Van Jones Explains 9/11 Petition In One Of His First Post-White House Interviews (VIDEO)

Van Jones Explains 9/11 Petition In One Of His First Post-White House Interviews (VIDEO)

Van Jones, President Obama's former "Green Jobs Czar," spoke to Tavis Smiley in one of his first public interviews since his resignation last year.

Jones told Smiley he never signed the "truther" petition that was the catalyst downfall. The activist and author told Smiley about his "tough lesson":

Van Jones:... I believe that 9/11 was a conspiracy by Al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden, and nobody else, trying to hurt America. What happened to me on that tough lesson learned for me, six years ago, I was at a conference, some people came up to me. They said, 'Hey, we represent 9-11 families.' I'm like, 'OK, good to meet you.' They said, 'We need your help. Will you help us?' I said, 'Sure, whatever you want.'

And then these people, I didn't know what their agenda was, they went and put my name on some abhorrent, crazy language they never showed me, I never saw. And it just sat there on this web site for years. Somebody discovered it, and then boom. So people actually believe that I actually signed onto something that I never saw and never signed onto. And that became part of the firestorm. I decided at that point that I needed to resign because I was becoming a distraction.

Jones resigned from his position at the White House in September 2008. He told Smiley that it was solely his decision to resign.

He has since joined the think tank Center For American Progress, and has been appointed as a fellow at Princeton University.

Van who?

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." Thomas Paine

what a coward

If that isn't the biggest line of BS I've heard since Tiger Woods' "apology" and now he's with the center for american progress? I think we can now officially call it the center for american stagnation.

dtg
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"It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear."
-- Douglas MacArthur

1:30

"You've got to remember that for some people politics is this whole gotcha game(?), cage match all this kind of stuff, for me this is life or death stuff."

Then he changes the subject to health insurance.

Van Jones reward for selling out

Sr. fellow at leftgatekeeper CAP, visiting fellow at Ivy League Princeton

Interview w/ WaPo:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR201002...

More in depth coverage from Faux News- strangely they refer to "an interview with The Washington Post", and include quotes matching the above article, but also include quotes that don't appear in it- perhaps the WaPo edited out stuff? Or Faux News is making shit up, as they've been known to do?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/24/van-jones-returns-spotlight-p...
"The sudden flurry of activity appears to mark the end of Jones' retreat from public life after a short stint as adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He resigned under pressure in early September due to mounting criticism over controversial remarks and positions, including his calling Republicans "assholes," making racially charged statements and signing a petition in 2004 supporting the "9/11 truther" movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The petition was the breaking point, and his resignation came shortly afterward.

But Jones, in an interview with The Washington Post, defended himself against the withering attacks he endured last year and distanced himself from the "truthers." Jones said he believes Al Qaeda and Usama bin Laden, and "nobody else," were behind the Sept. 11 attacks. He said his name showed up on the petition because he expressed verbal support for a group that came up to him six years ago and said they represented "911 families" without realizing what they represented.

"Unfortunately, I didn't know what their agenda was," Jones said. "So then they went and added my name, without my knowledge, to this awful, abhorrent language they had on their Web site."
911Truth.org has disputed this explanation. 911Truth.org spokesman Mike Berger said last fall that Jones "did agree with that statement and he did sign on to it."

But Jones told The Washington Post that he made a "big mistake" in not doing his "homework" on the organization before offering "support of any kind."

He said he doesn't have "any bitterness or anger" about his past. "

__________________________
http://911reports.com
http://www.historycommons.org

power of the people seeing who will take this on Congress?

I think the issue of 9-11-01 is the issue that determines who is a genuine individual, and who is only an empty suit, integrity or not. It's clear. Anyone with half a brain, can see what the facts are. It doesn't even take an engineer to see that an implosion took place and that the building didn't collapse, they were pulverized. Considering that we have the numbers now, some polls putting us in 80% of the population, we have the power to grill the politicians, and put it on video, WAC, are you paying attention to this? They can show us if they have the credibility or not,. 9-11-01, where they stand on it, tells us what they are made of. This is the true test of their integrity!

The most severe form of learning disorders are owned by those that "already know everything."

Can you back that up, Van?

He's just regurgitating the line used at the time of his dismissal, about truth activists presenting themselves in a false light in order to get his signature. But someone--an actual person, not some abstract 'truther'--got his signature. Can anyone find out who it was and what they or any other activists present might are able to recall about it? Might 911truth.org be able to find out? Do we have any choice other than to be mischaracterized in a negative way yet again, without rebuttal?

Logged in just to upvote this

Finding out what evidence is available, is what we do best. Perhaps there is even some video of this politician signing the petition? In order to get any notice for our side, this must be attended to quickly.

I believe he signed in 2004.

That was before youtube was created, and before WeAreChange was founded. But if a video exists which refutes Jones' claim about being manipulated by the shrewd and cunning truthers, that would be excellent and should be disseminated widely.

Not likely on video

Yes, unfortunately this was probably not something caught on video. I mentioned 911truth.org since, as the information in loose nuke's comment indicates, they disputed Jones' version of events when the story came out last fall, implying that they had some knowledge of the petition in question.

And come to think of it, when Jones says the group in question represented themselves as 'representing the 9/11 families,' I think: Kyle Hence's group, maybe?

Maybe we should just start by asking, or trying to recall--just how did his signing a 9/11 truth petition come to light anyway? Who found out about it, how, from whom, and who passed it along to the press? Did the press report on it simply as hearsay (which Jones then subsequently admitted to), or were they presented with actual documentation of his signature? If the former, did any of their sources at least claim to having seen documentation? That might at least offer us some clues to more precise answers about where and when, and from there we might learn about which group was involved and which individuals were gathering signatures.

This apparent walk back

This apparent walk back underscores the intimidation and the fear that people fear related to 9/11. If you accept the fact that the so called "conspirators" were ruthless to kill 3,000 people, destroy $2 trillion dollars of property with careful planning and understood that the government would then launch two horrific wars and have the entire population and the media fall in line, enact the repression USA PATRIOT act, you might have something to fear of they felt you were prominent enough and demanding an investigation which would expose them.

These conspirators, managed to on first blush fool the media (use it too) by knowing that they would all act like the echo chamber that they are.

They managed to delay, and block any real investigation for over a year.

They managed to get NIST, FEMA et al to cover up the truth by fabricating the official account lies

They managed to obtain the incendiaries and explosives from the military (and conceal that)

They managed to get these placed inside the buildings (and avoid detection) or have cooperation somehow of building personnel/management

They managed to get all the evidence removed and held from access by the American people from the minute after the event was over... ie FBI cooperation in sweeping and controlling the attack/crime scenes

They managed to get scientists and media to issue supporting false "science" cover stories.

They have managed to forge/fake many photos released taken of the event and the aftermath

They have managed to introduce false and fabricated evidence which is accepted as fact, including phone calls, DNA, personal effects ID

They have managed to set up the "conspiracy" nut case meme which the media and government uses to deflect any calls for a rational look at events.

And they are even now calling for infiltration of the Truth movement to fragment it and confuse and get them off message.

They managed to stand up the myth of Al Qaeda as the enemy of the West and stage a series of "attacks" since 9/11.

If you think that these conspirators are not powerful enough to make anyone disappear from an accident if they are powerful (respected and have media access) and get too close to revealing the truth... you are sadly mistaken.

You are seeing paralyzing fear at work. And this is causing people to either suspend rational thought or deny it.

And the milder alternative is complete public ridicule and media trashing.

Weenies, herd mentality robots, shallow PR spotlighters...

Weenies, herd mentality robots, shallow PR spotlighters, spineless administrators, self-serving shysters, souless criminal bullies, and other dung of this ilk infect every society throughout history's timeline. Since the demise of the 60's, we have seen society feed this breed of mutated DNA. Fortunately, legends speak of times when decent men have united and championed a juggernaut of integrity so powerful that it crushes the evil resonance in its path towards a more enlightened civilization. We are at the birth of a new age.

WOW TomT,

your statement packs a Whallop!

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Coward

I guess it's easier for some people to live with being a coward than risk being ostracized by the in crowd. And it's already too late for that, His shelf life is long since expired.

Who took his signature?If obtained fraudulently itis important..

John A MITCHELL
Herblay FRANCE

bonjour ,
it would de very usefull that the person who took his signature stands up and gives us the circomstances.

If it was obtained fraudulently it is important to know it so that we can prevent it happening another time with someone else.

Yours John

It makes me want to vomit

when I see this stuff. Smiley and Jones both sell-outs! Keep wearing your fine clothes and living on the elite's credit card and doing everything your told!
"I believe that 9/11 was a conspiracy by Al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden, and nobody else, trying to hurt America." Oh yeah, did you research that? Where's the evidence? Well the truth is comming out thanks to brave Americans and others who really do value truth, freedom and want to be a benefit to humanity and not some self-serving, lying, greedy elite scum. Disgraceful!

my sentiments exactly ...

van jones obviously wants to fit in with the clueless, the credulous, the naive, the ignorant, the gullible, the uninformed, the flag suckers, the establishment lackeys, the liars, the criminal elite...

Truthers absolutely don't hide their intentions.

No matter what people say about the truth movement in all it's diversity and qualities. One thing seems quite clear to me, as being similar for all factions in the movement: that is that everyone reaching out to spread consciousness about 9/11, is perfectly clear about his or her opinion that the official account of the attacks does not fulfill the minimal requirements necessary to present reliable evidence about who is behind the attacks. And that efforts from the government, to bring answers to the public and families who lost loved ones, are from such a startling level that they made themselves for only that reason a suspect in the whole matter.

So how can an intelligent man like Van Jones, being in one place with truthers (not once but several times through the years) explain that he was unconscious about their mindsets or the consequences of their opinions, namely that factions in the government had in one way or another a hand in the events on 9/11? How can he deny that, a man w/ principles, without selling his heart and his soul?

Van Jones improves "conspiracy theory" label

by pointing out the official 9/11 story is also a "conspiracy theory".

As far as politics go, anyone who doesn't convincingly support the official 9/1 conspiracy theory will get crucified by the establishment. The important thing is that the term "911 Truthers" is being put out there more and more. I can't think of a better label than "Truther". We are having an impact. The more politicians who have to deny they question the official 9/11 conspiracy theory, the better.

Truther label should be embraced

I've been starting to embrace the "truther" label in my discussions and writings. When you point out that it's hard to argue against people who simply want the truth. You can also challenge people saying things like, "what? are you saying you'd rather NOT know the truth?" or "understanding what is truth and what is a lie is important. Do you not agree?" or even going so far as to say, "what kind of idiot would actually want to be lied to?".

I've found a certain element of power in taking the label "truther" and applying it to myself and the other sane people of the world. It kind of defuses all the negative labels you tend to see (e.g. "troofer", "911 truther", etc)

I'm not uncomfortable with Conspiracy Theorist

but I prefer truther. I am not afraid to put it out on the table and ask so " you seem like a smart person what's your theory about building 7." Most likely if they are calling me a conspiracy theorist they still don't know about buiding 7. If they do know about WTC 7 and try to put forth some lame claims, most likely they're part of the conspiracy. There are only 2 kinds of people who believe the official conspiracy story of 911. 1). Those that haven't done even minimal research or, 2) those who are part of the cover-up!

truthers want the truth ...

to be opposed to the truth, to be an anti-truther, or a falser, would be to embrace lies, dishonesty and deception.

Clearly, the establishment and its lackeys are irretrievably entangled in a falsehood of monstrous proportions, a canard of colossal conceit and contrivance. For this clique of beguilers, truth is the enemy.

And who wouldn't want to be on a team like that?

That's absolutely right--a 'clique of beguilers' who are 'irretrievably entangled in a falsehood of monstrous proportions.' And Jones apparently doesn't have any problem with that. That's the side he has chosen to be on.

'What is a man profiteth if he win the world, but lose his own soul?' And these people give away their soul for so much less than that!

Sorry but these two look like high level

shoe shine boys for the FAT CATS! Disgraceful! Insulting! No racial bias intended just plain Truth!

Put some Politicians on the spot!

Maybe we can use the simple question to any incumbents in regard how they would have handled the investigation of the attacks and get their twisting tongue in a Chinese finger lock

"If the 9/11 attacks occurred in your city/state would you have allowed the hasty removal and destruction of the steel?" i.e. evidence. to include the stonewalling of the investigation etc. Your reply will depend on their answer. If they say no, ask them why they didn't object to it in New York and if they say yes, obviously there is a bigger problem.

Truther???

..as opposed to what?!! ..falser ...liar..murderer?