Disarming Victims is a Dumb Way to Fight Crime

Posted on by charliej373

scary wolf

I’m disappointed with the lackluster way both some politicians and conservative commentators have defended the right to bear arms in the aftermath of the Florida school shooting. They act as if they are defending the principle of a Constitutional Right while tacitly (or even overtly) conceding that the left is defending an effective principle of safety. I HATE conceding points that are contrary to evidence. The left is wrong on BOTH counts here.

If you need a rule of thumb about places to avoid – where gun violence is the worst – simply consult the gun control laws. Wherever they are the tightest, that is where gun violence is the worst – and rising. Even in jolly old England, where the loons’ weapons of choice have historically been bombs and knives, when seriously restrictive gun laws went into place, gun violence went UP, not down. Turns out that disarming victims really is a dumb way to fight crime.

Almost all of the mass shooters of the last two decades have chosen “soft targets,” places which banned concealed carry of guns. (Soft targets are unarmed groups of people who can not easily defend themselves. Hard targets are groups that are expected to include some who are armed). James Holmes, the Colorado theatre shooter, chose the ONLY theatre within 20 minutes of his apartment that had a concealed carry ban as his target. More evidence that disarming victims is a really dumb way to fight crime.

When celebrities – politicians, actors, media personalities – need protection, they hire armed guards. For our children at schools, they erect ‘gun-free zone’ signs. That is not working out so well. (Although, I am amused at the thought of endangered celebrities walking around accompanied by burly men with ‘gun-free zone’ pins instead of actual guns).

In six major mass shootings of the last few years, the suspect had been interviewed by or credibly reported to law enforcement authorities well BEFORE the shooting – yet law enforcement did nothing. I do have some sympathy for law enforcement on this, for the same left that shrieks to take away honest people’s guns after a shooting howl that any law enforcement action before such a shooting is racist, sexist, or Islamophobic. Law enforcement is damned if they do and damned if they don’t – and always by the same people. So they too often turn their heads and hope for the best. But in Florida’s shooting, in terms of drawing attention before the violence, the shooter was a giraffe on stilts adorned with red flashing lights. The FBI got two tips, including a video of the man announcing his name and promising to become a “professional school shooter.” Law enforcement had responded to 39 (count ‘em) 39 complaints about this man – several which involved him threatening others with knives or guns. The Sheriff’s Deputy who was supposed to act as armed guard for the school, instead of defending the children, hid in place and did nothing as he listened to children die. He has since resigned. I guess he saw too many of those commercials explaining about being a security monitor rather than a security guard. Astonishingly, Broward County Sheriff’s Deputies were NOT the first to enter the building and defend the kids, even though they were responsible. It was the Coral Springs Police Dept. that went in first. And yet after this complicated string of ineptitude, the left insists you disarm yourself and trust authorities to protect you.

Now the left wants the whole of America to voluntarily become soft targets. Not gonna happen – and it shouldn’t…but our politicians and conservative commentators who are mushy on this concept should commit one phrase to memory: Disarming victims is a dumb way to fight crime.

Once we get clear on that, we can have a rational discussion on gun violence. Some years ago, an uncle of mine was telling me a funny story about how two kids at his school got their guns mixed up when picking the wrong one from the gun rack after school. My eyes went wide and I asked, “you had gun racks at school?” He replied, with a little disdain at my citified ways, “Yeah. We lived in the country. You had wild dogs and coyotes and stuff around. Some of the parents of kids who didn’t carry would have their kids walk to school with someone who did, because it was safer that way.” Imagine that…sticking close to the kid with a gun to keep safe on the way to school. When I was in school, most high schools had a rifle club. You know what we didn’t have in either mine or my uncle’s school days? School shootings.

So what has changed? It is the culture. The left’s policies encourage and enable dysfunction – and when that dysfunction spills over into murderous rage, they are too cowardly to confront the dysfunction they have wrought and make changes, but insist we all disarm ourselves.

Criminal enforcement, insisting on personal responsibility, making use of criminal profiling as the Israelis do will all help to stem the tide of violence – both gun and otherwise. But the key is to re-establish a functional culture founded on faith and family. Until we do that, the violence will continue. Our only choice in the matter is whether we will be soft targets, as the left wants, or hard targets – the presence of which mass shooters studiously avoid.

135 thoughts on “Disarming Victims is a Dumb Way to Fight Crime”

  1. The vile act of cowardice by the deputy on school duty and the three other officers who stood down make me physically sick. For the county sheriff to insult and condescend to NRA members, placing blame on conservatives and inanimate guns instead of on his inept leadership is a joke. It is infuriating.

    Liked by 20 people

    1. I’m with you, Jayman. The JROTC kids were braver than those 4 cops who stood by and did nothing. The 14-year-old JROTC member, Peter Wang, saved the lives of other students at the cost of is own, while the 4 cops stood down. The unarmed football coach/security guard went into the kill zone and saved several kids’ lives at the cost of his own, while the armed cops stood down.

      And I’m supposed to hand over my pistols and my long gun and trust the government and law enforcement to protect me? Hell will freeze over first.

      Liked by 27 people

      3. Well said Mick! I shall stand by my guns as well. I neither trust the police to protect me nor anyone else for that matter. Besides one of those awful brute policemen asked me to leave the local park with my boxer last week, never considering the {No Dogs Allowed Sign} is so rusted, you can barely read it. Geesh…

        Liked by 7 people

      4. Let’s see…they want our guns to protect us?
        FBI ( GOV Control) had repeated reports, and did nothing….check
        Local police had repeated reports, and did nothing…..check
        Local security on sight and did nothing…..check
        NOW HAND OVER YOUR GUNS SO WE CAN PROTECT YOU…….NO CHECK
        What do they have in common….ALL levels of security are GOVERNMENT CONTROL.

        COULDNT agree with you more Mick !

        Liked by 10 people

    2. Total law enforcement incompetence Jayman92, on both the local and federal levels. This begs the question, when does incompetence become complicity?

      Liked by 11 people

    3. Agreed. Yet, there may be more to this than meets the initial reporting. I seem to recall a Federal ‘active shooter’ program instrucing ‘first responders’ to wait outside until reinforced by others. I remember my reaction as an active Police… you got to go in, it sucks but kids are getting killed/ injured. They wanted to develop a four man shooting team to gain entry. We should know shortly if this is the case.

      Anyhow, for greater insight on this ‘latest’ threat: look up Dave Grossman (ret- Col) US Army.Twenty years ago, he wrote a book “Stop teaching our kids to kill” which is very pertinent to our state of affairs. Video games, TV, Movies play a huge part in our circumstances. It is an easy read with detailed and objective facts (research) to back up his points. Highly recommend!

      Liked by 12 people

  2. I’ve spent a lot of time educating people who think that no civilian has any business having a semi-automatic. But even after explaining what a semi-automatic is, so many people have determined that strict gun control is not just an answer, but the entire answer, that they can’t admit that it could be more complicated than that. I’ve pointed out the lack of correlation and it just doesn’t matter. To an awful lot of people, facts don’t matter. I find that scary.

    Liked by 15 people

    1. So true, in discussion, i find the same reaction.
      I was in a bible study this week, and somehow a person slipped that gun violence was accelating and need to reduce guns. and this petite…usually this very dainty and most polite young mom ERUPTED…saying …”IT IS NOT GUNS KILLING OUR SOCIETY BUT LOSS OF GOD”!!!!!
      Stunned the room MOST appropriately !!!

      Liked by 14 people

      2. I love that leel. A participant in our bible study this week responded similarly to the Florida school shooting. I am at a loss for words that so many devout parishioners are so unaware of what we are up against. I felt it was not the right place or time for me to offer clarification. We really need our local, state, federal and church leaders to shine the light, imho.
        Our clergy and homilies are biased with SWJ and progressive content. It breaks my heart. Again, I do not feel called or qualified to speak out about it at this time.
        On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I attended an evening Mass and beautiful reenactment in our Parish for our Spanish speaking members. It is always, standing room only. During the prayers of petition, I did not understand most of what was being spoken, except I heard the word “dreamers” loud and clear. While I served on the Chicago Archdiocese Parish Council, I understood the difficulties for immigrants and their families attempting to enter the U.S. legally. An organized sub-council was working with state and federal agencies to streamline that. Now, decades later, what I see is mainly lip-service on both sides of the issues that appeal to emotions rather than sensible solutions.
        I will say that a month or so ago, our youngest priest gave a great Homily of welcoming and inviting others to the Church. When he gave the final blessing, he concluded by saying, “Now go out and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” He said it so fast, I heard, Now go out and denounce the Gospel of the Lord. I was flooded with shock at that very moment. I came to my senses and realized what he had said, and I took the time to thank him for his Homily and explain what I had experienced. We laughed it off. As I was walking away he was mumbling to himself that he should slow down a bit and articulate his words better. I pray for the courage and fortitude of our Church leaders, clergy, religious and laity. ❤

        Liked by 5 people

      1. Yes, Doug, you said it. My own country, as with most of western Europe, has the same strict laws. Yet, in that city of ours you recently visited, Limerick, there are areas where gun-crime, and murder, are very common and a communal/ national shoulder-shrug is the only result, after the mandatory expressions of regret and hand-wringing. Same all over. The crims have no problem accessing the weapons. That’s been so obvious for so long. Now, thank God, there’s still enough residual Christian social capital around that we don’t, yet, have the mass-shooting thing but that will not be the case for much longer, I think, as that capital is steadily eroded, year on year.

        As of now, the murders are still restricted to what one might call the criminal class, so “nice” people aren’t affected. Yet. But when the breakdown of morality advances further, as it is doing, then our limp-wristed, increasingly Godless and conscience-less society is going to have a very, very rude awakening and will have to confront the beast it has created.

        Liked by 3 people

  3. Thank-you Charlie,
    What is so very sad is that this young man could have been helped – could have been assessed for mental illness and helped. But he was expelled from school because he was acting “creepy” after his mother died.
    I was shocked to discover that here in my small town, the processes the same. Young person has a significant occurrence in his home – dad goes to prison – and when he acts out at school he’s expelled. Not helped – expelled. Thrown away. Until the culture of death can be reversed, more young people will be thrown away and potentially act out in pain and rage.
    Looking for a novena to Our Lady of the Americas to begin to pray for a culture of life for our country. Meanwhile, praying a novena to St. Michael the Archangel for the safety of our schools and our children and grandchildren. I am heartbroken for our country.
    Praying for all here. Thank-you for your prayers for me and mine.
    katey in OR

    Liked by 16 people

    1. Anne, Yes and no. I just finished Mark Twains book on Joan of Arc. To paraphrase: God helps those who help themselves. It is a time for ALL God fearing people to make a stand and say no to the violence.

      Liked by 7 people

    2. That is absolutely correct, Anne! Mother Angelica said that years ago. She said that this world is too far gone for humans to fix and only God can do it. I’m paraphrasing, of course,but the words were almost the same. May dear Mother Angelica and all the saints help us most powerfully! I agree with you also, Sean, but only if we humans do what God first leads us to do.

      Liked by 7 people

  5. “But the key is to re-establish a functional culture founded on faith and family.”

    Interesting read, but that one point alone is the stabilizer for most of society’s problems…

    Most leftist government policies target faith & family which is why society is so badly messed up nowadays (it’s the globalist agenda). Abortion, divorce, sex-ed, LGBT, incompatible immigrants, making everything racist when it’s not to create hatred, using incompatible minority beliefs to invalidate & remove Christianity from mainstream society, etc…

    The political left is a big problem, voting them out of power only fixes the short-term, eventually they will come back into power with a vengeance…

    Back in the old times people just had a revolt and executed the tyrannical leaders; what is our solution nowadays for globalist tyranny? Stopping the symptoms doesn’t cure the root cause of the problem…

    The globalists are responsible for more deaths & human suffering than what the Nazis ever did, and yet the globalists operate in the world unchallenged… That is our reality… How do we rid ourselves of today’s Hitlers of globalism? Praying for a globalist to grow a conscience and do what is right never seems to work…

    I don’t have any solutions, this is just awareness & acknowledgement of the problems…

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Al, prayer does work, but we MUST act – take the next right step…Manifest the Joy of the Lord. I pray that our school administrators will desire to desire to be a help. This is where the actions of my DearDIL are in play: she goes before the school board and advocates for these young people to be not thrown away but to be acknowledged and helped to be part of the school. They say to her, “thanks for your input,” and expell them anyway. But her words were spoken out loud so that they can not be forgotten – I PRAY! She went so far as to contact the young man whose father went to prison and his mother is mentally ill, to check in with him and let him know that someone does care. Perhaps a tragedy was averted and, thank God, maybe we’ll never know.

      Al, pray and take the next right step. God bless you.
      katey in OR

      Liked by 11 people

      2. Prayers that don’t violate another person’s free will should work. Praying to change the minds of people totally dedicated to evil, isn’t likely to succeed, because it isn’t God’s way. Human beings have free will to choose…

        Prayers should maybe be more strategic from other angles or just simply leave it to Our Lady &/or Jesus hands to deal with in their own way…

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I agree. The “key is to re-establish a functional culture based upon faith and family” For those of us who are Catholic, why not ask our pastors to publish in the bulletin, an invitation to all parishioners to begin praying a Rosary either before or after each daily Mass, Monday through Saturday?!? From all that’s been said above it seems to me that our reliance upon God and his mother would be our only way out of the mess we find ourselves in! We pray the Rosary at our church, but it’s only a few who gather. And I know that there are those who say it’s a private devotion and should be prayed privately. And I know that there are parishes that have chapels with the devotion of the Holy Rosary as a daily practice! But my question is this, given the problems we face, isn’t it time to storm heaven with our prayers—-especially the prayer Our Blessed Mother Mary gave us and urged us to pray daily?!?

      Liked by 6 people

  6. I think this whole school shooting could have been a diversionary tactic to keep people from focusing on the FISA memo, FBI, and corrupt government officials. FBI knew about the shooter, yet did nothing. School guard did nothing, was he ordered to stand down so the shooting would happen? Students organizing mass gun control protests, yeah right. Smells like the Soro’s machine at work. This is all too convenient. Of course then again, if the FBI wasn’t so busy trying to overthrow President Trump, they might have time for the little things like a school shooting where 17 people died.

    What’s one of the first things a Communist government does?, disarm the society. Democrats are Communist’s, that’s why there working their agenda here.
    John

    Liked by 23 people

    2. What you suggest is a real possibility, John. Consider the motto “Order out of chaos.” I told my husband that Soros probably paid for those FL kids to take a bus to their capital! Protests don’t happen spontaneously.

      Liked by 7 people

  7. I am a hairstylist in Kettering Ohio..I too have been telling my clients when they speak of the evil guns that having graduated in 1971 we had a rifle club in school.The boys would get on the bus with their rifles, put them in their lockers and after school get them and head to rifle club to shoot.The thought of someone using them to shoot up the school would have never entered anyone’s mind. WHAT has changed?? The culture!! In the early 1960’s they voted to take GOD out of the schools and welfare destroyed the family. The left embraces everything evil in this country and look where we are..My husband and I cannot believe what we are witnessing taking place much less my very elderly parents..I grew up Jewish and each day we said the “Lords Prayer” in school and the pledge of allegiance and it was wonderful,now it is gone. You take GOD out and the devil fills the void, unfortunately many people now believe in neither. God always brings good from tragedy…and I am hearing more voices on foxnews speaking of this..It is long past time and we who love the LORD and our families need to organize and march in the streets in EVERY city of this great nation and say ENOUGH !!! We are bringing GOD back into our schools and into every aspect of life.. our complacency has gone on way too long..It is time to take this country back , it was founded upon GOD and we need to return it to him. I believe with all my heart God raised President Trump for this very reason we have a chance NOW and we must act. We must show our support for him and we MUST fight to bring GOD back into our great nation it is now or never..If the left gets back into power it’s a done deal and this is what we’ve left to our children and grandchildren.. My father is retired military and I grew up GOD family country and what I’m seeing sickens me ..please can we not unite and take to the streets and march in great numbers and how do we begin this movement?

    Liked by 19 people

  8. PS Charlie I met you in Michigan and have followed you from the beginning,you weren’t wrong..just a few details were different..you were and are right on..GOD help us to raise up and turn the tide of evil. As Michael Brown stated when I heard him years ago this battle is not political..we are in a spiritual battle.. St Michael please lead us into battle….

    Liked by 13 people

  9. One of the perks of moving to a rural community happened to be their affinity for firearms. Growing up with people who respected and used them gives one a healthy perspective of what they are for and what they can do.
    Our community was so relaxed that in high school we regularly carried our rifles and shotguns on gunracks in the back window of our pick up trucks right on to school grounds. It never dawned on us to use such a weapon of death and destruction on another human being, it would be suicide for one thing with so many gun owners around, but we also saw what these things can do up close and personal as hunters. Gun safety was almost a religion, anyone who did not show proper respect was delt with vigorously. We were taught that guns were created to kill, period! Safety was a way of life…because you could loose your life but quick.
    Shootem up video games and carnage movies do not illicit the true horror of a gunshot wound and the “easy kill” myth of even the most expert shot placement. As a hunter I have seen what a bullet can do to a living animal. Field dressing them has given me a surgeons perspective of what bullets do to a body and at times, it can be uncanny. I also have family members and friends who have been shot in shooting/hunting accidents and in the line of duty so I have personal accounts of what that is like. Now I am not advocating that hunting should be or is for everyone or that true familiarity with what a gun can do is an answer to or problem. What I am saying is that firearms in the hands of normal kids is just….normal. Unfortunately we are in perilous times now and the same kind of kids I grew up with are not the kind of kids growing up today.
    My brother is a government phsycologist working with PTSD veterans from every war period (just a few left from WWll now). He mentioned to me that every mass murderer was autistic which this latest shooter is claimed to be as well. Not surprisingly, this suggests an inordinate nature to those who commit such crimes and may help facilitate a diagnostic tool for identifying potential shooters. In the past, he was involved in a study on incarcerated convicted pedifiles and other sociopaths in a state prison population here in Florida in an effort to cure thier deviance. As a retired drill sergeant and MP, he has had hands on experience with violent trama related to the use of deadly force both on the giving and receiving end and as for personal consequences, neither paints a pretty picture. As a catholic, he recognises the benefits of evoking the “Great Physician” and has seen the results of those who do so, but as a secular employee, cannot do so in his position. (At least not openly). Here too, he recognises the bandaid address his profession is giving to our broken society who desperately need God in these times. Gun band(aid)ing is not the answer. God is.

    Liked by 16 people

    2. Phillip,
      Your brother probably has read this book, just in case: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/0316040932

      On Killing authored by Dave Grossman, a retired US Army Colonol who ventured to ask (paraphrase) ‘why are our Combat Vets trammatimzed yet Police are not’. His book delves into this psychology through interviews of both groups. It is an outstanding book on the subject, along with his other books notably (referred earlier) “Stop teaching our kids to kill.”

      Grossman’s lectures are riveting. You’ll develop a new vocabulary word: Hooha. It’s the equivelant fugataboutit.

      Fugetaboutit!

      Liked by 6 people

    3. I’m not sure about the correlation between autism and mass shootings. I reject that logic because my autistic son is a gun owner and is well trained in their use. I would admit the use of this correlation with this one additional correlation- that the shooters were mercilessly bullied by parents, teachers or other superiors and/or peers. The autistic mind cannot adjust well to bullying and often mirrors back the behaviour to others. I made the choice to not subject my sons to bullying and homeschooled both of them. It makes me sad that there is a chance he could lose the ability to expand his hobby because some lawmaker may have a knee-jerk reaction to school violence and decides he is less worthy because he’s not neuro-typical.

      Liked by 8 people

        1. Thanks, Phillip.
          From the article, “It is crucial to note that we are not trying to suggest that individuals with ASD or previous head trauma are more likely to be serial killers or commit serious crime,” said lead researcher, Dr. Clare Allely, from the Institute of Wellbeing at the university, in a press release. “Rather, we are suggesting that there may be a subgroup of individuals within these groups who may be more likely to commit serious crimes when exposed to certain psychosocial stressors.”

          From my thoughts, “I would admit the use of this correlation with this one additional correlation- that the shooters were mercilessly bullied by parents, teachers or other superiors and/or peers. The autistic mind cannot adjust well to bullying and often mirrors back the behaviour to others.”

          I’m not a psychologist or a researcher. I’m a mother. I think my instincts are right on this one and the article seems to back me up.

          The article also mentions the Sandy Hook killer. I submit the following but don’t expect anyone to take it as Gospel. The night before that school shooting, I had a dream in which I saw, as if I were there, the shooter enter the school. I saw teachers running and placing themselves to save children. And then I saw the shooter walk by the door where I was. He looked so lost as if in a trance. And then the Enemy came into my dream and he was mocking me for praying for the shooter. He cackled at me, “He’s mine. I have the right to drag him down to hell.” Its evil words and pride of ownership infuriated me and I fell on my knees in my dream and prayed for the boy and woke up with screams echoing in my head.

          When I heard the news the next day, I felt the blood drain from me and almost fainted. Instead, I continued my prayers for the boy who died in the commission of this heinous act. I still pray for him and all who died at his hands. I won’t let the Enemy take pride in his evil manipulation of such vulnerable souls. I pray that those who, through no fault of their own, are born with ASD are given people who will love them and help them and fill their easily-manipulated minds with truth, goodness and beauty. My dream told me it’s never too late.

          Liked by 5 people

        2. Interesting article. I may have passed over it but I did not see reference to the mass murderers being engaged in violent video games, i.e. X-Box, on-line sites. Yet, background stories of these people often speak of this activity, almost to the point of obsession. It doesn’t take an advanced degree to recognize that a withdrawn, bullied individual, seeking recognition, immersed in fantasy killing might take the show on the road – to hell.
          I pray for these kids, got them in my family. No simple answers here. Some situations are harder than others.

          Liked by 2 people

    4. Your brother sounds like a great guy, Philip!

      I love what you said that gun ownership requires religious safety practices. Owning and carrying a firearm carries such immense responsibility. On more than one occasion I’ve seen a person firmly correct another for mishandling a weapon, even in the slightest way.

      I was at an improv show put on by Second City out of Chicago. My brother was one of 6 actors who performed. It was that tired, unfunny liberal garbage that predictably attacks Christians, the military, and the Second Amendment (to name a few). Only about half the audience was laughing. 😕

      In one scene, my brother played a nerdy kid in a spelling bee who lost because he was given ridiculously complicated words while his opponent was given easy ones. After leaving the stage, my brother burst out from behind the curtain with a revolver and discharged the fake but realistic sounding weapon into the judge’s chest. Oooo, shock value…still, a powerfully negative image of guns in a school was generated by my brother in those few seconds. I was not pleased.

      In another scene, they were mocking our military as being comprised of morons. One of the female actors had a fake automatic rifle clearly made out of wood, painted black. But how she handled it I found mortifying. Her finger was on the trigger as she recklessly swept the barrel across the audience, back and forth, while squawking out her lines. Reflexive fear shot down my spine — this careless display went against every fiber of my being. She unwittingly violated at least two hard-and-fast safety rules while handling a firearm: Keep your finger off the trigger and always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Never point a weapon at anything unless you intend to destroy it — whether the gun is loaded or not.

      Actually I’m glad liberals are afraid of guns and don’t often own them because, frankly, I think these people are slightly insane. Just wish actors of all types would stop being such visible examples of firearm (mis)use.

      Liked by 5 people

  10. I’m a middle school science teacher and this summer we had a simulated school shooting to prepare us for what it will be like if it comes to our school. There were volunteer students who acted in the halls as if shot and cried and pounded at the locked doors we were behind. It still shakes me to the core to remember the feeling of helplessness and despair even a “pretend” shooting invoked. Every day I look at my student lists and pray that I be loving and understanding with especially those that are facing difficulties unbeknownst to me and for our admins that they deal with the things they know about with wisdom. Truly “the key is to re-establish a functional culture founded on faith and family”. This is so obviously evident when dealing with young people. Please pray for all of us who work in schools.

    Liked by 13 people

    3. Dianne, I have offered a prayer for all teachers and students for their safety and protection. ❤

      I grew up in the Cold-War Era. Our drills in school required us to duck under our desks in the event of the big bomb explosion. In hindsight, I do not know how much our desks would have been able to protect us in such an event, and by the Grace of God, it never became a real threat.

      I pray that gun violence in schools will stop being a real threat as well!

      Liked by 6 people

  11. For anyone looking for a laugh on a Saturday morning, we have a story for everyone here.

    Last year our oldest daughter had her 16th birthday, so we decided to have a birthday party for her with all her friends at church. After church on Sunday we found out that a family of 10 was unexpectedly coming, uhoh, we’re going to be short on food. We had preordered Little Ceasers pizza for the party so we decided to order a few more. Now since we were on the way home from church, we didn’t have the phone number. Sarah called the phone directory on her cell phone to get the number. Now these phone directory’s use voice recognition to find out the business you are looking for. Sarah was having all kinds of trouble with it and the phone directory was giving her every number in the world except Little Ceaser pizza! In desperation Sarah say into the phone “I’m retarded”, the phone directory responds back “You want the IRS?”.

    John and Sarah

    Liked by 7 people

  12. “you had gun racks at school?”

    A few years ago I chatted with a guy a few years younger than myself. He was from Western Louisiana, right next to Texas who stated two points which have been etched in my mind. First, he didn’t know he was “poor” until he got a job in Texas. He never thought of himself as ‘that’. Something to think about…

    Second, he used to take the .22 to school at the bequest of his Mother to get something for her to eat prior to him attending classes. Also, on the way back from school to see what he might get for dinner. He left the rifle in the classroom closet, in a rack along with the other students.

    Rifle clubs. I forget where I heard this, one of the greatest travesties is the American golf course. Hit a small ball into a hole with no wordly benefit. Turn ’em into 1000 yd. rifle ranges. Marksmanship is a skill which must be refined over and over. Start teaching at a young age: five or six. The values ingrained will keep for life.

    Liked by 8 people

  13. Al, I agree wholeheartedly. The anti-God left is fighting back and will continue because that is their nature. We are in the spiritual battle of our lives. I must say I did my share to contribute to this mess. There is no easy way out as Charlie has said before. We have got to get closer to Jesus and Mary and pray that our love of them is ingrained in our families, friends, and those we meet every day.

    Liked by 7 people

  14. I am a believer in Fr. Gobbi’s messages. In them, Our Lady forewarned us of the effects of Freemasonry. Interestingly, She forewarned of forces which had infiltrated the Church and to which she referred as “ecclesiastical Masonry.” I do not say this lightly and I think it important to take care NOT to view or accuse every errant prelate of being connected to this type of evil.

    This next part of my comment is going to be graphic. You people know me. I’m not into this sort of sharing for some sick joy. But truth is truth. I would not be surprised to have confirmed that those in the group known as the “elites” or “globalists” or “cabal” are involved in the highest levels of Freemasonry where THE most depraved of the black arts are practiced. Occultism is the “religion.” Hosts are stolen to perform desecration in a “black mass.” Perverted sexual activities are prevalent. Human sacrifice is a vile and frequent form of their “worship” style. Just look at the mega-money some “philanthropists” have given to fund the causes of abortion and same-sex “marriage,” the dark and decayed, grotesque fruit of their surrender to evil.

    Obviously, this comes from the same root: the pit of hell. These things are enfolded in Pope St. John Paul II’s now famous and oft-quoted prophecy: “We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the Antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God’s Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously.”

    The powers behind HRC and Obama and the layers and levels of evil which have and are fomenting the worldwide civil war being fought on cultural lines, advancing the culture of death, have had two formidable foes with which to contend:

    *One most potent force has been, and remains: the USA. The evil forces thought they had the HRC win which would bring final and assured worldwide control of every level of society. But, by Divine Providence, this nation, when most of its land was a vast territory, was consecrated to the Immaculate Conception. All Glory to God! Our Mother knows, She KNOWS, HER land and its peoples have been ravaged by the all-out attacks to bring down this country. Our Lady’s adversary has been on HER turf. She won’t put up with such as this. Our Mother, in all the power of her humility and the perfect alignment of her will to God’s Will, she who is “full of grace” is a fighting Mother. When this final confrontation is over and ALL will know that Jesus IS the Victor and when ALL will know all that His Mother, our Mother, did to get us to her Son’s Victory, we shall be praising God for eternity that He created and gave us such a Mother as we have. Ave Maria! Of course, she has pleaded for our participation to, as she often has said, bring her prayer – especially the Rosary, Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration – and sacrifices that she may present them to Abba’s Throne as ransom for souls, conversion of hearts. This isn’t just a Catholic thing. Blessed Mother is presenting to Abba the prayers and sacrifices of all people of faith and good will in this country.

    *The second massive fortress, in this confrontation, which the enemy is pounding with all power available is the Catholic Church. We know how this will turn out: “And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”(Matthew 16:17-19)

    As I wrote to a couple of friends last night: “It is creepy out there.” One friend responded, “… and getting creepier by the day!” And so it is and so it shall be. We CAN do this. We’ve gotta stay the course. We MUST cling to Our Lord and Our Lady with trust and hope fueled by our ongoing prayers and sacrifices, including the prayer of doing. As our General Sherpa has so often said: “Do the little you can do right in front of you.”

    Liked by 26 people

    1. Beckita,
      Your words are so POWERFUL.

      While I have read about Freemasonry I could never quite grasp exactly what it is and where are these things taking place…..
      Was this formed as an “anti-church”? It is very confusing to me.

      I would love to give my grandchildren a society that puts God and family first.

      God Bless!

      Liked by 9 people

      1. Some say: “Organised Freemasonry began with the founding of the Grand Lodge of England on 24 June 1717, the first Grand Lodge in the world. lreland followed in 1725 and Scotland in 1736.” But when you think about it, these things as are old as the very first time God’s created beings – the pure spirits called angels – were face with that moment to CHOOSE – for God or against Him. Their leader is the true author of Freemasonry:

        “Traditionally, the devil is known as Lucifer, meaning “light-bearer,” one of the seraphim, the highest choir of angels who see and adore God directly. Given his sin, his activity and his identification by our Lord, it is little wonder that Christian art has depicted Satan as an ugly, horrible beast with horns who has lost all light and beauty.”

        So, we can say Freemasonry is but one manifestation of the spirit of anti-christ. In our times, according to Our Lady, it has been a hidden force (secret society). More and more we have been graced by God in that He is allowing the unmasking and revealing evil which was formerly hidden. Here’s a message (all were interior locutions) given to Fr. Gobbi on June 3, 1989. Blessed Mother addresses the priests whom she calls, “My beloved sons.” There is, also, a lay component to the Marian Movement of Priests. The message…

        “Beloved sons, today you are gathered in cenacles of prayer to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of your heavenly Mother. From every part of the world I have called you to consecrate yourselves to my Immaculate Heart, and you have responded with filial love and generosity. I have now formed for myself my army, with those children who have accepted my request and have listened to my voice.

        The time has come when my Immaculate Heart must be glorified by the Church and by all humanity because, in these times of the apostasy, of the purification and of the great tribulation, my Immaculate Heart is the only refuge and the way which leads you to the God of salvation and of peace. Above all, my Immaculate Heart becomes today the sign of my sure victory, in the great struggle which is being fought out between the followers of the huge Red Dragon and the followers of the Woman Clothed with the Sun.

        In this terrible struggle, there comes up from the sea, to the aid of the Dragon, a beast like a leopard. If the Red Dragon is Marxist atheism, the black beast is Freemasonry. The Dragon manifests himself in the force of his power; the black beast on the other hand acts in the shadow, keeps out of sight and hides himself in such a way as to enter in everywhere. He has the claws of a bear and the mouth of a lion, because he works everywhere with cunning and with the means of social communication, that is to say, through propaganda. The seven heads indicate the various Masonic lodges, which act everywhere in a subtle and dangerous way.

        This black beast has ten horns and, on the horns, ten crowns, which are signs of dominion and royalty. Masonry rules and governs throughout the whole world by means of the ten horns. The horn, in the biblical world, has always been an instrument of amplification, a way of making one’s voice better heard, a strong means of communication.

        For this reason, God communicated his will to his people by means of ten horns which made his law known: the ten commandments. The one who accepts them and observes them walks in life along the road of the divine will, of joy and of peace. The one who does the will of the Father accepts the word of his Son and shares in the redemption accomplished by Him. Jesus gives to souls the very divine life, through grace, that He won for us through his sacrifice carried out on Calvary.

        The grace of the redemption is communicated by means of the seven sacraments. With grace there becomes implanted in the soul the seeds of supernatural life which are the virtues. Among these, the most important are the three theological and the four cardinal virtues: faith, hope, charity, prudence, fortitude, justice and temperance. In the divine sun of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, these virtues germinate, grow, becomes more and more developed and thus lead the soul along the luminous way of love and of sanctity.

        The aim of Masonry: blaspheming God

        The task of the black beast, namely of Masonry, is that of fighting, in a subtle way, but tenaciously, to obstruct souls from traveling along this way, pointed out by the Father and the Son and lighted up by the gifts of the Spirit. In fact if the Red Dragon works to bring all humanity to do without God, to the denial of God, and therefore spreads the error of atheism, the aim of Masonry is not to deny God, but to blaspheme Him. The beast opens his mouth to utter blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name and his dwelling place, and against all those who dwell in heaven. The greatest blasphemy is that of denying the worship due to God alone by giving it to creatures and to Satan himself. This is why in these times, behind the perverse action of Freemasonry, there are being spread everywhere black masses and the satanic cult. Moreover Masonic acts, by every means, to prevent souls from being saved and thus it endeavors to bring to nothing the redemption accomplished by Christ.

        If the Lord has communicated his law with the ten commandments, Freemasonry spreads everywhere, through the power of its ten horns, a law which is completely opposed to that of God.

        To the commandment of the Lord: “You shall not have any other God but me,” it builds other false idols, before which many today prostrate themselves in adoration.

        To the commandment : “You shall not take the name of God in vain,” it sets itself up in opposition by blaspheming God and his Christ, in many subtle and diabolical ways, even to reducing his Name indecorously to the level of a brand-name of an object of sale and of producing sacrilegious films concerning his life and his divine Person.

        To the commandment: “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day,” it transforms the Sunday into a weekend, into a day of sports, of competitions and of entertainments.

        To the commandment: “Honor your father and your mother,” it opposes a new model of family based on cohabitation, even between homosexuals.

        To the commandment: “You shall not commit impure acts,” it justifies, exalts and propagates every form of impurity, even to the justification of acts against nature.

        To the commandment: “You shall not kill,” it has succeeded in making abortion legal everywhere, in making euthanasia acceptable, and in causing respect due to the value of human life to all but disappear.

        To the commandment: “You shall not steal,” it works to the end that theft, violence, kidnapping and robbery spread more and more.

        To the commandment: “You shall not bear false witness,” it acts in such a way that the law of deceit, lying and duplicity becomes more and more propagated.

        To the commandment: “You shall not covet the goods and the wife of another,” it works to corrupt in the depths of the conscience, betraying the mind and the heart of man.

        In this way souls become driven along the perverse and wicked road of disobedience to the laws of the Lord, become submerged in sin and are thus prevented from receiving the gift of grace and of the life of God.

        To the seven theological and cardinal virtues, which are the fruit of living in the grace of God, Freemasonry counters with the diffusion of the seven capital vices, which are the fruit of living habitually in the state of sin. To faith it opposes pride; to hope, lust; to charity, avarice; to prudence, anger; to fortitude, sloth; to justice, envy; to temperance, gluttony.

        Whoever becomes a victim of the seven capital vices is gradually led to take away the worship that is due to God alone, in order to give it to false divinities, who are the very personification of all these vices. And in this consists the greatest and most horrible blasphemy. This is why on every head of the beats there is written a blasphemous name. Each Masonic lodge has the task of making a different divinity adored.

        The first head bears the blasphemous name of pride, which opposes itself to the virtue of faith, and leads one to offer worship to the god of human reason and haughtiness, of technology and progress.

        The second head bears the blasphemous name of lust, which opposes itself to the virtue of hope, and brings one to offer worship to the god of sexuality and of impurity.

        The third head bears the blasphemous name of avarice, which opposes itself to the virtue of charity, and spreads everywhere the worship of the god of money.

        The fourth head bears the blasphemous name of anger, which opposes itself to the virtue of prudence, and leads one to offer worship to the god of discord and division.

        The fifth head bears the blasphemous name of sloth, which opposes itself to the virtue of fortitude, and disseminates the worship of the idol of fear of public opinion and of exploitation.

        The sixth head bears the blasphemous name of envy, which opposes itself to the virtue of justice, and leads one to offer worship to the idol of violence and of war.

        The seventh head beats the blasphemous name of gluttony, which opposes itself to the virtue of temperance, and leads one to offer worship to the so highly extolled idol of hedonism, of materialism and of pleasure.

        The task of the Masonic lodges is that of working today, with great astuteness, to bring humanity everywhere to disdain the holy law of God, to work in open opposition to the ten commandments, and to take away the worship due to God alone in order to offer it to certain false idols which become extolled and adored by an ever increasing number of people: reason ,flesh, money, discord, domination, violence, pleasure. Thus souls are precipitated into the dark slavery of evil, of vice and of sin and, at the moment of death and of the judgment of God, into the pool of eternal fire which is hell.

        Now you understand how, in these times, against the terrible and insidious attack of the black beast, namely of Masonry, my Immaculate Heart becomes your refuge and the sure road which brings you to God. In my Immaculate Heart there is delineated the tactic made use of by your heavenly Mother, to fight back against and to defeat the subtle plot made use of by the black beast.

        For this reason I am training all my children to observe the ten commandments of God; to live the Gospel to the letter; to make frequent use of the sacraments, especially those of penance and eucharistic communion, as necessary helps in order to remain in the grace of God; to practice the virtues vigorously; to walk away along the path of goodness, of love, of purity and of holiness.

        Thus I am making use of you, my little children who have consecrated yourselves to me, to unmask all these subtle snares which the black beast sets for you and to make futile in the end the great attack which Masonry has launched today against Christ and his Church. And in the end, especially in his greatest defeat, there will appear in all its splendor, the triumph of my Immaculate Heart in the world.”

        Pondering, again, this message, it is my belief that there is, most likely, a great overlap between those who call themselves both atheists AND Freemasons of the highest levels. Now, it’s true that the lower levels of Freemasonry are comprised of people who have not a clear idea of what goes on in the highest levels of the Order. The lower level groups comprise folks like the friendly Shriners who putt putt putt around in parades. It is in the highest levels where there is found the graveest evil of life-destroying ills to which Our Lady speaks.

        Liked by 15 people

        1. This is very insightful. Many people do not know of the dangers of joining the Masons. I live in a portion of Lancaster County where Masons retire. Even the local priest did not know that Catholics are not to join the Masons. I had to provide encyclicals and a testimonial to convince a friend not to join the Masons. You concicely illuminate the essence of Masonry. Thank you!

          Liked by 4 people

        2. WOW – great message, Beckita. Boy, do we need a rescue………the devil needs to be blinded. We all need to pray, “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus………HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD,PRAY FOR US SINNERS, SPREAD THE EFFECT OF GRACE OF THY FLAME OF LOVE OVER ALL OF HUMANITY…..now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Good bless you.

          Liked by 5 people

        3. Yes, and they now have total control of (most of) the means of communication, especially the visual. You just can’t seem to avoid the all-pervasive screens: wall-mounted, handheld, whatever and wherever. Really, what used to be taught about “custody of the eyes” is so hard now to live up to. It’s not even subtle anymore, mostly, it’s an all-out assault. The sheeple have been fattened up, heads down in their grazing, or lotus-eating, to invoke a very old, pre-Christian, classical image. And those who devoured the lotus were turned into – swine. Snouts in the trough. We should be better, after 2,000 years of the Truth that sets us free. But no, we seem determined to repeat the old mistakes, even though we’re sooo much more, like, clever than all those old dudes.

          Liked by 5 people

        4. Beckita,
          I will read and reread this many times.

          You are a “spiritual librarian”!
          I can only hope to join you one day in that mission.

          Thank you for your time and help.

          God Bless!

          Liked by 2 people

    4. Beckita, Fr. Gobbi’s messages were a real education for me also, and that was almost 30 yrs. ago! About the same time I read books and watched videos from a friend who had a huge library of those resources. The things you write are not often spoken of anywhere, but that does not make them any less true! Someday it will all come out, maybe with the “illumination”. Prayer is the only answer at this point, and discernment, because some people will not listen to information such as this.

      Liked by 4 people

    5. Beckita, my grandfather (the non-Catholic one) was a 33rd-degree Freemason–that’s the highest degree, as far as I understand. He once briefly commented on the ceremony at which he took the 33rd degree; it certainly sounds like a black mass to me. Super creepy.

      Liked by 5 people

    6. Thank you Beckita, as always you are right on target. You are a special gift to us for these times….you and all the other staff members. I thank God for all of you.
      I, too, am a huge follower of Father Gobi…this Movement was also a special gift for our times.His book is worth reading and re reading again and again. Our Lady does not pull any punches with us…she tells it like it is.
      Thank you, God, for our Holy Mother who guides and protects us as only a devoted Mom can.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. God bless and thank you, Noreen. So kind are you. Well said and prayed: “Our Lady does not pull any punches with us…she tells it like it is. Thank you, God, for our Holy Mother who guides and protects us as only a devoted Mom can.” Hoping and continuing to pray that your granddaughter continues on the road to good health in every way.

        Liked by 4 people

  15. Can’t take a weapon into a federal building, a public library, or my university. But do those foolhardy and largely unenforcable laws stop me? I chose most often to take my chances and retain the ability to protect myself and others. So when I enter a door with a “No Weapons” sign, which happens often, all I think to myself is, “Sure glad I’ve got my gun.”

    Another consideration is the fact that I’m legally responsible for my weapons. Meaning, if my gun is stolen and used in the commission of a crime, I may be held liable in certain situations. So I am never excited about ever leaving a loaded pistol in my truck for any reason.

    Does anyone remember G. Gordon Liddy? He had a radio show some years back. He has a felony conviction because of his involvement with the Watergate scandal. But on national radio he flipped the authorities the bird when he said the following (paraphrased): “I have a felony and according to federal law I cannot possess a firearm. However, Mrs. Liddy does not have a felony and she can own as many guns as she wants. Now even if I’m out riding my motorcycle and I suddenly find I’m in a situation where I need a gun, I can assure you that one will appear.”

    I credit G. Gordon personally for opening my mind to owning a handgun shortly after 9/11. I wanted to be able to protect my wife. (Actually, she also got a gun and could protect herself just fine!) This was a big leap for someone indoctrinated by “Bambi” and B.S. mantras like “Guns are bad, they make me sad.” Despite some weapons training in the Air Force, undoing 30 years of brainwashing is no easy feat.

    On the very rare occasions where I feel it necessary to leave my pistol behind, I feel naked and vulnerable. My guard goes up exponentially. I check for exits and obstacles much more thoroughly. Fortunately, gun violence where I live is rare, and that’s most likely because guns are prevalent. We also have a very conservative culture in South Dakota. Someone would be a fool for trying to start problems around here, be it at church or the grocery store.

    Remember, “an armed society is a polite society.” — Robert Heinlein.

    Liked by 9 people

  16. Joan Veon, now deceased, spoke of this topic of one large, world organization and has written many books testifying to such. This video is a good representation of her points, namely 43:00 whereupon she describes the turning point of our Culture.

    Her book on Prince Charles is enlightening…

    Further her views on Public / Private partnerships changed my mind. I was for and now against. The winner is always the Private partnership as their public partner raises taxes, laws etc against the citizen.

    Liked by 6 people

  18. Beckita it’s very interesting you brought this up, I am a voracious reader and very interested in Biblical sites.I read this article last year and it made my hair stand on end.This interview is with a Dutch banker “Ronald Bernard” about his experience with the satanic globalists. You can watch it at https://cooperatiededrijemedia.nl/real-big-money-revelations-by-an insider-video/ Or just look up his name..It is everything you speak of and very frightening..

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Robin, as far as I can tell, your URL is broken. Irma Schiffers has five interviews of Ronald Bernard (so far), and I for one find them fascinating and disturbing, because I view him as credible. Schiffers has a page on her site where these interviews are listed and given English subtitles. Click on this URL:

      http://dvm-tv.com/en/archives/category/interview-en

      and scroll down until you see Part 1. It may take a bit of time for the full page to load, and there are other video interviews listed. Watch that Part 1 and then move upward to see the others. Given how Part 5 ended, I believe there may eventually be a part 6.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I think anyone viewing these Schiffer interviews with Bernard should do so with caution. Spiritually speaking, he is rather dark and at times I thought he (is possessed) described the great battle we all know but did not venture into a positive promotion of the glory of God. He promoted a uniting of humans to dispel the evil but failed to acknowledge we humans can’t do anything without Gods help.

        Liked by 2 people

          1. Agreed. I offered a Chaplet of Divine Mercy for him and for all those who affilliated with him. I also prayed for the conversion leading to confession and healing of all those who submit themselves to the darkness. (It was part of my morning offering prior to mass this morning) At times, he was quite specific, detailing we are not of this world and are fighting an enemy who hates us. Then he would continue on another topic without giving glory to God at all.

            I was waiting for him to state such but he never ventured until the last part of the 4th interview. Which he stated he did not belong to any formal religion but believed in God. He quoted “John 3:16” not the words but just john 3:16. It was enough to generate a ‘curosity’ and I found myself holding the St. Benedict rosary while praying “Jesus, Mary, Joseph pray for us”.

            Liked by 3 people

  19. The culture of political correctness and “social justice”, which relies heavily on feelings and lies for support, is a culture which deprives its population of the environment necessary for the growth of real courage and responsibility. I don’t think America wants any more of it, no more passing the buck and pointing the finger, no more putting “correctness” before facts and truth. I don’t think America wants to be jerked around by emotional chains to forward a Leftist agenda anymore. We will not be just a bunch of neurotic polite sheeple who are shown a tragedy and then just give anyone whatever power they want because our reasoning capabilities have been reduced to something like free association. That’s what is behind that new term “triggered”. No more victim culture. We will stand firm, reasonable and calm and we will be the ones to gather courage and take responsibility. We will stand firm and stop the dreadful erosion of truth. We’ve let the culture slide this far, in a way, we need to step up and take it back with prayer, good works, courageous and calm speech and real friendship. We will not allow people to tell our children that they can change genders if they want and that being a drag queen is a great idea. We will not allow people to force us to celebrate gay unions. We will not allow people to show us a school shooting and then ask for our weapons. It’s a bait and switch. We are essentially asked to believe that school shootings are an inevitability, that we are powerless to stop them and the only way to end the violence is to create a world that’s safe in the way that a padded cell is safe. The orderlies will take care of everything for us. Guns are icky. Yuck. Nice people don’t want THOSE. People that like guns are monsters. We’re not going to be fooled. We’re not going to be afraid of name calling. We can work to reduce school violence, we can work to reach students in need. Once we give our guns away, we’re in the asylum for keeps. Left at the mercy of those who do not know what mercy is.

    Liked by 14 people

  20. The dark clouds of the Storm that broke in Florida are swirling here in PA. Many of the young people I am teaching have not been to school this week because someone is posting that they are going to imitate the FL massacre here. They tell me they are spending time in “Lock-Down Drills” and kids are walking out of class and roaming the halls just to incite more confusion.

    When the bombing occurred in England at the Ariana Grande concert I was so concerned that that evil of targetting children would spread here. It is clear that the satan is inciting more violence against our children, even perpetrated by other children. Beckita, it is so apparent to me that masonry is active and dominates the push for globalism which promotes and advertises the use of violence as means to subvert and subdue the pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness.

    I spent today giving an RCIA/Confirmation retreat. I taught them how to combat this evil, an evil that seems too big to confront by such young people. I told them plainly: acknowledge God, take the next right step and be a sign of hope to others. The youngest one there was 9; the oldest 17. I pray they got the message that this is the best way to resist the evil that is swirling around them. The next right step may seem very small but the Enemy would prefer to paralyze us in fear. Any step taken with Jesus to emerge from this horrible vortex encircling our children is better than just standing still in the swirl.

    Liked by 12 people

    1. This past Medjugorje message is pertinent:

      Latest Medjugorje Message, January 25, 2018 [O]
      Marija during an apparition

      “Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer, so that the Holy Spirit, through prayer, may descend upon you and give you conversion.

      Open your hearts and read the Sacred Scripture, that through the testimonies you also may be closer to God.

      Above everything, little children, seek God and the things of God and leave earthly ones to the earth, because Satan is attracting you to the dust and sin.

      You are called to holiness and created for Heaven; therefore, seek Heaven and the things of Heaven.

      Thank you for having responded to my call. ”

      Liked by 9 people

  21. Thankyou Steve for your help I too find Ronald Bernard credible, what we are up against is beyond frightening. All was in place until the Trumpinator came on the scene and by the Grace of GOD he is fighting for us against the evil.. I believe he knows GOD is using him no one could have stood as he has. We pray the rosary daily asking for repentance and conversion of heart for the entire world ,our Blessed Mother warned us what was coming upon the world if all did not turn back to GOD and repent..We are in it as Charlie too warned us of the STORM..I have to say I am amazed at how many are blind. Pray unceasingly for protection over our families and our President and pray GOD will show us our mission in this battle..May we represent JESUS well..

    Liked by 7 people

    3. Yes! 👍President Trump is being such a good father to our country. He is even working to put abstinence education in place of sex ed programs. Every time he does something like this I keep thinking about how happy and proud he is making God and how God will continue to bless him more and more.

      Liked by 3 people

  22. I sent the below to my National Reps yesterday. They, of course, will never see it but at some Wiper 3rd Class will add it to some Tally Sheet:

    Dear Reps of Mine,

    As the Real Story of the horrid FL School Shooting unfolds, the SAD TRUTH of Government Incompetence at ALL levels becomes grimly apparent. From Broward County Cops-n-School System all the way up to the once fabled FBI, it’s an embarrassing-n-deadly disaster!! It all can be explained as the culmination of 50 plus years of PC-BS Policies. Policies that can mostly be credited to the American Left, their “Media”, Democrat Party and Spineless RINO Perpetrators.
    The above PERPS are all screaming Gun Control, NRA and more BigBro Government! Really!? You expect your Constituents to buy this? … Eh!!!?? The same PERPS who gave us Fast-n-Furious, Ft Hood, IRS Abuse, Urban S***Holes, Benghazi, Iran Nuke “Deal”, Unguarded Borders, unlimited Abortion/Perversion, constant bashing of my Christian Faith, rapidly unfolding SCANDALS of Election 16 Rig, Palace Coup of a duly elected President and … fill in the blank …..!
    We don’t need any more Stinkin’ Gun Control!! We NEED Criminal and Traitor Control!!!

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC!!
    {Contact: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials}

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 15 people

  23. I would just like to say ditto to ALL of the above from Charlie’s article on down through all comments. Yes– that’s right– I want to be on record where I stand. Good grief! How illogical can they get? The evil that is pushed is accepted by goofy sheep. God bless all here. So refreshing to read level headed logical truth. Repeat…God bless you all!

    Liked by 8 people

  24. Just watched “15:17 to Paris” movie with Lambzie last Friday. Apropos that it came out around the time of the Florida shooting. Worth watching!

    Liked by 6 people

      1. Just saw 15:17, Doug. Good movie. Neat to see Air Force MEPS and basic training again, to revisit German gasthauses and Amsterdam nightclubs, to be on a European train drinking wine. It was like a walk down memory lane. Of course, I hopped off the train in A-Dam while those 3 American heroes continued on to Paris….

        Liked by 4 people

  25. All in and agree with Charlie’s posts especial the last one..God bless and shower us with the needed graces to stay strong

    Liked by 5 people

  28. I’m glad the masonic issues are included in reader comments. A deceased uncle of mine was a 32d degree mason, Shriner. Always a nice guy. I visited with him while in a nursing home shortly before his passing. As I was leaving I said God bless. His response was “do you believe in that stuff?” It hurts that I didn’t do more. Maybe my two words were enough for his change of heart. Lord have mercy.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Bill, you can still do more, if you wish. All time is as ONE to God, for He exists in His Eternal NOW. Any prayers and sacrifices offered after the death of a loved one are applied by God to the moment of death. Here’s an excerpt from Venerable Conception Cabrera de Armida of Mexico, another affectionately called Conchita. It’s from a book of her dialogues with Jesus, addressed , especially, to priests. In fact the book is entitled: To My Priests.

      Chapter CVIII : Predestination…

      I, as God that I am, hold everything present since for Me there is no future; and in this sense, I see, as in an eternal point, the past and the future. But this does not mean that souls now come destined for their eternal perdition from the moment of conceiving them in My mind and giving them life.

      For what then was Redemption needed which was universal and that was so connected with those sinful souls that He came to save at all cost? If souls were already destined, some for heaven and others for hell, then for what purpose would My title of Savior be? For what would the incomprehensible humiliation of the Incarnation of the Word be? For what purpose would My teaching, passion and death be? All the mysteries of the Redemption and of My Church with her sacraments would have no object. They would be a comedy, a mockery, a derision; things which are not able to find room in a God, neither in His Wisdom, nor in His Goodness, nor in the infinite plans of love.

      Man and ALL MEN are created to be saved, without excluding anyone and with the means necessary for salvation,

      All men – and even those who live outside the Church – have consciences for good and evil; all carry the reflection of the Trinity more or less veiled; all carry in their soul a point of light which illumines the depth of their souls and the free will for choosing good or evil. They who live in deception but of good faith and who are good are saved. God is just and measures things with charity of which He is the fountain. If souls are condemned, it is because they seek to be condemned. Because with the liberty of their free will they choose, either they love Me, subjecting their evil inclinations, or they abhor Me, giving rise to their passions and separate themselves from My Law.

      More are saved than condemned; if the contrary happens Redemption would be useless for many and give the triumph to Satan, My irreconcilable enemy. More are saved and in the balance of judgement day the Son of God will most fully triumph and Satan will remain conquered. Nobody knows, to no one is given to penetrate what happens between souls and I in the last moment of their life.

      If there would be only heaven or hell, for what purpose would purgatory be? Purgatory is clear proof and blessing for God’s greatest love. It is a fiber of tenderness precisely for cleansing and purifying thousands of souls that I save at the last hour. At the house of eternal cleanliness, no defilement is able to enter, so it is this place of expiation, for paying what is lacking to the soul there. But these souls are already Mine. Satan, in his last battle between his malice and My charity, remains conquered.

      Certainly purgatory is for paying small debts since those who die in mortal sin do not enter there but are condemned. But in the formidable battle over the sinful soul with the mercy of a totally crucified God, My Blood triumphs innumerable times. The grace of the Holy Spirit triumphs.

      Souls ought never to consider themselves as destined for hell because apart from being a great offense against my Goodness, it is a most dangerous temptation that Satan is able to place in a soul to make it despair and induce it to cast itself without restraint to all the vices. What could stop a soul tempted in this way?

      I am the truth and the truth is that I do not want the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and live. I came to save sinners and I do not want Satan to root out of My Church nor out of My Heart, the smallest of souls. Although, when it comes to dealing with souls, no one is insignificant for Me, but all are great and esteemed because they carry the seal of the Trinity.

      Precisely for saving these souls that there is the passion of an entire God and I want more priestly souls to reinforce My Church, lift her up and augment her more and more with priests transformed into Me, other Me’s on earth, only with the purpose of giving more luster, mor holy priests to My Church and more souls, millions of souls, for glorifying My Father eternally.

      Now they will see if the latter is accompanied with this erroneous feeling of predestination which carries so many errors and discouragements in souls, spoiling the mysteries and attributes of God. The shadow of this error ought not to touch souls and priests ought to banish it and anathematize it, sinceby this breach Satan is introduced and he achieves an abundant harvest for hell with subtle pretexts of studies and interpretations which lessen the holy attributes of the infinite mercy of God.

      In My beloved Church and with her millions of souls a new impulse will be raised up by my priests made Jesus, by those priests whom I already contemplate as moved and filled with enthusiasm, transformed into Me and that they fight with all their might against hell and its henchmen. But they will triumph; and this impulse for My Church will be very powerful and the glory for My Father will have no limits.

      Now they will see how it will interest Me that these confidences are carried out for the purpose of a God’s infinite love toward the Church, his ministers and for the good of innumerable souls. And that they do not reflect on and are not disturbed with this error which is discouraging, namely that from all eternity it is already determined who is condemned and who is saved because this nullifies Redemption, the Church and even my very Self and my infinite love.

      It is certain that I see – and how much the soul grieves Me! – who is condemned because I see the future as present. But knowing is not determining, nor determining a destiny. And, nevertheless, my great, infinite mercy fights even to the last moment with the impenitent sinner and how many I save, while weighing all the means that would be put forth for the sake of being lost WITH THE EXTRAORDINARY GRACES WHICH God reserved in His infinite charity! And how many more souls will glorify me more afterwards, because THEY OWE ME MORE and they might grasp with the light of eternity the limitless magnitude of my love! These are THE SPECIAL GRATUITOUS AND STUPENDOUS GRACES, but they exist and are applied according to My will. Nevertheless, in general, those are lost, clinging to evil and unmoved by inspirations, offerings and movements of the Holy Spirit, and want to be condemned.

      The reign of the Holy Spirit, extended by My priests transformed into Me, will bring light, dissipate darkness, will glimpse the truth and will give supernatural life to souls in order to save them.

      Many graces are already hanging over the world, hoping only for THE CONDUIT from where they have to come, for an abundance to the earth, for transforming it and restoring it into Me. But this unique behavior will be in My Church, THE PRIESTS TRANSFORMED INTO ME.

      Now they will see since my priests have the unimpeachable and imperative duty to procure ACTIVELY this transformation, the duty to be sanctified and united all together in Me with the powerful and divine force of the unity in the Trinity.

      Liked by 10 people

      1. By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus, purify and sanctify Thy priests.
        From the Chaplet of Reparation or, Offering of the Precious Blood for Priests in the book “In Sinu Jesu”. p 269 [prayer can certainly be modified for the sake of others]

        Humble, contrite heart, anointed in the O.I.L. of God [obedience in love] bowed in adoration before our Mighty, Awesome, Holy God!!!

        Liked by 3 people

        2. Judith, I am reading this book “In Sinu Jesu” while at adoration each week. This book was suggested by a priest that I listen to in a podcast. It is a beautiful book to ponder. Thank you for sharing this.

          Liked by 2 people

  29. It now looks like Xi (pronounced “she”) is officially a dictator for life of the People’s Republic of China.

    And he (who?……Xi!) says that America should become like China by restricting gun ownership and thus protect people’s rights. Such clever rhetoric — similar to that used by liberals. But wait….a lecture from a country that continues a reign of terror through human rights abuses of its own citizens? A country that harvests organs from prisoners and forces abortions on women?

    I bet Xi’d love to see us disarm our people. FAT FLIPPIN’ CHANCE!! Dream on, dictator. Out of our cold, dead hands. Any country coming to visit the U.S. uninvited will be greeted by tens of millions of firearms in one big, booming chorus!

    Liked by 9 people

  33. Have Ya noticed that whenever there’s a shooting, the Democrat Party FringeLeft demands Gun Control? However, when there is Murder, Rape and Mayhem perpetrated by illegal aliens, the very same people NEVER demand Border Control. The Global Left simply wants People Control and Sheep to slaughter if their Agendas are opposed.

    Sadly, the below is what godless FringeLeft Socialism looks like and it’s become a serious Health/Crime Hazard in EVERY Democrat Party Controlled, once great-n-productive, USA Cities. To allow Humans to exist in this kind misery and degradation is NOT Christian compassion…. and just so they can be bussed to the Polling Booth every two years!!:

    “National disgrace’: Community fights back as California overrun by homelessness, human waste, needles”

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/26/los-angeles-burbs-crack-down-on-huge-homeless-camp-near-disneyland-fearing-new-skid-row.html

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    PS: The phrase: FringeLeft Democrat Party is a redundant!

    Liked by 6 people

  34. Thanks Beckita for reminding us about Fr. Gobbi’s interior locutions.

    What’s in a name? Freemasons, Illuminati, Knights Templar, Builderburg, New World Order, Globalists, and the list goes on… Interesting how the same evil tries to hide itself & it’s deeds under many groups & names, but make no mistake it’s the same evil with overlapping memberships and separated like terrorist cells.

    Liked by 3 people

  35. A lot of talk this morning at the coffee counter: glad Walmart removed AR-15 type rifles from shelves. Yikes! They also liked the 21 yrs age requirement. It is so sad to see. A ’16 yr old kid’ can own, drive a motor vehicle but is denied a rifle.

    The other argument: what do you need an AR-15 for? Hunting? [Answer below] My thoughts turn to what does a someone need a 4×4 SUV to go shopping?

    Better, why does a woman need with a diamond engagement ring? You might as well take the cash, put into a paper bag and light it afire. Kudos to De Beers for their great, marketing ‘a diamond is forever’ campaign.

    Answer to [why do you need an AR-15 Rifle:]
    I bet Venezuela citizens wished they had guns and ammo.
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelas-woes-spread-zoos-animals-feed-other-013031385.html

    Liked by 1 person

  36. Sadly, Kurt S. has it precisely right! The Global godless Left Hates US … Period!!

    “THEY” thought Billary “was a shoe-in” then they thought their “back-up-plan DC Coup was airtight .. suddenly …. their World seems to be dissolving about them. Like a drowning man grasping for straws … but … they are still very dangerous with very powerful supporters ….. human & otherwise!! 😦

    “They Don’t Hate The NRA. They Hate You.”

    https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2018/03/01/they-dont-hate-the-nra-they-hate-you-n2455264

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Funny Crewdog. I was thinking about this the other day. Because I am a normal God believing American, I am criticised and despised. I was thinking polarization in and if itself is not bad. There is right and there is wrong. Right and Godly principals are not up for compromise.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Good thoughts. The Gospel also shows us how Jesus stuck the whole notion of ‘us and them’ on its head as He went amongst them. Remember, He went where He went. And who could stop Him?! Let’s cling to the Word this Lent for we’re worth. Tired hands, heads, hearts and all.

        Liked by 3 people

              1. I am glad I can entertain you MP. It is good to see you back here. By the way, I still have a certain rock on my night stand waiting to send to you. Obviously, I am procrastinating, but then, it also fondly reminds me of you and also our recent trip to Medjugorje.

                Liked by 1 person

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Published by charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.