The Covington police are warning folks to lock their cars. Thieves have been especially active in our area.

Thieves and con men have been around since the beginning of time. What seem to be disappearing are the principles of morality and respect that many of us were taught growing up.

Mass killings have become almost commonplace. Distrust of many of our elected officials, including the president of the United States, is commonplace.

The fact that you cannot allow your children to be more than 5 feet from you, even in public, is frightening.

Many teenagers show no respect for older people, which was evident in the recent killing, in brutal, cold blood, of a decorated World War II veteran.

Recently, the newly elected Pope Francis said the Catholic Church, which has been a symbol and a rock when it comes to many moral issues, including abortion, needs to change and be more accepting of people whose moral values are different than the norm.

The moral rock of any society is its family structure and its church.

Until parents decide to rear their children in a structured family atmosphere that encourages respect for other families and themselves, and the church stops compromising to increase its membership, we are going to continue to lock our cars and homes and buy guns to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the ills of our society.