Run, Jenny, Run!

Jennifer Wilbanks ran away from home. Now an outraged public wants to hang her for it.

There is no question that at the very least it would be considered common courtesy to share with any friends and family who might exist in one's life the fact that one is planning an impromptu wandertag. Especially when that incidence of wandering away coincides with an impending wedding. Fortunately for about 99.9% of this nation, a lack of common courtesy is not punishable by fine or imprisonment in this nation.

Jennifer Wilbanks is an adult. She is not legally accountable to anyone if she chooses to travel within the country. Within the country being key, because it is the business of government to track those who come and go across our borders. (No, we'll leave the Minuteman Project discussion for another time.) She has every right to take off any time she likes, to go anywhere she likes, and to take with her as many or as few of her possessions as she might choose.

In this case, she was fortunate enough to have friends and family who love her and care for her. They called the police and reported her missing. That's what loving families do when loved one's disappear without warning or reason. The police launched an investigation into this missing person. That is what police do. The community pulled together and poured its heart and soul into finding this missing young woman. That is what communities (are supposed to) do.

What has everyone's collective panties in a knot is that she "filed a false report". While that is technically a fact, that crime took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the authorities declined to press any charges. They recognized that a scared young woman pulled a stupid stunt, and tried to cover it with a stupider stunt. When confronted with skepticism over her story, she admitted she got cold feet and hopped a bus and that there was no abduction at all.

And the false report is not what has people all worked up. People are outraged that they "wasted" their time looking for a missing woman who wasn't, and that the police wasted money and manpower in a meaningless search. Most of all, people are embarrassed that they were sucked in by this case and they are covering their embarrassment with anger at the perceived cause of that uncomfortable feeling. After all, this is America. If anything transpires less than 100% perfectly it must be somebody's fault, and that somebody must be made to pay. And pay. And pay. And if it can be managed, pay some more.

People, get a grip. Jennifer Wilbanks did something she no doubt wishes in retrospect she hadn't or at least had handled differently. The police, family, friends, and community took part in a search they didn't need to and wish they hadn't. That's all well and good. Now, get over it. Accept that something that shouldn't have happened, happened. Sometimes things do. Accept, and even applaud, that the system in place to care for the members of our communities worked the way it was supposed. Rejoice that a woman was returned home alive, instead of dead as is so much more often the case.

And move on to tomorrow. Please?