The dews drop slowly and dreams gather; unknown spears
Suddenly hurtle before my dream- awakened eyes,
And then the clash of fallen horsemen and the cries
Of unknown perishing armies beat about my ears.
We who still labour by the cromlech on the shore,
The grey cairn on the hill, when day sinks drowned in dew,
Being weary of the world's empires, bow down to you,
Master of the still stars and of the flaming door.
W.B. Yeats, The Valley of The Black Pig
GS(3) Thunderbolt 3-21-07: Another Way to Celebrate the Northward Equinox
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The northward Equinox for 2007 has come and gone. In San Francisco, it is the first day of Spring. In Sydney, it is the first day of Autumn.
Life is a oneness. Divine truth is paradoxical. The Equinox is both the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end.
It is New Year's in the Bahá’í and ancient Persian calendars.
It is significant that today, the first day of Spring in the USA, former Vice President Al Gore brought his personal campaign to raise awareness and mobilize humanity into corridors of power that have been submerged in a shameless and politically expedient denial for too long:
Testifying before a Joint Committee hearing this morning in the House of Representatives, former Vice President Al Gore warned of a 'planetary emergency' resulting from the warming of the Earth's climate [Gore will testify before a US Senate hearing this afternoon]. But he also told the Congress members assembled at the hearing that there was "sense of hope in this country that this US Congress will rise to the occasion," and take action to respond to global warming. Raw Story, 3-21-07
"The planet has a fever," Gore told the House committee, sounding incredulous at Barton's skepticism. "If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says, 'You have to intervene here,' you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that says this isn't important.'" Washington Post, 3-21-07
(To download Gore's remarks, click here; for some video highlights, click here).
To celebrate this turning of the wheel, I ask you, as I did on the December Solstice, to consider contributing to the work of Words of Power.
We accept contributions via credit card or Paypal. Just look for the VISA/Master Card and "Donate" logo in the upper right-hand corner of this home page.
Subscriptions and on-line access to Words of Power will continue to remain FREE of charge, of course, BUT...
If you value of alternative news and analysis and want to support this work, and you can afford it, please contribute $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 (your contribution is not tax-deductible).
Funds received will be used to continue and expand the service and evolve the infrastructure required to deliver this vital content to a broader audience.
Words of Power delivers alternative news and analysis on geopolitics, risk, security, the environment, human rights, religion, philosophy, culture and US politics and media; in particular, Words of Power focuses on mitigating and adapting to the impact of Global Warming, achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals, and strengthening democratic institutions in the USA and throughout the world.
Two recent studies highlight the cravenness and complicity of the US mainstream news media, and underscore the vital role of Words of Power and other alternative resources from the bastions of the Internet-based Information Rebellion and the Blogosphere, not just to get the news to you but to aggregate it and provide the context and continuity you need --
The Media Matters report "If It's Sunday, It's Still Convervative" reveals the ongoing disparity on the propapunditgandist news shows that frame the national debate:
Since the 2006 midterm elections, NBC's Meet the Press and CBS' Face the Nation have provided less balance between Republican and Democratic officials than Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday despite the fact that Fox News Sunday remains the most unbalanced broadcast overall both before and after the election.
During the 109th Congress (2005 and 2006), Republicans and conservatives held the advantage on every show, in every category measured. All four shows interviewed more Republicans and conservatives than Democrats and progressives overall, interviewed more Republican elected and administration officials than Democratic officials, hosted more conservative journalists than progressive journalists, held more panels that tilted right than tilted left, and gave more solo interviews to Republicans and conservatives.
The Fairness and Accuracy in Media (FAIR) report, "Iraq and the Media: A Critical Timeline," provides a damning reminder of how the US mainstream news media abandoned truth and conscience in the lead-up to the invasion and occupation of Iraq:
This timeline is an attempt to recall some of the worst moments in journalism, from the fall of 2002 and into the early weeks of the Iraq War. It is not an exhaustive catalog, but a useful reference point for understanding the media's performance. The timeline also points to missed opportunities, when courageous journalists—working inside the mainstream and the alternative media—uncovered stories that should have made the front pages of daily newspapers, or provided fodder for TV talk shows. By reading mainstream media critically and tuning into the alternative press, citizens can see that the notion that "everyone" was wrong about Iraq was—and is—just another deception.
I commend these reports to you, I urge you to support the work of FAIR and Media Matters, but I also ask you to support the work of Words of Power. This site delivers a unique perspective on how to survive the 21st Century crisis of security, sustainability and spirit.
And don't be concerned about perpetual fund-raisers, I will only reach out to you four times a year -- on the Solstices and the Equinoxes.
All the Best,
Richard Power
GS(3) Intelligence & Words of Power
http://www.wordsofpower.net
http://words-of-power.blogspot.com
Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and http://www.wordsofpower.net. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.net
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