Yesterday one of our members got mugged downtown. She was praying at the newly-opened Planned Parenthood abortion facility with many others, and heading for home when three men jumped out of a car and attempted to take her shoulder bag. She held on, was dragged by the car for a block, and finally let go when one of the assailants punched her in the head. I am much encouraged to hear that three bystanders called 911, two of them getting pictures of the car’s plate, and another neighbor in an apartment above filmed the incident on his phone. The victim (she coordinates our prolife activity for the parish and attends daily Mass) is in good spirits after having been released from SF General with a large welt on her forehead. Good spirits is the name of the game in this life, and that good Spirit is Holy. On Thursday we celebrate liturgically the first of all the mysteries of the rosary, when the Angel of God announced to Mary that the Holy Spirit would fill her, begetting the Word Incarnate. Our Lady has been in good spirits ever since.
I’ve been praying at the proudly-announced Planned Parenthood “flagship” facility here in San Francisco, which opened two weeks ago. It’s on a very busy crossing in the city, at Bush and Van Ness. Some folks give us the thumbs-up as they drive by, but most give us the middle finger. The thumbs-up people usually drive Hondas and Toyotas; the middle-finger people usually drive Mercedes and BMW’s, with not a few Maserati’s. You can usually tell a person’s political party in San Francisco by their income level. Interestingly, there are two security guards posted at the site during business hours. One is hired by Planned Parenthood, and the other by 40 Days for Life (the pro-life organization that organizes prayer at the facility during Lent). Both men are “of color,” both pack impressive firearms, and they are quite friendly with each other. As we pray, they chat amicably, keeping a watchful eye out for violence.
Our security guards are of the lower-income bracket, I suppose. Their limited resources force them to acknowledge reality: that men and women are biologically distinct; that a fetus is a baby, and that you can’t run a society without just laws. I’m so happy both of them are with us, and that the Planned Parenthood and the 40 Days for Life men are friends.
Our pro-life coordinator was mugged yesterday just after leaving the site. The three men who jumped her were driving a Lexus….