Posted on 09/06/2009 11:04:13 AM PDT by pissant
The resignation of Van Jones is about more than Van Jones, more than Glenn Beck. It is part of a concerted effort to neutralize progressive champions who are trying to fix the problems that are ripping this country apart.
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me. -Martin Neimoeller
McCarthyism is the politically motivated practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence…The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries. -from that communist source, Wikipedia
The resignation of Van Jones last night is the culmination of a deeply disturbing pattern from the last several months. The spokespeople for the right have made it acceptable to spout hate-filled speech and unfounded accusations to the American public. This must stop.
* The recent wave began with the Teabaggers. At first the media left pounced on the anti-tax tea parties with mockery and scorn. Part of the strategy was to ignore their efforts and let the absurdity of these demonstrations undermine their own credibility. Isn’t it funny that they didn’t realize they were calling themselves the perpetrators of lude and offensive acts? Funny, when it got to the point where “Teabagging the White House” was a rallying cry. Funny.
* Next came the Birthers, the group of “fringe” right-wing activists who refuse to accept President Obama’s birth certificate and legitimacy as President of the United States. Those wingnuts, including prominent Members of Congress.
* Next came the Deathers, the flank of the right claiming that health care reform will “kill granny.” The leading Republican working on healthcare, my own Senator Grassley of Iowa, told seniors in Winterset that they had much to fear from coming healthcare reform.
* Then came the healthcare town halls, which frankly disgust me. Individuals around the country were encouraged to use intimidation and scare tactics to shut down discussion of reform. To prevent any amount of dialogue to happen, which threatening physical violence at our elected officials.
* Finally, after a week of taunting the left with racially provocative statements, Glenn Beck began attacking Van Jones. Beck lead the media in an assault on his integrity, history and ability to serve in the White House.
And the Obama administration allowed Jones to become the first casualty of 21st century McCarthyism. This is a pattern designed to take down progressive champions one by one. And it must be stopped.
Although there is a concerted right-wing effort to prevent the left from passing much needed reform, one thing is for sure: Glenn Beck has become one of the loudest and most toxic spokespeople for 21st century McCarthyism. And Fox News and his sponsors are profiting from his hate-mongering. We need to hit them where it hurts: corporate profits. Beck has already become toxic to over 50 sponsors through work of the Color of Change. (This kind of campaign was pioneered by a blogger named Spocko and was highly effective in removing hate-talkers from the air in California two years ago. This works.)
We must stand up for the vision Van championed, of a clean energy future that lifts all boats and we must stop companies from profiting from and legitimizing Glenn Beck’s poison.
* Sign the Color of Change petition calling for sponsors to withdraw advertising from the Glenn Beck Show.
* Visit GlennMcCarthyBeck.com for more action.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
* Van Jones Pumps Up the Crowd
* Van Jones on Colbert
* Nothing stops a bullet like a job
* Glenn Beck – Van Jones in his own words – FOXNews.com
Sorry Juliana, we don’t want socialism. I don’t give a s—t what petty names you call us.
When the liberals howl about someone as loudly as they are about Glenn Beck, you know he’s made a direct hit. :)
She probably went to publik skewlz.
“First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist...”
“The recent wave began with the Teabaggers...”
Ooh, this is a cute game. Our side is the aggrieved victim and their side is the dangerous fringe. Let me play...
First they came for the Minutemen, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Minuteman.
Then they came for the Truthers, the Teabaggers, the Town-hallers, etc...
The recent wave came with the Communists...
99% of what Sen. Joe McCarthy said has proven to be the truth.
“McCarthyism is the politically motivated practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence…”
McCarhysim certainly has that connotation; that’s how I learned it in school. And libs would love to continue perpetuating it. However, even if McCarthy was blow-hardy or overplayed his hand, he was on the right track. We know that now. Stop pretending we don’t.
FAT, LIBERAL AND STUPID IS NO WAY TO GO THROUGH LIFE SON.
Unfortunately this stupid, stupid, semi-literate girl is correct when she talks about the left's success in changing our own terminology on us. I've been appalled recently to hear conservative friends of mine referring to themselves as teabaggers.
She seems to think that Tea Party types refer to themselves as Teabaggers. That’s what you get for getting your news from Olbermann.
Her reasoning skills are certainly indicative of "lude" behavior
That’s GOT to be Keith Olbermann!
Exactly.
...just another sierra club greenpeace nazi
No one did anything to Jones. Beck played video and audio of the man talking about his beliefs.
Thats it.
Williams doesn’t understand what happened, because she agrees with Jones and O. But “we” didn’t push him out, nor did Beck. We don’t have that power. O pushed him out.
Some kind of f**king idiot!
“The spokespeople for the right have made it acceptable to spout hate-filled speech and unfounded accusations to the American public. This must stop.”
However if us on the left-wing want to do this to Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin and George Bush, its is totally acceptable.
When I quoted the article, I placed the quote in italics, just as I have quoting your post.
The part of the quote from the article which I call "bullsh*t" is "McCarthyism is the politically motivated practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence", (emphasis mine).
The evidence was and is there.
It was disregarded even then by Communist sympathizers, and continues to be disregarded, even as the sullying of McCarthy's actions continues, fostered by leftists who do not want Americans to understand that the Marxists we see in our government today are not random or accidental events, but the result of well over five decades of planning and work by Marxists toward that aim.
If we fail to recognize that this quiet war between Communism (Marxism/Socialism) and our Constitutional Republic has been going on for over half a century, and only accelerating with the continued indoctrination of our people through every possible venue, we will never root out the garbage which has been planted in alleged historical accounts, textbooks, 'conventional wisdom', and the like.
Failure to remove all of a cancer only leads to relapse.
She has the definitive look of the typical left wing poorly informed ‘know it all’. Brainwashed.
Yes. It does have to stop. Liberals should marginalize left extremists themselves, just as conservatives are expected to -- and do -- marginalize right extremists. Instead, airheads like this follow the "no enemies on the left" dictum and actively mainstream extremism. And then pretend like the result of their own willful failure is someone else's fault.
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