The New Boogeyman!

Anthony "Van" Jones

Glenn Beck was on the television crying the other night. Yeah, he was crying crocodile tears while talking that spiel about Obama and his administration having a secret communist agenda and begging like-minded individuals to "take our country back". Back to what?

One of the reasons he was saying this is because of a man in President Obama's administration named Van Jones... a talented young brother who was a civil rights activist before he became the president's advisor on all things green. Thanks to a campaign of misinformation, the nation has lost a very talented young man who might have done it some good. I certainly wished that Van Jones had reconsidered before announcing his resignation today.

The White House environmental adviser, who was under fire for inflammatory statements made before he joined President Obama's administration, resigned on the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy because opponents of reform have mounted what he calls "a vicious smear campaign" against him. Further, Jones said in his resignation statement that "they (Republicans) are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Sunday that Van Jones understood that he was going to get in the way of President Barack Obama's agenda. The resignation was disclosed without advance notice by the White House in a dead-of-the-night email on a holiday weekend. It came as President Obama is working to regain his footing in the contentious health care debate.

Jones, who specialized in environmentally friendly "green jobs" with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the September 11 attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans. Of course, this means that if I ever wanted a job in President Obama's Administration, I would probably have to not only discontinue this blog but, wipe it out altogether. I could just see Glenn Beck now, reading this blog and having a stroke. Especially, since I talk about him and his buddies, Sean Hannity and Rush "I never saw a truth, I couldn't distort" Limbaugh, in such a God-awful way.

Recent news reports cited a derogatory comment Jones made in the past about Republicans, and separately, of Jones's name appearing on a petition connected to the events surrounding the September 11 attacks. The 2004 petition asked for congressional hearings and other investigations into whether high-level government officials had "allowed" the attacks to occur... something I have more than hinted about myself a few times.

Van Jones said, "They (Republicans) are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." Yes, they are doing what they do best... distorting the truth. Oh, and let's just call it what it is... outright lying. They made a Master's Degree thesis out of this during the Clinton Administration and have elevated the science of the smear campaign to a Ph.D. level during President Obama's Administration.

Howard Dean, former head of the Democratic National Committee, told Fox News Sunday that he thought Jones "was brought down" and that his resignation was "a loss to the country." Jones said he has been "inundated with calls from across the political spectrum urging me to stay and fight." But, he said he could not in good conscience ask his colleagues to spend time and energy defending or explaining his past.

Jones said in an earlier statement that he did not agree with the petition's stand on the September 11 attacks and that "it certainly does not reflect my views, now or ever." As for his other comments made before joining President Obama's team, Jones said, "If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize."

Despite his apologies, Republicans demanded Jones to quit. "Extremist views" Republican Senator Mike Pence of Indiana said in a statement, "His extremist views and coarse rhetoric have no place in this administration or the public debate." Republican Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond of Missouri said congress should investigate Jones's fitness for the job. Why do we always have to apologize for things said or done in the past. I haven't heard Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh, or that harpy, Ann Coulter apologize for anything they have said or done, ever. I just wish the Democrats would grow a pair and fight back sometimes and give the "Rethugs" a taste of their own medicine.

Fox News channel host, Glenn Beck, repeatedly denounced Jones after a group the adviser co-founded, ColorofChange.org, led an advertising boycott against Beck's show to protest his claim that President Obama is a racist.

The president of Beck's media organization, Christopher J. Balfe, said the commentator had begun focusing on Jones' "radical beliefs" on July 16, before the group started taking on Beck... but James Rucker, the organization's executive director, has said that Jones had nothing to do with ColorofChange.org now and didn't even know about the campaign before it started. Jones is well-known in the environmental movement for laying out a broad vision of a green economy. Conservatives have harshly criticized him for having left-wing political views. So, what if he did have left wing views? Is that a crime? Nancy Sutley, who heads the White House Environmental Council, said Jones "had been a strong voice for creating jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources."

You know, Glenn Beck is an idiot! He calls himself a journalist and even occasionally calls himself a comedian (I kid you not... he has a comedy DVD out). When he used to have a show on CNN, I must admit that I found him mildly amusing. Now, I think he's an outright jackass with all the crying and hysterics about people out to destroy his livelihood and communist boogeymen trying to take over the country. He has said some pretty extreme things on his television show and he has yet to "apologize" to the American people for "his misleading statements".

The Republicans turned Rev. Jeremiah Wright into a black boogeyman when Obama was running for election (I called it the second coming of Willie Horton). Now, they've turned Van Jones into the new black boogeyman, while turning Michael Steele into the new "Stepin' Fetchit". This Republican magic show is pretty good. Maybe Glenn Beck ought to take that show on the road. Ooops! I forgot... he's doing that every night when he comes on television.