Category: education

The Real Cheese, Finale

The Swiss Colony has still not answered my questions concerning which “enzymes” and “cultures” are used in their cheese, or who manufactures them.  

This is as close to a direct answer as they have come, after four attempts for clarification on my part.

“We do not give out our manufacturing information, as these may change depending on availability.

We hope this information is helpful to you.”

Let’s compare this to what is required, by law, for a small licensed dairy in most US states.  

They are the most stringent laws for just about any product sold in our country, with hefty fees, regular inspections, strict requirements for what can be produced and how, and to boot, with the name and the address of the farm (which in most cases means the farmer’s home address) to be printed on every label. 

Imagine if the CEO of every giant food conglomerate in this country was required to put their home address on everything they sold? 

Of course, that could become very confusing, which address would they choose with multiple McMansions to choose from?

Yet if you talk to the average consumer at the grocery store their assumption would most likely be that cheese bought by a local seller at the farmer’s market is of more questionable safety than the big name brands they’ve come to know, and trust.

Completely misplaced trust, created by fraudulent marketing practices and unfair laws in a food system that has been duping the public for half a century plus.

This goes for more upscale choices as well.  Here is one from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills: The Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont.

Looks very traditional in its cloth binding, which is laudable.  I also cloth bind cheddars.  And I’m not pleased to still be relying on plastic in many cases to make and age other cheeses, but it works and it’s readily available and relatively cheap, so until I can find another way, that’s my lot. But, I’m always looking for better, more traditional options.

On the Cabot Cheddar we have the typical ingredient list: pasteurized cow’s milk, starter culture, vegetable rennet, salt.

Are they required to declare their rennet and cultures are produced in a lab and have nothing to do with any farm? No. Is the consumer privy to who manufactures those ingredients, or where? No.

Though they do make a good show of cutting that big impressive cheese!

While I’m sure it’s healthier and tastier than the likes of The Swiss Colony cheeses, the label is still misinforming the consumer who probably assumes vegetarian rennet comes from vegetables and starter cultures come from other milk products on their farm, as once was the case with all cheeses.

In related Ag news, why is the news never good?

From the Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance:

Act Now: Tell Congress to Stop Catering to Corporations

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Farm Bill this week!

From AI: The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 is a comprehensive farm bill that aims to address agricultural and food policy in the U.S. It was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on March 5, 2026, and includes provisions for nutrition assistance, crop insurance, and conservation programs, reflecting a significant update since the last farm bill in 2018.

Spoiler alert, not a peep is written about fake cheese or lab-produced cultures and rennet.  It’s not even on their radar.  

“Overall, the bill continues much of the flawed status quo in our food and agricultural system. There are a few important bright spots – in particular, the inclusion of a pilot program version of the PRIME Act. But unless two key amendments are adopted, the bill as a whole moves us in the wrong direction by putting even more power in the hands of large corporations … and putting your operation, your land, and your local decision-making at risk. There’s also a third important amendment, to empower consumers to support American-raised meat.

The Bottom Line:

This bill, as written, sticks farmers with more risk, less local control, and a system that favors consolidation.

That’s not a compromise—it’s a step backward.”

And from another source:

“Amidst rising farm bankruptcies and unprecedented economic and policy instability, the House bill chooses more of the same, neglecting the kinds of investments and policies that our farmers not only deserve but desperately need,” Mike Lavender, policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said in a statement.

As House Moves Closer to Farm Bill Vote, Food and Ag Groups Push Back | Civil Eats

Lunatic Farmer Joel Salatin was one of the speakers at the People vs Poison Rally at the US Supreme Court to influence the votes.

The primary talking points are around glyphosate and similar pesticides and herbicides.

He says:

                  “The real question is what protocols would return the North American landscape to its pre-European productivity and abundance?  You see, 500 years ago this landscape produced more food than it does today, even with tractors, fertilizers, chemicals and new plant varieties.  Of course, it wasn’t all eaten by people.”

SCOTUS PRESENTATION — The Lunatic Farmer

I like reading his commenters, because there’s always a few I agree with and I so appeciate finding like-minds.  This one comes from Diane B. :

“So truthfully and eloquently stated. Sadly, SCOTUS is corrupt and mostly bought along with the rest of the government. We would be far better off if none of them existed. Government has proven it can only be dysfunctional. We don’t need to be governed. We need your speech circulated to the entire population, most will understand, and we need strong men and women who will stand up to corrupt corporations (without a government involved).”

I couldn’t agree more!

And yet, it’s only getting worse.

The Real Cheese, continued

“If you don’t read the news you’re uninformed, if you read the news you’re misinformed.” Mark Twain

The same can be said for labels.  While our “health freedom” advocates go after the most obvious chemical concoctions, or suffle around useless info about calories and so-called vitamins, folks who really do care about their health are getting duped by seemingly healthy foods.  

I believe we all know that counting calories is a fool’s errand. But for those who might still not get it, here’s a 2nd grade level demonstration.

Now let’s get to the graduate level.  Enzymes and cultures and rennet, are they all the same?  The modern cheesemakers would like you to believe they are, but they are certainly not.  

My issue is with the deception, just to be clear, that is always my issue.  If folks choose, with proper information and informed consent, to consume chemicals and lab-made food, I have no problem with that.  As the kids like to say, “You do you!”

But this is not what’s happening. These foods are being forced on consumers under an illusion of choice.  We are not even privvy to proper food labeling and cheese is a prime example.

Most cheeses sold today will have the same ingredient list as I do when making a 100% natural cheese: milk, culture, rennet, salt.  Looks simple enough, but it is far more complex than that.

Pasteurized milk or raw milk?  Natural cultures or lab-produced cultures? Animal rennet or the ‘new’ so-called vegetarian rennet?

all cheeses are not created equal!

Already we enter deceptive marketing practices on the topic of rennet, because most folks don’t know what it is or how it is acquired in nature.  

So the manufacturers of vegetarian rennet are relying on consumer ignorance rather than informed consent.

I claim this because they are insinuating, by appealling to vegetarians, that it is more humane than animal rennet.  When it comes to the modern abhorent feed lots and poor treatment of animals ina factory-farm setting I suppose they could be correct.

But in traditional dairy farm protocol this is completely false.  Hubby jokingly calls it “male privilege” because the practice is, only females are raised to maturity.  Boys are sold, castrated or not, or raised separately to be slaughtered for meat after a couple years in the field.  

Natural rennet is acquired by extracting the abomasum of the young ruminant animal’s stomach, which we have done here on the wee homestead, if you want to check it out.  

Homestead Happenings

For the average farm this is not an issue, as there are plenty of males which can be slaughtered for this purpose.  Not that it takes more than one, because it will last a VERY long time, as is proven in “3rd world” dairy operations still today.  This is a process called ‘backslopping’ where a rennet-culture solution are reused for an entire season, similar to how sourdough starters are “grown” and reused.

But when it comes to huge dairy operations with fancy equipment and many rotating employees and assembly-line production this doesn’t work.  It’s not consistent and reliable enough, there are too many variables in such a living product and as the old adage goes, too many hands spoil the broth.

For the giant manufacturers these lab-created cultures and vegetarian rennet are a necessity–for them, not for the consumer.  However, their aim is to make it appear as if they are doing it for “consumer choice”.  Even as the consumer has no choice!

Vegetarian rennet is now the norm, used in the vast majority of cheeses sold in the US.  The same goes for the added starter cultures and “enzymes” used for flavoring and consistency, all produced in a lab.  As they are showing images of happy cows on lush green fields and quaint farmhouses on their labels and websites, this image is as deceptive and manufactured as those ingredients.  

While conscientious consumers rightly raise concerns over animal welfare and antibiotics in their milk, they’ve barely scratched the surface of the issue.  Even the “organic” label here is deliberately deceptive.

Rather than be honest with consumers, instead we get gaslit.  We are suddenly dealing with “allergies” and “intolerences” where none existed before.  We are informed we must take special “enzymes” if we insist on eating dairy foods.  We are directed to the new dairy-free products made by the same manufacturers and also produced in a lab.

And when we try to do our due diligence to understand what is in our food and why it now causes us health problems, as I have, we are given the runaround.

I’ve been on the runaround track for a week now by the Customer Service department of the popular brand Swiss Colony, a major seller of cheeses and meats.  They are clearly trying to run me down by being avoidant and evasive about a very basic question–what’s in your cheese?

After reading all the information on their website and getting no answers, I contacted them directly.  Yes, they use “vegetarian” rennet, which I already knew from their Q&A section.

Screenshot

My initial inquiry:

Hello,
please inform me of the complete ingredient list for your Baby Swiss Cheese, meaning the specific types of cultures and enymes being used, and if possible, the manufacturers’ names for those and as well as your vegetarian rennet.
thank you,

Their reply:

Thank you for contacting Customer Service.

We have forwarded your inquiry to the proper department and will reply with an answer as soon as we receive the information.

We appreciate the opportunity to be of service.

Then, the next day:

Our Baby Swiss uses vegetable rennet.  Please see below for the requested list of ingredients. 

INGREDIENTS: PASTEURIZED WHOLE MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES, CALCIUM CHLORIDE.

ALLERGY INFORMATION: CONTAINS MILK.

So, the obvious assumption here is, if you have allergies to this product, it’s because you have milk allergies.  Then you get their list of solutions to your problem, links to all their “alternatives”.

  • Dairy-Free, Vegan Mozzarella Cheese That Melts Perfectly, Plant-Based, 7 oz 6-PACK, Lactose Free Cheese with No Allergens, Non Dairy Cheese.
  • Never Better Foods Plant-Based Shredded Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese Blend, 6 Pack (6 x 7 oz Bags), Dairy-Free, Vegan, and Allergen-Free, Ideal for Cooking, Melting, and Meal Prep
  • Empasta Vegan Cheeze Sauce – Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free – Creamy, Easy Melt, Low-Calorie Cheese Sauce Alternative for Dips, Pasta, Nachos, Burgers, Veggies & More – 12oz sustainable jar (Smoked)
  • Madly Hadley Plant-Based Parmesan Cheese, 2 packs – 16oz | Original Vegan Cashew Parmesan Grated Topping for Pasta, Salad, Sauces | Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Soy-Free, Keto-Friendly

Clearly they did not answer my direct questions, so I tried again.  And again.  And again.  And I’m still waiting for my answers.

I will return with their answer, if I get any, in the next post, along with a more upscale brand, to demonstrate more money doesn’t always mean a more natural product.

Homestead Happenings: The Real Cheese

It was too much news last time for one post, and I didn’t care to skimp on the cheese bragging, especially!

But then I got sent off on a cheese tangent when trying to simply explain why most commercially-produced cheese on grocery store shelves should not even be called real cheese anymore.

In fact, maybe even some of these fabulous-looking cheeses from traditional French fromageries like I used to love to frequent might also make the fake food list. I sincerely hope not, but France, like all of ‘the West’ are increasingly subjected to the same chemical onslought as we are in the US.

Making cheese is the best thing I’ve ever done.  In my life, without exception.  Thanks to it, I have uncovered some of the rarest, most simple, deepest and most common of universal life lessons.

No offense to Handy Hubby, marrying him is definitely a close second. 😆

I’ve heard similar magnanimous claims recounted only through such trials and tribulations as come through miracles such as child birth and motherhood. But I have not been a mother.  

Don’t cry for me though, because I found cheese!

From it I’ve delved into the practicalities–the art, the craft–of the most delicious hobby I can imagine.  I have also been either introduced, or expanded my knowledge on topics as diverse as vaccines, germ theory, pleomorphism, alchemy, modern chemistry, even math–some things which I rejected with ease or sometimes ferocity–which now claim me, my mind and passions and preoccupations, like one conquered, lured and pushed, exposed and protected, by some ultimate wisdom.  

Anyone who knew me in my younger years would be surprised, I’m sure, as my sister was, that I would willingly and repeatedly entangle my brain with math and science. Not that either is entirely necessary for traditional cheesemaking.

Every cheese pictured here, and plenty more that are not, I’ve made with the same 4 ingredients: locally-sourced raw milk, our own animal rennet, clabber and salt.

From David Asher’s fantastic tome, Milk Into Cheese: The Foundations of Natural Cheesemaking Using Traditional Concepts, Tools, and Techniques

http://www.milklab.ca/

Most commercial producers of cheese believe that packaged starters are the only option for cheese’s proper production; that milk is deficient in the appropriate microbes and rich in dangerous ones; and that they are incapable of realizing the work that is normally done by trained microbiologists.  DVIs (Direct Vat Innoculants–freeze-dried starters) are considered the only acceptable way to safely make cheese, and the most convenient option for producers, big or small.

He’s too polite and wise to say the industry has been completely captured, but I do believe he’d agree with me on that!

Industrial starters are by and large produced by multinational corporations. Danisco, the most prolific starter producer, is based in Denmark and is a subsidiary of DuPont.  This corporation and others like it profit off cheesemakers’ demand for a product that they do not truly need.

Industrial starters are monocultures of microorganisms that have no precedent in nature and need perfectly sterile environments in order to function correctly.  They are out of touch with the reality of cheese, which needs dozens if not hundreds of species of microbes to evolve according to their safest and most flavorful pathways.

The deception on the foundational level, resting on disproven science from the early 1900s, is bad enough.  But the consumer sees none of that, instead being swept up in extremely dubious marketing practices that call these starters natural and necessary.

And that’s even before we delve into the mass manufacturing of “vegetarian rennet” –that is the lab-derived coagulant now used by the vast majority of cheesemakers large and small around the West and perhaps the world, which also also claims to be natural.

Four ingredients.  Just think about that for a moment, please!  That is all it takes to delight, and/or to disgust, in a thousand different ways.  

Labeling, on cheeses as on GMOs, is simply another way to con the consumer.  The process is as important as the ingredients and changing the meaning of words is par for the course.  More on that next post as I delve into the “Nutrition” label of a popular cheese brand.

Fermentation and the art of putrefaction is the process.  Technically putrefaction is the wrong word, though it does sort of work!

Affinage is the correct term for the fine craft of cheese maturation.  According to AI the difference is:

“Putrefaction refers to the decomposition of organic matter, which can negatively affect cheese quality, while affinage is the controlled aging process that enhances the flavor and texture of cheese. Proper affinage prevents undesirable putrefaction by managing environmental conditions and microbial activity during cheese maturation.”

So it’s basically desirable putrefaction.  It’s like the difference between a weed and an herb, it depends on whose garden it is.

But still, think about that! Like aging fine wines and wiskeys, even hot sauces, this is proper fermentation, where territory REALLY matters.  Where some old-school crafters even insist no one else can touch their concoctions or they’re immediately spoiled.  True story!  

It’s POD taken to an extreme unknown even to our own extreme-loving culture.

POD, or DO (designation of origin) is to the cheese world what Provenance is to the art world.  It is, literally, about ‘savoir faire’ (know-how) –being able to trace the work, the process, back to its source.

Perhaps so that industry can try to capture a piece of that magic? Individual and smallscale crafters in the market are not allowed the same right to privacy as the Big Food manufacturers, who routinely get to claim “proprietary” status whenever they care not to divulge their special little secrets. 

Aging cheese, affinage, is an art, craft, indeed a profession, so ancient it predates our recorded history.  It has nothing at all to do with commercial pasteurization, or chemically-adulterated cheeses, which has absolutely compromised the craft.  Which has been further compromised by a negligence of public health standards and an indifference to territory and creating a GloboGlob culture that is so synthetic it now considers consuming chemicals as food ‘natural’.

And if you are among the great many who are allergic, they don’t tell you it’s because they’ve completely adulterated the ingredients, the process, and even the meaning of words, oh no, they tell you ‘plant-based cheese’ is the next great thing they’re creating just for you!

The new ‘art’ eh? I think not. But time will tell.

Our tastes tell us a much bigger story than our grocery stores care to oblige.  And the ever-increasing health consequences and debilitating diseases point to our palates and our plates, which should take their rightful place at the top of that pyramid of problems.

Cheese is full of life and how each cheese is treated determines its outcome.  Kind of like children too.  It is not a source of disease, though like rearing anything, it can be a source of dis-ease! 

I also feel such a drive to protect these precious processes.  The downright bastardization of what’s considered natural in these times is only escalating toward greater absurdity.  “Natural” and “only possible to manufacture in a lab setting” should not be synonomous!

If that makes me a food snob, I am pleased to claim the title!  We’ll need an army of Queen Food Snobs to push back against this crazy.

Cartoon Reality

I grew up in the suburbs; I found it really boring; I watched a lot of TV, especially cartoons.

For better or worse, a good portion of my sense of justice came from Bugs Bunny.

Which is actually a lot more healthy than what passes for justice these days, I’d say!

During that time artificial reality did not blur so readily with actual reality. Now when I watch any media I see cartoons everywhere. I see cartoons when I look at people, too. So many have created caricatures of themselves it is clear there is too little authentic left to matter in them anymore. It’s like a return to the primitive, only plastic. Surface obsessed–the inner world collapsed in order to buttress the phony outer world of a manufactured jungle.

The following I copied and/or jotted down from still more media consumption, from a writer I imagine is real, who calls himself Stylman. Interesting name. I stopped following, despite his many wise expressions, when he wrote he thought the crazy weather is being controlled by the fears of the people who believe in geoengineering. A lunatic, obviously. And yet, some prescient views nonetheless.

“And it’s a road to nowhere—a few winners, millions of casualties, and an entire generation taught that their value lies in their ability to perform rather than create, to influence rather than contribute, to be seen rather than to matter.”

Now we live in an era where TikTok influencers who dance for thirty seconds make more than teachers, nurses, or the engineers who build our bridges. We’ve moved from celebrating skill to monetizing attention, from honoring achievement to rewarding performance and exhibitionism.

The fame machine isn’t just anti-human—it’s filling the void left by our disconnection from authentic community and natural guidance, while simultaneously being the logical response to living under constant surveillance.

But this isn’t cultural drift – it’s social engineering. The same institutional forces that have systematically replaced real information, real money, and real community are now replacing authentic human development with performance for strangers. This reflects a broader pattern: we live in an era where every essential human system has been replaced with artificial substitutes designed to harvest our energy rather than nourish our souls.

We’ve built a system that teaches them to treat their lives like content. That tells them: if you’re not being seen, you’re not really here. That your private self has no value unless it’s validated by strangers. We’ve stripped away something essential—the right to exist without an audience.”

While I agree, it’s actually much worse, in my experience.

The invasion of privacy of public systems and the individuals willing to force this state on everyone have deeply influenced inter-personal relationships as well–corrupting them, disfiguring them into parallel invasions–where expectation, extraction, exploitation has become the nauseating norm, and accountability has become entirely absent.

The public and private realities mirroring each other. Recently when I was visiting a dear friend who is Uber-Tech-Attached I had a Truman Show Moment, where she was gushing over her new air-fryer and I got the uncomfortable and uncanny sense I was unvoluntarily in an infomercial.

It’s a very creepy feeling I knew she would not understand.

Folks are faking their way through life, and this will have continued disastrous consequences.

The invasions will continue, until the trespasses are rejected and honor is restored to privacy and to nature.

The dangers of such a system, where access is assumed–access to your private spaces, your private thoughts, from your micro-expressions to your quotidian habits–is a culture of mutual parasitism, not even close to mutual understanding. This is not a culture more connected, it’s a culture more devolved. Incapable of boundaries, non-chalant around respect and autonomy, mocking of custom and structure, collapsing into a decaying emptiness. The nothingness of perpetually dissolving illusions, like the garish carricatures of a cartoonish, substanceless life.

A life perpetually romanticising illusion.

Even as its entire life support system slips away.

Even as the answer is so very simple.

True Fiction

I attract scorpions, I always have. It’s my sweet blood, I’m sure, I can be very irrestistible when I want.

There are a lot of us.  You can imagine us as the frogs.  Some of us let their hearts and wallets bleed out dry for stray cats, which then makes them act nasty toward fellow frogs.  Others turn their skin to poison for protection, which doesn’t really work all that well, because it gets some scorpions really high.

And still others migrate to Florida, where they freeze in manufactured ice storms.

Scorpions on frogs has been a pretty common theme for a while. It’s so common in fact that a new language is being crafted as I live and breath, right now, in this very cyberworld, also manufactured by man, like the Florida ice storms.

In scorpion-speak, everything was working just fine until the frogs started complaining.

But, the message in the bottle is that there are far more frogs than scorpions and the messengers are dropping many truths right into our very laps all about them. All kinds of clandestine information is flowing, on how to uncover them, how to trap them, how to recognize the master scorpions and even how ship them off to a land far, far away.

It’s a very exciting time! It’s becoming fashionable even! Soon the frogs will be free from scorpion influence! Maybe even forever!!

I do tend to get too enthusiastic and hopeful, but the thing is, I really think it’s working this time. I think it might even be coordinated. But, you know, they call me a conspiracy theorist.

This time they’ve given us the words. The words are the map to the behavior. The behavior is the path to extermination. From what I’ve been able to work out so far, it’s a lot like used-car sales with them.

First, they get their foot in the door. Then, they try to sell you a lemon.

“Foot-in-the-door technique is a compliance tactic that aims at getting a person to agree to a large request by having them agree to a modest request first. This technique works by creating a connection between the person asking for a request and the person that is being asked. If a smaller request is granted, then the person who is agreeing feels like they are obligated to keep agreeing to larger requests to stay consistent with the original decision of agreeing.”

If you buy it, their quick onto your back, for as long as they feel like free-riding. They’ll expect you to cart them around everywhere without ever learning to paddle for themselves. They’ll expect to suck your life’s energy while you’re paddling them around, cooking for them, cleaning for them, while simultaneously entertaining them. When you complain you’re too drained and exhausted, they’ll snap at you that you are weak and that you should really try harder. Their drive matters far more than your fatigue.

Once they’ve got their claws in you, you’ll wish you were the frog freezing to death in Florida. They have all kinds of tricks, let me tell you!

If you try to pry them off your back once attached, here’s what you should expect to hear. They are, in fact, the true victims! They will actually try to persuade you this is true, even if they have to shapeshift before your very eyes, distort words just spoken, and throw you under the bus, all at the same time.

Indeed, Frog, why have you been so dissappointing a carrier? Why are you so cruel and malintentioned that your energy and vitality are not infinitely enduring? Why are you holding back?

You said you wanted me to be comfortable, Frog, and I am no longer, so fix it! I want more!

And you see I’m not capable of crossing the river by myself, it’s so obvious, what are you, some kind of a dumbass? I suppose you’d be fine if I just drowned. You’re just mean, that’s it. You pretend to be kind and caring, but you don’t care, you’ll just leave me by the side of the river while you go off with your other frog friends.

I know plenty of other frogs who will help me, you know. Not that I need help, of course. Just with this one little thing about getting across the river. And you won’t even do that. But, another will. They always do. You’ll see.

I don’t know, Scorpion, the frogs, well, they’re catching on to your tricks. They’re starting to collectively block you. That can’t be fun! The young scorpions, they’re getting more and more lazy and entitled, while the young frogs are getting wiser and craftier. I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem to be looking too good for your kind anymore.

One fellow frog has even started selling deep-fried scorpion chips, and I tasted one, and wow, are they tasty!

Geoegineering Anarchy?

Geoengineering meets Anarchy, now that’s sexy!

Once again a sweet synchronicity has me posting more links for more good minds’ consideration.

It Is Time to Put to Bed the Lies and Misconceptions Associated With the Term ‘Anarchy’ – LewRockwell

“Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.”

~ Edward Abbey

What Anarchy Is:

I tire of constantly having to explain what anarchy is and what it is not. I tire of having to explain our language to those who seem never to have the time or inclination to study and learn it on their own, and without prejudice. Words mean things, and cannot be arbitrarily changed, or altered to suit a mood, an agenda, or be used improperly in order to create out of thin air, a State or political narrative, or to advance any particular agenda. To begin my comments, I will clarify that the word anarchy simply means no rule – no rulers, and therefore, no master or government; period. 

If one is to go to most any modern dictionary, or look at dictionary synonyms, the list is common. The synonyms used to describe anarchy are: chaos, confusion, disorder, lawlessness, nihilism, rebellion, riot, turmoil, disorganization, insurrection, mutiny, revolution, tumult, mobocracy, mob rule, non-government, reign of terror, and unrest. Only one of these terms is correct; all the others are false, and have been intentionally manufactured to change the true meaning of anarchy. Non-government (no government) is the only correct synonym used, but all other descriptions are what most any would not only find if searching for the meaning of anarchy, but what they would also believe. Of course, few would search out the true meaning by going to the Greek root system of our language, and of course, that is by design as well. Why else do ‘public’ (government controlled ) schools (government indoctrination training centers) exist?

The refreshing article coincided with an ‘interesting’ new documentary on my long-time favorite conspiracy theory–the weather.

Climate Trails, which can be streamed for the price of a Starbuck’s latte, on Amazon.

What got me to find this latest gem is that I was curious and went looking for the first ‘chemtrail’ whistleblower I’d found, round about 2014.  She had been threatened and forced out of the Air Force in 2010 and I’d been really moved by her story.

USAF Environmental Specialist and Air Force ‘chemtrail’ whistleblower interviewed in 2014, threatened and forced out in 2010.

Kristen Meghan

It also includes the courageous activist, Kathryn Saari, who I wrote about a year or so ago, called MellowKat on her Substack.

A very ‘interesting’ documentary, and by that I mean curious.  Perhaps meant to create cognitive dissonance by simultaneous clips of a cursing Anarchist with a well-meaning Kentucky politician, both trying to address the geoengineered atmosphere.  Perhaps with the ultimate ‘come together against this evil’ intention.

Of course we all already know the UK admitd it’s going to dim the sun, and Bill Gates can’t wait to make more billions poisoning more populations in more ways.

I learned that 32 states now have some legislation in the works against weather modification/geoengineering and while I have said in the past this is pointless, the states have zero jurisdiction over this level of operations, I think I was underestimating the overall strategy, perhaps being that I’ve always been a big hater of games.

It is raising awareness.  It’s not that I’m not thrilled for that, I absolutely am!  

My concern though is, by raising awareness, are we raising more folks who really care about the environment and want to stop these persecutions of the natural world?  Or, are we just creating more markets for the great many who choose to profit off our serious problems?

Industrial vs Traditional Cheesemaking

Such a synchronistic interview popped into my feeds, which I just have to share. Not only is our wee homestead full of young blood sucking down mamas’ milk, but I’m also teaching another cheesemaking workshop this week.

So, milk is big on my mind, nothing unusual there.

This interview from Weston A. Price is priceless! It really is such an awesome feeling for me when a new and powerful voice comes on the scene repeating what I sincerely believe and what we have been diligently cultivating on the wee homestead. We are losing too much of great value in our blind rush toward ‘progress’. We’ve got to work harder to keep hold of our wise traditions, or they will be lost forever.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wise-traditions/id1072618042?i=1000753987209

This traditional cheesemaker, Trevor Warmedahl, follows the David Asher school of ‘black sheep’ cheesemaking and is doing such an inspiring job of it.

He discusses the on-going rennet controversy, which I’ve also mentioned, here https://kenshohomestead.org/2024/03/04/cheese-brought-to-you-by-pfizer/

Clearly this issue is getting lots more attention lately, but it has been on the radar of many cheese-lovers since the 90s, including yours truly, because I was so peeved to have to give up cheese, because I was suddenly ‘lactose-intolerant’, like loads of other people. But at that time it was only in the U.S. I couldn’t eat breat or cheese, not in Europe.

Today in Europe they have also been inundated with ‘vegetarian’ rennet and glyphosate and other chemical industrial products and processes, and when it comes to cheese, the vast majority are not labeled as such. I got suspicious, started asking a lot of uncomfortable questions, and found out A LOT about GMOs and our body’s reaction to them.

The interview summary and link for anyone interested in some fantastic cheese talk (he even talks about the maggot-ripened cheeses I’ve mentioned quite a few times on this blog!)

Traditional cheesemakers respect the process of cheesemaking. They honor the environment, the animal, its milk and traditional techniques – all of which lead to delicious, nutritious cheese. Industrial cheesemaking, in stark contrast, emphasizes sterile conditions, uniformity, and artificial inputs (including GMO-derived rennet). The cheese that results from the conventional approach is consistent… but misses a lot in terms of flavor profile and nutrients.
 
Trevor Warmedahl is a cheesemaker, fermentation educator and the author of Cheese Trekking. Today, he takes us on a cheese adventure, as we gain insight on traditional, artisanal cheesemaking. He gives us pause about what is in our fridge and where it comes from.
 
Trevor has trekked all over the world, working alongside artisanal cheesemakers, so he understands and shares the importance of working with (instead of against) microbes and nature. He describes cheeses you may have never heard of, along with unique approaches to making them. Trevor also helps us take stock of what has been lost in our modern approach to cheesemaking.
 
Visit Trevor’s website: sourmilkschool.com

https://www.sourmilkschool.com/

Listen to the interview:

What’s Been Lost III

When I first started watching alternative history Youtube channels I was skeptical, and I still am. I want the truth, not more redirection. Not more fantasy. Not more illusion. Not more heavily curated or mediocre nonsense.

So far, I don’t sense I’ve found it, but I’ve become ok with never finding it. I’ve resigned myself to what’s as close to the truth as I’ll be able to manage to get to in this lifetime, which is: I’ll never know the truth, but I may be able to manage truth-adjacent with enough study and discernment. I can confidently opt-out of the lie, permanently. That’s a big improvement to the path of blind acceptance I was, and most are, still on.

The first step toward truth was achieved pretty easily, it began with calling bluffs. As long as I don’t allow it to frustrate me, which isn’t exactly easy, this alone feels pretty empowering. For me, as usual, I had to experience it directly, no Youtube influencers, no professors, no self-styled experts can convince me, not without applying my own eyes and ears and reason.

I looked to the architecture because that’s what’s visible, and only then to the official history, because that’s what’s accepted as truth. I started in my own neighborhood, that is, the small city closest to us, called Palestine. It’s actually easier I think to consider the small city, rather than the large ones, because there’s been less tampering more likely, more holes in the narratives that can be more easily noticed by the novice.

The well-maintained Redlands Hotel today.

Like, the story of the popular Redlands Hotel, where I sometimes go for lunch on my rare trips to town. It’s a lovely old building that they’ve done a relatively decent job of keeping up, especially considering the condition of the vast majority of the downtown area.

Interestingly, they have a panaramic photo of the early years of the city on display.  As you follow the railroad tracks from left to right in the photo, you end up at graffitti painted on the side of a building.  That is, the word OWL.

That’s my cue to start calling bluffs.

The owners of this hotel are deep into the official history, which is superficially helpful. As it goes, in 1914 when stockholders rushed to build the brown brick building, it was oxen that delivered the sand for the concrete. That is, sand from the Trinity River, 30 miles away. Are you kidding me?! That’s a pretty big bluff.

And even with that serious transport challenge, on supposed dirt roads, they managed to complete the five story building in a year.  Apparently dirt roads weren’t effected back then by rain or snow, neither were the human builders, or the oxen.  Amazing.

Even more amazing was that another striking building was going up on the other side of town, that is, the County Court House. The two structures apparently shared Italian artisans who installed hexagon tile to both buildings.

The original burned court house, depending on which source cited. Another source states the original courthouse was a small building made of wood.

“Considered one of the most modern constructions of its era, and built to withstand the challenges of time, its walls are made of concrete, masonry blocks, sheetrock, and metal studs—evident in the structure today.”

My those were some busy boys and oxen!

In fact, with just a bit of digging, we learn there was in fact another town at the Trinity River junction where the cherished sand came from, now missing from both the land and the history books. But, there remains one hand-drawn map available in the archives, Magnolia was the town’s name, and it was apparently so bustling with commerce and activity according to one source that they called it the ‘St. Louis of the South”.

One of the many demolished structures of the non-existent town once called Magnolia, according to the official history.

“Magnolia was established in the early 1840s as a Trinity River cotton port and was named for a large magnolia tree in the center of the townsite. Magnolia had a post office from 1851 to 1871. William A. Haygood was one of the principal property owners in the community and operated cotton gins, a hotel, a livery stable, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and a local ferry. Among other businesses in the community were a drugstore and John McClannahan and son’s warehouse. Magnolia was reported to have a population of 800 at its peak around 1863, when the town had thirty-three blocks of residences and businesses. Most shipments from the port went to Galveston, but on May 5, 1868, a steamboat traveled up the Trinity to Dallas. After it was bypassed by the International and Great Northern Railroad in the 1870s, Magnolia declined rapidly. By the 1930s it was no longer shown on the county highway map, though its name was preserved in that of the two schools that stood on the site of the former town. In 1932 the Magnolia school for whites had an enrollment of forty-three and the Magnolia school for blacks, thirty-four. A 1982 map showed only the Magnolia Cemetery at the townsite.”
Magnolia, Texas

This is the sort of vessel which would have been traveling the Trinity River through Magnolia.

Nothing remains of this supposed river hub besides the hand-drawn map of the area where it was supposed to have been, where is now located some simple family houses, an intersection and the cemetery. I couldn’t even locate the river, or the supposed subsequent railroad.

Several other beautiful structures were also said to have been destroyed in this small city of Palestine not long after they were constructed.

The Temple Opera House was built originally as the Palestine Masonic Temple with the cornerstone date of August 29, 1878. In 1907, it was bought and remodeled by W.E. Swift and known as the New Temple Theater. In 1929, it was the home of Garrett Motor Company, Palestine’s first Ford Motor Car Agency. It was demolished in 1962. It originally had another floor on top, but this was removed at some point.

At some point? Not even the official historians can tell us more specifically.

Exquisite building of multi-functions which didn’t have enough value to the small city to remain for a full century. The small box building housing a liquor store in that location now is so much better, I’m sure.

The “Railroad YMCA Building” was another one.

The Railroad YMCA opened in April of 1903 and continued as the YMCA until the building burned in the mid 1950’s. Interestingly, there seems to be no recorded photos available of this horrid fire event of a huge BRICK building. Nothing to see here! (In fact, I believe this to be another building altogether, more on that in a future post.)

As I searched the stacks of the local history at the library I was surprised to find several ‘fake books’ — that is supposed local history written by a source who cannot be located and is listed in the local phone book with phone numbers that don’t work and at addresses which never existed.  Three different phone books, three different addresses, I actually went to all of them personally.  Nothing.  The books appear to be written by AI!  I brought this to the attention of the library board, and no one cared.  At all.  I never heard back, though I went personally to the board meeting with evidence in hand.  They didn’t even care to know which books it was with these obvious falsities, possibly written by an unaccountable AI, and sitting in their stacks posing as actual local history written by a fake person.

And now I feel frustration setting in, so enough for now, to be continued . . .

The Narcissism of Geoengineering

Narcissism has become a popular modern buzzword, but the dilution of its meaning from its mythological context and its misuse in clinical definitions has contributed to a lack of appreciation for the dire social and personal consequences of tolerating narcissistic abuse.

In modern times, when we think of narcissism we tend to point to “selfie culture” and a saturation of self-centeredness among those who enjoy it. Just yesterday I had the perfect opportunity to witness this while at a restaurant for lunch. A middle-aged woman with dyed black hair and matching bright red lips and nails had just entered her car, which was directly opposite the window where I was seated.

I watched, laughing to myself, as she spent the next five minutes taking pictures of herself in different poses: pouting, smiling, flipping her hair around, like she was a sexy actress on stage instead of a no-longer-attractive woman in a huge black SUV, just pretending. I imagine she has all the latest filters on her camera’s lens and wherever she’s headed next will be dark enough that the illusion is not prematurely disolved.

And while this is really cringy, its not particularly dangerous for anyone else but the poor sap she gets her hooks in next. Sorry dude, better luck next time!

Clinically, and even historically, this is not really the brand of narcissism that is causing so much mayhem in our world.

However, clinically the definitions are at once well-defined, and nebulous, and over-lapping, and found under the heading of the ‘dark triad’ personality disorders. While these are certainly interesting to study and are attempting to become more scientific with more data over time, they aren’t necessary to understanding why these personality disorders become so socially destructive.

The problem is not the cringy aging woman who wants to maintain the illusion of youth and beauty indefinitely in order to gain sexual approval in the marketplace. The problem is when the fantasy is allowed to trump the reality.

Society does still associate selfie-culture with the myth of narcississus, but only superficially. We correctly identify the beautiful youth who falls in love with his image in the water as narcississtic. But, we fail to look deeper into the lesson the ancient myth is attempting to teach us.

While there is no one official narcissus myth, one popular version includes his female companion, Echo. Whereas Narcissus is the disembodied face, Echo is the voice which mimics his, repeating, without agency, but symbolizing the intention of love and care through her adoration of him.

The real lesson is not just about the superficiality of beauty that fades, or the personal destructiveness of being overly-fascinated by one’s own appearance or superficial desires, but about the inherent dangers of illusion, especially when those illusions echo through the culture, without agency, repeating the words of the narcissist.

Reach out to touch the beautiful illusion in the water and it dissappears, and with it so does its echo, that’s the essence of the myth. There is no substance there, it’s a mirage. The face has no body, no core, no real form.

In popular culture today, Echo’s role represents the ‘flying monkeys,’ which are those figures doing the bidding of the narcissists, spreading his delusions. Narcissists are experts at manipulating others into doing their dirty work, whether that be their dishes or their crimes.

In psychoanalytical terms, this means the narcissistic personality has not done the difficult work of developing an authentic self. There is nothing behind the mask. S/he is a shape-shifter, a cameleon, the disembodied creature in a shared fantasy.

When these attributes become socially acceptable, indeed institutionalized, the culture itself becomes permeated with such types. Toxicity becomes the norm. Fantasy, being the preferred state of the masses, replaces reality. Narcississtic abuse becomes systemic.

At the societal level, Geoengineering presents a typical example of how this looks in action. And, there are a great many direct parallels between narcississtic abuse as it plays out in personal relationships and in the aggregate, that is, the public domain.

Empty promises like ‘safe and effective’ become accepted as truth. Meaningless words and slogans replace honest dialogue and debate. Hollow gestures replace accountability.

In the personal relationship this looks like the philandering spouse who swears they’ve cheated for the last time, over and over. Or the sister or friend who apologizes for wrongdoing, but then hides behind ignorance or innocence, or tries to blame shift and gaslight to get out of being held accountable for her poor actions or insensitive behavior.

In the public sphere this normalized behavior becomes the governments and institutions who are granted immunity, the banks that are too big to fail, and the laws that are twisted to absolve the guilty and victimize the innocent.

What have we been told for the last decades about Geoengineering? At first we were told not to believe our lying eyes, nothing is happening, ‘chemtrails’ aren’t real, and you are all gullible conspiracy-believing nutjobs.

Next, we are told that it’s actually benevolent, they are trying to fix the broken climate. Totally safe and effective. We just need the states to put a few crucial laws in place, then everyone will be happy. Fantasies and illusions replace accountability.

More empty promises, more hollow gestures — like the states stalling with laws that will never stop the assault, but will get a new market brewing for all the attorneys and advocacy groups and health care professionals, who will make a lot of money from the fallout. Entrepreneurship, that will solve it. More tech, better tech, that will solve it.

Accountability is for ninnies.

“A government entity, its officers, and its employees, are immune from suit, and immunity is not waived, for any injury proximately caused by a negligent act . . .”
Utah https://zerogeoengineering.com/2026/utah-house-bill-79-provides-governmental-immunity-amendments/House Bill 79 Provides Governmental Immunity Amendments – Zero Geoengineering

The argument gets twisted around intentionality, did they mean to harm, or not? Let me go out on a huge limb here and suggest that every single person involved will say they didn’t intend to harm. That’s rocket science.

That question itself serves the abusers. The real question, the one the victim would ask is, “Should abusers be able to hide behind innocence, ignorance or incompetence?”

Solar Geoengineering and the Global Commons—What Role for Ecocide Law? | Springer Nature Link
“As a result, initially peaceful, yet ultimately harmful geoengineering projects could exemplify unintentional hostile use of weather modification technologies. However, ENMOD does not take this form of use into account, so cannot provide a viable tool.”

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-10095-5_9

Meaningless words–words that magically transform, or lose and gain significance depending on whims and propaganda shifts–global warming, global cooling, climate change, abrupt climate shift, climate remediation.

These parallel the meaningless words and hollow gestures of the narcissitic abuser — I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to, it’s really not that bad, it’s just your impression. The dog ate my homework.

It’s not my fault. No agency. No accoutability.

You’re not perceiving what you think you are perceiving! You’re not feeling what you think you’re feeling! it’s just your impression! Your subjective experience! If it were true, everyone would be experiencing it exactly the same like you!

Plausible deniability is the safe space for abusers of all kinds.

They will even go as far as admit the wrongdoing, but still not be held accountable for it. Like Narcissus, all image with no substance, all face with no body.

Other common tricks of the trade: manipulation of perception, moving the goal post, feigning, finessing, presenting harmful acts as benevolent–it’s for your own good, for the good of the community, because they are so concerned about you, about the environment.

What do you mean we can’t flood your home? But the farmers need rain, you’re being selfish. Isn’t that why you bought insurance? Why aren’t you more resilient? Why should you be so upskittled by a tornado or two, they happen all the time. We were just doing our job!

I will NOT end this post, or this life, drowning in their sea of dysfunctions, because that’s exactly what works best, FOR THEM.

I truly believe that if the individual will stop accepting such abuses in their personal lives, what’s acceptable on the societal level will assuredly, eventually, shift as well, and very dramatically.

Stop approving of the toxic behavior, stop believing the lies, stop being their Echo, because narcissistic abusers are pathological attention-seekers. Call them out, demand accountability, do not accept empty promises and meaningless words, and watch as the little rats start to scurry.

Learn about narcississtic abuse and root it out of your life, personally and professionally. Achieve greater levels of discernment through diligence and determination. Real resilience comes from principled positions rigorously and consistently applied. Insist others practice what they preach, as you yourself do the same.

This is not idealism, this is the tough work of forcing reality to win over illusion. It is the tough work of embodiment, of authentic Self creation.

“We’re often told that narcissism doesn’t exist or that we’ve attracted these people into our lives because of our own issues. This harmful victim-shaming keeps people trapped in abusive dynamics.

In this episode, Dr Peter Salerno explains that narcissism is real and identifiable. Narcissists are invested in their image at the expense of their true self, and they intentionally seek out environments where they can exploit others.

This conversation will help you identify if you’re dealing with a narcissist, trust your body’s reaction to mistreatment, and begin to think about whether it’s a relationship you want to remain in.”

We may still be victims of their floods and tornadoes and varied toxic tampering, but we don’t have to accept their delusional fantasies and their illusions of control. And that WILL make a difference.

Eventually.

Predators and Passivity

(A re-post of one from 2016, happy 10 year anniversary to Kensho! Funny-not funny, my viewpoint has not changed a bit!)

I wish I could say I was not guilty of it. I watched on two different days last week as a coyote trotted off contentedly first with a duck, then a chicken. The latter time I was outside, with our very large Dane-Mastiff guarding, reading on the deck as the coyote pranced by 200 feet from us, without any chicken ever making a sound to alert our attention.

I did shoot at it, far too late, but I was so slow and stunned I hardly had a chance. I asked on social media whether, had they been faster than me, if they would have choosen to shoot the thieving coyote with their cameras or their guns. Most chose cameras, which demonstrates a double-bind, I believe.

We have lost sight of the predator/prey relationship. In fact, when we look closely into New Age groups and the major push in education currently, the prey has been deluded into believing they can transform the predator into something ‘better’ or “safer” or at least less scary.

The prey goes into school and later even therapy so as to come out better adapted at the game and to his role as prey. The predators understand perfectly this relationship can be best described by the old parable of ‘the frog and the scorpion.’  Since at least Biblical times, it has always been the same game.  The predator/prey relationship is easily paralleled to our more civilized equivalent of Master/slave, which can be extended further to our current neo-serf system of Parent/child and State/citizen.

I fancy myself aware, self-reliant, pro-active, resourceful. Yet, in my ‘truth quest,’ which a great many of us have been on for many years now, I’ve demonstrated my talent at pointing fingers, shifting responsibility, projecting, and most grievous and destructive of all, further nurturing an identification complex. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identification_%28psychology%29

An identification complex is plaguing seemingly all of society right now so I have plenty of company. We are all pointing our fingers at the 1%, or in the case of “truthers” or “conspiracy theorists” the .001%, as the core problem with the world. We criticize from one side of our mouths and go along with the other. We go along in hundreds of different ways every day. We fall for their fashion and entertainment, we sit in their schools and on their boards and in their governments. On the surface there seems to be little other choice. When someone opens their eyes wide enough to see this is the same master/slave relationship indoctrinated and institutionalized at ever level of the system that has existed since the beginning of history, we are then met with the next inconvenient truth:  We are only looking at the gameboard, we are not understanding the game.

We the slaves both despise and envy the master, and the master knows this and uses it against us.  Obedience is the price and the master sets the terms.  Our role is to remain passive and uncomplaining against the unspoken contract.   When the noose tightens, some slaves become restless and resentful, while others adapt by learning to breathe more shallowly.  Livestock breeders use identical methods.  This is how the system perpetuates and exacerbates to such an imbalance that an excess of predators disrupt the natural order until collapse is inevitable.

Of course the game is rigged!  And if you had your way, it would be rigged in your favor.  Your preference might be: I want it to be fair and safe for everyone, for there to be no predators or prey, no masters or slaves, and many might support you, to the point they’d be willing to become the predators in order to preserve your collective safe-space.

What we see politically we are also allowing in our personal and professional lives. We feel the boot, there are fewer in denial everyday. We know we are being surveilled and minimized and made obsolete. We know we are victims and we react in one of the many ways they know we will, as prey always will: Fight, Flight, Fawn, or Freeze. If one can find another courageous enough to rebel, he is also lost eventually, because to rebel is to remain still inside the game. They have plenty of room for rebellion, they count on it, they thrive on it.

“I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half.” Jay Gould

Obedience is the prey’s cost in the master/slave, State/citizen relationship, making the passive society become increasingly easy prey; little more than a flock of smiling depressives. These easiest of prey develop a quintessential need for their one-season world, for un-natural order, until passivity replaces fear and we all become the woman watching the coyote trot by with one of her ducks, too slow and maladapted and untrained to stop him.

When one is lucky enough to find another who has the courage to change the game, or at least give it a go, one has met the Fool soon to replace the Father. The game changes when we ourselves change, it’s an inside-out process, not an outside-in. We choose en masse, to not be prey or predator.  We choose to have no rulers. We choose Autonomy, Sovereignty and Self-government.

The ones who understand you must stop the predator or soon all your poultry will perish are the ones rebelling, which the masters then flaunt in front of the more passive prey to get them focused toward each other. The fawns point fingers at the fights, the freezes blame the flights, and around and around we go.

Where will we stop? Does somebody know?

When the most passive meets the predator en face they realize their only hope is one they’ve been trying to avoid all along.  Because the most unpleasant truth of the human condition from the mindset of the frog is that not every frog has to become aware of the nature of the scorpion, they just have to become aware faster than the last frog.

Here’s some research links I know could really benefit some of my fellow frogs.

For your personal life and relationships: Ollie Mathews, an ingenious entrepreneur helping victims of narcissistic abuse by reading their often painful letters on Youtube.  Understanding this co-dependent dysfunctional relationship is crucial to understanding how it’s playing out in the Big Game:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVFJBbBcV6akw8M1YuDo-Yg

To dig into the Big Game, prepare yourself for the most complex, multi-faceted work of your life.

https://www.unslaved.com/

https://tragedyandhope.com/

https://www.corbettreport.com/