Meet Van Jones..."Two problems confront us: social inequality and environmental destruction. Both problems are reaching crisis points. We act as if they are separate. But they are linked—economically, politically, and morally. The solutions and strategies for each must, therefore, be one."
By Shane Shirley-Smith
I hope this guy doesn't have any tax skeletons hiding in his closet because no matter what side of the aisle your on, he's a keeper. President Obama has tagged Van Jones to be the new Green Jobs Advisor. So who exactly is this new Green Messiah?
Van Jones has spent 20 plus years compiling the knowledge, connections and understanding of a man on a mission to deliver The Word...We must take care of our people so they can take care of our planet. The two are intermingled and inseparable. The problem is that so many people cannot see this.
So many people are too concerned with making it through to the next day in one piece that they have no time for worry about much of anything else; the least of which would be the environment. But if you give people the knowledge and tools to make a difference and a living, they just might have enough hope to give a damn..
Let us lay our hopes on the words below written by Van Jones in 2005 becoming prophetic:
"The U.S. spends tens of billions of dollars subsidizing mass incarceration. And it spends hundreds of billions subsidizing polluters, despoilers, and clear-cutters. At bottom, both the social and ecological crises are fueled by a lust for profit. Both are made worse by a bought-and-paid-for government, bribed to stand on the wrong side of the issues. And both problems reflect our failure as a society to value what’s truly sacred—all life, with its infinite value.
To execute the urgently needed ecological and social U-turn, we need three things: We need a good story, to shine a light on the past and show a way forward. We need a good politics, to unite us strategically. And we need a good moral framework, to ground our efforts spiritually and ethically."
There are those that say President Obama is definitely a good story, I believe most in the US feel that President Obama is full of good politics and as for a good moral framework...do we have what it takes to create a country based on morality? It would seem as though we are being forced into it.
Perhaps the days of C.E.O.'s with thousand dollar trash cans and hungry children at their feet are coming to an end. Our eyes have seen enough gluttony to make even the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah feel a little sick. Still, the new hope for tomorrow should not be to bring down those that find financial success. The new hope for tomorrow must be to adapt an Eco-American way of life. We must feed our hungry bellies with green jobs to stimulate us to a sustainable way of life and an economic recovery.
I don't know about you, but I will be sleeping a little better tonight than usual. Knowing that Van Jones finally has the chance to affect the changes in social inequality and environmental destruction for which he has been striving, gives me a little hope for tomorrow.
Check out Van's Book called The Green Collar Economy: How one solution can fix our two biggest problems.
09/08/09 Well guys I just had to write a little note as Van was forced to resign this past weekend. Who would have thought that calling members of the Republican National Convention A**holes would require you to resign. Huh? And who would have thought that being an adviser to the President as well as a member of the Communist Party would be a problem. But wait what about being a member of the group of people who think that President Bush planned 9-11 would be a problem when advising the president. Wow!
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"And both problems reflect our failure as a society to value what’s truly sacred—all life, with its infinite value."
ReplyDeleteI can hardly believe a government person said something that profound. Good things could come of this...
Hey, I can see the captcha word :)
I am not big on everything with either party, but I certainly like Van Jones.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sylvie
Very informative article. Thanks for letting us know who he is.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed and wanted to share. I am waiting to hear the bad news about him but haven't heard anything. I will remain hopeful.
ReplyDelete