Global

Two major stories regarding the United States and Israel in recent days represent profound watershed moments in the history of the relationship between both countries. 

The first incident occurred on July 8 when US Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) and his delegation were detained by armed, illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. 

"These hoodlums come in with machine guns—an M4, an American-made machine gun—and they detain us," Khanna recounted in a stunning statement. "They block off the road. And then they call the IDF, and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans." 

We open GREEP #274 with RAY MCCLENDON from Georgia who updates us on the state of the grassroots relational organizing.  

In a year when control of the Congress is up for grabs, this could make the difference between democracy versus dictatorship, as we will see in the three months going forward

From Florida ALISON GREENE underscores the need to protect women’s right to vote in a campaign where their ballots could make all the difference.

Thus the subterfuge with requiring Voter ID is tied up with denying citizens their ID and manipulating the difference between married names and the ones on birth certificates

From MIKE HERSH we hear the need to force the media to cover the hijack of a vote count that could entrench a dictatorship where America still wants a democracy.

Knocking on the door with a friend or neighbor could save this election from being bought; higher turnout amongst low propensity voters may be the key to the human future.

GETTING TO HOMEBREW2

For our 2d GREEP hour the great TATANKA BRICCA recalls the great Homebrew meetings of the 1960s and ‘70s the gave birth to the personal computer.

A dozen nations of the world and two US states have officially entered Solartopia.

They all now generate more electricity with renewable sources than they consume.

Coming from Stanford University’s world-renowned engineering professor, Dr. Mark Jacobson, the numbers reflect a global transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power, toward wind, water and solar (WWS) sources.  They are increasingly backed by massive leaps in battery backup while prices drop—all amidst an epic shift from lithium to sodium batteries.

According to Jacobson, Laos (population: 7.87 million) now uses WWS in 257% of the electricity it consumes. It exports the rest. (See Linkedin Article)

In our polarized society, trying to have a productive discussion on the issues of the day is a frustrating experience. And it’s never more frustrating than when the topic is guns.

As soon as the subject comes up, it unleashes a volley of charges and counter-charges so familiar that they simply ricochet around the room without ever finding their mark. In other words, minds remain unchanged.

Louder Than Guns, a documentary directed by Doug Pray, is about a musician who’s determined to change that situation.

Ketch Secor is the fiddler and lead singer of the country-bluegrass band Old Crow Medicine Show. Following a March 2023 mass shooting at the Covenant School in his native Nashville, Secor vowed to launch a series of discussions about gun violence at the band’s various tour stops. Since the band’s fans are a diverse group of folks who come together for the music, he figured maybe they could be convinced to come together “for the kids.”

Backing him up in the effort is David Greene, a radio journalist who’s disappointed that gun debates inevitably lead people to cast unfair judgments on those with differing opinions.

Breathe deep, sigh, embrace the next word: W-A-R.

It doesn’t go away. I write about it far too often, and every time I do I feel torn inside . . . even though I remain personally safe from it (at least for now). Words can so easily turn the actions and consequences of war into abstractions, while failing to question why it exists at all. War is simply who we are. This is a hard certainty to shatter. But . . .

“Nothing exposes the bankruptcy of America’s approach to Iran more clearly than its return to more war as the answer to its own failures.”

So wrote Sina Toossi and Nancy Okail recently in the Nation. Their words start opening a deeper level of understanding, one that I’m groping for. They go on:

“It is tempting to dismiss the war resumption as another example of Donald Trump’s impulsiveness. It is something deeper. Trump is less breaking with America’s approach to Iran than taking it to its logical conclusion.”

Two U.S.-born soldiers who served in the Israel Death Forces (IDF) have died—one was killed in Lebanon, and the other died by apparent suicide in the United States. Their deaths come amid the continuing regional conflict that began in October 2023.

The war has exacted a devastating human toll. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including medical personnel, journalists, aid workers, women, and children, according to multiple international organizations and media reports. Israel disputes some casualty figures and argues that Hamas operates within civilian areas.

Approximately 140 Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed in or as a result of operations in Lebanon since fighting on the northern front began in October 2023. This total includes soldiers killed during cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah as well as later ground operations in southern Lebanon. The precise number varies depending on whether sources include operational accidents and soldiers who later died from their wounds.

History has a way of humbling great powers. Again and again, militarily superior states enter conflicts expecting rapid victories, only to discover that modern war rewards resilience, adaptation, and endurance as much as firepower. Russia learned this lesson in Ukraine. The United States may now be learning a similar one in Iran.

The comparison is not perfect. Ukraine is a defending itself against invasion, while Iran is a regional power with its own ambitions, proxies, and authoritarian government. The political and moral dimensions of these conflicts are fundamentally different. Strategically, however, the parallels are difficult to ignore.

When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin expected a swift campaign that would decapitate the Ukrainian government and establish Russian dominance within days. Instead, Ukraine—supported by Western military and financial assistance—proved remarkably resilient. Russia's overwhelming military advantages failed to produce the decisive victory Moscow had anticipated.