Well, Here we are folks! A pivotal year in so many ways. Climate chaos is upon us. The very fabric of what's left of our democracy is being hollowed out by senate Republicans addicted to power and corruption in the Trump Impeachment Trial. At the same time, the primary season is upon us, beginning with the Iowa Caucuses in early February. 

It's hard to imagine that there have been times in our civilization's past where our culture teeters on the edge of an abyss as it does now. We've had plenty of horrible experiences in our past, but none has been on the global scale of what we find today. Our history is a litany of corruption and abuse, and according to corporate media sources, there is no end in sight.

In this time of brokenness, where truth is lost to lies and propaganda at a record pace, there is a respite. There is a way to discern what is 'real' from all the bullshit we live in. There is a place to ground oneself...

The Woodstock Music Festival was held August 15 -18, 1969 in upstate New York. It was in many ways the capstone of an utterly wild time, when young people revolted against the conformist stereotypes of the day. There's plenty of content online about the event and the tumultuous 1960's that surrounded the weekend.

As our political and governmental systems deepen their dysfunctionality, as corporations act ever more brazenly in their greed, as our planet suffers from the horrors of a broken culture, we clearly recognize that these systems fail miserably when it comes to integrity. When we look at our local and statewide political institutions, we see a similar pattern of corruption, with policies and attitudes that favor the folks with lots of money.

While our Earth and we, the people are suffering greatly in these times as the World4 'era of corporations' model continues to fail under the weight of its own corruption, a new model is emerging. 

It's a model that rejects the inevitability of globalism, and seeks solutions to local problems on a local level. It's a model that rejects the crappy food pushed onto us by box store chains and fast food corporations like McDonalds. It's a model that reflects back to us our innate humanity, and our need to work on behalf of each other to thrive.

The term suggests people who are sheep, easily led to whatever fate. And such has certainly been true for most of us throughout history.

To be clear, there are forces at work that have contributed to our 'sheepleness' for a thousand years. Kings and wealthy merchants have little desire for a population that questions everything. "You be sheep, we'll take care of everything" is a variation of the well-worn elitist mentality.

Now that we've cleared up a few things...

1) Corporations don't care about us or this Earth
2) Our elite controllers will do anything to hold power 
3) We must end militarism and bullshit about 'security'
4) Trump, Republicans, and corporate Democrats do not help us
5) Addressing climate chaos is required quickly

We could make this a much longer list, but if you agree with the above, we're already tracking together.

When one considers the wretched condition of our lives and our planet, it's hard not to point fingers, as I have surely done, at the forces I believe to be responsible. That blame typically goes toward elites, corporations and nation states. I still hold that these purveyors of power through their money and institutions are indeed, at the heart of our problems.

The Empire doesn't understand yet what has happened. Legalizing hemp farming and hemp industries will have a profound impact on our local communities, our soil, our ecosystems and our culture at large. They don't understand that legalizing hemp, part of the new Farm Bill enacted in December, is a tremendous catalyst for change. But we do.