I met Van Jones today at an ice cream shop in Takoma Park. I was so star-struck, I even told him: "I blog about you all the time!" He was genuinely engaging, asking me questions and chatting about green jobs networking, urban agriculture, blogging, and the tea party. He was humble, inspiring, and funny to boot. Keep on fighting the good fight, Van! You've certainly got a fan in me.
Showing posts with label Van Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Van Jones. Show all posts
19.7.11
Fan Moment
I met Van Jones today at an ice cream shop in Takoma Park. I was so star-struck, I even told him: "I blog about you all the time!" He was genuinely engaging, asking me questions and chatting about green jobs networking, urban agriculture, blogging, and the tea party. He was humble, inspiring, and funny to boot. Keep on fighting the good fight, Van! You've certainly got a fan in me.
20.6.11
A Challenge
Over the years, Glenn Beck has had a successful career spreading fear, hate, lies, and promulgating himself as some sort of Messiah-like voice for his brainwashed conservative viewers. He has launched hateful campaigns against some influential progressive individuals, sometimes even going as far as to smear their names with misinformation and false accusations in order to derail their careers. This was undoubtedly his mission with former "green jobs" czar Van Jones, whom Beck and other radical talking heads accused of being a violent extremist, communist, and otherwise danger to "American values." They claimed that his views, which included a criticism of the Republican party and a call for truth about the attacks of September 11th, were proof that he was too partisan to be effective in the White House. As if no one in Washington has ever held a personal opinion, or sought out truth in the face of endless lies. They accused him unfairly in such a radically exaggerated measure that what followed was a resignation, not a resolution.The result of Beck's haterade campaign resulted in the removal of a social and environmental visionary from a position of potential influence.
Now, two years after resigning from his post, Van Jones is challenging Glenn Beck to a debate. Not that Mr. Jones needs to clear his name or prove anything to the manic Beck, but perhaps this proposed debate would allow him to give Beck the intellectual spanking that the outgoing anchor so greatly deserves on behalf of the American people.
Watch Jones' Challenge here:
Now, two years after resigning from his post, Van Jones is challenging Glenn Beck to a debate. Not that Mr. Jones needs to clear his name or prove anything to the manic Beck, but perhaps this proposed debate would allow him to give Beck the intellectual spanking that the outgoing anchor so greatly deserves on behalf of the American people.
Watch Jones' Challenge here:
17.9.09
A Message from Van Jones
Van Jones sent the following message out to friends and supporters on Tuesday, Sept 15:
Dear Friends:
My family and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support that we have received over the past week or so. I resigned from the White House on Sept. 6, and I have remained silent since then- in keeping with my promise not to be a distraction during a key moment in the Obama Presidency.
Over the past few days, however, many people have been asking how they can help and what they can do.
The main thing is: please do everything you can to support President Obama and the green jobs movement. Winning real change is ultimately the best response to these kinds of smear campaigns.
I ask everyone to:
1. Support President Obama's efforts to fix our nation's health care, energy and education systems. His victory last fall did not represent the "finish line" in the fight to renew America; his election was just the "starting line." This autumn, it is time to make history again- with victories on health care and clean energy.
2. Sign up to support groups that are working for green jobs. As others seek to vilify or marginalize the movement for a clean energy economy, the leading groups deserve increased support. This is the year to ensure that the clean energy transformation creates jobs opportunities for everyone in America.
3. Spread the green jobs gospel. The ideas of the green jobs movement are grounded in fundamental American values- innovation, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunity. My true thoughts can be found in my book: The Green Collar Economy. Check it out from the library- or order a copy and share it with a friend. See for yourself why clean energy and green jobs are good for our country.
4. Stay connected and speak up for me via your favorite blogs (e.g. Huffington Post, Grist, Jack & Jill, etc.), on message boards and all of your favorite social networking platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Supporters have set up a couple of them, to help you stay engaged, including I Stand With Van Jones and I Love Van Jones.
In due course, I will be offering my perspective on what has happened- including correcting the record about false charges. In the meantime, I must get my family affairs in order and sort through numerous offers and options.
I want to be clear that I have nothing but love and admiration for President Obama and the entire administration. White House staffers are there to serve and support the President, not the other way around. At this critical moment in history, I could not in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. The White House needs all its hands on deck, fighting for the future. Of course, some supporters actually think I will be more effective on the "outside." Maybe so. But those ideas always remind me of that old canard about Winston Churchill. After he lost a hard-fought election, a friend told him: "Winston, this really is just a blessing in disguise." Churchill quipped: "Damned good disguise." I can certainly relate to that sentiment right now. :)
Nonetheless, we must keep moving forward. Let's continue our work to make an America as good as its promise. These are historic times. And we have a lot more history to make.
Sincerely,
Van Jones
8.9.09
...What About the Green Jobs?
This past weekend, human rights activist and environmental visionary Van Jones resigned from his post as President Obama's advisor on Green Jobs. This action came amidst controversy, after a campaign of slanderous smears and allegations against him by several right-wing "news" pundits. Unfortunately, some of Mr. Jones' progressive beliefs fell inexcusably outside of the norm for mainstream politics, and were therefore besieged by the rabid pundits of conservative media, who painted him as a villain while ensuring the end of his career as a white house advisor.
But this man is far from villainous. Before joining the Obama office in his unprecedented role, Mr. Jones was an active, inspirational voice and an environmental leader for many. He is the author of the bestselling book The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. It is a coherent breakdown of the complexities of our socio-economic system, as well as those involving our environmental effects and consequent policy. It addresses what Jones refers to as the "Green New Deal," an environmental program whose model is similar to that of FDR's post-depression restructuring, and places the government on the same page as the people, working sensibly to create reliable economies and stable jobs through the demand for all things "green." Besides founding and advocating for several human rights organizations, Van Jones was also listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people for 2009.
There is no doubt that Mr. Jones is a sound, forward-minded thinker who appreciates the demands as well as the barriers of our times, and understands the dynamics of action in the face of a looming ecological crisis. Yet the effect that his experience and knowledge would have had on Obama's handling of two of our nation's greatest threats will never be known, since past statements that he had made in an unofficial manner were so scrutinized and condemned by those of the right-wing punditry. They claimed that his views, which included a criticism of the Republican party and a call for truth about the attacks of September 11th, were proof that he was too partisan to be effective in the White House. As if no one in Washington has ever held a personal opinion, or sought out truth in the face of endless lies. They accused him unfairly in such a radically exaggerated measure that what followed was a resignation, not a resolution.
It is probably not surprising that the punditry took such vicious actions against Jones, considering that he is the founder of the organization Color of Change, which petitioned to have advertisers boycott Glenn Beck's Fox News show after Mr. Beck made appalling comments about president Obama being a racist. There was very personal fire taking place in this situation, and unfortunately the environmental policy of our country is being compromised in its name.
Our nation will continue to move forward, however, despite the ridiculous manic punditry frantically assailing us with negative falsities. Perhaps Mr. Jones no longer holds an official post, but as Ariana Huffington noted in her piece, Thank You, Glenn Beck!, he will continue to educate, inspire, and lead Americans as we search for new alternatives to the ecological crisis we find ourselves in. And a green collar economy still has every chance of being realized, along with the millions of jobs it will create for our struggling workforce, which is in desperate need of real change. It is absolutely in the interest of the American people, and is undeniably something that has gathered enormous attention in our popular culture. So the resignation of a potentially effective leader in the White House is meaningless, as the ideals and actions that he represents are still very prominent on the minds of the people in power ...us.
But this man is far from villainous. Before joining the Obama office in his unprecedented role, Mr. Jones was an active, inspirational voice and an environmental leader for many. He is the author of the bestselling book The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. It is a coherent breakdown of the complexities of our socio-economic system, as well as those involving our environmental effects and consequent policy. It addresses what Jones refers to as the "Green New Deal," an environmental program whose model is similar to that of FDR's post-depression restructuring, and places the government on the same page as the people, working sensibly to create reliable economies and stable jobs through the demand for all things "green." Besides founding and advocating for several human rights organizations, Van Jones was also listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people for 2009.
There is no doubt that Mr. Jones is a sound, forward-minded thinker who appreciates the demands as well as the barriers of our times, and understands the dynamics of action in the face of a looming ecological crisis. Yet the effect that his experience and knowledge would have had on Obama's handling of two of our nation's greatest threats will never be known, since past statements that he had made in an unofficial manner were so scrutinized and condemned by those of the right-wing punditry. They claimed that his views, which included a criticism of the Republican party and a call for truth about the attacks of September 11th, were proof that he was too partisan to be effective in the White House. As if no one in Washington has ever held a personal opinion, or sought out truth in the face of endless lies. They accused him unfairly in such a radically exaggerated measure that what followed was a resignation, not a resolution.
It is probably not surprising that the punditry took such vicious actions against Jones, considering that he is the founder of the organization Color of Change, which petitioned to have advertisers boycott Glenn Beck's Fox News show after Mr. Beck made appalling comments about president Obama being a racist. There was very personal fire taking place in this situation, and unfortunately the environmental policy of our country is being compromised in its name.
Our nation will continue to move forward, however, despite the ridiculous manic punditry frantically assailing us with negative falsities. Perhaps Mr. Jones no longer holds an official post, but as Ariana Huffington noted in her piece, Thank You, Glenn Beck!, he will continue to educate, inspire, and lead Americans as we search for new alternatives to the ecological crisis we find ourselves in. And a green collar economy still has every chance of being realized, along with the millions of jobs it will create for our struggling workforce, which is in desperate need of real change. It is absolutely in the interest of the American people, and is undeniably something that has gathered enormous attention in our popular culture. So the resignation of a potentially effective leader in the White House is meaningless, as the ideals and actions that he represents are still very prominent on the minds of the people in power ...us.
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