Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 25, 2023

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, our little team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time. Be safe on the roads.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking entries for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless Fixed Blade Knife, by Thomas Christianson

BLUF

The TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless fixed blade knife is a rugged tool for use in the field or around the yard. It has a 4.75 inch, full-tang, Scandi-grind blade made of 154CM stainless steel. With a price of $295 at the time of this writing, it is not cheap in terms of either price or quality. It has earned a place among my gear as my go-to camping knife.

Background

A little more than a year ago, I tested the TOPS Mini Scandi Folder 4. The resulting review was later published in SurvivalBlog. I liked the Mini Scandi Folder a lot. In fact, I liked the knife so much so that I gave it to my son, who is in the military. I thought that it might be useful to him during his next deployment.

Based on that positive experience, I took a look at some other TOPS knife designs to see if they had anything else that looked especially interesting. The Fieldcraft 154 caught my eye. I contacted TOPS to see if they could provide me with a sample for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. About a week later a package arrived in the mail.Continue reading“TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless Fixed Blade Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal

The following recipe for Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal is from SurvivalBlog reader M.M..  She writes:

“This is a great ‘throw together’ recipe that uses what you have on hand. The key here is to be flexible. If you do not have a fresh apple, dried would work or even apple sauce. While I did not use nutmeg in this batch, that would make a nice addition, as would some raisins. Or you can swap pecans for walnuts, if that’s what’s in your pantry. You can even substitute part or all of the brown sugar with some maple syrup or honey… let your taste buds and your pantry be your guide!”

Ingredients
  • 2 Cups old fashion rolled oats
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 C brown sugar
  • Heaping ½ cup peanut butter
  • 2 T butter, melted (plus more to grease baking dish)
  • ¾ can evaporated milk
  • ¾ T cinnamon
  • 1 large apple, diced (I used Cortland)
  • 2/3 C chopped walnuts
  • 2 Tsp baking powder
Directions

Grease a baking dish, 9-inch square or 10 in shallow round works well, with some softened butter. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. It will have a thick, wet consistency. Spread in greased baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes in a 350-degree oven. It should be browned but still moist when done. It may crumble a bit or hold together more like a bar, depending on what substitutions you may have made – but it’ll taste good and is a wonderful warm dish on a chilly day.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the risk of a recession or an economic depression, in 2024.

Precious Metals:

The gold-to-platinum ratio continues to further escape reality. When I last checked (Thursday, December 21, 2023), with spot gold at $2,057.80 and spot platinum at $982.90, the ratio stood at 2.093-to-1.  Historically, platinum has sold at a premium above the price of gold. In fact, platinum was worth more per ounce than gold for the great majority of the 20th Century.  Whenever metals price ratios reach extreme inflection points, it is appropriate for individual investors to pause and consider doing some ratio trading.  As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, the only real impediment to doing so vis-a-vis gold and platinum is the ridiculously high premium charged by coin dealers for platinum coins. The latter are produced in pitifully small numbers. This explains the high premium.  If you can find any platinum coins from a reputable dealer with a reasonable premium, then please consider making a ratio trade on a portion of your physical gold holdings.  If World War 3 breaks out and the gold-to-platinum price ratio reverts to its historical norm, then you will make a substantial profit. – JWR

o  o  o

Gold: Rally could continue in 2024. (Video)

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Silver’s window of opportunity is closing, with prices poised for an ‘explosive move’ in 2024.

Economy & Finance:

Reader W. F. suggested this piece at USN&WR: Recession 2024: What to Watch and How to Prepare.

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Fortune: With interest rate hikes in Jerome Powell’s rearview mirror, Wall Street starts a new guessing game: Timing when the Fed will cut.

o  o  o

A ‘severe recession’ may be coming in 2024 as the stock market, job market flash warning signs, strategist says. JWR’s Comments: In a deep recession or a depression, we can expect only essential industries (i.e. heating and staple foods eating) to do well.  Expect massive layoffs and stock declines, almost everywhere else. Subconsciously, people are already expecting this. Take Note: The only retailers that are booming are “dollar” stores. Dollar General plans to open 800 more stores, in 2024.

o  o  o

Nigeria, again: “Astonishing Audit Failure”: SEC Charges Tingo Group With “Massive Fraud”.

o  o  o

Mild recession is likely in 2024, strategist says.

o  o  o

Kiplinger: The IRS is waiving penalties for nearly $1 billion in back taxes owed during the pandemic.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them: the Christian, trying to treat everyone kindly, finds him liking more and more people as he goes on – including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.” –  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 24, 2023

December 24, 1905 was the birthday of American manufacturer, aviator, and film producer Howard Hughes. He was known for his reclusiveness and for the uses to which he put his vast wealth.

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On this day in 1814, the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium, ending the War of 1812, marking a decline of American dependence on Europe, and stimulating a sense of U.S. nationalism.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 6, by Cyclops

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.)

Covid Vaccines: With each passing month, we understand more about the true impact that Covid vaccines have on those who received them. In the Moderna vaccine patent application, they clearly state that the use of mRNA molecule was a better alternative to using DNA, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and can induce a lobotomized state of mind. The only problem is that the mRNA was derived from DNA, and it is nearly impossible to remove all the DNA fragments from the resulting vaccine. As a result, we are seeing numerous incidents of health conditions and behavior changes that did not exist at the same frequency before the vaccines were foisted upon so many. It would not be surprising if we see increased numbers of people who become more muddled as a result of multiple vaccinations.

I suspect that the above four examples are not the only brainwash-promoting substances that have crept into our diets. These are simple three obvious examples. The point is that such thought numbing chemicals are in us and around us, and they are designed to increase the effectiveness of the social and psychological methods described previously. We are part of a fortunate few if we have not been exposed to some pharmacological agent that helps us to be more compliant and receptive to suggestion. If we allow these chemicals into our bodies, we might as well be Clairvius Narcisse, signing ourselves up for years of being enslaved and under control of some person who wants something from us, without the inconvenience of experiencing our resistance. How many of us will be left, uncompromised, to resist the tyranny imposed on our minds when the time comes?Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 6, by Cyclops”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

What Kind Of American Are You?

So, Are You More of a Tucker Carlson American, or a Stephen Colbert American?

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”  – Luke 2:1-1 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 23, 2023

On December 23, 1912, the first Keystone Kops film, directed by Mack Sennett entitled “Hoffmeyer’s Legacy” was released.

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December 23rd is the birthday of Founding Father and Supreme Court Justice John Jay. (Born 1745, died May 17, 1829.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 5, by Cyclops

(Continued from Part 4..)

Name Calling

It never feels good to be called a name, particularly if it is an unjust accusation. It is one of the reasons that the fear of being thought of poorly is a powerful manipulative tool, as mentioned in the preceding “Fear section”.

During Covid, some public voices were openly hostile to those who did not get the vaccine. CNN’s Don Lemon was one of these personalities. Lemon would launch into tirades showed unrelenting ridicule, disdain, and a lack of concern for anyone who would even think of not agreeing with the prevailing narrative. He called them “stupid” for having a concern about their own health. He blasted them for hesitating because they didn’t know what was in the shot. He said: “The people who are not getting vaccines who are believing the lies on the internet instead of science, it’s time to start shaming them, or leave them behind.” He said that “conspiracy theorists” who question mask mandates “shouldn’t have even had kids.”

Don Lemon was not the only one, as one public personality after another fired off blistering attacks on people who turned out to be right about their concerns. It is hard to stand up to such salvos, and name-calling–or the fear of being called a name–often causes people to first change their behavior, and then change their mind.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 5, by Cyclops”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I’ve been very busy writing this past week. To be ready to create the next edition of the SurvivalBlog archive USB stick, I need to get all of the December posts written by December 28th. Because we are adding so much bonus content, the archive will be on 32 GB sticks, this year. They should be orderable by January 22nd, 2024. So mark your calendar, if you plan to buy any. They will likely sell out before the end of February.

I’ve also been working on the manuscript for my forthcoming novel Flag Of Freedom. That will be the second book of the Counter-Caliphate Chronicles series.  That won’t be published until late 2024 or early 2025. Thanks for your patience.

I haven’t had too many projects around the ranch, of late. Just the usual chores, and some fiddling with the stock tank heaters for the corrals and pastures. And thus far I haven’t done more than just one test swipe, with our snowplow. There is just a bit of snow in the forecast before January. So it looks like we may get off easy this year, unless the weather pattern shifts.

Now, on to Lily’s more loquacious report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:

And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.

And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings.

And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.” – Exodus 16:1-15 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 22, 2023

On December  22, 1944, Germans demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium. The 101st Airborne’s commanding general, Anthony McAuliffe, gave the famous one-word reply: “Nuts.” (Above, a U.S. Army photo, by Pfc. Donald R. Ornitz, 166th Signal Photo Company.)

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December 22nd is the anniversary of the death of SP4 James T. Davis, the first uniformed American combat casualty of the Vietnam War, in 1961. This ASA soldier (of the 3rd Radio Research Unit) was killed in a Viet Cong ambush on a road outside Saigon.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 4, by Cyclops

(Continued from Part 3.)

Shifting Definitions

The person who controls the definitions of words, controls the thoughts of the people. Orwell knew this well as he crafted his dystopian novel, “1984”. In that story, the ruling “Party” used “Newspeak” to control language and definitions to limit the subjects’ ability to think and communicate about ideas that went against the Party.
In the allegory, “Animal Farm”, also by Orwell, citizens endured a set of definitions that constantly shifted to suit the leader’s lust for power. For example, the phrase, “all animals are equal” shifted into “some animals are more equal than others.”

While Orwell’s books were meant to describe methods of Nazi and Communist oppression during and after World War 2, the books provide an illustration of how changing language and definitions manipulates a society. Deceivers can obtain agreement from people under one definition, then the thoughts and values of those people will shift as the definition of the word shifts over time. Consider, for example, the following shifts in language or principles that have occurred over the past few years.

Be wary of shifting definitions, and the expectations upon our behavior based on migrating principles.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 4, by Cyclops”