Iraq vet, former financial adviser and OWS protester Derek McGee reflects on the changes that have occurred in this country since September 11, 2001.

In this episode of Nation Conversations, Iraq veteran and author Derek McGee, whose article “An Iraq Vet’s Journey from Wall Street to OWS” appears in this week’s print issue, sat down with Associate Editor Liliana Segura to detail his long journey from US Marine to financial advisor to OWS protester. In light of a poorly justified invasion of Iraq and his experience on Wall Street, McGee now defends the Occupy protesters—with whom he previously felt he had nothing in common—as committed and thoughtful activists. Contrary to what conservative pundits would have you believe, McGee argues that Occupiers aren’t just lazy people who don’t want to look for a job. “I think,” he says, “lazy is seeing stuff wrong all around you and just not bothering to do anything about it.”

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—Erin Schikowski