Are the Freemasons really a harmless charitable organization that men of all religious faith\’s can innocently join and fellowship in? Are the Freemasons really a beneficial and non threatening group who pose no danger to our society? Is it biblically sound for a Christian to join the Masonic Lodge? After extensive research and reviewing the testimonies of respectable citizens of great credibility, I have come to the conclusion that Freemasonry poses the greatest threat to our society. I have come to the conclusion that Freemasonry is an anti-Christian organization that is involved in organized crime and possibly terrorism throughout the world, and involves its members in anti-Christian occult rituals that defy the Holy Bible. I have also found strong evidence that Freemasonry puts its members into the government and well placed positions to carry out an agenda upon a nation.

In the early 1980\’s Italian Magistrate Cordova led an investigation into a Masonic Lodge in Italy, this investigation lead to police raiding the office of Mr Lucio GelIi, the “Grand Master” of P2 Masonic Lodge in Italy. The raid upon Mr Gelli\’s office resulted in the discovery of a Masonic Lodge list which included: four cabinet ministers, three under-secretaries, 38 MPs or senators, 195 military officers, politicians from every party except the Communists and Radicals, as well as industrialists, bankers, diplomats, civil servants, judges, journalists, secret service officers, police officials and also members of the Mafia.

Also discovered in Mr Gelli\’s office was a document titled “Democratic rebirth” the document contained a written agenda about re-writing the Italian constitution. With all the Freemasons in government belonging to Mr Gelli\’s Masonic Lodge, it\’s clear that the “Democratic rebirth” document was a real document that could have been implemented in reality. This discovery of the Democratic rebirth document and the list of government officials in Gelli\’s office, clearly paints a dark picture of the covert infiltration of the Italian government by Freemasons.

The Freemasons also seem to be the real power behind organized crime. Many former mafioso\’s who have turned crown witness in Italy against the organized crime organizations in Italy, have testified that the Masonic Lodges work in concert with organized criminals to give them protection from: judges, police, government officials etc.

Investigative journalist, Letizia Paoli reported that the Calabrian Mafia (\’Ndrangheta) established close relationships with state representatives through Freemasonry. (Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style

Letizia Paoli, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003).

Ndrangheta or the Honored Society Calabrian Mafia, is one of the most powerful and ruthless organized crime organizations in Italy.

“Antonino Calderone who is a senior member of the Mafia turned state witness in 1987 after his arrest in 1986. Antonio is the brother of Giuseppe Calderone, the boss of the Mafia in Catania. After Antonio turned state witness to testify against the Mafia he made this statement: “We in Catania, when we had a problem with the judiciary, we would turn to the local Masonic head. We knew that many magistrates were lodge members and that, thanks to the local chief, we could even interfere with ongoing criminal proceedings.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Calderone)

“Mariano Agate (Mazara del Vallo, May 19, 1939) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is the boss of Mazara del Vallo Mafia family since the 1970s when he replaced the old boss Mariano Licari. He also was the boss of the mandamento of Mazara, including the Mafia familes of Marsala, Salemi and Vita. Agate was a member of “Iside”, one of the most powerful local Masonic lodges.”( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariano_Agate)

It seems in Italy the top Mafia bosses all seem to be connected to the Masonic Lodges. If there are so many organized crime figures members of Masonic Lodges, and so many government officials and police members also members, you really need to have a deep think about what sort of meetings are occurring in the Masonic Lodge secret chambers.

The meetings at the Masonic Lodges are done in secrecy and its common knowledge that upon becoming a Lodge member, you swear that if you reveal the secrets of the Lodge to the public that you will have your tongue cut out. Most of the meetings that occur in the Masonic Lodge occur in secret where only lodge members are invited, these sorts of meetings are perfect for organized crime figures who want to make shady deals with government officials, corrupt police and judges. In Italy an investigation into Gelli also revealed evidence that he was involved in selling weapons to terrorist groups. The secret meetings that occur in the Masonic Lodges are a convenient way for terrorist activity and arms deals to occur.

The Masonic order is a worldwide organization with an international leadership and the Masonic organized crime activity is not limited to one country. A senior Canadian diplomat posted in Hong Kong at the Canadian Embassy uncovered evidence, that the Triad organized crime organization in China was lead by Masonic Lodge Leaders.

Former diplomat of the Canadian Embassy in Hong Kong and organized crime specialist Brian McAdam says: “As well as setting up legitimate companies in Vancouver and other Canadian cities as a front for their activities, McAdam says the Triads have in many cases been successful in compromising members of the police force as well as politicians at the federal and municipal level. He says the leaders the Masonic temples in various Chinatowns are often Triad leaders, who may contribute large political donations as well as promise the vote of the Chinese community.” (http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-12-6/49016.html)

I have been to church services where people with Masonic and witchcraft histories received prayer, and I met a girl who told me her Uncle had her arm cut off because he revealed Masonic secrets to the public. These kind of violent stand over tactics and violent intimidation mirror the behaviour of an organized crime syndicate. A banker by the name of Roberto Calvi who was a member of the P2 Masonic Lodge was found brutally murdered under a bridge, it was reported that his murder had Masonic symbolism related to it, and that his murder was carried out in accordance with the known punishment of betraying the Freemasons. In Australia the Chinese Masonic Society is also know for it\’s stand over tactics and intimidation. John Fitzgerald writes this in Chapter 6. Revolution and respectability: Chinese Masons in Australian history: “By reputation it (Chinese Masonic Society) is a community organisation that provides social support for its members, that takes a patriotic stand on current events in China, and that occasionally engages in stand-over tactics against those who deny its authority.” Stand over tactics are racketeering, and this is the primary tactic of the Triad organized Crime Network. If you connect the dots of the above evidence, its probably likely that the Chinese Masonic Order in Australia is spreading the Triad organized crime network around Australia.

From the evidence and testimony of reliable and credible witnesses in addition to the evidence of a Masonic Lodge infiltrating the Italian government to carry out an agenda, its clear the International Masonic Order is involved in criminal activity and uses its secret meetings as umbrella protection for criminal and terrorist activity. The evidence also displays that the International Masonic Order places its members into important positions to influence society and governments, this is a serious breach of public trust and the public has a right to know which public officials are Freemasons.

Retired Corporal of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Corporal Mark Murphy wrote in the epilogue of his book:

“I feel that many police officers who rise within the ranks of the RCMP do so because of their Masonic connections, not their performance as a police officer. In my opinion, some lack the ability to fight crime, especially organized crime and drug-related crime.

“Many commissioned officers that I know never made an arrest, never conducted and investigation and never had an informant. I can only think they went to the top because they were well connected.”

Murphy concludes, “In my opinion the network of masons placed in positions of power throughout the RCMP and other organizations is a breach of public trust.” (Police Undercover: The True Story of The Biker, The Mafia and The Mountie. By Mark Murphy)

Corporal Mark Murphy of the RCMP was reported in North Shore News as a highly decorated police officer, who was instrumental in the convictions of seventeen organized crime members of the Commisso crime Family in Canada. The convictions brought against these criminals included: conspiracy to commit murder, counseling to commit murder, arson, counsel to commit extortion, robbery. Corporal Mark Murphy was described as the Principal Officer who led the charge against these organized crime figures. (North Shore News on Nov. 3, 1999) As you can see Mark Murphy is one of RCMP\’S finest and his testimony about Freemasons in the police force cannot be taken lightly.

The evidence seems to point toward Freemasonry not only jeopardising the police force by showing partiality when promoting officers in the police force, but it also seems to point toward a possible conspiracy of police not acting against organized crime figures, because of arrangements made between police and criminals at the Masonic Lodge.

In Australia the current Governor General and the Police Union President of NSW are both Freemasons. The Police Union President is a well known Grand Master Freemason. Freemasons make up about 1% of the population of Australia, yet Freemasons seem to appear in places of serious power all over our government and public service sector, is it possible Freemasons just have really good luck in getting placed into powerful positions? I don\’t think its luck at all; I think the Masonic Lodges have their members placed in strategic authority positions throughout the government and public service sector, so the Masonic agenda can be implemented upon the nation.

Since the mid 1800\’s Freemasons have used their influence in Parliament or Government to protect fellow Masons when they infiltrated the Police Force or other organizations. “The Colonial Police Act 1850 prohibited any member of the Police Force from belonging to any political or secret society other than the Society of Freemasons.” From my understanding the Act must still be in place in Australia, and this is a breach of trust to the public, because it allows Freemasons to freely infiltrate the police force. Having Police officers who meet in Masonic Lodges under an umbrella of secrecy, is not only a breach of public trust but it also breeds corruptian.

In the 1997 Wood Royal Commission into the NSW Police Force, Justice Wood investigated corruption in the NSW police Force and discovered that Freemasonry had exercised control over the Police Force and office of the Commissioner in the past (Royal Commission into the Police Force, Commissioner: The Hon Justice JRT Wood, May 1997, Pg 41). When Justice Wood began investigating how Freemasonry had been involved in controlling the Police Force in the past, the current NSW Police Commissioner “Tony Lauer” was a well known Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge in NSW. As soon as the Wood Royal Commission begun in 1996 Grand Master Freemason Tony Lauer resigned as Police Commissioner. The online encyclopedia wikipedia describes Tony Lauers career as follows; “In January 1996, Tony Lauer\’s term ended in controversy with his resignation soon after the start of the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption.”

Why did this Police Commissioner who was a Freemason resign so quickly after the Wood Royal Commission began? Is it a coincidence that the Royal Commission into Police corruption discovered Freemasonry was playing a part in Police Corruptian, and then a Police Commissioner who was a Freemason ran away from the investigation and resigned? It seem\’s Tony Lauer was running from something when he resigned, and that something seems to be an investigation into Freemasonry and police corruptian. It\’s obvious the Grand Master of Freemasonry wanted to run from a Police corruption investigation which explored how Freemasonry played a part in the corruption of our Police Force.

From a spiritual and religious perspective anyone who is a Freemason is an abomination. Freemasonry is a form of witchcraft and if you compare the initiation into a witchcraft coven with the initiation into Freemasonry, you will find the initiation ceremonies are identical. In a witchcraft coven initiation you are blindfolded and have a rope placed around your neck, and you also have a ceremonial knife placed upon breast as you a led through a serious of occult rituals. Many former Freemasons will tell you that their Masonic initiation ceremony was identical to the above witchcraft ceremony; this is because Freemasonry is a form of witchcraft.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

10 “There shall not be found among you… who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
11 “or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
12 “For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.

It\’s clear from God\’s word that Freemasonry which is a form of witchcraft is an abomination to God and that any Freemason claiming to be a Christian is a liar. Witchcraft is rebellion against God, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”(1 Samuel 15:23) It\’s clear from the Holy Bible that witchcraft is rebellion against God. The spirit of Freemasonry is in rebellion against God, and God\’s people and the Christian church should not tolerate Freemasonry under any circumstances. “Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:27)

Gordon Moyes who is Vice President of the Christian Democratic Party has taken a soft and compromising stance on Freemasonry. Gordon was quoted as saying, “I guess, although I do not know, that Ministers of the Uniting Church who are members of the Masonic Orders have an obligation to their Order while in certain places and in matters of disclosure.” (Source: http://www.gordonmoyes.com/2006/01/01/parliamentarian)

These comments by Gordon about the Masonic order clearly display this mans lack of understanding or soft stance on Freemasonry, and either reason for his comments display this man is unfit to represent the body of Christ in Parliament.

James preaches on various occasions at churches and other events, he has also had many religious and spiritual articles published in various publications. James was saved by the grace of God from a life of: drugs, crime and occultism. James believes his greatest testimony is that he was brought into God\’s Kingdom and his life was saved through the grace of Jesus Christ. You can contact James by emailing him at: James_m183@hotmail.com

Bad things happen everyday but catastrophes/massacres such as this are very infrequent. Children do not know this and when they come to know of something like this happening, there is a tendency for these children to worry, get scared, and even have nightmares. As a parent, it is your obligation to make sure that they understand that this is not very common.

So here is how we recommend parents of young children to bring this up to your children. Explain that they are safe and well protected by people that love them. You need to give them reassurance that they in an environment full of peace. Then you explain how bad things happen sometimes. Whether it is a car accident or not but that does not mean it affects anybody.

Then you explain the circumstances that led to the event. Make it clear to your child that what has happened is extremely rare because of what had happened in Virginia. The shooter was a loner and a very disturbed individual.

No matter how safe you tell your kids they will be, they will still worry. They will still have the impressions that it could still happen to them. There is nothing you can do to take that fear away from them. It is human nature to feel it. You just have to be there to support them.

Parents are far too often sheltering their kids from the World’s events and we feel that is the wrong thing. Because if children do not know problems exist in the world, they will have difficulty coping with them. Every child is different and keep an open mind and ask them what questions they have about the massacre. You need to be there for them to answer all that they ask.

An online historical archive of the Virginia Tech Shooting Spree Massacre has been created and will be updated frequently as more information about the Va Tech deceased and the shooter is uncovered.

Cho Seung-Hui was the 23 year-old Virginia Tech student who killed 32 students and took his own life afterward on the morning of April 16, 2007.

What clues can we see throughout Cho Seung-Hui’s time at Virginia Tech (VT) that would signal and lead up to the making of a murderer?

1. He was an isolated recluse and silent loner.
Cho, a South Korean native, was in the U.S. as a resident alien with a residence established in Centerville, Va. Cho was living on campus in Harper Residence Hall. Yet his roommates say he was very quiet and kept to himself. The extent of his social revolved around instant messenger and time spent on face book.

2. Strange behavior alienating him socially.
Cho was said to often take pictures of people without permission. Perhaps Cho was collecting pictures to send to friends back in South Korea to project the social life he never had. Though many fellow students at Virginia Tech were disturbed by Cho’s picture takings, they were seemingly tolerant to a degree of his eccentric and weird behavior. Nevertheless Cho’s odd behavior served to ostracize and distance him socially from his peers. Many who crossed paths with Cho at VT thought of him as the strangest, spookiest person they’d ever encountered.

3. He was jealous and envious.
Cho left an angry note in his dorm room, which a law enforcement source described as a typed, eight-page rant against “rich kids” and women. “You caused me to do this,” the official quoted the note as saying.

Cho was jealous and envious of the rich kids money and guys who had the girls he dreamed of having. The Bible says, “Jealousy is the rage of a man” (Proverbs 6:34). That is to say jealousy precedes anger and rage. As for envy, it is “rottenness of the bones” (14:30).

4. Socially and sexually frustrated.
Leaving home to live at the University can be a real test for one’s manhood as Cho discovered. He was thrust into a new living environment, where he had to adapt and make friends. Not being the social type, the insecure Cho withdrew and isolated himself.

With the click of the internet, Cho was readily able to access all the pictures of the girls he inwardly fantasized about. This further intensified his own personal and sexual frustration as a man. What futile attempts he did make to befriend the opposite sex, Cho was seemingly rejected as there apparently was not a mutual interest.

Cho’s last hours apparently began with the killings of freshman veterinary student Emily Hilscher, 19, and senior Ryan “Stack” Clark, a resident advisor, at about 7:15 a.m. in the West Ambler Johnston residence hall.

Hilscher’s connection to Cho is not clear. The police who responded to 911 calls described the incident as a “domestic dispute,” implying that she and the gunman had some sort of relationship.

Another twist to this puzzling young man is his darkly comic one-act play “Richard McBeef,” which mentions a father’s pedophilia.

5. Uncommunicative, Cho was an emotional time bomb eroding from within.
David Schott, who graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., with Cho in 2003, told the Boston Herald in an e-mail that Cho “never spoke a word.” Bottling up all of his pain and feelings within, Cho never confided in anyone as to what he was struggling with.

Unlike women who validate and easily articulate their feelings to one another, Cho (like many men) probably lived in denial for some time and just kept pushing his pain down.

6. Cho was likely the source of classmate jokes.
Kids can be cruel. It begins in elementary school and goes on through college. Kids don’t hold back any punches. The joke about unresponsive Cho was he was “The question mark kid.”

Cho sat in the back of the classroom, wearing a hat and seldom participating. In a small department, Cho distinguished himself for being anonymous.

A photo from the 2002 yearbook, when Cho was a junior, shows an unsmiling, bespectacled boy wearing a plaid flannel shirt over a light-colored T-shirt. He did not have a yearbook photo his senior year.

7. Cho played violent video games which desensitized him to violence.
Dr. Phil went so far according to Fox News as to have entirely blamed the video games. I wouldn’t go that far, but I will say that making sport of violence does tremendously desensitize people to acting in such a way. This was definitely another small component that compounded and contributed to the making of a murderer.

8. Full of shame and self-hatred.
It was said that Cho never made eye contact with anyone in high-school, this being a sure sign of low self-esteem and shame. Enduring such self-defeating tendencies for years enabled Cho to develop a strong sense of self-hatred.

Students said Cho was known for little more than his silent demeanor. They said he refused to introduce himself to his creative writing class last year. As classmates went around the room saying their names, he remained silent. On the sign-in sheet where everyone else had written their names, Cho had written a question mark. “Is your name, ‘Question mark?’ ” classmate Julie Poole recalled the professor asking. The young man offered little response.

Cho’s two roommates told CNN in an exclusive interview that he had mentioned committing suicide to them after a disheartening incident when he had pursued a “friend” (no doubt a young lady) and the results were not favorable to his liking.

9. Cho expressed anger in his writings.
Cho’s deep sense of self-hatred manifested in his creative writing, which he as an English major wrote. It was said by his English teacher that Cho’s angry writings were a huge reason for concern. She urged him to get psychological counseling and even reported his problem to the University.

MacFarlane, a former play writing classmate of Cho’s, now an employee of AOL, wrote on a news blog that “When we read Cho’s plays, it was like something out of a nightmare.”

One play, titled “Richard McBeef,” depicts an angry adolescent who believes his stepfather murdered his biological father. It is laced with references to sexual abuse. In it, a chain saw-wielding mom has a temper that flairs on a whim.

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” This is hard to do if you don’t first love yourself. The reverse is true in that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Since Cho inwardly hated and loathed himself, it wasn’t long before he would feel the same way about the professors and students around him.

10. Cho was using anti-depressants.
It was said that Cho was using anti-depressant medication to help him through the emotional lows he was experiencing. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, said the minimal and short-lived stimulation one would get from anti-depressants might be just enough to enable them to act on their anger.

As a minister I know well that medicating a person never deals with the underlying issue deeper within at the root of the problem. Despite using medication, Cho was becoming increasingly violent and erratic.

11. Cho gave people a bad vibe instinctively.
“We always joked we were just waiting for him to do something, waiting to hear about something he did,” said another classmate, Stephanie Derry. “But when I got the call it was Cho who had done this, I started crying, bawling.”

There certainly is something to be said about a woman’s intuition. Many seemed to have a sick gut feeling and premonition about Cho long before the blood bath broke out. Ian MacFarlane’s first thought when he heard of the massacre at his alma mater was for his friends’ safety. His second was, “I bet it was Seung Cho.”

There were some troubling signs with Cho: students in his writing classes say he often wrote violent scenes they describe as “twisted.” He wrote two screenplays dealing with death and revenge – two things that seem to have played out Monday on the Virginia Tech campus.

12. Family and outside pressure may have played a role.
I hate to generalize and stereotype. However as one who has traveled to over 50 countries of the world, I’ve got a pretty good sense of other cultures and their work ethic. This is merely speculative, but it may have some validity.

The shooting spree took place at Norris Hall, which houses the bulk of Virginia Tech’s famed engineering courses. Cho killed a few reputable professors from the engineering department, 30 people total at the engineering building though he was an English major.

Perhaps Cho’s father wanted him to study engineering at University, as many Asian fathers encourage their sons in such a line of employment. It was not said whether or not Cho was possibly denied admittance into the engineering program when he initially applied at attend VT. Cho’s English major certainly didn’t afford him a lot of interaction with other Asians at the University, who might have been more successful relating to him.

13. Cho sought to buy a gun.
Cho, a loner in life, apparently wanted to be anonymous in death. Sources say he carried no identification on him during his killing spree. And the serial numbers on his two handguns had been erased.

He was carrying a 9-millimeter Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol, which he had legally bought five weeks earlier at a gun shop in nearby Roanoke, as well as a 22-caliber Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol and several clips of ammunition.

The gun store owner told his story on TV and was very grieved for selling the gun to what he thought to be a “clean-cut,” respectable young man.

14. Cho lacked solid values and struggled making sense of his faith.
Unlike many who feel powerless and turn to God, Cho seems to have been troubled about religion and American values he witnessed on campus.

A rambling note left in Cho’s dorm room reportedly railed for several pages against “rich kids” and “debauchery” and “deceitful charlatans” on campus. He seemed to identify with Jesus Christ to whom he likened his actions. Apparently Cho never learned that Jesus is a life-giver not a life-taker. Jesus forgave those who nailed Him to the cross and spit in His face saying, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Cho had no such forgiveness for those he slaughtered.

Sadly Cho never connected to his great Christian heritage in South Korea, where some of the largest and most dynamic churches flourish.

15. Demonic influences contributed to this mass murder.

It sounded like a demon spirit was speaking through Cho on his videos as he said, “my children, my brothers and sisters” which had no factual basis as Cho was an unmarried man without kids. It was like Satan himself was talking to through Cho, a child of the devil (Acts 13:10).

The strange inscription on one of Cho’s arms — the words “ISMAIL AX” in red ink reference the Biblical sacrifice of Abraham, in which God commands the patriarch to sacrifice his own son. Abraham begins to comply, but God intervenes at the last moment to save the boy.

Another obscure interpretation may be to a passage in the Koran referring to Abraham’s destruction of pagan idols. No matter how you look at it, “the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). As Satan filled the heart of Judas who was a murderer from the beginning, Cho equally was misdirected by the father of lies. Spiritually, Cho was born of his father the devil and his works of destruction he carried out to his own demise (John 8:44).

My deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to Cho’s beloved family in Virginia. I hurt and grieve with you over the loss of your son.

Truly hurting people, hurt people.

I pray our loving and most merciful heavenly Father will comfort you through this difficult time. As millions of South Koreans know, Christ Jesus can save to the uttermost. Once we have humbled our hearts and repented, we can immediately find forgiveness and refuge beneath His cleansing blood. Once you are beneath the blood of Jesus, you can live above the shame.

Nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8). Lift up your eyes to heaven where your help comes from. God is a very present help in our time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Paul Davis is a worldwide minister, NLP master practitioner, life purpose coach, and interrogator who studies people extensively and examines what motivates their actions.

Paul is the author of several books including Breakthrough for a Broken Heart; Adultery 101; Are You Ready for True Love; Stop Lusting; Waves of God; Supernatural Fire; Poems that Propel the Planet; and God vs. Religion.

Paul’s compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul has served in many war-torn, impoverished and tsunami stricken regions of the earth. His Dream-Maker Inc. is building dreams, breaking limitations & reviving nations.

Paul’s Breakthrough Seminars inspire, revive, awaken, impregnate with purpose, impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery and dream fulfillment.

Contact Paul to minister, speak at your event or for life coaching:

RevivingNations@yahoo.com
407-284-1705
http://www.DreamMakerMinistries.com
http://www.CreativeCommunications.TV

University, College and School Security
First, our heart goes out to the family, friends and my niece at Virginia Tech.

Consultant vs. Salesperson
When you have a security related problem, where do you go for answers? Many people turn to a security salesperson. This salesperson may offer a service like security guards or a product like security alarms. To receive total security protection, it is best to speak with a security consultant and not a security salesperson. A consultant can advise you in all areas, where a salesperson can only advise you on products or services their company offers.

Consultant
A security consultant is a person trained in many areas from communications to alarms. They can review, advise and provide solutions to many problems. If you have a security problem, you first need to speak with a security expert. After you receive options, then you can seek out a security salesperson that meets your requirements. Never go to a salesperson first. This is where 99% of the public makes a mistake. If you want to buy a car, would you talk with a tire salesperson?

A consultant will visit your location, conduct a detailed inspection and create a full report on their findings. Such a report might include things like employee habits, ease of access, landscaping problems, communication weakness, visual needs, and much more.

To get the full picture of your security needs and solutions to correct problems, you need an expert in many areas. A security consultant can provide you with options and sources to meet your requirements.

Consultants may also review details like placement of camera’s, types and needs for lighting or security film on glass. They can also review things like emails related to threats, student interaction and area warning systems.

A consultant will promote their background and your needs in all areas, where a salesperson will only promote their product or service as related to one or two areas.

Salespeople are Not Consultants

Security Salesperson
A security salesperson is a person which offers a product or service that their company sells. Many times, this is the extent of their job. Some salespeople are just starting in the business and lack the knowledge. Some salespeople have been in the business and have a limited amount of knowledge. Then you may encounter the expert salesperson. This type of salesperson will make you think that their product or service will be the answer to all your problems.

Now, we do not want to put down security salespeople, as they do play a major part in the security industry. You as the customer need to understand that a security salesperson may only be able to talk about their product or service. Many states have different requirements for consultants and security salespeople. Ask to see your salesperson’s state security id. If the id says consultant and sales, then they can consult. If it just says sales, then they can just sell.

There is no single solution to security at a location. No salesperson should ever advise a customer that their product or service will cure all. Just because you were sold camera’s does not mean a person can not break in a window. Just because you were sold an alarm system does not mean your student’s cars will not be damaged. For good security, you need to look in all directions, not just one or two.

There are more security salespeople than are security consultants. Many salespeople try to act like a consultant, but a consultant will not act like a salesperson. A salesperson will sometimes be given a basic level of training, where a consultant may receive years of training in many subjects. A security consultant is many times former military or a former police officer. A security salesperson could have been a golf pro the day before. I have seen all types.

Before you risk lives and property, you need to check out your security advisor. Ask your local police department to review the advice given by your security expert. Most of all, understand that good security will require several solutions.
Good Luck!

P.S.
Yes, there is a former golf pro out there selling electronic security system to business sites in our area. So just because they sell it, does not mean they know it. Check them out and forget the business BS they feed you at times.

Human Error
Who is watching? You may have camera’s or guards protecting your site. One of the biggest problems with security is human error. People tend to sleep on the job, play on the job, look the other way or even think an event is not important enough to report. This is wrong and should be corrected.

Lives and property are protected by people that make just above a basic wage. Many of these people have limited education and skills. Many of these people do not care about you, your people or your property. Face the facts, these people are there for the paycheck and that’s it.

Do you know what a real security expert makes per year? A real security expert makes on the average over $100,000 a year. A real security expert will use their former training to protect you and your property. A security guard makes on the average about $8 per hour or about $8,000 per year. They will use their one day training to protect you and your property.

Which would you rather have protecting you and your property? Why would you cut cost to protect lives so important to others? Real security will cost. There is an old saying; “You get what you paid for”.

Protection
The best level of security you can have is to hire off duty police officers to work at or patrol your location. An off duty officer still has full arrest powers and knows how to handle many types of problems. Speak with your local police department for more information.

The next option you have is to hire Conservers of the Peace (COP). These are special police officers approved by the court system in your area. The officer has full arrest powers, but is limited to covering a single area. This area can be your site or even a city block.

You could use armed security officers. These officers have limited arrest powers. They may be able to arrest if; (a) on your site only, (b) with owners permission, (c) with security company’s permission, (d) approved by the state. This option puts great risk on the property owner for legal damages if things go wrong.

Last option is to use an unarmed security officer. This is the worst thing you can do if you are looking for security. An unarmed security officer is acting as a regular person. Many state do not allow them to make an arrest. They are good only for id checks, to open a door or to give someone directions. Many companies will use unarmed security guards because they are cheap. Then the company will complain when they have security related problems. You get what you pay for!

Related Problems
Security related problems may include: Lazy people, Sleeping on the job, Looking the other way, Failure to report all events, Tampering with equipment, Stealing from property owners, Giving out secure information, Thinking it’s a joke, Failure to follow SOP, Leaving the site without approval, Unprofessional toward employee’s and guest and much more.

Guards
Security company’s will enter into a contract with a business or site. The contract may require people to sit at the site and monitor events. The contract does not state how much training a person needs. It does not state how long a person has been in the industry. It does not state how much sleep the person got the night before working. Because many security contracts do not reflect these areas, a security company will put just about anyone on the site.

I have seen security guards be interviewed on the spot, be given a reading test, handed a uniform that did not fit and placed on a site to work that night. The security company’s only requirement is to keep the proper number of bodies on a site. They could care less if the person knew anything or not. It’s business and profits to them.

If you contract or hire guards, you need to test them. Once a month, you should have someone unknown to them, try to get past the guards and then follow the trail. Did the guard stop the person? Did the guard report the events? Were the proper people notified? Test like this can help imporve your security and force guards to become ready for a real event.

Another method you need to use is monitoring. You need to link any camera’s to a private location. This can be your office or the internet. Once every few days, look in on the camera images and then call a guard. Tell them they did a good job checking an id or let them know you were watching and just wanted to say they were doing a good job. This does two things for you. One thing it does is let the guards know you are watching them and the other thing it does is lets them know they are doing things right.

Last thing you should do is watch the outside of your building. Many guards think they are out of camera view and will try to do things they should not do. Some will go to their vehicle and sleep, some will meet a friend outside and chat for an hour or so. Other will try to sneak things out or into the building. Watching outside once a week will let you know what is really going on at your location.

One company I know had a problem with missing laptops. They advised the guards to check each person with a laptop to see if they had approval to remove it from the building. After a week, the guards relaxed on their duties. The owner then had someone enter the building, pack up all the laptops on one floor and hide them inside the building. When the guards checked the floor, they noticed all the laptops were gone. The owner then advised he was the one whom hid the laptops to prove a point. After that event, there were no more missing laptops. Sometimes you have to scare the guards into doing their job.

Installers
You may be having an alarm or camera system installed. Do you know if the installer is legal? Many company’s fail to check out their installers. They think the security company has done their job and the person is ok. This is the wrong way to think. This is your building, your security or camera system, your protection against crime, why would you not check out everyone.

The state and federal agencies check out everyone connected to the installation or service of their security equipment. They look at the company, the salesperson all the way down to the person pulling the wire. You should do the same thing.

When it comes to a security equipment installer, many installers must pass a background check conducted by the state. Once a person is approved by the state to install security equipment, the state will issue them a security id. The installer is required to carry the id anytime they are installing.

As the property owner, you can check out to see if the installer is legal or not by asking to see their state security id. They are required by law in many states to show the id when requested by the property owner. If they refuse or give you some lame excuse, then call the police. A police officer can check to see if the person is approved by the state to install security equipment.

Now, you may say “Why do I need to check their id?”. Some companies will use unlicensed or unregistrated people to install systems when the workload is high. Others will use illegal contractors to cut cost. Giving out secure information or information related to a customer’s security system, to an unapproved person is against the law in many states.

This shady person can get your security code, learn placement of devices, learn when you are there and much more. They may return later to clean you out. Always check to see if the installers are legal. Do not trust the security company’s word. I have seen some top security companies use illegal contractors to install security equipment.

The Review
The first thing you should do is walk off your property about 20 feet. Turn around and look. You need to make notes as to what you see. Are there trees blocking the view from a police car driving by the site? Are there items laying around that can be used as weapon? Is all the lighting working? What else do you see wrong?

Doing things like this is called a security check. This should be done once a week. Keep records of any changes made by your staff.

You can start with adjusting shrubs and trees. This is one of the biggest problems. People hide behind them, they have done this for 50 years and will continue to do so in years to come. Do not help them out. Never install a high shrub fence near a doorway. Keep all tree branch’s about 10 feet away from the building.

Pick up any items laying around. Have all ladders stored away and secured after being used.
Wait until dark and check all outside lights. Look for dark areas near the building and any parking areas. If using camera’s, you may want to install IR spotlights.

You want to look at the windows and doors. Are there broken windows? Are doors left open? Are people holding doors open for others? Have locks been improved and are they being used? Is there security film on the windows or glass areas?

Look at the parking area. How far does one have to walk to get to their vehicle? Do security officers walk people to their car? Do you offer a mobile security patrol unit to tour the outside of the building?
Do you need to install barriers to direct vehilce or human traffic in another direction.

Hidden Cameras
Are there strange people sitting around outside watching your building? Are there people using video cameras?

Have you conducted a RF video sweep for hidden cameras. Visitor’s and students can install hidden video cameras inside your school and learn when you enter an area. Some students install or even wear hidden cameras to record illegal images of women undressing. Do the sweep, you may be surprised at what you find.

A simple wireless video receiver is connected to a small handheld monitor. Walk to an area and tune the receiver from one end to the other, very slowly. Watch the monitor to see if you get a picture. If you get a picture, then use the image to id the location. Do not remove the camera. Wait to see who goes to check the camera. That should be the person whom installed it. Once you id the installer, then you can contact the police.

Monitor internet traffic at your school. Many people know about the internet, but there are only a few of us whom remember the newsgroups on the back of the internet. Some students will post threats and other information on these newsgroups. Have your computer expert install a keyword monitoring system. This will alret you when special keywords are used on your computers.

Threats by Cellphone
Students have turned to making threats by cellphones. This can be a threat toward another student or to the school. Place signs up that restrict cellphone use while on school property or during main school hours. Talk with students about getting threats by cellphone, let them know you are there to help.

There are so many areas outside of a building, that relate to security. Speak with a security consultant for advice.

Equipment
The list of equipment that can be used is very long. On the outside you can install IR Beams to alert you of people walking near a building or use hidden microphone’s to hear someone walking across the grass. You can use motion activated camera’s to see movement or install thermo sensors to pick up a person’s body heat.

You can look at the option of driveway sensors, air pressure sensors, contact sensors under door mats, grounding sensors on handrails and even use sensors that detect body odor.

For the inside, you have camera’s, door contacts, card readers, bio sensors, pressure mats, glass breaks, microphone’s, heat sensors, changing air pressure sensors, motion sensors, IR beams, microwave sensors, RF sensors and many more.

Think First
A security consultant can review your site and provide you with options. We have listed just a few things that may improve security at your school. Each location is different and should be reviewed on it’s own merit. Once you have the list of corrections that are needed, you can then contact a security salesperson in that field.

Other areas to consider are computer security, area horns, paging systems, panic button keychains for insturctors, RF taging system for instructors and students location while on the property, cellphone 211 notification system, emergency locking system for inside doors, able to lock classroom doors, security doors or safe rooms, classroom emergency phone system, microphone’s in classroom ceiling, outside emergency video patch for police.

You may also want to use an RF remote command control center. This is a wireless unit worn on the arm or held in your hand. You can open doors, view camera’s, lock out card readers, lock doors and more, all from up to 1/4 mile away from the site. It is a system used in some jails to take back control of a command center if taken over by inmates.

Always look into and report any person or students that you consider a threat to others. Set up your own security team. Update your SOP to meet today’s students and technology. Spend the money for a consultant. They may save you money in the end. No site, not even a jail is 100% secure. You can only do your best and that is all anyone will ever ask of you. Do not go the cheap route, it may cost someone their life.

Read more at www.securitytoday.net

About Me
I just wanted to share some of my knowledge with everyone and hope you have learned something. I write a weekly magazine at http://www.securitytoday.net for anyone interested in learning more.

Over 15 years in the sales, design, install and service of electronic systems. Background in secure communications, electronic security systems, cctv, matv, card access, fiber optics, Bio systems, fire, professional audio/ video, gate controls, wireless devices, RF uplink/downlink and more.

Most recent major position was to repair security systems for 40 locations to include a bridge and 2 tunnels damaged by the attacks of 9/11 in NY/NJ. I was picked out of over 10,000 people for the contract due to high skill level in many areas. This contract was funded by an emergency act of Congress. I then worked to design a new electronic security system to withstand future attacks.

I provided supporting design for a $10 million electronic security proposal for British Airways property at JFK airport.
I was requested to sit in on the first phase for the restructure of nationwide airport electronic security, under a new TSA contract with Lockheed Martin in Virginia, USA.
I have been a major installer on high security jails in Virginia.
I have built a broadcast station for the US President at a military post and linked it back to the White House.
I installed a broadcast TV station for the US Coast Guard in NC, USA.
I was former communications coordinator for World Cup Soccer ‘94 in Florida and before that I was a Secure Communications Expert with the US Army, teaching and repairing major communication systems.
I have several awards from the US Pentagon and the military for new inventions.
I am willing to work under contract with your site to review your need of electronic system improvements.
I am CEO of Young Media Group, LLC and produce several publications and video’s related to the electronic security industry and music industry.
Visit www.securitytoday.net or www.youngmediagroup.net

Many of us in our community are deeply saddened by the tragedy that struck Virginia Tech this week on the morning of April 16, 2007. A troubled individual, Cho Seung Hui, a South Korean national and a U.S. legal resident, took things to the extreme by taking the lives of 32 of his fellow VT students and ultimately himself.

Is it possible that such a tragedy could have been prevented? What kind of sentiment could there be toward other Asians and not just people of Korean descent? Should we foster the same sentiment to Cho Seung Hui as Americans did with Chai Vang, another Asian who took the lives of fellow hunters in 2004? To whom should we be pointing the finger?

It is a sad situation that precious lives were taken so suddenly during the shooting spree of Virginia Tech student, Cho Seung Hui. I, a proponent of the right to keep and bear arms, agree with gun control advocates that this event should not have happened. Some of us question as to how this individual could have obtained a gun.

A fellow college friend of mine introduced me to firearms many years ago. Before laying my hands on a handgun, I used to be deathly afraid of them until she invited me to go to the firing range. Not even a month, thereafter, I purchased my very first handgun at the age of 22 and never looked back.

I distinctly remember the firearms vendor having me fill out an application and answer a few questions. The state in which I purchased my first gun required a two-week waiting period. Voila! I took home my new pistol after the waiting period was over.

It was easy to get a gun because I am a U.S. citizen with no felony convictions. But the question is should non-citizens be allowed to obtain firearms? That is a question that many Americans and resident aliens should debate. I believe this is where the system has failed us and allowed a foreign national to obtain a firearm.

Although I am all for the 2nd Amendment right to keep arms and the rights of immigrants looking to obtain U.S. citizenship, it is my belief that this tragedy at VT could have been avoided if the system did not allow the sale of firearms to non-U.S. citizens.

Just think what would happen if gun shops were selling AK-47’s to Iraqi nationals living as legal residents in the U.S.? What would be going on in other peoples’ minds if this were to happen especially in a post-9/11 world? How could we know if these legal residents will not use firearms in an illegal manner?

It is my belief that legal residents be allowed to keep firearms, but ONLY if they become U.S. citizens FIRST. They must pass that one obstacle to U.S. citizenship before they can make their first gun purchase. Is it not a fact that the founding fathers of this nation made the 2nd Amendment a right for all Americans and not non-Americans?

Many conceal-carry states have state laws that require their applicants to be U.S. citizens before they are allowed to carry a concealed handgun. How come our federal law says it is okay to sell a gun to a person who is merely a legal resident?

Something needs to change. Something is not right here. If federal law was consistent with the state laws, 33 students at Virginia Tech would still be attending classes today.

It is my opinion that legal residents can be allowed to hold jobs, get financial aid for a college education, and buy alcohol (if they are over 21), but not buy a gun. Guns are very controversial tools of defense whose sale should only be limited to Americans.

Do legal residents have the right to defend themselves when confronted in a violent situation such as rape or mugging? Of course, and with the help of a defense tool such as a stun gun or pepper spray. But not with a firearm yet until a judge gives them the oath of U.S. citizenship.

In case you are wondering who is writing this article, my parents are of Southeast Asian descent and immigrated to the U.S. many years ago. They became naturalized Americans. I was born in the U.S. which makes me, by birth, an American who has the right to buy and carry a firearm. I do not foster any ill sentiments toward the Korean community or anybody who is a legal resident. I certainly hope that this week’s tragedy does not promote racial prejudice toward the Asian community.

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in personal defense products where you can buy Mace pepper spray, kubatons, cell phone stun guns, nunchaku, Taser stun guns, expandable batons, and many other self defense products.

I am saddened but not shocked by what happened at Virginia Tech. You should not be shocked either. However, when something like this goes down in the USA, the “shock factor” is always paraded by the national news media and the too-often cry of, “He just snapped.” That is currently the defense being offered in the case of the pastor’s wife, Mary Winkler, who gunned down her husband and then claimed spousal abuse—she just snapped.

Well… neither she nor the Virginia Tech shooter just snapped.

These people, among thousands of U.S. inhabitants, did what crazy people do. They were insane. They weren’t rational. They weren’t fine one day, then nutty the next. There was a process involved that led up to the events in which they chose a course of behavior with dire consequences.

One quarter of Americans meet the diagnostic protocols for mental illness. These are people so functionally crippled from their mental state that they choose, on a regular enough basis, to act out their insanity in inappropriate and sometimes dangerous ways.

Something I’ve often suspected, now confirmed in a recent study, is that America leads the world in mental illness. We are number one on the planet. That just might explain the massive outbreak of pedophilia as well as the fact that 75 - 85% of the world’s serial killers are born and bred, yes you guessed it, right in the good ole U.S.A.

A Harvard professor of health care policy who led this study, called the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, said:

“We lead the world in a lot of good things, but we’re also leaders in this one particular domain that we’d rather not be.”

More from this study revealed the hideous fact that less than half of the mentally ill in America get any sort of treatment. And when these people, coming from a long-unnoticed and un-treated history of mental illness, finally blow in a hail of gunfire, America’s new media headlines herald: “The Nation is Shocked.”

The person who headed the twenty-million-dollar study, the head of the National Institute of Mental Health, said:

“The nation needs to recognize that mental illness is a chronic condition that requires expert medical attention just as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes do.”

We not only need to recognize that mental illness is a chronic condition but we need to learn to recognize mental illness—period. Recognizing when someone is in trouble, the beginning stages of a major psychotic break, and not waiting until something horrible happens before trying to get that person some services, is what we must do. This is what I was taught to do as a Residential Teaching Family Counselor. I took care of residents, most with a dual diagnosis, and learned through the training and years of experience to recognize when someone was heading down that road of mental meltdown.

They don’t just snap. Mental illness doesn’t occur one day out of a total vacuum. There are signs that lead up to the gunfire.

The effect of what America has become and the effect it has on its own people also affects those who immigrate to America. When Mexican immigrants come to America and attempt to integrate into its society, their mental illness rates soar.

In another study comprised of more than 3,000 participants, it was found that when the Mexicans obey the American political mandate that they should acculturate in American society, this has a “detrimental impact on the mental health of Mexican immigrants.” To which I must say, it does not surprise me at all. And, it is certainly not a stretch to apply the results of this study to other ethnic immigrants like the Korean student who mass murdered Americans at Virginia Tech.

This second study, which appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry, the American Medical Association’s primary journal in the field of mental illness, found:

“…that the rate of mental illness climbed consistently after immigration, so that Mexicans who had been in this country for more than 13 years had nearly the same high rate as native-born Americans”

Isn’t the inevitable conclusion that this is a social effect and not a biological one?

One of the chief researchers makes the observation that there is a kind of shielding effect that foreigners in countries, like Mexico, have in the strength of family in those societies in which close family ties offer protection and strength from mental illness. Being imbedded in family is what offers the greatest protection against mental illness.

The research went on to say,

“Mexicans come to this country with some kind of natural protection against mental disorder, and that breaks down very quickly in American society. In fact, it goes in one generation.”

What has happened to America that causes it to produce such a wave of insanity not only in her own born and bred people but to those who come seeking the American dream?

Or, should I say, the American Nightmare?

SOURCES:

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1998/1021/immigrant.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/06/AR2005060601651.html

http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu/www/pubs/gater/fall95/oct10/05.html

The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (Paperback)
by Michael Newton Checkmark Books (March 2000) ISBN-10: 0816039798
ISBN-13: 978-0816039791

Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Content, Transitions Abroad, International Living, Escape Artist, and The Front Porch Syndicate.

He is founder of Mexican Living Print & eBooks.

Auto theft happens all of the time, everywhere in the world. However, there are vehicles that are more of a target to auto thieves than others. You can take several measures to protect your vehicle from getting stolen and it does not take much effort or money. Just like your home, your car could be an easy invitation for theft of various types. Thieves do not normally just randomly walk up to a car and steal it. The smart ones search for the easiest vehicle to steal so they will have less chance of getting caught. In this sense, they work in much the same way as home thieves. You can take several simple steps to make your vehicle safer and hopefully make a thief pass your car (and unfortunately for the other person’s vehicle) move on to another more accessible or valuable vehicle.

Take These Steps to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Auto Theft –

1. Lock Up: Make it a habit to lock your doors before you leave your vehicle for any reason, even if you are just running in a store for a minute. It only takes a minute for someone to steal your car. And never, ever leave your keys in the ignition. Anyone could look into your car’s window, see the keys dangling, and drive away with a new car.
2. Remove or Hide Valuables: Some auto thieves are not actually looking to steal your car, but the items you have in your car. Remove or hide the following various items (preferably remove): MP3 players, expensive car stereos, cell phones, sunglasses, radar detectors, money, credit cards, checkbooks, cigarettes, etc. Some of these may sound like common sense to not leave out in the open in your vehicle, but they do need to be mentioned.
3. Keep it Simple: Do not add fancy accessories to your vehicle. This will draw attention from fellow auto lovers, and auto thieves alike. Things such as fancy paint jobs, spoilers, expensive rims, body kits, and more can easily attract an auto thief. If you own a show vehicle keep it in storage when not in use.

Various Security Systems You Can Install –

An auto thief, one skilled enough anyway, can usually get through nearly any type of security device. However, some security systems can thwart auto thieves and scare them away.

A simple alarm system can help by creating a loud sound when someone plays with the lock or even touches the vehicle too much. However, someone could act as if it is their vehicle and still get in if you do not notice in time to call for the police.

Fortunately, there are a variety of auto security systems to choose from. Here are a few:

Door Security Sensors – A door security sensor is a simple way to thwart thieves by sounding an alarm if the door, hood or trunk of your vehicle is opened.

Shock Security Sensors – A shock security sensor will sound an alarm if your vehicle is moved in any way such as shaking it.

Window Security Sensors – This one sounds an alarm if your window is broken.

Pressure Security Sensors – Pressure security sensors are set in motion when the air pressure inside the car is changed such as happens when a window or door is broken or opened.

Tilt Security Sensors – Tilt security sensors will help you not get your vehicle towed. If someone tries to get your vehicle on to a tow truck (or another way of tilting) an alarm will sound.

If you really need or want to keep your vehicle safe from auto theft you can use all of the steps above as well as all of the security systems outlined above. You can make certain choices with your vehicle that can easily prevent auto theft.

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in personal defense products where you can buy pepper spray, kubatons, wholesale stun guns, nunchaku, expandable police batons, Taser guns, and many other self defense products.

Resorting to violence is a way people acknowledge their anger and get the attention their heart years for. Violence however never produces the outcome the outraged individual ultimately desires. What people really want deep down inside is respect, recognition, and the right to be heard. This cannot be demanded, it must delicately relationally be pursued.

Since many perpetrators of violence, men in particular, are unable to process their pain, validate their feelings, and articulate their emotions, they bury it down deep and try to deny it. This is called implosion, which if it persists over an extended period of time, will eventually result in an outward explosion causing relational erosion.

Denial does not diminish what is doing you in.

Whatever you run from will only follow you.

We need to awaken to the inner issue and personal unfinished business from which we are running.

We who are victims of unprovoked violence, must guard our hearts against becoming critical, accusatory, and fearful. Often those who deserve our love the least, need it the most. People change in an environment of unconditional love and acceptance. We must accept others unconditionally and be agreeable in the midst of disagreement. We overcome evil with good. That means we don’t shun or alienate people, but instead kindly welcome them into our world.

This is how to transcend tragedy and help others on the fringe of uncertainty transition to be transformed.

1. Refuse to be gripped and governed by fear.
Fear is self-centered revolving around self-preservation. Fear has torment and is paralyzing. Fear is interest paid in advance on something you most likely will never own. It has been said ninety percent of our fears never occur. Therefore the only thing to fear is fear itself. Be bold, courageous, and fearless!

2. Believe the best about people, until they prove otherwise.
People should be innocent until proven guilty. Seek to prove people worthy, rather than looking for guilt. There is good in all of us that needs to be affirmed and recognized. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Before you entertain and listen to the bad about a person, ask to hear about the good.

3. Love and accept people unconditionally.
The Creator and universe loves and accepts us unconditionally as human beings. Do likewise. Create a culture of love and acceptance. As you do a community to which others want to belong will be created. Give people hope to belong, believe, and become.

4. Be hopeful and expect the best from people.
When you show a positive expectation toward people, you cause them to want to live up to your expectations. It is the force of faith in operation pulling people higher. Speak to and address people’s potential. Enlarge their vision and horizon paving the way for them to step into it.

5. Don’t be paralyzed by presumption and erroneous predispositions.
Beware of propaganda. Don’t believe everything the media and people tell you. Most often they are misinformed or only partially telling the entire story. Do your homework before wholly embracing something as gospel truth.

6. Investigate and seek the truth.
You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Not everything you hear is worth listening to. Truth must be tested and examined over time. Lies last but for a moment. The truth however is timeless and always does endure. Hold to the truth and don’t sell out to compromise.

7. Celebrate and honor all peoples.
As you live and let live, you shall liberate people. Celebrating and honoring people is the first way we bond with them. Before we can together build, we must first bond. Let the bonds of brotherhood grow, increase, and be strengthened.

8. Forgive and live.
We all make mistakes. Give people another chance. We as individuals and nations learn over time. For some it takes more time than for others to catch on. As we forgive, we free ourselves from carrying hostility and hate within our hearts. When we forgive we live and allow others to do the same.

9. Be patient, peaceful, and progressive.
Change doesn’t happen overnight. It is progressive and ongoing. Strive to be patient with people and nations as we all evolve. People make changes in an atmosphere of love. Russia’s Gorbachev brought down the wall because of President Reagan’s charm and heartfelt appeal. Reagan never threatened Gorbachev with war if he didn’t obey.

Love is patient and kind. Patience and a peaceful disposition often precedes progress. Nobody likes to be pushed. Patience tenderly and purposefully pulls people by their heart strings forward progressively.

10. Let dialogue and diplomacy replace hostility.
National dictators often just want to be recognized on the global scene and acknowledged. By welcoming everyone to the table to talk, we can diffuse much hostility and build bridges internationally. Nobody every died during a discussion. Dialogue and diplomacy enables us to go deeper to the real root issue motivating a person.

Let us all continue to unconditionally accept one another, build bridges, and be reconciled. As we reconnect and learn to patiently communicate, we can become a global family joined together by heartfelt understanding and compassion.

Paul Davis is a worldwide minister, peacemaker, change master, turnaround specialist, and life purpose coach helping people process their pain and transition through turbulent times.

Paul is the author of several books including Breakthrough for a Broken Heart; Are You Ready for True Love; Stop Lusting; Waves of God; Supernatural Fire; Poems that Propel the Planet; and God vs. Religion.

Paul’s compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul has served in many war-torn, impoverished and tsunami stricken regions of the earth. His Dream-Maker Inc. is building dreams, breaking limitations & reviving nations.

Paul’s Breakthrough Seminars inspire, revive, awaken, impregnate with purpose, impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery and dream fulfillment.

Contact Paul to minister, speak at your event or for life coaching:

RevivingNations@yahoo.com, 407-284-1705.

http://www.DreamMakerMinistries.com
http://www.CreativeCommunications.TV

First off, I send my deepest condolences to the victims and their families of the worst single shooting spree homicide in United States History; The Virginia Tech Massacre. While watching the news coverage today, I tried to imagine how horrible it must have been for the students sitting in their classrooms, listening to the barrage of gun shots that rang out. I myself attended college and law school. That is the last place on earth where you would think that some loony toon would walk in and start murdering people by shooting them. I could not imagine the horror that the unarmed students went through.

I then thought about the fact that we are a nation presently at war, and how stories like this might give fodder for our enemies to become copycats.

Going further, I thought about the fact that this tragedy could have either been prevented or diminished had just one or two of the adult students or teachers at the University had concealed carry permits to carry their own guns.

I am an advocate of the 2nd Amendment Right to Bear Arms. There are many people out there that seek to ban firearms by using incidents such as this as proof that banning guns would prevent such tragedies. I beg to differ.

In fact, in nations or States that freely allow their citizens to carry concealed weapons; the crime rates are much lower.

There are some that argue that if you ban handguns than it will be much harder for criminals to get guns. This may or may not be true. Drugs like cocaine and heroine have been banned for years. Is there a cocaine and heroine problem in the United States?

Criminals by nature are criminals. They will get guns whether they are banned or not. So the real victims of handgun bans will be law abiding citizens who follow the law. They will be victims of the criminals that do not follow the law.

Going back to the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution; the Supreme Court has interpreted the 2nd Amendment to mean that government cannot ban all guns, but that they can ban some guns based upon a compelling governmental interest. They have left it up to the States to enact their own legislation with respect to regulating guns. Some States make it easy for law abiding citizens to obtain concealed carry permits to protect themselves, and some have made it difficult.

In California, the issue has been left up to the Sheriff of each county to issue concealed carry permits. In places like Los Angeles County, and San Francisco County it is virtually impossible to get a concealed carry permit, even though the crime in these counties by criminals carry guns is basically through the roof.

It is my humble opinion that tragedies such as the one that happened at Virginia Tech could be avoided by more people being issued concealed carry permits so that they can protect themselves in case a loony toon decides to walk into a place and start murdering people. First off, the loony toon might think twice about doing their dastardly deed if the knew that the people that they are going up against may be armed, secondly if they still decide to go on a murder rampage, someone could stop it before 30 plus people end up dead.

In the vast majority of crime situations, the police are not there to protect you. The police act as a deterrent to crime, and are only usually there after the crime has already been committed. Secondly, you cannot sue the police for failing to protect you in an emergency.

I firmly believe that all free law abiding Americans should have the right to bear arms pursuant to the United States Constitution, so that they are able to protect themselves.

I have not heard of one instance of a person carrying a concealed weapon legally with a concealed carry permit, using the weapon to commit a crime. I have heard of thousands crimes against innocent victims.

It makes sense to me that we should be able to carry weapons to protect ourselves against criminals. If this is not the case, than we should be able to sue the police for failing to protect us. Right now the vast majority of Americans are getting the short end of the stick. It’s time to give us back our constitutional right to bear arms.

God be with those poor souls of Virginia Tech that did not even have a chance.

By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007

Norman Gregory Fernandez is a California lawyer who handles many types of legal matters. You can reach him through his website at http://www.norman-law.com

As more and more low-income families move into neighborhoods that once catered to the middle or upper class, one must be on the lookout for his own personal safety and report any criminal activity going on in their surroundings. Crime is everywhere in these neighborhoods where kids find too much time on their hands after school hours or after the school year lets out.

What also contributes to the crime rate in such places? Is it just the lack of money for low income families? Sometimes, crime can be attributed to the lack of education on the part of the perpetrator or their families.

It is a statistical fact that the crime rate is inversely proportional to the education level of the culprit. Kids who grow up in families that do not stress the importance of getting an education are more likely to be living out on the streets, doing drugs, joining gangs, or ending up in prison.

Sometimes parents who raise such kids were raised in similar conditions when they were youngsters. Nothing has changed. An education should be foremost on parents’ minds when rearing their kids. In fact, an education is the key out of poverty. As the old saying goes, “The way out of the gutter is with a book and not a basketball.”

Kids who do not have a good education in school are more likely to have difficulty with finding jobs, getting into college, or staying out of trouble with the law. Many times they have family issues that are attributed to the loss of a parent at a young age due to a death or an incarceration.

Kids from single-parent homes run that risk of growing up as an “at-risk” child. This is due to the fact that the parent must work to provide food and shelter for the child, and the absence of the other parent fails to provide leadership and guidance for a growing mind. A parent who is incarcerated will definitely not be around to guide the child to getting good grades in school.

What kind of message does an incarcerated parent send to a child? Is it okay to be dumb and stupid and end up in prison like their daddy? Like father, like son. Right? Is it okay to skip school and join a gang like their daddy once did?

The truth of the matter is that kids who drop out of school will face hardship in their lives as they grow older. Lack of education on their part means lack of money to support a family. Lack of money translates into robbing a bank or convenience store.

We hear in the news every day a robbery that occurs in our city or elsewhere. Or perhaps a shooting on the part of the perpetrator that caused an innocent life come to an abrupt halt.

What are kids doing nowadays? How can we prevent our own kids from becoming troubled kids? For one, a parent must be a good role model and stress the importance of a good education. That means the parents must take an active role in their child’s education by monitoring how much television the child is allowed to watch and taking charge of knowing the kinds of friends that his child associates with. Furthermore, this means maintaining communication with his teachers at school and looking over his report card regularly.

A child with poor academic performance may indicate something wrong at school. Perhaps he does not like school due to external influences; i.e. bullying, difficult teachers, taunting by other students, or peer pressure.

It is better to catch the child’s problem as early as possible before it comes to the point that the child is truant from school, or worse, acts out his frustration that is reflected in another Virginia Tech-like massacre.

A child should like his studies and should show interest in his schoolwork. He should be taught that good grades will help him get a good education so that he can get a good paying job and be a productive member of society after he graduates.

Teach your child that involvement in gangs, violence, drugs, and/or extortion will not get him anywhere but prison. Once a person ends up doing life in prison, there IS no second chance. There is no freedom for him. There is no TV, no video games, no music, nothing! Not even a chance to get an education behind bars. If there is school in prison, the education is very limited.

If you are raising a child, question your child as to what is going on in school if he/she displays academic difficulty. Spend some quality time with him/her. Help them with their homework if possible. Remember, you are not just his/her friend, you are their parents. You are the first role model that a child looks toward from infancy. So be a good one and teach him/her what is right by staying in school.

There is a story in Austin, Texas a few years ago. It involved a troubled 17-year-old kid, Manuel Cortez, a high school dropout, who went out with his friends in a stolen car one sunny afternoon, and shot another student, Christopher Briseno, whom he did not even know because Briseno allegedly was teasing the sister of Manuel’s friend. Manuel Cortez is now serving life in prison because he made a stupid decision. Now families of the victim and the perpetrator are suffering two losses from society. All for what? Because Mr. Cortez chose to drop out of school and associate with gangs and/or violence? He chose to give up the possibility of an education so that he can run around gang banging? Or did he not have the proper support and guidance from his parents?

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in personal defense products where you can buy pepper spray, kubatons, wholesale stun guns, nunchaku, expandable police batons, Taser guns, and many other self defense products.