Newsletter: Our 2026 Mission: Safeguarding Democracy and Reclaiming Hope

Democracy is a Work in Progress; We Must Remain Vigilant!

Jan 13, 2026

This week’s livestream will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 14th, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT. Join us with your questions! You can see last week’s recording here if you missed it.

On Thursday, January 15th, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT, I will be hosting a special livestream with Anne Nelson, discussing her recent article, “Israeli Government Is Spending Millions to Court American Evangelicals Amid Plummeting Public Support,” as well as her essential work deconstructing the web of organizations supporting the Trump regime. I have two past podcast Substack pieces with Anne on her book, Shadow Network, and her book Red Orchestra, about the history of resistance in Germany against Hitler. Thursday will be special!

This past Sunday, I attended my local anti-ICE protests and was asked to briefly speak. I was able to record two clips for Instagram, which can be found here and here. With all that is going on right now, we must continue to voice our concerns and objections to the murderous assault on the American people. We are all aware of the tragic shooting of Nicole Good; I share my thoughts here.

Convenience or Coercion?

The slow loss of our freedom is a constant and growing concern. In this week’s blog post for our paid subscribers, Sideways and the Smart-City Trap: Why Palantir’s Data Consolidation Is an Authoritarian Threat, I talk about how Josh O’Kane’s book of that title resonated so strongly with me, and how he outlined, as I do, the many little ways that control is taken away from the people in the name of “efficiency,” “safety,” “convenience,” and “personalization.” While these values sound good, they can be used as a smokescreen to obscure a slow erosion of public autonomy. In this blog post, I discuss how tech giants, in collusion with government organizations, are quietly eroding our freedom, framing the process through my BITE Model of Authoritarian Control^TM. I also explore:

What “Scope Creep” is - and how it’s used to gain control
How data consolidation multiplies authoritarian power
Why the biggest question isn’t innovation, but governance
How “Smart” language can hide old power
And, most importantly, why there is still hope

If you are not already a paid subscriber, now is an excellent time and we appreciate your support. Paid subscribers get access to great, timely blog posts like this, as well as access to my complete archive of practical guides, cult history, and fascinating interviews with experts in the field, such as:

The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley - a discussion with author Marietje Schaake about the erosion of free speech on social media, ironically being spearheaded by people claiming to be championing it

TECH Agnostic: How Technology Became the World’s Most Powerful Religion, and Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation - a talk with Harvard/MIT Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein exploring how technology has become the world’s newest “religion.” Greg analyzed their extremist ideologies of transhumanism, longtermism, accelerationism and crypto. He directly cites my models of cultish elements.

Thought Reform and Cyber Security: Where Cult Manipulation Techniques Meet Technology - my interview with cybersecurity expert Dustin Rozario Steinhagen, PhD, talking about his stunning research into the Area of Cybersecurity and Cult Mind Hack Techniques

Another area that cult leaders and other bad actors use to control us is one of our most intimate and most human experiences: our sexuality. Many of us are aware of how many conservative authoritarian groups control their members by restricting and even sometimes demonizing sexuality, but some groups exert harmful influence by intruding and exploiting sexuality.

Empire of Orgasm

In this week’s episode of my Cults, Culture & Coercion podcast, “Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult,” I talk with investigative journalist Ellen Huet about her shocking book of that title, and the “sexual wellness” business OneTaste. The founder, Nicole Daedone, used the topic of “Orgasmic Meditation” to challenge boundaries and minimize taboos through coercive practices; she was ultimately convicted of a forced labor conspiracy. You’ll find it a fascinating and provocative talk.
Listen on Apple | Spotify | Watch on YouTube

Read my Substack post about Ellen Huet:
Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult

And last but not least, I recently was interviewed on M “C-Roc”’s podcast What Are You Made Of?, in an episode titled “Inside the Mind of a Cult: Steven Hassan of Brainwashing, Freedom, and Reclaiming Identity.” We discussed my own cult experience, how cults form, the subtle psychological tactics used to control behavior, thoughts, emotions, and information, and why highly intelligent, well-meaning people are especially vulnerable. I also explained how my BITE Model of Authoritarian Control^TM can be used to quantify control in any group.

Rank any group on the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control^TM

If you are curious about whether a group or relationship you’re involved with is becoming overly controlling, I encourage you to try my free questionnaire, available at BITEModel.com, which can be used to evaluate any group, organization, or relationship. The data gathered on specific groups is valuable for research and future scientific publication, and this survey is entirely anonymous to protect your identity. Remember, any healthy group or relationship can withstand scrutiny!

As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!

With the onslaught of Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and others, Freedom of Mind® has registered itself as a trademark and has a trade-mark for BITE Model of Authoritarian Control™, a copyright for The BITE Model^© and Influence Continuum^©.

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