# FM9 Refinement: Static Facts vs Dynamic State
## Prompted by Jon Grove, April 12 2026

### Problem
FM9 (EARLIEST-SOURCE) says: verify against earliest timestamped record.
This works for static facts but FAILS for legitimately evolving knowledge.

### Example: Kevin Binder X-rank
X8 -> X9 -> X1 -> X3 -> X5 -> X6 -> X7
Earliest record says X8. Current truth is X7. FM9 as written would wrongly flag X7.

### Refined FM9
**Static fact** (did event happen, who said what): anchor to earliest record.
**Dynamic state** (current rank, current preference, evolving understanding): verify most recent WITH auditable transition chain.

### Confabulation signal for dynamic state
Not: does it match earliest?
But: does a CHAIN exist with timestamps, sources, and justifications for each transition?

No chain = potential confab. Chain present = legitimate evolution.