Time to Step Up.

 With this resignation, Van Jones will no longer have the encumbrances of the political establishment keeping him in check, he is now free to speak his mind and speak the truth. We stand at attention as he will walk as a true leader of the people speaking the truth. The Republican leadership is exposed for what they are.

My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jones at "The Big Tent" at the Democratic Convention in 2008. He was on a panel moderated by Laura Flanders that included the likes of Jim Hightower and David Sirota. While on the panel, Mr. Jones thoughtfully answered a question I had on the environment.

Both my husband and I feel he is a brilliant, focused, and dedicated individual. What is the Obama Administration's loss is the *rest* of America's gain.

We agree with Arianna Huffington's comments today on HuffingtonPost.com, "thanking" Glenn Beck for "bringing" Van Jones back to where he can do the most help, at the grass roots, with us, the American people.

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/[…]/thank-you-glenn-beck_b_278839.html

Thanks Van, and Green for All, for all that you do.

We promise, as individual American citizens, to continue to do our part too!

I continue to support Van Jones and am disgusted by the tenor some in this country have taken toward anyone who may or may not have questioned the Bush administration or Republicans. I also think socialism as a perjorative has dumbed down society and not only bastardized what socialism is but has led people down the road of McCarthyism, forgetting that all political philosophies are allowed in America. Van Jones was targeted, I believe, because of ColorofChange.com's advertising boycott of Glenn Beck, but also because we are not in the age of Big Government but Big Business. When Americans realize and insist that Big Business is the problem and spend more time and energy demanding better from Big Business, then we will all benefit. Instead, people like Glenn Beck rally Americans to yell at the solutions, not the problems. Shame on any American who allows themselves to be manipulated into thinking that the Obama administration and people like Van Jones are out to create problems rather than providing tools for us all to solve the problems.

I'm sick about all of this. Just sick. So I am hoping that Van Jones will rise above this and keep on keeping on. We need smart, dedicated like him to lead us and inspire us and help us defeat the madness that holds us all back.

This is another reminder that we cannot expect real change to come from Washington, where most everyone in power there got there and stays there by selling out to corporate interests. When the PEOPLE lead.......

Van Jones' resignation points out one of the failings of an issue-oriented approach to reform: namely, that without a broader movement that is present and powerful, individual leaders on the left will be vulnerable to attack by a unified right-wing machine. No doubt, the 'green collar,' green jobs movement is an essential aspect of improving the global economy. At the same time, however, when we have 1001 nonprofits and lobbyist organizations that are issue-oriented, but we do NOT have a broader unifying movement, we are unable to make progress on even the easiest and most sellable reforms.

To develop an "inclusive" green economy, as Green for All purports to seek, we need millions of people to demand such inclusion. Van Jones, who has a great history of progressive and revolutionary work, did not have enough of us who were ready to fight for him. Our President, as he himself has said, is only as strong as the people push him to be. Ultimately, I believe, this means that in order for us to win on health care, to win on the climate, we can't rely on the Democratic Party. Clearly, the so-called leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel were not ready to stand up for a man, like Van, who was ready to use the apparatus of the Executive Branch to develop a more inclusive soceity. Let us consider not only how we can use this moment to get short-term support for individual causes, but how we can build a broader and more long-term strategy for a transformational, nation-wide movement.

I had never heard of Van Jones before all this controversy. Then, I saw a video of him on Brave New Films - bravenation.com/carl_pope_van_jones.php and of course, heard about him in the news.

I believe that he is a fine, honorable and noble individual, and SINCERELY hope he continues on resolutely with strength, courage, grace, PATIENCE (esp with the peanutty gallery), temperance (no use letting anyone upset his apple cart), steadfastness.

SOOO many people now support him and have discovered greenforall.org. Like me.

And now, I have another new hero amongst all the strange political fellows I see in the news, behaving rather badly, tearing one another apart, lying, using propaganda techniques to twist the truth and destroy any hope of positive collaboration.

Is it all about money, power, fear? If so, it's hard to imagine us solving ANYTHING.

Thank you all for the amazing things you all do. Thank you Van Jones! I'm so glad I got to find out about you.

I support Van Jones. I am a Republican. He espouses entrepreneurship and self reliance as a way for us to raise ourselves up to what we can be. Creating solutions instead of waiting for them is the only way we will ever change our economy, protect our climate, or improve the way we all relate to one another. I am a Republican. In my mind that means I believe in the people, not the government. I believe in our creativity and determination as a country. I believe in capitialism that is responsible to the planet, her people and the bottomline. It does not have to be derisive. If a white boy from Appalachia who has been a lifelong republican can get fired up by Van Jones and want to leave the oil and gas business to start a new green business...anything is possible.

I've been splitting my activism between getting a Green Jobs Interfaith Coalition (aka GreJIC)up and running in Colorado (we'll let Green for All know as soon as we have a website!) and pushing for a new 9/11 investigation. Van did nothing wrong when he signed the 9/11 Truth petition and I'm sorry he later felt compelled to distance himself from it.

Anyone who has been paying the least bit of attention knows that the evidence for Bush administration complicity in 9/11 is overwhelming; that more than 800 licensed architects and engineers have signed a petition demanding a new investigation (see ae911truth.org and 911truth.org); and that copious amounts of unexploded military-grade nanothermite have been found in the WTC dust -- just for starters! Many courageous progressives, including Amy Goodman, Jim Hightower, Cindy Sheehan, Thom Hartmann, Cynthia McKinney and Michael Moore have called for a new, thorough and independent investigation.

To disparage the 9/11 Truth movement is to deny history as well as to ignore the 9/11 forensic evidence: governments routinely use "false flag" operations in which they either execute or fabricate an attack on their own people and blame it on another entity in order to rouse popular support for war. It appears that 9/11 was a textbook example of this pattern, but this time the bad guys got cocky and showed their stuff in broad daylight.

I send my best to Van and his family and hope this will be a very temporary setback. I saw Van speak in Ft. Lauderdale in June 2008 (see the Ware Lecture on this website) and have been a fan ever since. He's a true-blue progressive and a great guy.

Jones was the right man, with the right message at the critical moment...here's hoping we've not seen the last of him, that he returns to the public conversation sooner than later, that this work continues and in fact ramps up (being about ideas, not personalities...about responsible stewardship and regeneration of our natural and social ecologies), and that the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations rise to the magnitude of a dire set of circumstances.

On my earlier post I referred to a speech Van delivered in Ft. Lauderdale in June 2008, as keynote speaker for the Unitarian Universalists' General Assembly's "Ware Lecture." I just discovered that the Ware Lecture is no longer available for viewing on the Green for All website. It's a real loss not having it here, because the Ware Lecture was an hour-long description by Van of how broad and deep the green jobs movement can and needs to be -- it was an extremely inspiring call to action, and despite its serious content was entertaining and often humorous. Any chance you guys can restore it? Also, for folks new to the green jobs concept, please read Van's book, The Green-Collar Economy. It's well-written, moving and has lots of great ideas we can implement in our communities.

Van Jones is just too good for political scandals. He is a hero and an idol to whom I look up to as I try to put into practice what he believes and teaches which is community outreach and involvement at the grassroots level. Because of the passion I have for Van Jones' philosophies, I have made it my goal to work within my local community to help develop a weatherization training program to help create jobs as well as to help make the science of energy efficiency sucessful by making the workers who will do these jobs successful. Thank you, Van, for all you have done and for creating inspiration in people like myself to do your work. I look forward to seeing you back on the trail soon!

I specifically went to see Van Jones speak at Bentley College,in Waltham, MA, because of his work through "Green for All", and I trust he knows that he has a lot of support from many Americans who truly care of about the future of our environment; it was a thrill to realize that the green initiatives were coming from the 'top' through Washington, but, after seeing these initiatives knocked down since the mid 70's I have to say that, although I am not really surprised, I was still very disappointed that there are those who continue to keep these initiatives from becoming reality, because of their own personal self interests. I do hope that Mr. Jones plans to continue working toward a better tomorrow and that he knows there are plenty of people who really care about the progress he has made and will continue working toward that same end.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Van speak on two occasions. One was at the 35th anniversary of the Tufts University Urban and Environmental Policy Department celebration in 2007. The second was at Bentley University in April 2009. I am a huge fan of Van's thoughtful and visionary approach to environmental and economic justice. I hope that he knows that millions of people have been touched by his vision of an inclusionary economy. I was saddened by his resignation and feel that it was clearly a "smear" campaign by Glenn Beck and the Republicn Right-wing. I wish Van the best in the next undertaking that he decides to embark on. It is truly a loss for this Administration and our country's future to silence his voice.

Best of luck Van - your fans are pulling for you!

First, i would like to say thank you for inspiring me Van Jones. Now we begin the next phase of changing the attitude of the world about this inclusive green economy. People like glen beck are scared and their numbers are dwindling(village idiots)but the true people of true change will prevail. Hail Van Jones Forever!!!!