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Line 47: − − ==STORM== − Jones was a founding organizer and leader<ref>[http://machete408.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/revolutionaries-in-high-places-van-jones/ Revolutionaries in High Places- Van Jones], by adamfreedom March 23, 2009.</ref> of the communist revolutionary organization, Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM). The organization had its roots in a group protesting "U.S. Imperialism" during the [[Persian Gulf War]] of 1991. The leftist blog Machete 48 identifies STORM's influences as "[[third-world]]ist [[Marxism]] (and an often vulgar [[Mao]]ism)."<ref> − [http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2009/04/obama-file-72-obama-appoints-former.html Obama File 72 Obama Appoints "Former" Communist To White House "Green Job"], Trevor Louden, April 06, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:9UyDTPx6dGEJ:machete408.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/revolutionaries-in-high-places-van-jones/+van+jones+demos&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz Machete 48]</ref> − − ===Did STORM think it was a Vanguard movement?=== − :''Main article : [[Revolutionary vanguard]]'' − In ''Reclaiming Revolution'', STORM editors discussed their self-critical evaluation of accusations other groups made <ref>''Reclaiming Revolution, p. 10.''</ref> that STORM considered itself the revolutionary vanguard of Marxism. They write, − {{Cquote|We did not understand clearly enough the distinction between cadre organization, revolutionary parties, revolutionary organization and vanguard organization.<ref>''Reclaiming Revolution, p. 40.</ref>}} − STORM repented of this grievous Marxist error as a "lesson learned," − {{Cquote|We were a cadre organization that was working to build revolutionary mass organizations and to lay the groundwork for a future revolutionary party (or parties) by building a broad revolutionary internationalist trend.<ref>Ibid. Also p. 42.</ref>}} − STORM's error was not being clear to members that they were an "advance guard" organization, and not a "vanguard organization."<ref>Ibid, p. 33.</ref> − − ===Maoist influence=== − [[Image:Jones-van-storm-reclaiming-revolution-cover.jpg|right|Communist literature]] − :{{See also|Maoism}} − STORM's own literature describes its "Maoist orientation"<ref>[https://archive.org/details/ReclaimingRevolution ''Reclaiming Revolution]: history, summation & lessons from the work of Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM)'', Spring 2004, p. 23 pdf.</ref> which conducted "a group reading of Mao's ''On Practice'' and ''On Contradiction.''"<ref>Ibid, p. 25 pdf.</ref> The group studied [[Lenin]]'s theories of the state, revolution, the party, and "the political ideas of Mao Tse-tung."<ref>Ibid, p.15 pdf.</ref> STORM's own history further states, "We also pushed at or went beyond the limits of the traditional Marxist canon, studying such topics as revolutionary feminism, the Palestinian [[National liberation movement|liberation struggle]], transgender liberation, methods of evaluation, self-care for cadre and revolutionary mass [community] organizing."<ref>Ibid, p. 25 pdf.</ref> STORM was extensively involved in the [[community organizing]] movement.<ref>Ibid, pp. 8, 10, 15 pdf.</ref> − − ====Rectification Study==== − :{{See also|Rectification}} − Jones writes in ''Reclaiming Revolution'': − {{quotebox|We contrasted [[Alinsky]] organizing models, [[SNCC]]'s grassroots model and [[Marxist-Leninist]] methods of mass work. We worked to develop a basic understanding of Marxist and Leninist histories, theories and politics. Members also worked to identify the features of the current historical period and discussed what it would take to build towards a revolutionary period. − − Outside of the organization, a group of movement veterans, intrigued by STORM's interest in Marxist politics, organized a series of study − groups. STORM members, along with other young [[leftist]]s, thus got a chance to study Marx's critique of capitalism and revolutionary strategy together with trained communists. − − This rectification<ref>"Rectification" is a term used in the communist tradition to describe an organizational effort to get back on track, to rectify past errors.</ref> was an important period in STORM's political development and consolidation. All of STORM's members developed a basic − understanding of and commitment to revolutionary Marxist politics - with a particular emphasis on the historical experiences of Third World communist movements. Our understanding of these politics and histories, though still relatively crude, was extremely significant in the development of our work. For the first time, STORM had a shared ideological framework, giving us a common basis for developing our political analysis, our structure and our program. − − During this time, we developed our analysis of and approach to the current historical period. We came to believe that the central role of revolutionaries today is to help build "resistance struggles" in oppressed communities around immediate reform issues and to use this resistance work to lay the groundwork for the development of a more clearly revolutionary struggle. We called this approach "Moving From Resistance to Revolution." See "STORM's Politics" for a more thorough discussion of these points. − − '''Applying the Lessons of Rectification''' − − We now believed that revolutionary Marxist politics would be central to the development of a successful liberation movement in this country. We also thought that we needed to build an organization that maintained its commitment to these politics. − − But our new political commitment to Marxist-Leninist politics raised many questions about our structure and potential for relevance and growth. Most young activists around us - particularly women and people of color - were hostile to revolutionary Marxism. Would new members undermine our new political unity and commitment to red politics? Would there be political differences too large to resolve without divisive struggle and destructive arguments? − − Looking around us, we didn't think it was possible to build an explicitly Marxist organization. And after the previous period of division and − power struggles, it seemed risky to bring new people into our but recently - and delicately - cohered group. − − To deal with these issues, STORM adopted a two-tiered membership structure with a leadership "Core" and a "General Membership." All Core Members had to be explicitly committed to revolutionary Marxist politics. General Members did not, although they could not be hostile to red politics either. Instead, General Members had only to support STORM's Points of Unity, which were not explicitly Marxist. − STORAA'S HISTORY ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^— )^ − − '''411: Political Education Committee''' − − In 1998, STORM created 411. For the first time, STORM had a formal committee in charge of providing structured training for both the Core and the General Membership. 411 was also responsible for orienting new members. 411 was important in collectivizing STORM's commitment to Marxist politics. − − 411 facilitated political education trainings in every membership meeting. It also conducted bi-monthiy weekend "intensives." We began with Marxist "basics," laying a foundation on which to build an understanding of Third World communism. We studied philosophy, wage exploitation, capitalism, imperialism and globalization, Lenin's theories of the state, revolution and the party, and the political ideas of Mao Tse-tung and [[Antonio Gramsci]]. − − Later sessions covered more "contemporary" issues, including Marxist [[feminism]], [[transgender]] liberation, and the [[Palestinian]] liberation struggle. We continued to study the Marxist tradition, including [[dialectical materialism]] and member-initiated studies of Mao's "On Practice" and "On Contradiction". We also had skills trainings (e.g., revolutionary organizing, self-care for cadre, evaluation). Members were also expected to attend SOUL's Revolutionary Sunday Schools to study the history of Third World revolutions. − − STORM's methodological approach to political education was distinct. To make the material more accessible to our members, 411 used interactive − methods rather than traditional left study methods like reading and lecture. − − In general, members had a low level of discipline with regards to political education. They often failed to read. Attendance at in-depth training sessions, held outside of meetings, was inconsistent. Members were busy in their mass work, leaving little time to schedule adequate training sessions. − − We devoted what time we had to learning basic concepts. We rarely got beyond interactive, but often shallow, pedagogical methods and tools. As a − result, members often developed only a crude understanding (sometimes not much deeper than a slogan) of complicated political ideas. − − 411 designed these trainings and workshops as introductions to the basics of different political theories. But these introductory sessions were the only spaces within STORM for political discussion. This left more advanced members with virtually no organizational time or space for deeper, more nuanced study or discussion. It also left members with little opportunity to discuss the material's applicability to their mass work. This lack of deeper discussion became a problem for STORM's political development.}} − − ===Affiliation with far left groups=== − In the early 2000s, Jones and STORM were co-sponsors of the anti-[[Iraq War]] demonstrations organized by [[International ANSWER]], a [[left wing]] [[anti-Semitic]]<ref>[http://www.adl.org/Israel/answer.asp ANSWER, Antiwar Rallies and Support for Terror Organizations], ''Anti-Defamation League'', August 22, 2006</ref> front group for the [[Marxist-Leninist]] [[Workers World Party]] (WWP). − − ===Blame America=== − [[File:Van Jones and Barack Obama.JPG|thumb|400px|left|Van Jones and [[Barack Obama]] ]] − On the night after the [[September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks]] STORM held a [[vigil]] in [[Oakland]], [[California]], "mourning the victims of U.S. imperialism around the world." In a document entitled, ''Reclaiming Revolution: history, summation & lessons from the work of Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement'', Jones is quoted as saying, − {{Cquote|Anti-Arab hostility is already reaching a fever pitch as pundits and common people alike rush to judgment that an Arab group is responsible for this tragedy...We fear that an atmosphere is being created that will result in official and street violence against Arab men, women and children.}} − − ''Reclaiming Revolution'' also blamed the U.S. for 9/11. A passage on page 45 (27 of the PDF file) reads: − {{Cquote|That night, STORM and the other movement leaders expressed sadness and anger at the deaths of innocent working class people. We were angry, first and foremost, with the U.S. government, whose worldwide aggression had engendered such hate across the globe that working class people were not safe at home. We honored those who had lost their lives in the attack -- and those who would surely lose their lives in subsequent U.S. attacks overseas.<ref>[http://spectator.org/blog/2009/08/29/van-jones-and-his-stormtrooper Van Jones and His STORMtroopers Denounced America the Night After 9/11], By Matthew Vadum, AmSpecBlog, 8.29.09.</ref>}} − − ===9/11 Truthers=== − :''Main article:'' [[Truther]]s − In 2004 Jones signed a petition sponsored by the conspiratorial 9/11 Truthers.org alleging President [[George W. Bush]] and high-level government officials may have been behind 9/11.<ref>http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041026093059633</ref><ref>https://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/back-story/2009/sep/03/green-jobs-czar-signed-truther-statement-in-2004/?feat=home_blogs</ref>
→STORM
===Eco-apartheid===
===Eco-apartheid===
{{Cquote|I'm willing to forgo the cheap satisfaction of the radical pose for the deep satisfaction of radical ends....Our question is: Will the green wave lift all boats? That's the moral challenge to the people who are the architects of this new, ecologically sound economy. Will we have eco-equity, or will we have eco-apartheid? Right now we have eco-apartheid.}}
{{Cquote|I'm willing to forgo the cheap satisfaction of the radical pose for the deep satisfaction of radical ends....Our question is: Will the green wave lift all boats? That's the moral challenge to the people who are the architects of this new, ecologically sound economy. Will we have eco-equity, or will we have eco-apartheid? Right now we have eco-apartheid.}}
==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==