The worst nightmare of every mother happened to a Memphis woman a few years ago. A woman named Anita was stopped for a traffic light at the corner of Highland and Southern. Suddenly a stranger opened the passenger door of her car, grabbed her 2-month- old baby, and ran. Anita's instincts took over. She slammed that car into park, jumped out, and ran after the man. A terrified mother can move with lightning speed. When she got near the man he threw her baby into a ditch and kept on running. Miraculously, the child was not hurt.

Thinking about the incident later, Anita talked about one fact that surprised and saddened her. She said, "This happened in broad daylight, about 3:30 in the afternoon. My car was the first one at the traffic light. There were probably 20 cars in two lanes behind me. Not one person did anything to help." You can guess what went through the minds of those other drivers: It could be a domestic dispute; he could have a gun. He could be on drugs. I'm in a hurry and I sure don't need to go picking a fight. Where are the police when you need them? But even after you take all of those excuses into account, somebody should have helped, regardless of the risks. There are certain times in life when you look the risks squarely in the eyes and do something anyway.