Tuesday's Daily Brief

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 Arianna Huffington: Pepper-Spraying Occupy: An Assault on Our Democracy Arianna Huffington: This weekend, while listening to an NPR story about police using tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a demonstration, I was actually surprised when it turned out the newscaster was talking about Tahrir Square -- I had assumed it was about another brutal response to a peaceful protest here at home. All across the country -- most recently on the campus of UC Davis -- a war is being waged. But this isn't a battle over parks and tents and sleeping bags. This is a battle about our leaders' credibility. Indeed, the Occupy movement has been a test -- a national MRI -- that has allowed us to check-in on the health of our democracy by allowing us to see what's going on underneath the surface of America's power structures. And the results are dire. What the movement, and the response to it, has shown is a government almost completely disconnected from those it purports to represent. POLITICS Militant Mitt: GOP Candidate Blasts Obama Over Iran BUSINESS Bank Of America Warned It Must Get Stronger WORLD Egypt Turmoil: Fighting Rages Through Third Straight Night COLLEGE Occupy Student Debt Campaign Announces Nationwide Loan Refusal Pledge EDUCATION Sandusky Alleged Victim Forced To Leave School Due To Bullying BLOG POSTS Matthew Modine: Invincible It's hard to see the forest for the trees. And it's hard to see a movement when it is happening. That's where we are with Occupy Wall Street. So it's time to look back in time and read about successful campaigns by individuals that changed the course of human history. Mark Shriver: Happy Thanksgiving This is my first Thanksgiving without my dad. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him greatly, but not a day goes by that I don't thank God for blessing me with such a role model. Richard Simmons: The Popping Button Yes, we should be thankful this Thursday. (And everyday, really.) But it's not about counting how many calories we can pile into our stomachs. Oh, no! Thanksgiving is about counting your blessings. Jesse Tyler Ferguson: Turkey Day I was taught how to cook a turkey dinner by none other than Martha Stewart. Not through the help of her website or cookbooks. Oh no! I'm talking about an "in-the-flesh" Marta Stewart standing next to an "in-the-flesh" Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Patricia Aranka Smith: My Big Fat Jewish Thanksgiving No self-respecting Jew comes to the holiday table empty handed of family accomplishments, their very own ailments or a sense of humor. They are mandatory side dishes.

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