Van Jones, who spent a short time as President Obama’s green jobs advisor, and who is currently serving as a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and as a policy advisor at Green for All took a few minutes to answer some questions before he spoke to about 500 progressive activists in Lansing on Saturday.

During the interview, Jones was asked a broad range of questions. Jones still has contacts in Michigan, including Andy Levin and Governor Granholm. He said that in Washington D.C. Governor Granholm is seen as the gold standard of an industrial belt governor that really sees this clean energy opportunity and is going for it.

When asked about Governor Bobby Jindal’s recent press conference regarding the BP oil spill and the loss of jobs being caused by President Obama’s temporary moratorium on new deep water drilling, Jones responded,

“I think we have obviously a lot to grieve at this point. We have eleven workers who lost their lives because a foreign corporation came to the United States, corrupted our government, slagged up our coastline, killed eleven workers through criminal negligence and now destroyed a precious ecosystem and economy, a big chunk of America’s beauty has been destroyed because of this one company."

Why is everything happening all together? The almost-collapse of car industry, the meltdown of housing and financial markets, health care and financial reforms, BP oil spill and the aftermath, all of which has directed public attention to the appalling role of lobbyists and interest politics on US politics and economy. Are these some kind of prophecy telling the public that this is the time for America to wake up and do a comprehensive overhaul of her whole structure if she wants to safely navigate and survive in modern times? “

Recently, a renowned actor, Robert Redford, produced a video, “The Fix: Robert Redford Reflects on the Gulf Oil Disaster,” and stated on Big Oil in his Huff Post blog post as below.

“As I try to convey in my new video, 'The Fix,' I am appalled by what this spill is doing to Gulf fishermen, families, communities and wildlife. But I am also disgusted by what it reveals about the oil industry’s role in American political life … With their deep pockets, oil companies have purchased loose safety regulations, slack oversight and support from key lawmakers. Last year alone, the industry spent a $168 million on lobbying — $16 million of which came from BP. The blowout on the Deepwater Horizon is a symptom of this undue influence.”

In mid-May the United States Environmental Protection Agency ordered BP to stop using the toxic dispersant, Corexit 9500, in U.S. territorial waters. BP responded with a statement about why it would continue to use Corexit, despite the EPA order. By May 23 the EPA rejected the reasons BP gave in its statement, and reiterated its order. BP ignored this judgment and has continued spraying Corexit in the Gulf ever since.

So why aren't BP officials being herded into U.S. jails or POW facilities for this willful violation of U.S. sovereignty? Does the Gulf of Mexico belong to BP? I'll tell you what I understand about this below – which isn't much. Help me understand the rest.

The Earth has undergone several mass extinctions of living species since its creation. I remember an old article of Time magazine asserting that, since the beginning of human civilization, “Climate Change” is the most dire crisis of human existence, more dangerous than any wars that human has fought, any natural disasters that human has encountered, or any epidemics that killed many of us throughout history.

Since the late 2008, we have undergone the most severe economic recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s: crisis with health care system and the meltdowns of housing market and financial sector. These are tragic social, political problems that we have encountered cyclically but can be solved depending on what kind of politicians voters chose to put in power. But none of these problems are as fundamental as the current challenge posed by “the Crisis of Climate Change.”

Sadly, poor people always seem to be the targets of natural or man-made disasters or any kind of misfortunes. For example, recent political history showed that health care crisis, housing market meltdown, recession and unemployment hit the less privileged, poor people hardest while the rich always seem to find ways to avoid any kind misfortunes. Even “Global Warming” is expected to hit the poorest people in poor or developing countries or those in the United States of America instead of rich people, rich countries.

Death of the ocean bottom and thereby death of the life and lifestyle - of rig workers, of fisher folk, and of homes: for fish, shrimp, birds, and coastal dwellers. All because of what? Cain and Abel? Could it really be?

Seems it was due in large part to those following the example of Cain and Abel. You know, those Biblical boys, the firstborns of Adam and Eve, the ones who broke their parents hearts and ruined both their lives over jealousy, resentment, and "personal differences."

Apparently, the BP representative on that fateful rig KNEW from gauge readings that there had to be natural gas in that pipe, but failed to ask for advice before going ahead. WHY? Because of "personal differences" with his superior in Texas.