Saturday, March 10, 2007

Seniors Fight Back

Don't mess with the old folks.

There was news today about a mugging in Queens. That in itself isn't news, but here's the rest of the story. A 101 year old woman, using a walker, was leaving her apartment building yesterday to go to church. A young man offered to help her with the door and then proceeded to try to mug her. He hit her several times, and broke her cheekbone, but she resisted and grabbed at a chain around his neck. He finally knocked her to the floor and sent her walker flying, then he took her purse with $33. I saw an interview with this woman and she is one tough lady. She said that if this were 15 years ago, she would have given more of a fight.

A few weeks ago a party of 12 American seniors on a Caribbean cruise took a tour of Limon Costa Rica where they were set upon by a band of armed muggers. The tourists responded with courage. One 70 year old tourist, a retired military man, killed the lead mugger with his bare hands by putting a head lock on the mugger. Local authorities did not press charges feeling that it was self defense.

A few years ago I met my sons' former teacher and she told me about her experience. She was returning from mass on a rainy day when a young man tried to steal her purse. She fought him and kept hitting him with her umbrella. He wouldn't stop until she told him where she had been and showed him her rosary. Then he stopped and ran away emptyhanded.

I'm glad all of the above people survived their encounters. Maybe now the muggers will leave the seniors alone. They really are the greatest and toughest generation.

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