Van Jones, President Obama's green jobs czar (official title Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Equality) signed onto a "9/11 truth statement" in 2004 calling for an investigation by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer into whether the Bush administration may have had foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks, The Washington Times' Amanda Carpenter reports.
Carpenter predicts it will add fuel to the fire for Jones' conservative
critics, who were riled when a video recently surfaced of Jones telling
an audience that Republicans "are assholes." Glenn Beck has ranted about Jones's purported communism.
Jones is a liberal who's generally been recognized by the left as an environmental visionary; Will DiNovi profiled him for Atlantic Politics in March.
The statement, organized by 9/11Truth.org--billed
as the online home of "The 9/11 Truth Movement"--lists 12 alleged 9/11
discrepancies and demands answers to them, such as "Why did the Bush
administration cover up the fact that the head of the Pakistani
intelligence agency was in Washington the week of 9/11 and reportedly
had $100,000 wired to Mohammed Atta, considered the ringleader of the
hijackers?"
Other signers include Ralph Nader, Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin, former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), and Howard Zinn.
The recent "birther" phenomenon resurrected the 9/11 truth movement into the public consciousness earlier this summer, as commentators drew parallels. The Jones signature reminds us that, as noted in the polls of the time, lots of people thought 9/11 may well have involved a cover-up. Carpenter, a conservative commentator herself, proclaims Jones to be among the "truthers."
Further Glenn Beck ranting, and myriad conservative blog criticism, will undoubtedly ensue.
So Birthers on the floor of the Congress are ok, but someone else who believes and equally ridiculous lie is not. Sorry but GOP insanity tactics are rendering everything meaningless.
This case is yet another example of GOP incompetence. Rather than concentrating on the fact that he is/was a Communist and has made a series of very questionable comments, they go after him for this without realizing who else signed the petition. Petard, meet hoist.
The members of congress are elected and the voters can send whatever kind of moron they like to serve. Those who are appointed are a different matter. Us not rejecting our crazies will reflect as poorly on us as the right's failure to reject theirs has on them.
I agree with you Qibai....\
With all the stuff coming the republicans mouth these past year or so, this is child play...
Did Obama hand pick any of the birthers as czars? Did any of the birthers call the democratic party a bunch of assholes? Let's compare apples to apples. The MVP award for the republican party and the next election landslide victory goes to Obama and his hand picked czars.
Mr. Good, you stated "Glenn Beck has ranted about Jones's "purported" communism.
I beg your pardon? purported communisn????
A qoute directly from Van Jones to the East Bay Express after the police officers involved in the Rodney King incident were found not quilty:
"I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th, by August, I was a communist."
As usual the left doesn't quite get all the facts out there. But then I guess that reads better for you than the truth.
@Siobhan: Does context mean anyting to you? Are you a complete literalist, because I'm so hungry right now I could eat a horse.
Do you think Jones' "I was a communist" statement reflected:
1) A true thorough complete overnight conversion from a nationalist to communist ideology?
2) A shorthand description for the anger and bewilderment he was feeling at that specific moment in time?
Pick one.
query_tool:
You can't be serious.... there was no "overnight convrersion" for Van Jones, he has been a long time radical. (STORM, Ella Baker etc..) The one thing that has not happened to convince me otherwise is his denial.
Context? He was talking about his beliefs, and how he came to be a communist.
As usual liberals are really good at shooting off their mouths and then offering excuses for everything they say when confronted about them.
Van Jones' involvement with STORM is what solidified his identity as a known communist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Together_to_Organize_a_Revolutionary_Movement
An being a communist means......what again.
Republicans are a bunch of hypocrites...if being a communist or a socialist is the only thing you get to throw at him, he must be doing something right
Republicans are a bunch of hypocrites...if being a communist or a socialist is the only thing you get to throw at him, he must be doing something right
You can't be serious. You believe communism to be something good? How old are you?
5..no I mean 6....
And how old are you?
Ah 6 - that explains the kool-aid intoxication.
The plot thickens. This administration is unraveling by the day now. Our presedent owes us a frank and serious response to this lastest association with radical communists. If this keeps unravaling it wouldn't be long now. There will be an impeachment hearing!
Respectfully, This president will be called to answer this association with another radical America hater.
So what, let's talk about Chevron: http://earthtotracy.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/you-know-what-chevron-just-pay-up/
"Jones is a liberal who's generally been recognized by the left as an environmental visionary." I guess Glenn Beck found out the truth: Van Jones is an avowed communist who wants nothing short of using the Cap and Trade legislation to fundamentally change our country. Wow! And NO ONE else in the media was even aware of this. Yeah, right! I voted for Barack Obama but right now I'm glad that the truth is coming out and the white house is unraveling. This whole story reinforces the belief that the media in America has lost its ability to do its job.
Jones said he was a communist and until he says otherwise he is what he says he is...how hard is that. I'll wait to hear from him or the White House....waiting.....still waiting.....
I agree that it is ALMOST impossible to believe something so blatantly nefarious as the willful and wanton conduct of certain humans regarding 9/11. However, if you can somehow suspend the near instantaneous internal reaction to the possibility that something about the collapse of those THREE buildings just doesn't make sense... if you can objectively examine the events, without attempting to make your observations match any pre-determined conclusion, then you will find that the laws of physics that govern our reality can only yield a certain, undeniable conclusion. If you know nothing about Newtonian physics/kinematics, then believing the official story is no real leap... hot fuel, fatigued steel, pancake effect, etc. Sounds reasonable. However, if you understand that such explanations are actually not possible due to laws of physics, then you can expand your perspective to consider the implications. The "truth" is the truth. Whether or not you are able to accept it is another thing altogether.
To asdfghjkl193,
Let's see, NOVA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, and the HISTORY CHANNEL all had renowned engineers and physicists and structural experts explain how the buildings came down. I'm sorry that your parallel universe is governed by a different set of physics, but in OUR universe, what happened on 9/11 has been explained.
Just think: someone with the same thought process as "asdfghjkl193" is in charge of creating "green jobs" for the Obama administration. That's some nightmare fuel.
I dunno...any more nightmarish than an elected official who believes the world was created in 7 days despite overwhelming scientific proof to the contrary?
I'd say the only unfortunate part about Van Jones being outed is that the secret plot to turn the USA into the USSA has been discovered too quickly. Bwahaha-we'd all have been calling each other comrade if it hadn't been for Glenn Beck!!
Btw--for all those seeing 'red' everywhere you look...does it matter that our entire way of life is financed by Communist China?
Thank goodness we are finally moving towards a better America. Sooner or later the greed catches up, people. Stop whining, and try to make the best of this change. Its happening now, and nothing is going to stop it. Do you really think you have been living in a Capitalist Country? I mean, really. If I have to explain just the bullet points, then, why bother.
I think we, like Europe, are a socialist democracy. We have socialized roads and schools but a market economy etc. I am glad that we have a Senator that calls himself a socialist.
That said any truther should resign or be fired.
Larry,
I would have to agree. Regardless of the "plot" if one existed, or assuming our Government (or any for that matter) could carry out such a precision attack and then keep it secret form everyone, is absurd. Having said that, (to the readers that think "socialism" in a negative way- Our leaders are our leaders. Like them or not, respect them or not, DO NOT disrespect them. No wonder the rest of the world we share (not own) thinks we are greedy, ungrateful, etc. etc. We are our own worst enemy. In a country with a little too much freedom. Don't make me wear a seat belt, helmet, and don't tell me not to smoke, BUT don't make me pay for the higher insurance rates due to higher premiums. Cant have it both ways people. Don't like socialized medicine? Get rid of the police, the schools, and the post office while you are at it. How about the interstate, water and gas--get the picture?
I was absolutely disgusted with "Truthers" about a year ago, and set out to disprove them. I bought the Popular Mechanics book first, and read that (short and Hollywood-esque). Then I dug into what these ostensibly whacko Truther people were talking about.
I'd suggest everyone go to youtube and check into what former US Army Major General (chief of intelligence) Stubblebine says about 9/11. He is on record and his credentials are impeccable. Then look into the writing of Christopher Bollyn, his book on 9/11 was fact-checked by British and American sources, and his work is very accurate. He fingers not the US government, and definitely not arabs in caves. From there look at the work of Dr Neils Herrit (Phd from Columbia Univ).
Americans should research the mountain of evidence on record, it's very enlightening. Do your homework and decide for yourself. As far as Van Jones goes, it is worth noting that a member of parliament in Europe, Guilietto Chiesa, who is also an investigative journalist with a highly distinguished background, presents an extremely strong case that the US government explanation of 9/11 doesn't add up.
I wish it were so easy to disregard "Truthers" as lunatics. It isn't.
Not sure that being a Communist amounts to much of anything in the grand scheme of things. The Communist Party in the United States does not get much traction.
More interested the man's keen wit.
I think he hit the nail on the head.
Tom Delay, Karl Rove, Dick Armey, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Tom Grassley, Rick Santorum, etc.
I use to be a proud young Republican.
But these folks behave like assholes.
This 9/11 truther stuff is just a smoke screen. I dont think its overall bad to question events. I personally dont thnk the goverment was invovled in that event, but its ok to question it.
Van Jones is a Radical Black Activist, excuse me , they call them enviromentalist now. After seeing the videos in which the basic message is that the "white man" owes everyone has no place in the White House. Then if you read of the organzation that Van Jones founded, one of many, STORM , here is there manifesto: www.capitalresearch.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/stormsummation.pdf
This all clearly shows what this man is about. I dont not want to pay this guy with my tax dollars to peddle his garbage, nor do i want him handing out tax money to the groups of his choice. (probably give money to the Black Panthers)
There is a question if "Van Jones" is his given name? Did he actually graduate from Yale in 1993? He calls himself a Attorney, What Bar Association is he a member of, or what state did he pass the bar for?
This guy is starting to look like a total lie!!!!!
Van Jones shows the need to have people that are paid by our tax dollars to be either voted in or approved by Congress. There is a concept of checks and balances that our goverment runs on, this side stepps that. Now either Obama is gonna hear the American opinion on this and do the right thing, fire this guy, or ignore the American opinion and keep him on. We will know what to expect by those he surrounds himself by!
Ah 6 - that explains the kool-aid intoxication.