Occupy Oakland: Our Take on the Reuters Photo of Wounded Iraq Vet, Scott Olsen

Some thoughts on the powerful Reuters image of Scott Olsen, the veteran who was critically wounded on Tuesday night by the Oakland police as they overran the Occupy Oakland encampment:

1. Photos of this incident are getting amazing media play … in England (1, 2).

2. Kent State.

3. It’s not surprising Olsen’s membership in anti-war vet groups has been featured prominently in many descriptions of him. If they could do it to Kerry…

4. “Homeland Security.”

5. PTSD, without the P. God help the VA.

6. Ironically, Olsen served at one point in Haditha.

7. What makes movements come into their own are martyrs.

This video at Colorlines describes the lethality of a tear gas grenade, and captures the wounding of Scott Olsen.

(photo: Jay Finneburgh/Reuters caption: Occupy Oakland protester Scott Olsen, a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran, is carried away after being injured during a demonstration in Oakland, California October 25, 2011.)