Well the news was disheartening. A local (and international) hero of the sustainability and human rights issues was unfairly taken out by the right wing political machine.
Van Jones, co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Green For All and author of the best seller The Green Collar Economy, had been tapped by the Obama administration to be an advisor on green jobs and sustainable energy. Time magazine had named Van one of the world's 100 most influential people (see their write up about him
HERE)
Unfortunately the first time most of the nation has heard his name in main stream media was recently when he was forced to resign. Americans For Prosperity (a fake grass roots organization funded by big oil) began the witch hunt for Van Jones. It was brought to a wider audience when Glenn Beck took towards smearing Van as a communist, black nationalist, crazy.
This is upsetting on so many levels.
First Van Jones is an amazing guy who has dedicated himself to bettering this country like few have. Glenn Beck is a lying racist pig who should be locked up, not in a position of influence over information or politics. After saying Obama has a deep hatred for white people, Glen Beck's program lost some of its
advertising sponsorship. This happened after an organization Van Jones helped to start, called on
advertisers to boycott his show.
Walmart among others pulled
their ads. Glenn beck continually railed against Van as an example of the crazy black guys that Obama surrounds himself with. The message: THEY are taking your country away and we have to stop them!
His evidence was a petition Van signed which called for an investigation into 9/11 to see if high officials of our government were responsible. This petition was signed by many progressives such as Noam Chomsky and
Thomm Hartman as well as many families of the victims of the September 11 attacks. Van and others say they did not agree with the final wording of the petition and that it did not reflect their personal views on the issue.
The other evidence thrown around were statements taken out of context where Van said Republicans are assholes. He went on to say he too can sometimes be an asshole. He also apologized for the statement, unlike President Bush who called members of the press assholes and said he regretted people heard him say that but refused to
apologize.
If calling someone an asshole is enough to keep you out of Washington I doubt many would be there.
After Fox "News" and Glenn Beck's hammering and the pushing from dirty energy companies, some Republicans actually called for a hearing into Van Jones' past behaviour.
So he resigned rather than draw negative attention to Obama or the issue of Green Jobs.
Troubling point number two. A strong, positive voice for change goes to Washington and the racist conservative talk show hosts and the crooked politicians who's pockets are lined with oil and blood drenched money have the power to take them down. And the Democrats, who are supposed to be the alternative to the Republican party, can't even stand up and defend that voice. It may be true that politically it was the best move to let Van go, but morally?
If anything is to change we need Democrats in the white house and leadership that will take on the Glenn Becks and the Americans for Prosperity of this world and expose them for what they are. Lying, racist, extremists who are promoting dangerous hatred and are only harming this country. Their actions should be considered treason. With free speech comes responsibility and when that responsibility is abused at least their microphone should be taken away. And the Obama administration, following a long trend, allowed the target of the right to be thrown under the bus, rather than to stand up and defend what he knows is right. This weakness may not serve him in the end as the conservatives have walked all over his attempt to reform health care.
Troubling point number three: Money has such influence in Washington that true health care reform, energy reform, you name it, can not happen as long as politicians are concerned with raising money for their campaigns. We see this in the current failure to get any real health care reform. What the politicians finally call reform will be drafted carefully as not to piss off the Insurance Industry as they are the ones who pay for the politicians re-election campaigns.
Solutions:
Get the money out of politics before we can fix this country.
Fight the racist conservative backlash to
Obama's presidency any way you can.
Read the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights' comment on Van Jones resignation
HERE and sign their petition regarding green collar jobs
HERE
