Reichley Column: How did Van Jones go this far?

Friday is the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on our country. This is a day to remember — remember the loss of too many of our fellow citizens, and the sacrifice of brave men and women
dealing with the aftermath.

Americans have found different ways to honor this day. There are memorial and remembrance services. Some groups have organized voluntary service projects. People pledge to help other people, in
memory of those who died helping others on 9/11.

One NASCAR team is remembering 9/11 with a special 9/11 racecar. Painted black, blue, and white, with stars and stripes and the words “Always Remember,” the car was unveiled last week at the 9/11
memorial site in New York. Signed by 9/11 rescue workers, the car will race this Friday at the Richmond International Speedway. The car will be driven by Benny Gordon, whose team is based in Debois,
Pa, near the crash site of 9/11’s flight 93.

For many of us who lived through the horrible events of 9/11, the anniversary will be an occasion to remember the tragic events we saw unfold before our eyes on our TV sets or computer screens. We will
remember the horror as we watched the towers fall, the fear as we were told of planes still in the air, of the attack at the Pentagon, wondering if more attacks were coming.

And we will remember, in those moments, the bonding of our country, how we were united as many of my generation had not known before. United in grief, certainly. United to find those who killed so
many innocent people on our shores. United in action against those who harbored the terrorists. United in giving time and money to help those who had lost loved ones. United in rebuilding what had been
taken from us. And united by one thought — “Never Again”.

Now, we were never truly “united” — even as the towers burned, some of our fellow citizens were blaming America for the attacks. In the days that followed, others questioned the official stories, over time
weaving wild conspiracy theories about a secret government cabal which staged the hijackings and launched the attacks against its own citizens.

America stands for freedom — including the freedom to believe absurdities, and the freedom to speak what we believe. The day after the 9/11 attacks, while first responders worked to rescue their own
and put out the terrorist fires, Van Jones, then director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, stood in Snow Park in Oakland California, and blamed America for the attacks, saying “The bombs the
government drops in Iraq are the bombs that blew up in New York City.”

Later, others would adopt the official view that bombs were used, by our own government, in New York on 9/11. Known as “9/11 truthers,” they preached that Bush, the CIA and thousands of government
workers conspired to take down the towers and burn the Pentagon. One such group, 911truth.org, circulated a petition in 2004 saying “people within the current administration may indeed have
deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war.” Among the signatories was the same Van Jones who blamed America the day after the attacks.

Why is this important? Because Van Jones, who blamed America and signed a petition which accuses thousands of government officials with allowing 9/11 to happen, was hired by the Obama
administration. He was given a high-ranking, but unaccountable position as “Czar” of “green jobs.”

And despite knowing the statements of Jones, the Obama administration refused to fire him, or ask him to resign. Instead, they defended him, while Jones issued non-apology “apologies” and claimed he
didn’t know what he was signing in 2004 — even though the organization called every signatory on their petition to confirm their support.

Meanwhile, the major networks did their best to ignore this story, or downplay it. However, the record was so bad that even die-hard democrats like Bob Beckel wondered publicly how Van Jones got
through the vetting process.

By hiring a man like Van Jones, Obama mocked the memory of 9/11. The least he could have done is to publicly apologize for the mistake and fire him. Instead, Van Jones has quietly resigned in the
middle of the night on a holiday weekend.

At least he is gone now. When Obama speaks to the nation this week, maybe he could explain how his administration failed to properly vet yet another appointee.

Charles Reichley has been a Prince William County resident since 1981. He can be reached at criticallythinking@msn.com.