Blood on the Tracks: Brian Willson’s Memoir of Transformation from Vietnam Vet to Radical Pacifist Democracy Now Daily Digest for 10/28/11

Democracy Now! Daily News Digest
October 28, 2011
"Blood on the Tracks": Brian Willson’s Memoir of Transformation from Vietnam Vet to Radical Pacifist
Today we spend the hour with a man who put his life on the line twice: once when he served in the Vietnam War and again when he came back. On September 1, 1987, Brian Willson took part in a nonviolent political action outside the Concord Naval Weapons Station in California. He sat down on the train tracks along with two other veterans to try to stop a U.S. government munitions train sending weapons to Central America during the time of the Contra wars. The train didn’t stop. Willson suffered 19 broken bones, a fractured skull and lost both of his legs. Today, he is traveling the country visiting solidarity protests with Occupy Wall Street, where some of his fellow protesters are also veterans. He’s also been talking about his new memoir, "Blood on the Tracks: The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson." Watch/Listen/Read
What a Week! -- DN! Featured on Charlie Rose, NYT, Bloomberg
As protests inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement gain momentum around the country, the efforts of Democracy Now! and host Amy Goodman to present voices of the grassroots are featured this week on Charlie Rose, Bloomberg and The New York Times.

Watch acclaimed broadcast journalist Charlie Rose interview Amy Goodman, along with prominent journalist Chris Hedges, about the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Read Brian Stelter’s profile of Democracy Now! -- "A Grass-Roots Newscast Gives a Voice to Struggles" -- in The New York Times.

Watch Bloomberg Law interview with Amy Goodman and Weil, Gotshal & Manges attorney Steven Reiss on her landmark settlement in federal lawsuit challenging police/Secret Service crackdown on journalists on RNC.
Today's Headlines

Condition of Injured Occupy Oakland Protester Upgraded to Fair
Oakland Mayor Quan Apologizes to Occupy Oakland
Police Raid Occupations in Nashville and San Diego
Arrest Total in Tucson Tops 350; Occupy Wall Street to March on Big Banks Today
Study Confirms Wealth Distribution in United States is Most Unequal Among Industrialized Nations
St. Paul’s Cathedral Moves to Evict Occupy London Stock Exchange Protesters
Thousands of Youth Activists March for Jobs in South Africa
Report: U.S. Operates Secret Drone Base in Ethiopia
Study: Radioactive Release in Japan Twice as Large as Estimated
Obama Relies on Lobbyists to Raise Millions for Campaign
Female Workers at Wal-Mart File New Sex Discrimination Lawsuit