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Sunday afternoon at Costco, people were chatting about it everywhere as I pushed my cart through a packed house. One lady said, “I don’t know whether to feel sorry for her or hate her.” The thought occured to me to tell the woman to tune in to “Old Chucklehead” if she really couldn’t make up her mind.

But since moving to Kennesaw, I’ve learned to keep my sardonic opinions safely buttoned down, especially at times like these.

Oh, I don’t know—there’s some perverse entertainment value in watching rich people and local politicos make total asses of themselves. If you can be bothered to watch, of course.

So, not being in GA, and not following the story, how did this blow up into a big international story in the first place? Mediots? Cops? The family?

“how did this blow up into a big international story in the first place? Mediots? Cops? The family?”

Yes.

It’s really an interesting question. Do you have the right to disappear? People are all upset over the trouble everyone went through searching for her, but who made those choices? Jennifer? She chose to leave Gwinnett without telling anyone. Questionable judgement, but entirely legal. Within five hours of her “going jogging,” Mason and his family called the cops. Missing less than 24 hours (which I’d assumed was the legal standard of “missing”), they chose to launch a large search for her.

Then they quickly called it off. They said they’d searched everywhere within the range she might have jogged.

Then they launched another search.

Meanwhile, Jennifer was riding a bus to Texas, and then Vegas, and then New Mexico. By the time she called police in Albuquerque with a false crime report, the “financial damage” had already been done back in Gwinnett. And the timeline indicates she stuck with her false story about an hour.

Of course, the local media was all over this from the morning after her “jog.” And frankly, I think CNN picks up more Atlanta stories than stories from most other cities of similar size … because it’s easy. Add in the Peterson and Hacking cases, and people like Nancy Grace were just dippin’ drool at the prospect of a new fiance/husband murderer to try and crucify.

And here we are, ready to throw the bride in jail for a felony.

Because she hasn’t suffered enough yet. We demand more punishment.

I actually heard them talking on some news channel tonight, asking the question, “should they still get married?” Because they don’t get to decide that anymore. We get to vote on it.

Because they appeared on our TV.

Pretty, rich, white suburban bride-to-be goes missing the day before her absurdly large wedding?

There was no way to keep this out of the news. When a story like this comes along, restraint can get news-directors fired.

I am somewhat ashamed that 75% of respondents in the CNN online poll want her charged with something. Her kidnapping story was the wrong way to go, but she didn’t stick to it long enough to create any real problems for law enforcement. She didn’t break any laws in Georgia at all. Also, what person in their right mind wouldn’t have run from this monstrosity of a wedding? I’m surprised she came back.

But more fundamentally than all of that, what is a prosecutor going to do to her that’s worse that what she’s going to deal with anyway?

hear an echo? Sorry, I was busy writing the comment when Ried posted posted his, which that more or less said the same thing (only his was better, as usual).

I don’t have much to add to what’s already been to said – except that she didn’t break any laws in Georgia and that’s why everyone’s proverbially panties are in a wad.

What a time-waster. Sounds like the coppers were playing suck-up, and CNN got the vapors.

Well, bottom line, there’s no nut like a rich nut. I have to admire the choice of a Greyhound Bus as the getaway car. That’s genius.

“I have to admire the choice of a Greyhound Bus as the getaway car. That’s genius.”

Oh, I don’t know about that

“Take the Greyhound.
It’s a dog of a way to get around.
Take the Greyhound.
It’s a dog gone easy way to get you down.”

Two things I thought when the story of that silly bug-eyed cow’s disappearance first made the headlines:

1) Abducted? Please. She ran (pun intended). Hellooooo.

2) How many non-white, non-wealthy, non-precious women went missing this same day in various parts of the country?

It offends me that we typically give a crap only when someone snatches our toothy ivory princesses.

And even though I agree wholeheartedly with what you’ve said, Reid, I do understand from where the call for blood comes. It’s not just an Eat-the-Rich thing, although that is surely part of it. People are annoyed that a woman could be SO self-absorbed and SO freaking petty she’d allow family and friends and authorities to fear for her life—and to spend days organizing and searching and spending and working and worrying (not to mention diverting resources from those who genuinely need them)—rather than deal with the embarrassment of admitting and owning her pending mistake.

Talk about a resident of ME-ME-ME-ville (and if that man still marries her, he deserves everything he gets).

While I, too, think everone should just drop it and move on, I will allow them their resentment.

I agree with most everything you said. Personally, I feel sorry for the girl. She was selfish, yes, but God, there but before the grace of God go I that my friends and family don’t view me as a reason for a party, instead of a human being.

But the thing I double-plus agreed with:

“So please build a set of stocks for Nancy Grace as well. And get in line behind me with a packed lunch, because I’m going to be a while.”

No joke. I’m in line behind you.

Steve, pack a big lunch. I’m serious, I’m going to be a while.

And, Reecie, at first, I was right there with you. My initial thought when I heard the confirmation she was a “runaway” was … “how could she do that to her parents?” Did you see the photos of them gathered before the family home, in effect, in pre-mourning? It was awful. How could a woman be so insensitive about her family, never mind her fiance?

And what was her family’s public reaction, other than the initial shock? Compassion. Concern for her well being. A desire to understand what had happened.

Those people, the family members, have every right to feel resentment. They have every right to tell that woman in no uncertain terms, you made a huge mistake not at least leaving a note or making a phone call to let everyone know you were alive. I might even be willing to extend that “right to resentment” to the volunteers who spent several hours hunting for her.

But have you seen the antagonism against this woman in the media, from people who’ve never been to Gwinnett County, who’ve never even met a soul from there?

Have you seen the antagonism from people who were completely unaffected by this event, except as patterns that appeared on some screen in front of them, which they could have turned off at any time?

They seem to be the ones who want blood the most.

And that’s not about the Duluth Police Department (trust me, they ain’t too busy most days), or the Mason and Wilbanks families, or the volunteers who searched for her.

That’s about our societal nature.

We saw a missing bride-to-be. Nancy Grace told us this was no runaway, and That Guy is way suspicious. We could already see the coming punishment.

And then we were deprived. The damn girl had the audacity to turn up safe, offering a happy ending to what we were certain was another Sad Media Tale.

So, we still want some punishment. Let’s punish her for being alive. Because her family and loved ones clearly aren’t doing the job that’s required.

No worries. They’re not needed any more. We can do it all on our own. Soon, she’ll regret being born.

And the eternal infamy we will brand her with will be perfectly proportional to her “crime.”

If I may digress a bit—we don’t want to punish her per se, we just want to vote her off the island or eliminate her from the singers’ competition or take away her rose.

Don’t we do it every other night on the toob?

“Don’t we do it every other night on the toob?”

By George I think you nailed it. And it isn’t just the Runaway Bride. Finally, the past few years are starting to make sense. It’s the toob, Jack. The whole world has become a reality show. We watched action figures vote Saddam off the island. We get to spend money like drunken sailors and there’s never any consequences. We watch salacious showtrials narrated by Nancy Grace and Geraldo and it’s all so entertaining. The Runaway Bride was supposed to be found buried-in-the-basement in preparation for our next big Toob Trial. Boy did she bum us out. Somebody oughta lock her up, (especially if we can watch the proceedings on Court TV). You’re no fun if you can’t do a perp walk for the cameras. What the hell, it’s just a reality show. No one really gets hurt and there’s always a nice big prize for us at the end of it all.

Nancy Grace is a GHOUL. She was doing her best to push the girl’s father over the edge before the story unraveled

Yeesh—sorry, rtouchy. Get back to your teevee before you have a stroke.

Oh, f**k the media. They’re angry they didn’t get a corpse. CNN put together a story—interactive slide show and all—on her wedding registry. HER WEDDING REGISTRY. How is that news? Can someone please explain to me how that silly cow’s gift registry is NEWS?

I was talking about the folks in her hometown.

Carry on.

A next to last word from John Cole : “You have all the right to be mad at her for whatever silly reasons you can muster, although your anger would be better placed at CNN and the other idiots in cable television who have now wasted a week of airtime discussing this absurd non-issue. Your right for misplaced anger is firmly in place, but you have no right to use the justice system as a vehicle for petty revenge and payback because you were hoodwinked into giving a shit about something that was none of your damned business.”

And the Bestest Lastest Word from, of course, Jon Stewart

she has crazy bug eyes, you can tell about her instability just from one look into those Ted Bundy Eyes…