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Van Jones : Prey of the Radical Right

Alex Pareen at Gawker documents the Van Jones resignation story, with some facts. One of his many achievements: He founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which combats over-incarceration, police brutality, and urban poverty and violence. And,

... for both his activism and his charm he was rewarded with a White House job with the Council on Environmental Quality. He was tasked with making sure stimulus money for green jobs actually went to green jobs. And he's a great person to have in this administration—he is a genuine environmentalist and the only special interest he's beholden to is poor people. He is the sort of person we were all praying Obama would bring with him to DC, instead of Larry Summers. And that is one of the reasons he is now being ritually and savagely demonized.

How did the radical right force him out? Read the rest of Alex' post for "...how a smear becomes a meme. Schoolhouse Rock, 2009 style." [More...]

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Tired of Tea Parties? Help Jobless Ohioans Without Leaving Your Computer!

It's been a few months since I brought you the story of Energize Clinton County, a grassroots organization in Wilmington, Ohio, dedicated to rebuilding the economically devastated town by turning it into a federally-sponsored Green Enterprise Zone.  The group's founders, recent college graduates Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert, deferred their Peace Corps service indefinitely to focus on giving back to the hometown.

Here's Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown talking about how impressed he is with Mark and Taylor:

Last week I held a conference call in my office with two very impressive young men who are a testament to what the Serve America Act is all about. Their names are Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert. ... In the midst of an economic disaster in their community, these two young men, Mark and Taylor, decided to serve. They are examples of what inspired this bill and what service to our country is all about.

Now, there's something new you can do to help Energize Clinton County in a big way.

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