lot of the partiers dressed up as homeless people. From the New York Times website:

On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party ... it represents virtually all the giant mortgage lenders, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Continue reading »

We support the troops for protecting our freedoms, and then we break their heads for actually using them? Iraq war vet Scott Olsen, a Wisconsin native, faces brain surgery as the result of injuries incurred by police actions in Oakland this week:

Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran who suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a projectile fired by police during the Occupy Oakland protests, has woken up and is lucid as he awaits surgery, hospital officials and family members have said.

Olsen, a 24-year-old former US Marine, was struck in the head during anti-Wall Street protests on Tuesday night. He has been upgraded from critical to fair condition.

Olsen "responded with a very large smile" to a visit from his parents, Highland General hospital spokesman Warren Lyons said. "He's able to understand what's going on. He's able to write and hear but has a little difficulty with his speech," Lyons said.

Doctors had not operated on Olsen yet and were waiting to see if swelling in his brain eased, Lyons said.

Olsen's aunt, Kathy Pacconi, told Reuters in an email that her nephew was showing signs of improvement.

Olsen, 24, has become a figurehead of the Occupy Wall Street movement and Oakland organisers have said they will stage a general strike over what a spokeswoman called the "brutal and vicious" treatment of protesters, including the former Marine.

Oakland's police chief, Howard Jordan, has promised a vigorous investigation into the incident which has provoked heavy criticism across the US, sparking solidarity marches in dozens of Occupy camps in the country.