Hero of the Week

Recognition for my work by the Solari Report

In recognition of my latest ‘deep dive’ research, the Solari team has made me a ‘hero of the week’. This is an initiative by the Solari Report of Catherine Austin Fitts to recognize people who are doing grassroots, pioneering, political, research or other work to build the culture and live a free and inspired life. I feel proud to be among their ranks.

Elze van Hamelen

Hero of the Week, June 8, 2026

“The best part of recognizing the fundamental importance of culture is that it gives us agency. We do not need others to change, and we don’t even need the system to change. We can take steps to build a healthy culture wherever we live, striving to do the best in our own lives.”

~ Elze van Hamelen, Mr. Global in Your Street

With her prodigious intellect and research talent, Dutch consultant and reporter Elze van Hamelen has made many valuable contributions at Solari in the form of interviews (both as interviewer and interviewee), must-read reports (Dutch Farmers and Fishermen and Pharma Food), and book reviews. Though the themes she covers—including food, farming, land grabs, international treaties, energy, and neurowarfare, to name only a handful—might at first glance seem unrelated, Elze’s uncanny ability to see the big picture and then decipher it for the rest of us has shown that we silo these topics at our peril.

And now Elze has done it again. With data centers, surveillance cameras, and other invasive instruments of the “Omniwar” insinuating themselves into every last local nook and cranny—galvanizing a growing number of local residents into action—Elze’s new knockout report, Mr. Global in Your Street: Local Politics and Money Are the Last Line of Defense, could not be more timely, offering compelling reasons—and a practical handbook and roadmap—for “getting off the couch” and taking action.

As Elze explains in her report’s introduction, all of the Omniwar’s battlefronts are “coming together in one place: your hometown.” She says:

“The local political arena provides an excellent opportunity to push back against Mr. Global’s assault because this is where what is left of democracy works best. There is no reason to adopt a passive ‘sitting duck’ attitude; although corrupt, the system still offers many opportunities to make government work for ‘we the people.’”

The chapters of Mr. Global in Your Street break down into several broad categories:

The “why” (Introduction; Time to Get Involved Locally; UN Treaties: Overhauling Your Hometown)
The “who” (Local Government 101)
The “how” (Diving into Local Politics and Professionalizing Pushback)
And then back to the “why” (Success Stories and Final Reflections)

.

Elze understands that not everyone is born to be a frontline activist, so she kindly presents a range of options for engaging with local governance structures, with one option being to help support, financially or in other ways, those who are willing to step out in front. At the same time, her report makes it clear that sitting back and letting others engage is not an option—we all need to find ways to build the world and culture we want. Doing so in our local jurisdictions presents us with concrete opportunities to experience the fruits of our efforts.

Elze does not do casual research—she does deep dives that synthesize, while remaining focused on practical solutions. We are grateful for this latest effort, which manages to convey the seriousness of what we are up against while offering hope that each of us can make a meaningful difference.

Be sure to listen to Elze’s interview with Catherine about this report, which publishes on Tuesday, June 9.