News

US REP JAMIE RASKIN & THE ATTACK ON US DEMOCRACY & ECOLOGY

We begin GREEP Zoom #229 with citations for “The Choreography of War” by our Poet Laureate MIMI GERMAN, whose latest poem is compacted into a brilliant three lines.

Green Party Presidential nominee HOWIE HAWKINS discusses the nitty-gritties of Ranked Choice Voting & instant runoff.

The great MARIANNE WILLIAMSON gives us a brief hello & a promise to come visit us again soon.

Beyond Nuclear’s KEVIN KAMPS reminds us about how powerful is the rise of renewables worldwide along with the demise of nuke power.

Co-host MIKE HERSH gives us a stellar introduction for US REP JAMIE RASKIN.

Rep. Raskin provides a brief excursion into the dire damage being done to our electoral system through the widespread assault on the Voting Rights Act, emphasizing the powerful impact of the No Kings Day marches..

The great RAY MCCLENDON of the Georgia-based Communities United for Justice connects with Rep. Raskin, sharing concerns about the mass disenfranchisement being imposed on the national electorate.

Many factors explain the demise of earlier civilizations, but not one collapsed as a result of deliberate decisions by a top political leader who wanders about destroying the pillars of his country’s greatness. Donald J, Trump, however, does so—endangering not only the United States but also U,S. allies and others previously inspired by America’s example.        

The United States has long suffered from many of the challenges that brought down earlier political systems—from Uruk in Mesopotamia to Mayan Chichén Itza to the USSR. These problems included myopic leadership, rich-poor enmity, widespread corruption; racial and religious conflict, environmental abuse, overextension and unnecessary warring—all made worse by inflation and deficit spending.

Then the legendary RAY MCCLENDON gets us up to date with the mass disenfranchisement Vigilante strategy for stealing the upcoming elections in Georgia.

Alabama native RUTH STRAUSS affirms the need to protect the vote in the upcoming 2026 elections.

Long-time activist DIANE CAMERON raises the issue of working with labor unions, especially amidst growing discussion of a general strike.

From BOB BABCOCK we get an exhortation to take over the Democratic Party. 

Repeat speaker ALEX WILLIAMS discusses the need for grassroots organizing.

Co-host MIKE HERSH alerts us to major grassroots victories in Arizona.

From NICK CRAYNE we hear of the need for a “shame primary” for right-wing Democrats.

From Arizona’s LEE STANFIELD we get a reminder that the Democrats sabotaged Bernie’s campaign without denying it, and that the Party is a privately-owned entity that always attacks the Greens on every possible level.

From MAGGIE BOYD we get an earful about “General Strike US” and the need to get 3.5% of the general population in support of such an action, which would be 11 million citizens.

Last Wednesday, a new Ohio bill was introduced to give legal rights to embryos and fetuses. Sound bizarre? We've seen it in other states, because it's an extreme plot by anti-abortion groups to ban all abortion, but the idea would go so far that it also criminalizes IVF and bans many forms of contraception and miscarriage management.

Approximately 50 people representing various organizations, including Veterans for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, and The Communist Party of the United States,  protested against ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in downtown Columbus, Ohio last Tuesday, June 17, 2025.  The protest repeats each Tuesday from 4:30-6PM.

Protestors walked with signs and chanted “Stop ICE” at specific intersections near parking garages where workers were leaving their jobs at 5:00 PM.  Protesters loudly voiced phrases such as “Say it Loud. Say it Clear.  Immigrants are Welcome Here,” and “No ICE. NO KKK.  No Fascist USA.”

This article first appeared on Rachel Coyle's Substack.

A budget is a moral document. It shows us your priorities.

For example, Ohio’s budget can fund programs that support children and families — or it can fund tax cuts for billionaires. It just depends on who our state considers important.

Right now, Ohio’s priorities should sicken us all.

Trump’s win convinced local conservatives they too have a mandate to rid Columbus of immigrants, but their tactics amount to nothing more than spreading lies, and hopefully that’s all they do. But the anxiety-inducing damage inflicted by these rumors is ongoing.

ICE agents are increasingly witnessed in Columbus making arrests of non-criminals, this is fact. Putting them in ICE-contracted county jails for overstaying their visa, for instance, which according to the Ohio Immigrant Alliance is a civil violation, not criminal. Thus, holding on to your job to achieve the American dream could get you sent to the hellhole that is Buter County jail which is run by Trump glory-hole lover Sherrif Richard K. Jones.

US Solar Cell Manufacturing Grows Despite Cloudy Days Ahead

The US doubled its solar cell manufacturing capacity and added 8.6 gigawatts in the first quarter of 2025, marking the third largest quarter for new solar manufacturing capacity on record.

According to a report recently issued by Wood McKinsey for the Solar Energy Industries Association(SEIA), new solar generating capacity totaled 10.8 gigawatts. That's 7 percent lower than installations for the first quarter in 2024, 43 percent lower than installations for the fourth quarter of last year.  It's still the fourth largest quarter of deployment on record according to the same report. 

The top five states for solar growth this quarter include Texas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 

Despite growing demand for energy, the solar industry faces a rocky road over the next few years, particularly if the Senate concurs with the renewable energy tax credit cuts that have already been passed by the House.  

This article first appeared on the Buckeye Flame.

The Ohio Senate has passed their version of the state’s two-year budget and left intact all of the anti-LGBTQ+ provisions passed by the House. 

The version that the Senate passed on Wednesday included:

What can a community do when the democratic process itself has been outlawed? 

That’s the question facing residents of Ohio. In 2019, the State legislature prohibited communities from enacting “rights of nature” laws after Toledo residents overwhelmingly voted for a law, the Lake Erie Bill of Rights. The budget bill passed on July 17th of that year established that “nature… does not have standing to participate in or bring an action in any court.”

In 2020, the State doubled down, passing a so-called “preemption law” in response to the city of Athens and Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is located) passing laws banning single-use plastic bags.

Some Columbus residents, like Bill Lyons of the Ohio Community Rights Network, say that enough is enough.