Van Jones Rocks, Heads to Washington

[Shepherd]

Last night the Bay Area's own Van Jones rocked to a full house of hundreds at the Glaser Center (UU Church) in Santa Rosa. With standing ovations at the beginning and end he sent us through the roof with laughter, encouragement, challenges, and an abundance of good energy. The revival-style event was hosted by our local bookstore Copperfields, which may still have some of his autographed "The Green Collar Economy" book for sale. Get them while you can. Van left in time to catch a red-eye flight to Washington to meet with Obama's Transition Team, whom he also visited last week. Our nation could use a few Bay Area people to add to the so-far mainly Washington and Chicago crowd that Obama is gathering.

"We have to move from opposition to proposition," Van declared. He poked fun at his audience, knowing us insightfully, and at himself. He documented how the deep democracy movement was what brought Obama to the presidency. "Now we have the hard work to do," Van declared. Considering the last terrible eight years, and even the last 30 years, "Sometimes something bad has to happen before something good can happen." He added that a break-down can lead to a break-through. Van described how our economy is based on consumption, rather than production. He would like to change that.

Van's book, which I have not yet read, shows "How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems." He wants to take the various subsidies away from Big Oil--such as the Pentagon that protects them as they continue to pollute--and have the polluters pay, rather than our paying the polluters. The man offers a viable plan to deal with the biggest issues facing the country, including the failing economy, environmental degradation and a history of excluding people from equal access. He wants the United States to lead the world in solutions, not pollution. Rather than just national security, he spoke about global security. He proposes a Green Energy Core, putting people to work during this transition to a post-carbon society.

Van was provocative, personal and deeply inspiring last night--a truly transformative leader. He has risen from within this creative Bay Area deep democracy movement and would be a great presence in Washington, if he is chosen for some role there. After leaving the stage to a huge response, he returned and asked for our prayers. The room was as deeply united in silence as it had just been in sound.
Shepherd

[geomage]

Outstanding! Thank you for the update.