Global

We begin this celebratory GREEP zoom #208 with TATANKA BRICCA giving us some background of Joe Biden’s announcement that LEONARD PELTIER will be released from prison on February 18.

SHAWNA HOGAN-MOORE tells us about her meeting where she & asked Prez Biden to release Leonard.

Our poet laureate MIMI GERMAN gives us a poem about the duality of this amazing moment.

Crusader VINNIE DESTEFANO, who also worked to free Julian Assange, weighs in.

Co-convenor MIKE HERSH reminds us of the great & powerful life of racial justice campaigner Marcus Garvey, pardoned today.

From the American Indian Movement and NDN we hear from LYDIA PONCE.

Activist/author/poet DANIELA GIOSEFFI takes us back to Selma and reminds us of the triumphs of Martin Luther King, whose day it is.

Amnesty International’s GAVRILAH WELLS reminds us of the years of work that went into this campaign for justice.

New York activist MICKI LEADER talks of exploring the range of podcasts amidst a lifetime of social change.

The feminism pioneer Martin Luther is evoked by MARC IMLAY.

The headline in the Times of Israel says it all: "For the First Time, Israel Just Lost a War."

 Regardless of the reasoning behind this statement, which the article divides into fourteen points, it suggests a shattering and unprecedented event in the 76-year history of the State of Israel. The consequences of this realization will have far-reaching effects on Israelis, impacting both this generation and the next. These repercussions will penetrate all sectors of Israeli society, from the political elite to the collective identity of ordinary Israelis.

 Interestingly, and tellingly, the article attributes Israel’s defeat solely to the outcome of the Gaza war, confined to the geographical area of the Gaza Strip. Not a single point addresses the ongoing crisis within Israel itself. Nor does it explore the psychological impact of what is being labeled as Israel’s first-ever defeat.

On the one hand, there’s no sugarcoating how progressives feel as President Trump retakes office: rough.

Trump and his allies in Congress are already rolling out plans to cut taxes for billionaires, slash services for the rest of us, pollute the planet, and deport people who’ve lived here their whole lives.

But if you look closely, you’ll see signs people aren’t just going to accept all this. Here are five that caught my eye from this past election year.

1. Populist anger is boiling over. 

Americans have had it with economic elites. Union activity has been on an upswing for a few years running now, with union petition filings in 2024 significantly up over 2023.

And now Trump consciousness purports to claim – or reclaim – control over America: the land of white Christian nationalists and no one else, damnit!

But of course that level of selfishness – mine, mine, mine! – is only possible to maintain with a huge helping of fear alongside it: fear of the enemy. Fear of “them.”

Thus Alexandra Villarreal, writing in the Guardian about Trump 2.0’s first day in office (on Martin Luther King Day), noted: “He immediately involved the military, ordering the armed forces to ‘seal’ the US’s borders ‘by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration.’

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Following every Israeli war on Gaza, numerous narratives emerge. Some claim victory for one side and defeat for the other, while others—knowingly or unknowingly—attempt to exploit the aftermath for their own purposes.

The latter is not always nefarious, as the humanitarian calamities resulting from Israel's actions are undeniable—especially as Israel and its allies often use aid to Palestinians as bargaining chips for political concessions or to exert pressure on the Strip and its leadership.

This dynamic often results in the exploitation of Palestinian suffering to raise funds, sometimes by organizations with high overhead costs, leaving independent researchers puzzled over the discrepancies between the funds collected and the funds allocated.

Additionally, Gaza lacks an independent commission to track all received funds and their usage, which leads to controversies and public accusations at times.

Exploiting Gaza