Great post on a topic that I carry each and every day. I had the pleasure of taking a Design Course with Bill in 1995 and an even more of a pleasure was that I stayed at his house with him throughout the 2 weeks.
Many evenings were spent chatting and laughing and getting angry and happy :) It was wild, free and brilliant.
I then quit my job in the city (Melbourne Vic) and now live off grid with tank and bore water growing alot of my food and am in the process of helping like minded people do the same in my local area.
In a conversation with Bill it turned out that he was friends with my Grandfather from Tasmania which was cool and that he knew well of the fishing boats made at Queenscliff Vic where I grew up as he once fished the oceans around Tasmania etc.
I rememeber one evening with a few others and someboy said, "Fuck the government' and Bill said," No, ignore them and run parellel while keeping a healthy and watchful eye on the goings on etc'. He spoke about how the system wasn't broken and that it is designed this way to enslave.
His anger and fury drove him to travel the world and leave his small self built cottage in the bush in the early 70's and help change the world.
Well Bill, you certainly changed mine and so many others that I have come to know.
I gladly to this day wear a Tshirt that I designed myself with a great quote of his, " If you hear that I'm dead, Tell them they lie,"

Thanks for this so vital subject and post it is so appreciated.

The ethics that Bill and David Holmgren wrote into the Permaculture basis are timeless.

No.1 Care of The Earth
No.2 Care of the People
No.3 All surplus to go back to ethics 1 & 2

Say no more :)