Southwest PA Self-defense Network Blog

 The Myth of the Out of Character Crime by Stanton Samenow copyright 2010 Another great book on the criminal mind by Samenow.  "The theme of this book is that people always respond in character, that is impossible for a person to do otherwise. " Samenow tackles the tough but popular thought of "He just snapped" and  expression when someone does something bad, " That is so out of character !" or " They would never do that!" . Samenow's theory and supporting evidence is that people never act of character and when you dig deep you find a lot of supportive evidence that the person, all along had exhibited the traits that led up to the crime.  Samenow examines 5 cases studies for the book although he has examined hundreds of others.  1. Washington Snipers Lee Malvo and John Muhammed. 2. Steven, a talented young scientist with no criminal record accused of kidnapping, and threatening to blow a man's head off.  3. Stuart, 20 year old " all ...

  This Dear Abby has a lot of freight to it and because Sexual Assault is the secret affliction no one talks about, I wanted to highlight some points on this. My comments and observations are at the end. Rape Victim Has Kept It a Secret for Decades - October 19, 2021 - DEAR ABBY: Thirty-five years ago I was raped by a stranger. He told me he would kill me if I ever told anyone. I never told my husband (now ex-), mostly because I was afraid if I did he would never touch me again. So I lived with the secret. It eventually tore our marriage apart and we divorced. Although we have both moved on and remarried, we have remained in touch. I am 60 now and he is 64. I yearn to tell him the story before one of us leaves this Earth. I want him to understand and hopefully forgive me for the events that drove us apart. The need to tell him is so strong, I cry about it. Please advise me on this. -- STILL NOT OVER IT IN MARYLAND DEAR STILL NOT OVER: If it will bring you comfort, reveal the secre...

 https://www.yahoo.com/news/feud-ax-fishing-knife-bloody-085816129.html General Principles of Self-Defense Lesson 7: What Is the Escalation Principle? Why Is It Bad to Think 'They'll Never Do That’? This article highlights our Self-Defense Lesson #7 - Escalation principle.  The Escalation Principle is a self-defense dynamic where a conflict escalates and the victim does not anticipate that escalation. Because they don't anticipate it, they can't prepare for it and it catches them unawares.  Escalation is often seen in stalking, harassment and in emotionally charged situations where a percieved injustice has been inflicted. The later, is often referred to as the parking lot escalation where someone thinks you stole thier parking spot, you respond with some verbal retort and they get out with the crow bar.  With stalking and harassment, the escalation principle comes into play when the bad guy ramps up the intensity of the harassment.  It goes from a simple break...

   https://www.yahoo.com/news/liberty-universitys-emphasis-purity-enabled-223500050.html ----------------------- I'm not going to repost the entire article for sake of length but some quotes. "Ten people have joined an existing lawsuit saying they were raped, sexually assaulted, drugged, or abused at Liberty University while those in power refused to act, a new filing shows.On Thursday, a status report from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York revealed Jane Does 13-22 joined the first 12 anonymous plaintiffs suing the private Christian school for dollar amounts to be determined at trial, alleging the university created an unsafe environment.     -  So let's be clear from the outset. This isn't a single female getting black out drunk at a fraternity and doesn't recall anything. This is about the environment that Liberty university created in fostering a 'we care' about what happens to you and it has affected the victims.  ...

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/cresco-man-will-spend-decade-federal-prison-tormenting-minnesota-woman-two-years ----------- I've copied the entire article here. My commentary is in red.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, August 2, 2021 Cresco Man Will Spend a Decade in Federal Prison for “Tormenting” Minnesota Woman for Two Years A Cresco man who cyberstalked a Minnesota woman for nearly two years was sentenced on July 30, 2021, to ten years in federal prison. ( Federal prison is more strict, he'll most likely serve most of that time. State or local, not s  o much.) Michael Shawn McGuire, age 58, from Cresco, Iowa, received the prison sentence after a December 8, 2020 guilty plea to four counts of cyberstalking.  Information disclosed at the sentencing and plea hearings showed that in the fall of 2017, the victim, who was living in Minnesota, met McGuire on an online dating website.  The two dated for approximately seven months before the victim broke up with McGu...

  A letter to the American public: Why you must decide what you want from cops If you recruit well, conduct thorough background checks and train constantly, you can have a human with a kind heart and good ethics – but you can't have perfection Jan 1, 2020 This article is reprinted with permission from  The Rural Badge blog . It's time for the American public to decide what we want from law enforcement.  Warriors?  Counselors? Guardians? Priests? Social workers? Magicians? Do we want the cheapest cops possible? Or, do we want  well-trained  and well-screened cops who are equipped with every tool needed for every possible eventuality? As long as cops get recruited from the human race, they're going to be exactly human, with everything that means. (Photo/PoliceOne)   Or do we want the beat cop from grandaddy's hometown, with nothing but a smile, a wheelgun and one set of cuffs? Really, we want it all. Admit it, we do –  a...

  This is a great article on a number of fronts. I copied the entire article since it was too long and in case the link gets broken in the future.  1. Just because you're a psychologist doesn't mean you have great insight into yourself or those around you.  2. Charm and good looks can overcome skepticism and years of education.  3. " She claims that being attracted to notorious men is in her DNA and says that her mother was actually on her way to live with the Manson Family "  And shouldn't that make you even more aware of your potential failings ? 4. " She says in the show that “there’s no way he could have committed these crimes,” citing his devotion to religion and spirituality." Really? He lead them to where the bodies were !  5. " “Chris still receives an overwhelming amount of  fan mail  behind bars " Yep, there is even a book about that phenomena were killers get letters and relationship requests.  Former Prison Psychologist ...