The Scott Olsen Story...and why we have to pay attention to the Occupy Protestors

The condition of Scott Olsen improved yesterday, as doctors transferred him from the emergency room to an intensive care unit. The 24-year-old Iraq War veteran was critically injured after being hit by a projectile fired by police during anti-Wall Street protests in Oakland on Tuesday.

Olsen's story has become a rallying point for protesters. Turns out, he's gainfully employed by a software firm and has a nice hillside apartment with a scenic view of San Francisco Bay. Yet, according to his friends, he was so angry about the economic situation in the country he went to war for, he camped out at a San Francisco protest one night after work.

Olsen's friend, roommate and fellow Iraq war vet Keith Shannon said, "He felt you shouldn't wait until something is affecting you to get out and do something out it."

That's what prompted Olsen to join the protests in Oakland on Tuesday night. Now news of his injury and story enlivened protesters across the country, with Twitter posts and websites announcing, "We are all Scott Olsen."