Protestant "Dogma"

I know a young man who truly loves Jesus and His gospels and seeks His truth.  His knowledge of scripture is near total.  He has posted a long and exacting analysis of the Protestant premise of Once Saved - Always Saved. (link)

I have read this piece several times and am impressed by this man's integrity.  His objective attitude as he researched this question lead to his correct conclusion, that a man of sincere faith can indeed grievously sin and lose heaven.

The two main pillars of Protestantism are Faith Alone and Scripture Alone.  Scripture Alone is the sound bite for, "The Church Has No Authority To Teach".  Faith Alone is the sound bite for, "The Church Has No Authority To Forgive Sins".

St. Matthew 28: 18-20

And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.  And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

St. Mark 16: 15

And He said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.

With all due respect, most any well formed Catholic third grader would have answered this question correctly, for it is taught by the Church, as it has been for centuries.  The above scripture citations commands the Church to go and teach Christ's commandments and moral code to the entire world and that is exactly what she did and continues to do.  Along the way there were many serious questions that arose and the Church through councils and discernment settled them and authoritatively declared what was worthy of belief.  This brought the Faith intact into the sixteenth century.  The Protestant method of trusting only scripture forces a man to bushwhack his way through centuries of questions and confusion as he searches for Truth.  I picture such a man whacking his way through a jungle of the world's lies while not fifty feet away from a well marked pathway, a pathway laid out by scriptural giants such as St. Augustine, Justin Martyr, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Benedict, St. Jerome and so many others, who all loved Christ and His Church and defended the Faith from error.

In the sixteenth century several men, Martin Luther being one, promoted the Scripture Alone (the Church has no authority) heresy.  This forces mankind back to square one in his search for Truth.  Thus a man of integrity must study the scripture like a scholar and find his own answers, which means that he must be able to read, a skill which wasn't widely possessed in those first fifteen hundred years and we must pray that his discernment of these many pressing questions is always correct.  Another problem with Scripture Alone lies in moving forward, once a man has settled a question for himself, could we believe him if he told us his conclusion?  Who is he?  We may know someone else, whom we respect, who says the opposite.  Opinions may be seriously divergent and another sect is born, as has happened thousands of times since men like Martin Luther, King Henry VIII, John Calvin, etal.  Who has the final say?  The citations above clear up those confusions, for it is the Catholic Church who holds the teaching authority and any simple person of faith can take it to the bank (Heaven).

Almost the instant men wrested the teaching authority from the Church the question arose of, "What about sins?"  This necessitated Faith Alone, so to soothe the guilty conscience and prevent people from seeking the Church's forgiveness.  This leads to Once Saved Always Saved to render peace to that same guilty conscience who has seriously sinned following his acceptance of Faith Alone.  What does happen to the sincere believer who has grievously sinned?  The author of the linked article has reasoned that there is a juncture here.  If the sinner feels remorse and contrition, Christ forgives and his salvation was never lost.  However if he hardens his heart and remains obstinate in sin, salvation is lost.  Neat, but incomplete.

 St. Matthew 16: 18-19

And I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.  And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  And whatsoever thou shall bind upon earth, it is bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

St. John 20: 21-23

He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you.  As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.  When he had said this, he breathed on them: and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.  Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

By Christ's own words, another primary function of the Church is to administer His forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance - Confession.  Peter and by extension, the Church holds the keys to heaven.  Her mission is to teach the Faith and to help sinners to return to good graces when they fail.  Compare the difference: One man labors over scripture trying to justify his state of salvation, trying to decide if Faith Alone is sufficient or should he accept Once Saved - Always Saved, just to be sure; and a Catholic, who confesses his sins to the living, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church, whom scripture states has that authority, and hears the words, from the steward of Christ, "Your sins have been forgiven. Go in peace."

Finally, it must be noted that each of these Protestant statements (you cannot call them dogma since there is no person of authority to proclaim them as true, by their own meaning), were never heard of in those first fifteen centuries.  They only got traction as the men who were in rebellion leveraged their messages with the newly invented printing press.  Scripture doesn't even say or hint at those statements, however there are citations abound which show the authority of the Church.

Look for the line of authority; God - Jesus - Catholic Church - Priest - penitent.  If you can connect those tiers with objective scriptural text, then you have found home.

One final question:  The Catholic Church has the mission to teach the commandments of Christ Jesus to the entire world. (Scriptural citation above).  She has clearly and consistently taught that any and all use of contraception is a grave evil.  Are you listening?

The End of Our Times

The End of Our Times

In another year, as we look around at the wreckage we previously called the United States and the Western World, you may be tempted to ask, “What the hell happened?”  You won’t have to ask if you read this because I’ll paint it out for you.  Warning: I am going to tick-off most of you in the first few words, but bear with me; just hear it out, because in another year, this might make sense.

The age of the great building of the West spanned the times between the Acts of the Apostles and the Protestant Revolt.  Those times are called the Dark Ages because those who would have you ignore them labeled them such, so you would not learn of the many and manly battles the Catholic Church fought in bringing the Gospel of Christ to the entire world.  The Church put down many heresies and corrected errors, but mostly, she channeled the graces of God upon any people who obeyed and loved Him (more on this).  The Catholic principles were the impetus which was responsible for the building of the West.  The “Dark” Ages, fifteen centuries, were the times of the ascendancy of Christ.

The Protestant Revolt signaled to men that they did not need to be obedient to a higher authority in matters of faith and mores.  For the first time, the idea of each man reading the Scripture himself and deciding for himself right and wrong was allowed to spread unabated.  This led to men asking themselves, “If I am my own authority in the area of morality, then why should I submit to authority in the civil arena?”  This thought process is the genesis of the Free Masonic movement, a movement which brought us the Age of Masonic Revolution (My Title).

The major revolutions, of this period, were the American (1783), French (1789) and Mexico (1821).  There were others, but these will illustrate the movement.  These revolutions were all inspired by the Free Masons, an organization which has been condemned by the Catholic Church, for teaching heresy, especially in the areas of obedience and the authority of God over mankind.  The American Founding Fathers were certainly not fans of the Catholic Church.  When one reads their papers, one sees their citations of the rights granted by the “Creator” but no reciprocating obligations to Him.  The French Revolution was so hostile to the Catholic Church that they cut off the heads of priests and nuns who would not submit to the “republic”.  The revolutionists seized Notre Dame Cathedral, ripped out all of the Christian icons and renamed it the “Temple of Knowledge”.  In the Vendee, the French army exterminated the Catholic men, women and children by the thousands, per specific orders from the new government.  In Mexico, a strong and fine civil order with peace and first-class universities and social institutions, ordered along Catholic foundations, was destroyed and eradicated.  Mexico’s history between the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531) and the revolution was burned and is another “dark age.”  With each rebellion, the influence of the Church waned and the Christian beliefs strayed farther afield.

In 1917, the Virgin Mary made a series of remarkable appearances to three children in Fatima, Portugal.  While she stressed to the children, and us, the peoples of the world, the absolute need for Christian obedience and the grave consequences of sin, she also foretold these times.  She said the “errors of Russia” would spread around the world and many souls would be lost.  She exhorted the pope to consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, so as to prevent this calamity.

The pope didn’t do it.  In 1917 came the most devastating revolution of all, the Bolshevik Revolution of Russia.  Lenin took the baton from Karl Marx, who had weaponized the Free Masonic ideas from the French example and created Communism.  Following the establishment of the U.S.S.R., that government created an agency which had the job of spreading lies throughout the world, lies about anything and everything.  They sent agents into every country and lied about institutions, time honored traditions, national heroes.  Mostly, they lied about morality and things such as honor, duty and self-sacrifice.  This is the birth time of Feminism and the Sexual Liberation.  This agency was the antithesis of the Catholic Church and her efforts to teach the world the Truth.  The fruits of this agitation were violent Communist revolutions in China, Spain (failed), Mexico (again), Korea, Cuba, Vietnam and dozens of other places in Africa and Central & South America.  This was the Cold War.

The Catholic Church was high on the list of targets set for Communist attack.  Though we day-to-day people have a short attention span, the Communists played the long game.  With the Church, they first planted operatives in the seminaries, to be ordained as priests.  These priests grew into monsignors and over time, into bishops and even cardinals.  With these Communist insiders agitating within the Magisterium they were able to effect the single most damaging victory for the cause of evil against the Church and the world.  In a one-two punch, they spun the Second Vatican Council (1965) to convince the Catholic people that the Church “changed” and that one did not have to work so diligently to save his soul.  The second punch was much more damaging, the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Mass (1969).

The Catholic Church is the most misunderstood institution on the planet.  That’s to be expected, since the father of lies hates her.  When Jesus Christ established His Church He gave the Great Commission, “Go and teach the whole world My commandments, baptizing them and know that I am with you, even to the consummation of the world.”  The Catholic Church has three sections: the Church Triumphant (the members who are in Heaven), the Church Suffering (the members who are in Purgatory – not Heaven, but getting there) and the Church Militant (the members on earth, all baptized Christians – fighting the good fight).  At the summit of this structure is the Holy Trinity – God Almighty.  The pope is not the head of the Church, he is merely the steward of the Church Militant, the part we see on earth.

The main channel of God’s good graces into this world is faithful Catholics attending a properly offered Mass.  The Mass is the highest form of worship of God and the source of a literal communion (physical connection) with Him.  It is the earthly assembling of the faithful so as to kneel at the foot of God’s throne to:  First – Worship God, for His Glory is all there really is.  Secondly – to offer thankfulness for His many gifts and graces.  Thirdly – to show Him true contrition for our sins and selfishness. And fourthly – to petition Him for our continuing needs and protection.  While we do that, the members of the Church Triumphant and the Church Suffering are also there, in the same attitude, as are all the angels in creation.  That is a gathering you do not want to miss for anything!  Finally, the most sublime mystery of all, Jesus, the second Person of the Holy Trinity joins His flesh and blood with ours in the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Greek: Thanksgiving).

Now, back to the Communist and the Novus Ordo Mass.  The Novus Ordo Mass was a sudden and obvious change in the rubrics of the Mass.  You recall the four purposes of the Mass.  The Novus Ordo plays down those four purposes and plays up the participation of the people for the people; thus this form of the Mass destroys the people’s faith.  It reflects the Masonic philosophy and the devastation is nearly complete.  Polls and surveys show that the vast majority of the Catholics do not believe in the Mass as described above.  Catholics now divorce, re-marry, use contraception, abort, co-habitate and support sodomy as much as any other group.  Just as bad, the population of Catholics who still attend Mass faithfully, in relation to the 1960 records, is off 80%.  BOOM! 

What took fifteen hundred years to build only took about five hundred to tear down.  As near universal respect for God has eroded into near universal contempt, it is no surprise that corruption has ruined our governance and institutions of commerce and those of the higher order.  It is no surprise that the basic unit of society, the family, is so fractured with the resulting increases in crime and evil actions of unspeakable horror.  It is no surprise that God has withdrawn His graces.  As you look out around our social landscape today, understand the problem – lack of Faith, of Adoration, of Thankfulness, of Contrition and of Petition, but also know this, the gates of hell will NOT prevail against the Catholic Church, the Church every baptized Christian belongs to, whether they believe it or not.  In spite of deep infiltration and sinister attacks by evil men, she will not fail, for the other parts will support this earthly part and God is always in control.  Some glorious time, the Church Militant and the Church Suffering will be folded into the Church Triumphant and as one voice and one heart she will sing “Hosanna in the Highest!”  The social order in the West will be shambles, but fear not “that which can kill the body, but rather, fear that which can kill the soul.”

So, that’s it.  Chaos explained.  Return to the Church, do the four essential things, save your soul and lead your families.  This is our hope and this is our calling.  Deo Gratias!

The One True Church

Google the churches in your town and you will find many.  Try to visit a few and you will quickly hear many differing positions on the questions, you may have, on right and wrong, conditions for salvation and even on who Jesus Christ is.

It is plain to anyone who has read my posts on this blog that I firmly hold to the Holy Roman Catholic Church and have confidence to call Her the One True Church.  I have many reasons to call this church my home, but I would like to illustrate one facet of this church, Her authority; the authority to forgive sins "out loud", to discern what sins are and to discern and teach on questions which arise, following Jesus's ascension back to heaven, which leaves us only His spiritual guidance through the Church.

 Matthew 16-16 : Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.  And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but mt Father who is in heaven.  Ans I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Matthew 28-16:  And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.  And seeing Him they adored: but some doubted.  And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

These two excerpts from Matthew show Jesus passing His authority through to Peter and His church.  In both of these incidents Jesus was talking only to His disciples and not the crowds.  Through Peter the Church is given the grave duty of binding and loosing  sins, which necessitates the judgement of what a sin is, and this applies to all the world and all peoples.

I will ask three questions, which I believe will illustrate the essential necessity for One Church, speaking with One authority in a world that doubts.

First question:  Is it essential for a man to be circumcised in order to receive the graces of Christ?

Today I would be surprised to hear anyone answer "yes" to that question.  Anyone who has read the Acts of the Apostles, has read the story of the first Church council, which settled that issue once and for all.  However, at the time of Peter and Paul, it wasn't so clear; in fact, it was a question of serious import, which threatened to divide the young Church on ideological grounds.  Following the authoritative declaration of the Church there was once again harmony and common understanding.

Second question:  Did God the Father create Jesus the Son, or was the Son always of the Father?

Biblical historians will recognize that question as the Arian heresy.  This heresy spread through Christendom like a bad virus in the early fourth century.  The Catholic Church firmly declared that the Son is consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Ghost, in the First Council of Nicaea.  Though the error has never been fully eradicated, there is no doubt on this issue within the Catholic sphere and in those Protestant denominations which trace their roots to the Catholic Church.  This issue isn't in the bible, as it came up post scriptural times.  However, thanks to the Church, who fought this battle, and many others through the ages, we have the Faith in our day.

Third Question:  Is the use of contraception always a grave evil?

All of the western Christian churches agreed that it was a grave evil before 1930.  The Anglican Church, at the Lambeth Conference of 1930 became the first to so carefully crack open that Pandora's Box, and the resulting error spread throughout the post Protestant churches like wildfire.

The Anglican Resolution 15:

The Life and Witness of the Christian Community - Marriage and Sex Where there is clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, the method must be decided on Christian principles. The primary and obvious method is complete abstinence from intercourse (as far as may be necessary) in a life of discipline and self-control lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless in those cases where there is such a clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, and where there is a morally sound reason for avoiding complete abstinence, the Conference agrees that other methods may be used, provided that this is done in the light of the same Christian principles. The Conference records its strong condemnation of the use of any methods of conception control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience. (end)

Read that statement of oh-so careful affirmation and consider the use of contraception today.  The total destruction of western society has been almost completed and every Christian church has accepted contraception and many have accepted the horrible step-sisters of abortion, divorce and homo-sexuality.

The Catholic Church now stands alone in the firm and unmistakable declaration that the use of contraception, by anyone, for any reason is truly a grave sin and will always be.  She never lost the way.  However, Her declaration, while binding upon "all nations"  has been nearly universally ignored, even by the people of Her own.  This clearly shows the severe consequences of the Protestant revolt, for it undermined the teaching commandment of Matt 28 and left the world lost in the jungles of sin.

Separation of Church and State

Separation of Church and State is one of those quips that seems like eternal wisdom and something that everybody knows to be established in law.  Additionally to that, we all "know" that it is primarily for the protection of Church against State regulation of religion.  So, who first declared "Separation of Church and State" - Church or State?

In the natural law, the hierarchy of legitimate authority on all matters of morality and human interaction, which is the total set of areas of Church and State action, flows downward, starting with the One True God.  Definitions of right and wrong begin and end here.

Jesus Christ declared to his apostles, following His resurrection, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." Matt 28: 18-20 (Emphasis mine)

That is the great commission.  The apostles are the Church and they are commanded to teach the gospel of Christ to "all nations" and they have the power and authority of the Lord of All with them "all days", who has "all power".  Does this sound like someone who needs protecting?

The Church is the ante-chamber to heaven.  She teaches right from wrong and holds the "keys to the kingdom of heaven", and holds the authority to bind or forgive a man's sins.  Her one concern and raison d'etre is the well being of the People and their eternal salvation. Matt: 16: 19 & John 20: 23

On the next lower tier of earthly authority we find the People.  Each and every person born and alive is subject to God, Christ and the Church - everybody, and it doesn't matter weather they know it or not, or believe it or not - everybody is subject to this authority, for this chain of authority is the only possible way to heaven, as set by God, Himself.  It is here, at the People level, that the State is created, for it is a construct of the People, for the People.  It is impossible for anyone to confer authority to another which one does not himself possess.  So, if the People, who create the State, are subject to the Church in all matters of faith and mores, the State is bound to the same teachings and authority.  In a harmonious world, the State would form it's laws and civil structures to compliment and support the teachings of the Church, much as a Mother supports and backs the Father as he teaches their children the way to live; for in unity, we find harmony.

Unfortunately, the State, being a human construct, and not having the guarantee of the Lord being with them "all days" is subject to horrible and destructive errors.  For that reason, it is paramount that the People recognize these dangers and always form their State in specific subjugation to the Church.  The United States Constitution was written that way, albeit for the wrong reasons and in a clumsy fashion.  Remembering the religious persecutions of the English and other European governments, while said governments claimed to hold the authority of the Church, the founders specifically proscribed government interference to religion with the First Amendment.  The grave error lies in the idea that the People have the right and authority to create forms of religion, which suit their tastes, in defiance to the legitimate authority of the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Thus it is through the rebellion of the People that the rebellion of the State is fermented.

To answer the question above, I would say that it is the State which declares the separation, for they are the ones seeking independence, and in fact, there is no difference between the English king proclaiming himself to be the "head of the church" and the founders of the Unites States declaring that Church is separate and holds no authority over the State.

Separation of Church and State is like separation of wife and husband, or separation of players and umpires, or separation of enlisted men and generals; it is a declaration of insubordination and only leads to chaos.

One excellent example of this insubordination is the idea of marital divorce.  The Catholic Church has declared that divorce is impossible.  A couple go to the Church and apply for marriage and upon legitimate approval, marry.  Later, they fight and wish to divorce.  They know better than to go back to the Church for a divorce, so they go down the tier of authority to the State, and the State, not recognizing their subjugation, grant a "divorce".  In truth, they are not divorced at all, and the only legitimate thing the State can do for them is to make ruling on how to separate property as they remain physically separated, yet truly married - for life.

We are learning, the hard way, that there is never a true separation of Church and State, and that the only two possible configurations in this relationship are ordered or disordered; subjugated State or insubordinate State.  Examples of errors include laws and government actions on divorces, contraception, abortion, homo-sexuality, extra-marital co-habitation, rest-rooms, property seizures, currency debasement, power hoarding, etc.  These are all symptoms of our disordered and separated State and they all trample upon the legitimate authority of the Church and the intrinsic right of man to find his way to his God.

Everything Wrong With Our Society In One Tragic Story

My last post (January 12, 2016) is titled: Everything Wrong With Gun Control In One Tragic Story.  At that time, the narrative indicated two innocent victims were terrorized by young neighborhood hoodlums.  That whole story turned out to be lies.  In the ensuing investigation, an even more bizarre and disgusting set of facts emerged.

To paint it with large brushstrokes, the father is not innocent and was sexually abusing his daughter, in a public park, and the kids who witnessed the depravity offered to join in, rather than expressing contempt for public lewdness.

Sigh...what to say...

Folks, the sexual revolution was not progress.  De-synthesizing our collective sense of decency and shattering our moral standards has not freed anyone from anything.  It has only led to civil decay and heartache.  It starts with lies and moves through broken promises, the extinction of honor and destroys families.  Families are the cellular structure for society and civil order, thus we now have violent and lawless streets.  This leads to military style police forces and we suddenly live in a police state.  This is freedom?!

If one were to argue for the official "first shot fired" in the sexual revolution, which has led to the current state of depravity, I would point to the Lambeth Conference of 1930. (See: Contracepting  Society and Life 09-09-2013) That conference cracked open Pandora's Box by legitimizing contraception in very limited marital cases.  Unfortunately, the leaders of the Anglican Church learned that cracking open the box is to OPEN the box.  Public acceptance of contraception went viral.  Which led to a yearning market for a "pill".  Failure of contraception led to clamoring for legal abortion.  Sexual license led to no-fault divorce and pre-marital sexual acceptance.  Then came sodomy.  How low can we go?  Well...we get to fathers raping their daughters, in public, and young boys offering to help him.  Sick.

We need to turn back and march against the currents.  Do not accept any of these compromises in your family.  Guard the innocence of your children.  Do not tolerate unchaste behavior and be vigilant against pornography.  Marry once and make it permanent and do not contracept - ever!

We may not reconstruct our society in our lifetimes, but we will earn the soothing words of our Lord; "Well done, good and faithful servant.", for one day we will be called to account for our deeds.  Let them be pure.

Everything Wrong With Gun Control In One Tragic Story

An eighteen year old woman was gang raped in Brooklyn, NY this week.  She and her father were together in a public park, when five young thugs accosted them and told the father to leave.  To add urgency and the motivation to leave his daughter with monsters, they threatened him with a handgun.  Where to start in this tragic story in listing all the wrongs?

New York gun control laws:  New York is one of the most restricted cities in the U.S.  In short, it is nearly impossible for a citizen to have a gun, with the approval of the authorities.  There have been several studies which indicate that the stricter the gun restrictions on citizens, the higher the crime rates.  In his book More Guns Less Crime, John R. Lott, Jr. was able to prove the opposite, than more guns in the hand of the people results in less crime.  New York politicians, famously, think otherwise; more laws against guns and there will be less crimes, as thugs will be unable to acquire them.  This case proves them wrong.

The Thugs:  Eighteen something kids who think gang raping girls in public parks is somehow the thing to do, don't give a damn about gun control laws!  Gun control laws do exactly two things: firstly, they give confidence to criminals, as they are sure that this father was unarmed, and secondly, it makes them right - he was unarmed.  That five of these guys have the social development of monsters, indicates something gravely wrong in that community, and it isn't guns, it's cultural and it proves that the other people need arms, more than ever.

The father:  When faced with five stronger, younger thugs, he felt no alternative but to leave them his daughter.  What the hell!?  What has happened to our manhood!?  This is the insidious effect of the "call 911" mentality.  That is exactly what he did.  He ran down the street yelling for help.  By the time he found it, each thug had completed his horrific crime on his daughter.  What kind of society are we fostering when a father abandons his daughter to monsters?

The police:  Well... they did what they always do, gathered up the victims and arrested the criminals, after the fact.  That is a pitifully small consolation for the girl, who now must live with this trauma for the rest of her life.

Other citizens:  It was reported that several people tried to ignore the frantic pleas of the father.  This is another indication of our malformed  society.  In times past, if one yelled for help, it came from all directions; today, "good luck and leave me alone."  This is another unintended consequence of the "call 911" philosophy; "it's not my problem and we pay someone for that, besides, I don't have a gun either, so what am I supposed to do?"  Gun control laws neuter the manhood of the entire community.

Here in Virginia, those thugs would not have liked my response to their threats, as they would not have liked what I would be pulling out of my waistband.

Handy Thug Repellent