Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Van Jones: Black, Red, and Green
Townhall.com ^ | September 7, 2009 | Harry R. Jackson, Jr

Posted on 09/08/2009 10:36:41 AM PDT by Kaslin

The Van Jones incident boiled to the surface and exploded very suddenly. When I first heard the sound bites and the pundits, I doubted their veracity. I thought to myself, there is no way that this man is a self-confessed communist. I hoped that the brilliant Yale Law School graduate did not really have a racial “chip” on his shoulder. Unfortunately, as I did just a little research on Van Jones’ life and times, I quickly discovered I was wrong.

Now that he is gone, the average person may think that the controversy should be over. Not so. The ideological bias he brought to his job - not simply Jones’ past problems - are a part of my ongoing concerns. His official title was Special Adviser for Green Jobs at the Council on Environmental Quality. Jones’ unofficial, personal mission seemed to be to recast the “extreme green” movement as a “people’s revolution” instead of the elitist movement that it is. In his book, The Green Collar Economy, he admits that it is “not yet fashionable” to be concerned about social justice and equity in the radical green movement. Nonetheless, seeks to cast a vision that mixes Marxism with green consciousness. As he preaches a new green gospel, he distorts his movement’s elitist roots by attempting to shroud his agenda in civil rights imagery.

Here is a paragraph from Jones’ book:

“Living mainly in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Boston, many of the architects of the green economy have photographs of Mohandas Ghandi on their walls. They consider themselves tolerant and open-minded people. Almost all of them, if asked, would confess to a deep respect for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement.”

As I read these pages, I wanted to know who the architects of this movement were. I quickly realized that the book was designed to become the manifesto of Jones’ movement. Look at the list of the book’s endorsers: Al Gore, Gavin Newsome , Carl Pope, Thomas Friedman, Tavis Smiley, Senator Tom Daschle, Larry Brilliant, Arrianna Huffington, and Nancy Pelosi. To top it all off, the forward of the book was written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This list of supporters is a veritable “who’s who” of powerful liberal activists.

Once one discovers that the book has a major Marxist agenda, it becomes fascinating to discover who is the target of the book. The Green Collar Economy paints the “new green movement” as full of virtue, while actually attacking large, Bible-believing churches. Specifically he stated, “Mega-church pastors with mega-white teeth assured their far-flung flocks that, with the right amount of prayer and right mental attitude, great abundance, tons of wealth, and high profits were sure to be enjoyed by all ... So we ordinary people...ran after every solo solution we could find. We worked longer hours. We worked extra jobs. We hocked our homes. We bought lottery tickets. We sought shelter under a house of credit cards.”

I have no idea what churches Jones observed or how he decided that mega-churches contributed to the economic problems of the nation. One thing is sure - Van Jones’ work is socialistic in its leanings and seeks to rewrite history. The book ends with an interesting call to action. Jones asks the reader to lobby his/her mayor to sign a local government green job pledge.

As I started this article, I asked the question, “Who helped this community organizer move from community activism to a New York Times Best Seller?” Although I cannot specifically name Van Jones’ mentors and sponsors at this time, it’s obvious that Jones was groomed to be a new green spokesperson. His job was to change his movement’s elitist image, while promoting its new manifesto.

The truth is that radical environmental groups believe the country should produce less energy, driving prices up in order to force energy conservation. The movement will wind up constructing financial hurdles that will raise the cost of goods made in America. The Cap and Trade bill passed this summer creates such a hurdle. Cap and Trade is, at root, a “massive” tax. In a manner of speaking it is a regressive tax, because the poor spend more proportionally on energy than others. Therefore the disposable income of the poor will decrease because of energy costs.

Our poorest citizens spend up to 50 percent of their limited income on energy, while the average American spends only 5-10 percent of their income. In comparison to their rich suburban counterparts, poor families are sometimes forced to make serious choices between food, medicine, or fuel. As a result of this dilemma, 8 percent of households with incomes between $33,500 and $55,000 will have had their electricity shut off this year due to non-payment. Increasing the cost of energy will decrease energy consumption, while multiplying energy costs for the poor. These numbers hardly represent a people’s revolution. They show a deep disregard to needs of the poor both domestically and abroad.

What do the working poor really need? There are a few clues available. A recent national poll, which included 80 percent self-identified Democrats, produced fascinating results: 76 percent of African-Americans want Congress to make economic recovery instead of climate change its top priority. The same study says that 56 percent of the respondents believe that policy makers have failed to consider “economic and quality of life concerns of the black community.” Finally, over 70 percent of the respondents don’t want to pay more for gasoline or electricity.

After Van Jones’ true colors were revealed, his resignation was necessary. His brand of green activism would have been detrimental to the nation, long term. Let’s insist, as voting citizens, that Jones’ replacement focuses more on problem solving than rhetoric. Let’s insist that he unifies the races and classes with a balanced green strategy.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News
KEYWORDS: bhoczars; vanjones; vjquitter
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-24 next last

1 posted on 09/08/2009 10:36:41 AM PDT by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Green is the new red...


2 posted on 09/08/2009 10:40:44 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
Green is the new red...
The watermelons have been around for a long time.
Green on the outside, red on the inside.
3 posted on 09/08/2009 10:49:05 AM PDT by astyanax (Tar. Feathers. Democrats. Some assembly required.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
A recent national poll, which included 80 percent self-identified Democrats, produced fascinating results: 76 percent of African-Americans want Congress to make economic recovery instead of climate change its top priority.

No offence to the constituency, but given Obama's redistributionist rhetoric and overwhelming support in this group, I wonder if they interpret economic recovery the same way I do. Do they interpret it as more government giveaways and redistribution, or as a growing of the working, private sector economy, with the increase in jobs and real wages that brings?

4 posted on 09/08/2009 10:55:49 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine (Is /sarc really necessary?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Pomegranates.
5 posted on 09/08/2009 10:56:18 AM PDT by pabianice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Jones,Ayers, and Wright believe America got what it deserved on 9/11.

IMHO, Obama and his wife have the exact same belief.


6 posted on 09/08/2009 10:57:05 AM PDT by Carley (OBAMA IS A MALEVOLENT FORCE IN THE WORLD)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

What’s black and white and red all over?

Obama and his Tsars.


7 posted on 09/08/2009 10:58:51 AM PDT by SaraJohnson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

Green is the new red...just like a watermelon;

It has been ever since 1990s, when Mikhail Gorbachev setup a Socialist Globalist Green Organization at the Presidio in San Francisco; where Nancy Pelosi is one of his most useful idiots.


8 posted on 09/08/2009 11:05:47 AM PDT by ntmxx (I am not so sure about this misdirection!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; All
Van Jones became a revolutionary communist following the 1992 L.A./Rodney King Riots (58 dead)
various sources

Posted on Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:19:07 AM by ETL

"Jones was arrested during the L.A. riots and spent a short time in jail. "I met all these young radical people of color," he recalls, 'I mean really radical: communists and anarchists. And it was, like, "This is what I need to be a part of." I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary.'..."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2333342/posts
___________________________________________________

From David Horowitz's FrontpageMag.com /DiscoverTheNetworks.org:

"Throughout its history, one of RCP's [Revolutionary Communist Party] principal objectives has been to foment civil unrest in the United States. The most notable example of such efforts occurred on April 29, 1992, when RCP members looted and trashed the downtown and government districts of Los Angeles, triggering the infamous Rodney King riots. During the days immediately preceding the violence, RCP -- which maintained close ties to the L.A. gangs known as the Crips and the Bloods -- had circulated throughout South Central Los Angeles a leaflet featuring a statement by RCP National Spokesman Carl Dix, titled 'It's Right To Rebel' -- a quote popularized by Mao Zedong.

Encouraged by Dix, RCP activists helped lead the riots that would leave 58 people dead, more than 2,300 people injured, some 5,300 buildings burned, and $1 billion in property damaged or destroyed. On the ten-year anniversary of the rioting, RCP member Joseph Veale fondly recalled the violence as 'the most beautiful, the most heroic civil action in the history of the United States.'"
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6197

9 posted on 09/08/2009 11:06:36 AM PDT by ETL (ALL the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

A teachable moment: John Podesta and the Center for American Progress embrace Van Jones.


10 posted on 09/08/2009 11:08:47 AM PDT by popdonnelly (Yes, we disagree - no, we won't shut up - no, we won't quit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

I personally think Van Jones should have remained at his job. The American people need to have their noses rubbed into the caca they elected on a daily basis as reminder that elections do have consequences.


11 posted on 09/08/2009 11:19:02 AM PDT by Welcome2thejungle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Laughably, the clown David Gergen was on CNN defending Jones as “brilliant”. How a moron like Gergen could possibly recognize “brilliance” even if he saw it is anybody’s guess.


12 posted on 09/08/2009 11:35:09 AM PDT by ozzymandus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Look at the list of the book’s endorsers: Al Gore, Gavin Newsome , Carl Pope, Thomas Friedman, Tavis Smiley, Senator Tom Daschle, Larry Brilliant, Arrianna Huffington, and Nancy Pelosi. To top it all off, the forward of the book was written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This list of supporters is a veritable “who’s who” of powerful liberal activists.

Hopefully the helpful media will yell this from the mountaintops.

13 posted on 09/08/2009 11:46:40 AM PDT by randog (Tap into America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Let’s insist, as voting citizens, that Jones’ replacement focuses more on problem solving than rhetoric. Let’s insist that he unifies the races and classes with a balanced green strategy.

No to a replacement.

No to a "balanced green strategy."

Just NO, NO, NO!

14 posted on 09/08/2009 11:55:59 AM PDT by Col Freeper (FR is a smorgasbord of Conservative thoughts and ideas - dig in and enjoy it to its fullest!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ozzymandus
I saw someone post it elsewhere, so I'm just repeating it:

This guy's supposed to be brilliant? I'll be he doesn't know how solar cells work?

I'll give him an easier one--I'll bet he doesn't know the most common gas in air.

15 posted on 09/08/2009 12:23:44 PM PDT by JeffChrz (Atlas will shrug.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

bmd for l8r


16 posted on 09/08/2009 2:11:45 PM PDT by MissDairyGoodnessVT ("Economy is the method by which we prepare today to afford the improvements of tomorrow"C.Coolidge)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Jones was apparently not a follower of the Rev. Ike.

http://www.scienceoflivingonline.com/

17 posted on 09/08/2009 2:16:18 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeffChrz
"the most common gas in air. "

Al Gore gaseous effluent?

18 posted on 09/08/2009 2:17:32 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: astyanax

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lrQwxKUvtc


19 posted on 09/08/2009 2:20:37 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA6v7BVBcEU


20 posted on 09/08/2009 2:21:55 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-24 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson