Possibly the saddest, funniest story you'll ever read about hillbilly America

Exactly.
I feel sorry for that woman and her family, but the sheriff was in a tough spot.
Nine hours blocking a highway is long fucking time... especially when the cause is not a diesel or chemical spill but a trailer, being hauled by a farm tractor with the tires popped off.

I'd vote for Dick.
Being ignorant sometimes (not necessarily in this case) ought to be a crime.

The sheriff had to do something. Could he have handled it differently? Yes. After nine hours, the guy might have been out of patience.
Silver lining; I'm sure someone will come to this family's aid after reading about their plight.

 

1) What in hell is a "looky-loo?"
2) The fact that there is no gunplay involved in this story is the upset of the year.
3) The amiable Grandpa with the bird-killing windows is now my favorite American.

 

As Ragu adeptly summarizes, I think the writer struck the perfect balance in this story between empathy and comedy. The situation is pretty freaking sad, but it's also so absurd, it would be impossible to write straight. The sheriff stood in the rain for 12 hours and tried about 10 different ways to move the trailer over the course of nine hours. I'm not sure how that constitutes being a mean asshole.

 

I know I complain about southern California at times, but damn if I am not going out right now and kiss the ground where I live.

Barton, a grandma at 35 with gold streaks in red hair, tearfully contends that Nicholas County Sheriff Dick Garrett "showed no respect for my home" when he ultimately ordered two tractors to ram the thing and set it on its side.

On the other hand, Garrett, a wiry chain-smoker who ran for re-election with the slogan of "More 'Dick' in 2006," maintains that anybody who thinks it's a fine plan to pay somebody $200 to move their 25-year-old home, all their belongings, and a passel of pets with a farm tractor can't exactly complain when things go wrong.

 

Barton, who helps manage the mobile park where she lived, paid for her home with a settlement from an automobile accident. It's the first home she's owned by herself.

The American spirit of industry and hard work is alive and well.


Double down, thanks for posting. This is fascinating.

 

Re: Possibly the saddest, funniest story you'll ever read about hillbilly Americ

According to the comments section, Grandma Barton has three pending welfare fraud charges against her. For someone who struck the jackpot on an accident settlement, that's not hugely surprising.

 

1) What in hell is a "looky-loo?"

What, do you travel by covered wagon? Looky-loos are the people who slow down in their cars to get a better glimpse of the mishap.

 

Talk about "Battle of the Network Stars" moment. Damn, that Hillbilly Bear dad still makes me laugh. Rassa-sasss-frassa dad gum, fracka frack.... etc.

 

Also known as rubber-neckers on the East coast.

 

12 people living in a single-wide?

 

that, in its own way, is one of the greatest newspaper stories i've ever read. the writer just let it all happen, didn't patronize, let the people come through the words. my favorite part? the place where i just about fell off my chair in surprise? where the old guy's windows are so clear birds smash into them. i mean, at that point, most reporters are just swinging into their close, but this writer cared enough to wedge it that superb, telling detail. take a bow: that is someone who cares about what she is doing.

 

I actually agree with this.

It fits all the "redneck" sterotypes that there are a bunch of people living in a trailer. But this is also a large group of people that lost their place to live. 35-year-old grandma lady might be a piece of work, but what of the rest of them?

It actually made me sad for this woman, who had opened her home, tiny as it is, to shelter all those people. I hope this publicity gets them some help.