Global
We begin GREEP #251 by commemorating the passing of Rob & Michelle Reiner.
Our own PAUL NEWMAN remembers him as a “really nice guy” & a true environmental activist, who will be deeply deeply missed..
The wonderful JOHN STEINER asks us to find a new term for “president of United States.”
Our engineer STEVE CARUSO suggest such an alternative, as does HEIDI VERTHALLER.
Our Laureate MIMI GERMAN gives us a poem and then introduces Waldport, Oregon’s MAYOR HEIDI…
...along with AMY ANDERSON of Indivisible and local petitioner TONY THIMAKIS, who’re fighting for democracy in this classic American small town.
We’re then joined by legendary election protection expert RAY LUTZ with a deep dive into how we can emerge from 2026 with our democracy in tact.
Among the key pillars of vote derangement are suppression of the popular vote, gerrymandering, ballot counting and audits, all of which demand massive grassroots activism.
In the spirit of our own John Brakey, we discuss the alternative of digital imaging to allow a meaningful count of millions of hand-marked paper ballots.
From what's left of the White House...
...Trump has made it clear that he's thrilled the Reiners are dead...
...and that he wishes the same for all who would dare oppose him...
...re-confirming that Trump Derangement Syndrome festers because he's deranged.
Trump favors corporations over workers. This is one influence that shapes the policies of Trump and his administration.
Although it has a profound influence on what Trump does, it is not original with him. It is part of a Republican Party bias that extends back to the Gilded Age and the emergence of corporations in the late 19th Century. For in-depth analyses of this issue, among many others, see Sheldon S. Wolin examines this subject in his book, Democracy Inc: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism (publ. 2008), and Thom Hartmann does so in his book “The Hidden History of Monopolies (publ. 2020).
And Chuck Collins’ new book is an eye-opener. It’s titled “Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Out Lives and Planet” (publ. 2025). Collins writes this in “The Introduction,”
While Accra summoned the chargé d'affaires at the Israeli embassy to lodge a formal protest, the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that the move was based on the principle of reciprocity and the protection of the dignity of its citizens, confirming that both sides had agreed to resolve the tension amicably. That's how you hold Israel accountable when it does abide by the rules of civilized nations.
The Ghanaian Foreign Ministry had previously announced that Ghanaian travelers had been subjected to "deliberate targeting and harsh treatment" at Ben Gurion Airport since Sunday, describing what happened as "inhumane treatment" that warranted a response.
At least 16 people are dead, including one of the gunmen, and 42 others are injured (among them two police officers) in a terrorist attack in Bondi, Australia that authorities say was designed to target the Jewish community.
The two gunmen, a father and son of Pakistani origin, opened fire on December 14, 2025, at the 'Chanukah by the Sea' event, killing at least 16, including two rabbis and a 10-year-old girl. New South Wales police labeled it a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community, with an ISIS flag found in the attackers' car; one gunman died at the scene, the other critically injured. Syrian-born Muslim immigrant Ahmed al-Ahmed's brave intervention likely saved lives, earning praise from NSW Premier Chris Minns as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the antisemitic 'act of pure evil' and called for unity amid rising tensions.
It’s back—the federal government’s push to expand offshore oil drilling.
As the headline last month in the Long Island newspaper Newsday reported: “Plan for New Oil Drilling Off Fla. and Calif. Coasts.” The following day, November 22, Newsday ran a nationally-syndicated cartoon by Paul Dukinsky depicting President Trump declaring in front of a line of offshore wind turbines: “Wind Turbines Ruin the View!” Then there was Trump in front of a bunch of offshore oil drilling rigs saying: “…But Oil Rigs are Beautiful!”
The New York Times two days later ran a piece with more details headlined: “In One Week, President Makes Moves to Reshape U.S. Environmental Policy.” This involves, it noted,
