Status Report

I'm not one to complain about the absolute mess my home country is in, but today I have finally reached a breaking point. My parents just called again, in a state of shock, since they have been robbed yet again. My parents live in a small town, called Quinta do Anjo, near Palmela, mostly agrarian, and until recently, fairly safe to live. Lately the country, and sadly to say, the people in it, have all gone downhill, morals included. Things have reached a point where my father's tractor components have been robbed (this was preceded by watering equipment, chains, breaking entering in storage units). I've always believed Portugal to be a decent country to live in, filled with a goodness that far surpassed the difficulties it always experienced. But once you stop being able to provide safety for the people who try to make an honest living, what else is there to protect?