Thread: Balloon Boy

As a resident of Colorado I would like to apologize to the entire country for what appears to be a hoax or a publicity stunt. Around noon (Mountain Time) yesterday I heard a Denver radio call-in show host talking about a 6-year-old boy flying in a homemade helium balloon. I went home and watched the events unfold. I had no sense of scale of the balloon (and therefore no idea of its potential lift) but it appeared to me that it was not carrying any load. When the balloon finally landed I could see that it was a small craft that most likely did not have enough lift to carry a child thousands of feet into the Colorado sky. I'm sure the father (who built the balloon) knew this all along. Why did he not notify authorities of this fact? Hmmm. (The radio host left his show early and went looking for the kid (who at the time was thought to have fallen out of the balloon) in his personal helicopter.)

Luckily the kid is safe. He was hiding in the garage attic all along. Cops "thoroughly searched" the house and reported he was not in the house. How could they miss him? Hmmm. And it is reported now that the father said the garage attic is the kid's "favorite hiding spot". Why would he not look there or at least tell the cops to look there? Hmmm.

This family craves attention. They are storm chasers. The father took the entire family to be in the middle of Hurricane Gustav. I worked that hurricane for FEMA and I saw the destruction it caused. I would NEVER put my kids' lives at risk for a cheap thrill like that. The family has also appeared on a reality TV show - twice. Maybe they loved the attention that brought and they cooked up the "boy in the balloon" stunt to get some more attention. Who knows? The whole thing is fishy.

Again, my apologies for this embarassing event. This kooky family is not representative of Colorado families.

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Bruce,

Well, it's about time someone apologized for that fiasco. It seems pretty clear to me that this was a publicity stunt. I feel really bad for the little kid who is probably just trying to please his father.

It's sick the stuff parents drag their kids into - Beauty pagnets, TV commericals/modeling, political protests (it absolutely boils my blood to see some kid holding a sign that they can't even read).

I'd NEVER expose my children to that kind of crap. The parents that do these things must be sick in the head and trying to make up for some percieved shortcoming in their own childhood or life.

Balloon boy incident raises more questions, officials say - CNN.com

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

Bruce,

Well, it's about time someone apologized for that fiasco. .

.
I hope You Step up to the Plate ( so to speak ) for the Rockies at the End of The Season.
.

When are you all going to apologize for that Coors beer?

rick

Finally!!

Charges Will Be Filed After Balloon Incident

Two days after a Colorado family told police that their homemade flying saucer had floated out of their backyard carrying a 6-year-old boy, prompting a widespread search and national news media coverage, the authorities said Saturday evening that charges were pending in the case.

The announcement, by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, indicated that the authorities had gleaned new information from the family of Richard and Mayumi Heene after interviewing them for hours earlier in the day.

The office did not identify the specific charge or charges on Saturday, but said a Class 3 misdemeanor charge was possible, according to The Associated Press. False reporting of a crime falls under that class of misdemeanor.

The sheriff, Jim Alderden, said a Class 3 misdemeanor “hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances.” He added, “We are talking to the district attorney, federal officials to see if perhaps there aren’t additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance.”

. . .

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

When are you all going to apologize for that Coors beer?

rick

Hey I like coors beer It Makes me a jolly good fellooooo...burp

Best

Ron

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

.
I hope You Step up to the Plate ( so to speak ) for the Rockies at the End of The Season.
.

No apologies necessary. The Rockies just couldn't beat both the Phillies and the umpires.

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

When are you all going to apologize for that Coors beer?

Touche. But when are you going to thank me for Fat Tire beer?

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

Touche. But when are you going to thank me for Fat Tire beer?

Thats some good stuff! I miss colorado! I wanted to move out there but the wife didnt want to