Fox News asked for my help to smear Van Jones. I said no.
So I usually write anonymously here on Dailykos, but I think this one is worth coming out of the closet for. I work for an environmental organization called Bioneers, which is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico (please don't hold them responsible for any of my rash opinions in the past!). Yesterday, we received a call from a young woman named Tiffany. Tiffany was looking for copies of Van Jones's appearances at past annual Bioneers conferences. We've known Van for years, and admire him immensely.
It was only when she revealed her e-mail to us that we realized who Tiffany was. She was working for Fox News. She wanted material on Van to feed Glenn Beck's insane obsession with him.
In Glenn Beck's sad little mind, Van Jones, a guy who has spent his entire adult life working to bring good paying green jobs to the inner city, is some kind of black nationalist radical plant in the Administration. He's said things about Van that were straight out, easily disproved lies, as well as attacking as a communist a man who has written an entire book about how green capitalism could provide jobs instead of jail to urban youth.
Needless to say, my desire to help young Tiffany dried right up when I figured out what she was doing. So I wrote a blog posting on the Bioneers blog explaining why we wouldn't be helping Fox smear a man we considered a friend, and e-mailed it to her.
No word back yet this morning, but I'll update you if I hear anything. You can read what I wrote to Tiffany at the Bioneers blog here.