The great patriots comprising Occupy Wall Street demonstrations across the nation hardly need my input on the "demands" they continue to try and narrow down and achieve consensus on. I'm quite sure they've got more than enough folks out there making their case for all manner of "demands" given the past 30 years (or more) of utter neglect, corruption and abuse the good citizens of this nation have otherwise been forced --- up until now --- to accept as "politics as usual."

Nonetheless, I've been meaning to ring in on this (and did so recently in a brief comment), so perhaps I should do so quickly here, where it's likely to catch a few more Occupied eyeballs.

I offer the following simple "demand" for consideration by OWS, as this one likely underscores almost every other. Or, at least, without it, all other demands may ultimately be rendered moot.

Here it is. One demand that seems simple enough --- and is as non-partisan as can --- for your consideration:

Please help spread this to the Occupiers if you agree its important. For example, Tweet it (or a link to this article) like mad (with #ows in the text), and/or spread it via Facebook and/or print it out and take it to a General Assembly at an Occupation near you!

Thanks!

Meanwhile, the Republican War on Democracy continues apace.

Happily, Rachel Maddow brings us up to date on the latest in the GOP's out-and-out assault on voting and voting rights in states all over the country. The new laws passed by GOP-controlled legislatures in the wake of their 2010 electoral victories, are expected to have a wildly disproportionate disenfranchising affect on voters who tend to vote Democratic, and are likely to make voting much more difficult for some 5 million Americans, according to a new study from NYU's Brennan Center for Justice.

Apparently, Republicans must be convinced, for some reason, that they can't win elections in a fair fight. Wonder why.

Maddow's latest maddening update includes an interview with the Republican Supervisor of Elections in Volusia County, FL who was "sick to her stomach" after being forced to turn in a high school teacher to law enforcement for registering students to vote now that Florida has criminalized such activities. And, no, we're not exaggerating. That is the same new FL GOP law which has led the non-partisan League of Women Voters to cancel all voter registration in the state of Florida, after doing so for the past 72 years, because the potential penalties for doing so have simply become too onerous....

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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: The buck stops with President Obama on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline; Spontaneous nuclear reaction at the Fukushima nuclear power plant; Belgium to phase out nukes, too; This week's toxic fossil fuel spill, now in Lake Michigan; PLUS: Occupy your Junk Mail! ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): GOP-led House Panel to Vote on Non-Existent EPA Dust Rule; TX Billion-dollar Drought Ripples Through Global Markets; Traditional Farm Methods Help Climate Adaptation; Climate Science Witch Hunt Update; Low But Possibly Harmful BP Gulf Oil Spill Contamination .... PLUS: City Smog Linked to Cognitive Deficits in Children ... and much, MUCH more! ...

Guest blogged by Ernest A. Canning, with Brad Friedman

In the wake of a violent, night-time confrontation with Occupy Oakland demonstrators last week by the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and some 15 other law enforcement agencies, questions have arisen about the legality of the tactics used by the agency during mass arrests which led to serious injuries, including the fractured skull of a two-tour Iraq vet.

Oakland's Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan has maintained that the use of chemical agents and other so-called "less than lethal" weapons were required in order to defend law enforcement officials from demonstrators.

However, a forensic analysis by The BRAD BLOG of video taken immediately prior to and during last week's raid and confrontation with Occupy Oakland demonstrators, creates doubt about the legality of the OPD decision to declare the demonstration to be an "unlawful assembly," and, in particular, raises serious questions about the veracity of the Interim Oakland Police Chief's claim that police "had to deploy gas in order to stop the crowd and people from pelting us with bottles and rocks."

Moreover, evidence in several of the videos suggests that the multi-agency task force may have violated both CA Penal Code Section 407 and an OPD Training Manual [PDF] that had been adopted pursuant to a federal consent decree signed by the Oakland PD after another confrontation with protestors some years ago.

That federal consent decree was the product of litigation initiated after a brutal assault on a 2003 anti-war protest at the Port of Oakland, during which, according to civil rights attorney James B. Chanin, OPD not only deployed so-called "less than lethal firearms," but ran over demonstrators with motorcycles, and shot and arrested longshoreman who were not even a part of the demonstration.

Chanin reports that, during a deposition in the 2003 case, he "discovered" that the OPD had "infiltrated a subsequent demonstration, and even a planned route the demonstrators would take." Video posted at the end of this article shows plain-clothed, under-cover cops mingling with demonstrators at Occupy Oakland, revealing that OPD used similar infiltration techniques during recent demonstrations as well. Audio included in the video captures Interim Chief Jordan bragging about the ease of infiltration.

Yet another video, also posted below, suggests that two-tour Iraq vet Scott Olsen's brain injury was likely caused by a member of the San Francisco Sheriff's Emergency Service Unit (ESU), but, despite reports from activists on the Internet, the identity of that officer is still an open question...

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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Mitt Romney flip-flops again, this time on global warming; Fox 'News' --- ignorant and proud of it; U.S. Navy ignores Fox and Mitt by taking the lead on biofuel innovation; PLUS: It's not your imagination: weather disasters are becoming more frequent, and more expensive ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Northrop Grumman climate scientist says "radical changes" are needed; Radiation cleanup confounds Japan; Climate deniers still not happy with Koch-funded climate study; Will a 'secret farm bill' be passed this week?... PLUS: The actual uncertainties in climate science, explained ... and much, MUCH more! ...

Over the weekend, we highlighted a video of a night court judge in Tennessee refusing to jail Occupy Nashville demonstrators after they'd been arrested, bussed downtown by state troopers, and detained for several hours in the wake of a seemingly arbitrary enforcement of a curfew in a public space where protesters had been camping out. As seen in that video, Judge Tom Nelson ordered the protesters released, telling the arresting officer, "You have no lawful basis to arrest or charge these people."

A similar scene played out after arrests on two nights in a row, where the judge refused to jail the protesters.

And now, late today, comes yet another, even larger victory for Occupy Nashville demonstrators, along with a stinging rebuke for the state's Republican Governor Bill Haslam. The turn of events is certainly great news for admirers of the U.S. Constitution and the Rule of Law and stuff, as the state has "declined to defend the governor's crackdown on protesters" in the wake of a lawsuit filed by demonstrators and the ACLU.

Additionally, the state will not challenge a federal judge's order banning further arrests of the demonstrators for the time being as the parties attempt to negotiate together. The state has even agreed to return confiscated tents, sleeping bags and other property taken from the protesters on the first night of arrests at Nashville's Legislative Plaza...

No wonder MSNBC buried Chris Hayes' new show in in the absurdly early hours of the weekend TV ghetto. He should be hosting, at a minimum, NBC's Meet the Press.

Had he been doing so for the last several years --- rather than the clueless elitists who have been, along with their weekly parade of meaningless softballs served up to similarly clueless elitist guests and panelists --- we likely wouldn't be in this mess.

Yesterday's compelling round-table discussion on UP with Chris Hayes, about so much that is actually at the heart of this nation's problems, follows below. I hope you will watch it...

[UPDATE: Thanks, guys! We've now sold out the few copies we had in this premium, but we hope to have another one soon! The support, as always, is greatly appreciated! - Brad]

Our friend Greg Palast, investigative journalist, BBC documentary reporter and author of the best-selling books Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Armed Madhouse has a new book out in November, and he's been kind enough to give us a limited number of advanced, signed hardcover copies as premiums in support of The BRAD BLOG.

We don't have a lot of copies, so it's first come first serve!

His new book is VULTURES' PICNIC: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates and High-Finance Predators. It's described as "A tale of oil, sex, shoes, radiation and investigative reporting".

If you'd like a signed copy, please hit THIS LINK and make a contribution of $50 or more to The BRAD BLOG and we'll get it out to ya, ASAP!...

You can also contribute via snail mail to: Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594, Los Angeles, CA 90028 --- though I can't guarantee we'll have enough books by the time your contribution gets here. If it doesn't, we've got another premium book offer we'll be making available to readers later this month, and you'll be the first in line to have one of those instead! (You'll just have to wait to find out what it is, but hopefully you'll not be disappointed because, ya know, you're supporting the work we do here either way! And, believe me, it's very much needed!)

We hate fund raising, are not very good at it, and don't do it nearly often enough. So if you can help, please do! We've had a very busy summer and, so far, autumn, and really need all of the help you can offer as we continue to independently cover --- with neither corporate nor institutional help --- those things which we believe actually matter to all of us. This is especially true as we barrel toward another Presidential Election year!

Your support is largely the only thing that allows us to continue doing this work. So thank you very much in advance for whatever help you can offer! And you'll even get a helluva book out if it in the bargain if you act fast! --- Brad

P.S. If you happen to be in the L.A. area, I'll be emceeing Palast's appearance at a KPFK/Pacifica fund raiser on Nov. 16th. If you can make it buy, please do and be sure to say hey! More details here...

Guest editorial by Ernest A. Canning

An October 9 Time Magazine poll revealed that 89% of Americans agree that Wall Street exerts too much influence on our political system; 79% feel the gap between rich and poor is too large; 71% feel the executives from the major financial institutions responsible for the 2008 economic meltdown should be prosecuted; and that only 6% of Americans identify themselves as "Tea Party" followers.

Previous MSM efforts to either ignore what amounts to a genuine democratic uprising or to disparage Occupy Wall Street by falsely claiming the movement has no goal have obviously fallen flat. Against that backdrop, the corporate-owned Los Angeles Times launched a desperate effort to deceptively depict the movement as a transient phenomenon which has had its say and should now fade away.

That effort was apparent in both an October 27 front-page news article in the LA Times, "Putting the move in Occupy movement", as well as a lead editorial in the October 28 paper.

Despite such efforts, neither the dire underlying conditions which have been brought on by history's greatest wealth disparity and the tyranny of the corporate security state, nor the people's desire to realize America's still-unfilled egalitarian democracy is likely to dissipate any time soon. As the Mavis Staples song says, "We shall not be moved!"...

Al Jazeera English's Bob Abeshouse and Yasmeen Qureishi have put together an investigative report on the out-sized influence of the Koch Brothers on American democracy. The documentary premiered on AJE this week, and both starts and ends with the "Secret Koch Tapes" we exclusively published last month in a series of articles at Mother Jones and here at The BRAD BLOG.

There are a number of noteworthy points in this investigative look at the Kochs, co-owners of Koch Industries, the nation's second largest private corporation (the giant oil conglomerate inherited from their father), and how they are spending just some of the extraordinary $18 billion increase in personal wealth they've enjoyed over just the last three years under the tyranny of the Obama administration.

But among the interesting points revealed here, is the fact that this detailed exposé, a behind-the-scenes examination of two of the most powerful puppeteers behind American democracy, comes not from the far larger and better funded corporate news networks here in the U.S., but from from Al Jazeera. Go figure...

"There has been some twists in the overnight arrests of the Occupy Nashville protesters downtown."

Hat-tip David Swanson on the Twitters...

Just some of The BRAD BLOG's most-recently related 'Occupy Wall Street' coverage...

10/28/11: He was Standing Stone Still Amid Tear Gas in Oakland - Clutching a Copy of the U.S. Constitution
10/27/11: It's The Accountability, Stupid (or Lack Thereof)
10/26/11: VIDEO: 'Hypocrisy Has its Own Elegant Symmetry'
10/26/11: Police Attack Peaceful 'Occupy Oakland' Demonstrators, Veterans, with Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas, Flash-Bang Grenades, and Dishonor
10/24/11: Albany & NY State Police Defy Governor, Mayor; Refuse to Arrest OWS Demonstrators
10/24/11: U.S. Chamber's Disgraced Smear Plot Conspirator, 'Anonymous' Foe, Aaron Barr Found Collaborating with Self-Appointed #OccupyWallStreet 'Snitch'
10/19/11: So Much For the First Amendment: Author, Reporter Naomi Wolf Just Latest of 1,500 Arrested For Peaceable Assembly at #OccupyWallStreet Protests

In our coverage of the police assault on peaceful Occupy Oakland demonstrators Wednesday, we ran the inspiring photo of a man standing in front of a line of riot police, wearing a sailor's uniform, holding a Veterans For Peace flag and clutching a copy of the U.S. Constitution.

But what we didn't realize at the time --- not apparent from the photo, but seen in the following, remarkable video --- he was also standing stone still as tear gas canisters were exploding all around him...

I can't help but look at the faces of the police in gas masks, presumably from the Oakland PD (though there were some 17 other agencies there that night) in that haunting video, as they look at the sailor, and wonder what they must be thinking to themselves as that hero stands facing them. We have previously written about the extraordinary violations of the First Amendment that have occurred across the country during these otherwise peaceful demonstrations. What thoughts are going through the minds of those men --- all of whom are undoubtedly also a part of the same "99%" for whom Occupy protesters are fighting --- during that moment?

And, as another photograph now reveals, look who happens to be standing right next to the sailor seen above, in the moments just prior to the Oakland PD's tear gas assault...