You’re remembering correctly. That’s how the first character dies in Dreamcatcher. Stephen King was recovering from a car accident and was on oxy when he wrote the book if that helps explain anything.

Maybe that was Girl Hitler.

Yes… As you age…

No. But also, this is Ontario, well-known for being outside US jurisdiction.

That’s because all the conservative Christians either got kicked out, fled, or otherwise ended up in the New World a few centuries ago. They really lean into the prosperity gospel nowadays as well, which is all kinds of problematic.

There was a very flawed study years ago where a biologist observed wolves in captivity and determined that they fight for dominance within the pack. Later, he realized that in a natural setting, a pack is a breeding pair and their pups, as you stated. A natural pack is much more cohesive and doesn’t have a strict hierarchy, but the ridiculous myth of “alpha wolves” won’t go away completely, despite the same biologist’s efforts.