Sugar Mountain is no more.
Neil Young's iconic metaphor for an age of innocence and a time long past, has succumbed to the inhuman greed of the one-percent; it's been topped and mined and drilled and fracked. It's been clear cut, stripped, eroded and exposed; dumped on and polluted - left barren of life.
Life - all life on our tiny blue planet - whether human, animal or plant is changing; adapting as best it can with individuals doing their part to reduce our carbon footprint; all the while, corporations and the governments they own do their best to keep the world's citizens down and out - under fist and boot.
There is no going back to Sugar Mountain; our natural resources have been raped for profit, and planet Earth's innocence has been lost with this generation and the apathy of generations before.
But there is the next generation to think of, and generations to come after that, which haven't had a chance to speak up, to vote for the future they want, ensure the life they deserve or save the Earth they need.
So who's gonna stand up for them? Who's gonna make a difference for tomorrow's child today, in a world already so far gone?
Neil Young thinks it's up to you and me - and I agree.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, we can't continue to sit idly by claiming we don't have the money to fight the rich, the powerful and the privileged - those who indiscriminately drill and mine and fish and pollute and exploit our natural resources for their profit.
Protecting planet Earth isn't about political power; it's about empowering the people. We can't concede Citizens United. We have our voices and we have our votes, and if we have the will to win, that's all we really need.
To help us win this fight, to spread the word and change the world, Neil Young has given us an environmental anthem to embrace and make our own as he explains here:
"I'm giving you permission to please use this music in videos, clips and communications, or in any way you see fit during this critical time. I hope this music can assist you in the important work we do to reach out for understanding and action in the world. Thanks, Neil Young"
We have been given the words and the music in three amazing versions: heartfelt acoustic; captivating orchestral; and of course a hard driving version recorded live with Crazy Horse.
Now it's up to us to turn this song into the environmental anthem for change that Neil Young envisioned.
(More information about Neil's song and the movement can be found on the Neil Young Times and don't forget to follow the link to the trailer for the film Under the Influence.)
So how will you use this song to help inspire a new generation of environmental stewards to ensure that they have the necessary insight and appreciation of the land, the water, and all things in nature, with which humans must coexist to survive?
What will you tell your children you did to preserve their planet; to ensure their future?
It's a challenging time of transition for planet Earth, but it's at times like this that we see who the real leaders are - for they are the individuals with vision, who can see and reach beyond boundaries and borders, and who act for the good of all humankind.
Climate change and the effect on our environment and our species isn't an abstract concept; it's about the lives of people, real people - your family, your friends, your neighbors - and of the collective consequences of our individual actions upon our tiny blue planet.
Our precious water - our oceans are over-fished, warming, rising and acidifying; choking in plastic pollution. While our creeks and streams have surrendered to drought and dams and the rapid climate change that damns us all in the name of Big Oil whose pipelines now run where rivers once did; and fields lay barren on top of aquifers that are contaminated or dry.
Is this the legacy we want to leave behind?
I hope not, and that's why I'm gonna stand up with Neil and try to help save the Earth, I'm hoping you will too.
Remember to VOTE on Tuesday November 4th and every election after - planet Earth needs you!