I have searched high and low through my init/config and I can't find where
orgmode is suppressing the display of leading asterisks of headings. I've
got org-hide-leading-stars set to nil -- but it turns itself back on
whenever I open an org file. I can start a clean, blank org file (no
#+STARTUP hidestars/showstars) and create a few headings -- to see, once
again, the leading stars suppressed. My org-bullets is commented out in
init-land. I try an emacs -Q and of course I have leading stars on
sub-headings, however deep. Yes, it's something in my init/config, but I
just can't find what's suppressing leading stars.

The whole reason I'm trying to do this is I'm tinkering with babel SML and
whenever I have a code block under a heading -- depending on the depth of
the heading -- the SML code block can be mis-justified. And if I
promote/demote the heading around with M-<right/left arrow> the SML code
alignment dances around depending on the depth. I can do C-c ' and the
alignment is perfect; but come back the org file and it's wonky. So if I
set up an SML babel environment in an emacs -Q environment -- with leading
starts -- no problem.

This is maddening, to say the least. I need to turn off suppression or
figure out why suppressed stars and babel SML blocks don't mix.

LB