Does anyone else see the irony of Van Jones - the champion of green jobs - being kicked around by the haters and abandoned by the white house on Labor Day weekend? I for one am glad he got out of this administration with his ethics and dignity intact. I think he is needed as an activist, a community, no national, organizer and one of the only invigorating visionaries around.
Van is the man.
Hey, if he was promoted with Naomi Klein (economy & corporate takeover), Jeremy Scahill (war, torture and shadow army) and SanDiego's own Jill Richardson (food and agri-business) and had a way to be heard night and day, 7 days a week like the haters on corporate media . . . Well, it would be exciting.
Update: I got sloppy and spelled names wrong. *shame* I also ducked any real responsibility for any background explanation or coherent response. What can I say? I haven't shown the respect for make-a-(green)plan and anyone who might read. I'll try to step it up a bit.
“Dr. King didn’t get famous giving a speech that said, ‘I have a complaint.’”That wonderful line came from Van Jones. It is highlighted in Richard Shetterly's post in Common Dreams, Van Jones is Dead. Long Live Van Jones. Richard Shetterly met Van Jones when he painted his portrait for his Americans Who Tell the Truth series. I used that image when I wrote about Van Jones last year. Shetterly's post is a wonderful read with the same belief stated here, Van Jones will do better for us all outside the white house.
"... the 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: The growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy." --Alex Carey, Australian social scientist
Update, 9/8/9 - Great video by Brave New Films of Van Jones and Carl Pope here.
9 comments:
huge loss. i've been sick about it all weekend. a very sad labor day.
this administration doesn't deserve the likes of van jones. and you're right, he leaves with his own integrity intact while casting an ever more revealing light on the integrity of our current administration.
becky
This whole thing just makes me angry. I wonder how long it will take for everyone i admire to get out of the administration?
Becky, Rosa - I read a good one at Alternet, 5 Reasons Why Van Jones and Progressives Are Better Off With Jones Out of the White House. Okay, the Huffingonesque stupid title aside, this post is worth looking at to cheer yourself up. I had recently been thinking how he (Jones)must be miserable working on the inside.
The truth is, progressives need Van Jones working on the outside providing vision and leadership, not on the inside with his mouth buttoned.
Don't you think that if everyone (rational activists) chose to put all donations towards an independent media (including the blogosphere) instead of political parties - we would at least be providing something to counterbalance that solid hum of hate and irritainment of the MSM?
I think we need a few solid, established media organizations. Pro publica is a good start, but it takes decades to grow into the kind of influential organization we need.
Plus, we already have news sources - the Christian Science Monitor, all of the Pacifica radio stations - they just get drowned out by the noise.
*IF* Van Jones can get the funding and influence he needs to do what needs doing, we're better off with him outside the white house...but dude needs a job. He's not rich like all the crazy rightwingers. I mean, he's rich by my standards but he's dependent on a paycheck, not daddy.
And we need the funding in the programs it's already going to, with the administration and mainstream news sources doing their JOBS without extra pushes. We can't afford to be filling in that gap all the time.
Agreed, agreed, agreed, Rosa. I am shaking my head. I think I keep thinking of the millions of dollars that go to traditional Democratic Party politics places and think it better spent towards independent media - the media of information.
Ever single point you make is valid and vital to this place in time. Hope all is well at your homefront.
everything is good here. i just signed up for a Spanish class, and we we spent all weekend setting up a "big boy" room for my son - it was 50% off day at the thrift store so we picked up sheets & a lamp and stuff for the former guest room, since we finally decided we're not going to host home this winter.
I hate to be such a downer on the media front - but we *have* all the truth tellers we need, we just don't have the wall of sound the right wing has. That takes real money - i don't think progressives have it. Most of those democratic millions come from liberals, not radicals.
You're right. There are plenty of truth tellers out there. Sadly, without the oligarchy's wall of sound distracting the population (including all of the advertising & other sparkley consumer propaganda to dumb all down and divide) the population would be in the streets.
So, what would rouse people to hit the streets? . . . The televisions and computers all going silent (and anti-depressants / sleep aids / alchohol not available). Ha. Frankly, I can't wrap my mind around turning off my own computer - yet alone someone totally disengaged, drugged passive right now. Or, yes, a competing media flood from the left. That is what I have proposed, but I wonder if it is past that place. I think making American citizens uncomfortable is now vital.
Another dream - all military bases around the world closed and everyone in them coming back home. Better yet, all the weapons gone and the soldiers turned into cultural interns - taking classes from host countries in their culture and practices. Lowly, service work - for Americans (soldiers and those seeking debt relief or education funding, etc.) to unlearn exceptionalism, entitlement and empire.
Hey, BTW, what is a host home?
Since design is my one outlet - I am happy for you getting to transfrom your son's room.
Well,i think the people in the streets won't be in the center of the empire, where we are - it will be at the edges, where change is more possible and power is less entrenched.
All we can do is be ready to guide the change when it gets to where we are, so we're not destroyed or obstructionist.
Host home is a local program where people provide support for homeless teens - we talked about it for a year and we're just not ready for the extra responsibility, even though we'd like to do it.
You remind me, Rosa, of where I was in the late '60's and early '70's when my generation was in the streets. I was smack dab in the middle of the country and with the exception of several campuses, I was in the center of business as ususal.
Even so, I did and do feel like I was engaged - despite this truth. I imagine that if I'd had a virtual connection to community and actions - like one can have now - I'd have really felt a vital part of it all.
That host program is such a generous thing to do. Picking the right time is wisdom.
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