In these enlightened times, when civilization has reached such heights that folks have nothing better to do than pass judgment on perfect strangers, a poor soul in Lovelock finds herself not merely the victim of fate but also the subject of a public trial conducted by the Honorable High Court of Social Media, where the sentence is often death threats and a jury composed of those who have never so much as driven a wagon across a muddy street, let alone navigated a Nevada highway at dawn.
The unfortunate woman–whose name is withheld hereby out of mercy–not that it has stopped the righteous horde from sharpening their pitchforks–was making her way down Upper Valley Road when she ran into a woolly congregation of sheep. The collision was regrettable, fatal for 39 members of that noble order, and enough to summon the wrath of every armchair shepherd with an Internet connection.
Now, in any other part of the country, a motorist striking livestock might elicit some sympathy—perhaps a kind word, a neighborly shrug, or a lament for the unfortunate beasts. But no, the modern world demands a villain in every mishap, and this poor woman has been cast in the role, whether she auditioned or not.
Sheriff Jerry Allen, who likely has seen more than one steer lose a duel with a pickup truck, assures us that such accidents are a regular feature of rural life. Livestock, after all, have an ornery way of ignoring traffic laws. The good sheriff notes that neither speed, drink, nor the cursed cell phone played a role—only the unfortunate combination of a dim morning, a swift vehicle, and a considerable amount of mutton standing in the middle of the road.
Yet, the Court of Public Outrage will hear none of it. They demand justice, though what form it should take is unclear—perhaps a grand parade of sheep through the driver’s front yard as penance or an ironclad law requiring every ewe to carry a lantern and a bell. For now, the matter rests in the hands of the Pershing County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide if this beleaguered woman should face legal penalties, though the judgment of the masses is all but pre-rendered.
Sentenced to fear, shame, and the knowledge that one can make a mistake, one must never do so within sight of the all-seeing, all-condemning jury of the Internet.
The Old Blog in the Desert 