CO - Richard & Mayumi Heene charged in Balloon Boy hoax, Fort Collins, 2009 - #1

[Kat]

I predict now the family will now do the Media circuit either tomorrow or all next week and dad will work on choreographing a new YouTube Video. :sheesh:

TG I think you are right. I betcha anything that will happen.

As for the cost of this search~ the countless emergency people, law enforcement ~ to include scrambling helicopters (IIRC a blackhawk was said to have been in the air at one time, even if that's not correct) that take a LOT of money to not only fire up but to get up into the air.

This family should not profit from this incident. Period.

I'm very relieved that this child was found safely but I can't help but think that this will mean a week or two of interviews granted by the parents...to include fees being paid...etc.

If they earn a penny from this it needs to be turned back over for reimbursement to those agencies that searched.

To be honest this whole story stinks.

JMHO.

 

[gitana1]

I really agree. There are "attractive nuisance" laws that require landowners to make sure things that are dangerous and potentially attractive to children are properly guarded or the landowner will be held responsible if anyone is hurt on the property. Examples in Florida are sandpiles, pools, abandoned equipment, junkyards, etc. This applies to random people, parents should be held to a higher standard!

Haha and you're right, "boys will be boys" is more accurately "curious children will be curious children." I was a wild, hyperactive little girl who constantly tried to do gymnastics on the 2" wide top of a 6' high fence (I apparently NEEDED a balance beam). Now I realize why my mother trailed me like an undercover detective making sure I didn't kill myself. Meanwhile my brother was always holed up with a book telling on me.

My brothers and I were super wild too. We jumped from the scaffolding of buildings under construction onto huge dirt piles, we jumped off roofs into pools, we explored underground water drainage systems for miles, etc. But, my mom at least tried to protect us. She did not encourage this behavior and I can remember getting my butt smacked at least once for getting caught doing something dangerous. My parents taught us safety rules and taught us to respect others.
So, kids will be kids, they will act out and misbehave and takes risks. That's part of growing up. But, they will be much worse than usual if they are receiving no parenting at all. From what I saw from the show, these kids are actively encouraged to do whatever they want regardless of who it hurts, event if it hurts themselves.

 

[gibby207]

I would hope that the American public would let the parents and media know they're too revolted by such poor parenting to consider these people entertaining enough to encourage.

...But then I remember Octomom... :sheesh:

I just thought I saw someone here with the nic "octomom" but it was octobermoon... skeered me a bit.. lol

 

[momtective]

In light of the situation, I must admit the craft is pretty cool.

 

[amysmom]

It is possible that the kids didn't realize the ramifications of telling their parents that the brother had floated away -- I mean that there would be a massive search, 911, and all of that.

How old are the older boys?

Not that this is any kind of excuse ... just thinking this might be a prank that snowballed out of control.

bold by me

7 & 9/10..Yup! & I hope they NEVER pull another one like it!

 

[SuziQ]

Right now?

Yep as he was talking, the reporter said something like the boys were playing romper room with the cars.

 

[lawlady84]

Someone had better punish these boys' heenes... hahahah. Long day!

 

[legalmania]

So, what's gonna be the outcome?

Child Protective Services stepping in?
The family billed for search and rescue expenses?

Somehow I don't think it's going to be to let sleeping dogs lie.

I think the father knew that the boy wasn't in it. If he is a real scientist he would have know that the flying popcorn machine wouldn't hold that much weight. The whole family was outside testing it earlier from what I heard and it wouldn't surprise me if one of the boys talked little Falcon into getting in the basket and it broke and took off. I think the kids hid the basket inside the garage, with Falcon and came up with a story. This is JMO. So the parents should pay and I think protective services should step in and stop the tornado chasing with the kids and the exploitation of the children. Once again JMO.

 

[lizzysf]

Wait a minute. I just saw a video on JVM...dad with Falcon.. dad says he was scared and mad and yelled at him so he hid..
So... they knew all along he wasn't up in the balloon and was hiding? With all the searching was going on?? Am I misunderstanding this?

 

[Elphaba]

Given the size of the balloon and given the fact that an adult would have had input in getting the things up and going, I ponder how much encouragement they got from dad, to put this hoax into play. Something just isn't adding up, that they did this all on their own...

 

[PoppyH]

Here ya go boys & girls...pick your poison...lol
I think we all need a drink!

I will take one of each, I had to leave for awhile to make dinner and all I could think of was that poor child lying dead after falling out of that balloon. was thrilled to learn that he has been found safe, Told hubby If that was my child he would not sit for a week!! Hubby says back to me, I would have been hauling him off to the orphanage!!! LOL Give HIM a good scare like mommy and daddy was scared!! :woohoo:

 

[BirdieBoo]

Wait a minute. I just saw a video on JVM...dad with Falcon.. dad says he was scared and mad and yelled at him so he hid..
So... they knew all along he wasn't up in the balloon and was hiding? With all the searching was going on?? Am I misunderstanding this?

Regardless of the right & wrong & who did what in this situation:

This is a good reminder that children often hide when they are scared, so tonight might be a good time to remind your kids what to do in case of a fire.

 

[Openmind]

I am watching this event on of all shows Entertainment Tonight and my heart breaks for all the police and volunteers that chased this balloon and how devastated they were when the little boy was not in the balloon. Their assumption being he had been lost in flight. I hope they charge the family for the expense of this "rescue." Do people not respect boundaries anymore? I am grateful the little boy is safe and unhurt, but I echo those that say he, and his entire family, needs to learn some discipline.

Wanna bet, they are in all the tabloid magazines this week, and the family will see this as some great adventure?

 

[Snick1946]

This whole thing is starting to get that certain smell...

This could well have been the unintended result of kids' pranking around, but it also may well have been some thoughtless attempt on the part of the dad to get back in the spotlight that he must miss now that they aren't on reality TV. Think of all the appearence fees, etc they can garner with interviews etc.
I hope LE goes over these people with a fine comb. I'd bet there is more here than meets the eye. IMO, their whole account is already coming apart.

 

[Snick1946]

Here's a suggestion: Any fees, etc these people get for interviews, TV appearences, etc in connection with all this, less their expenses, goes to the benevolent funds of the Firefighters and police departments that worked so hard in this stunt.

 

[tater]

Sorry if these questions have been addressed but do either of these parents hold "real" jobs? Full time employment other than being an inventor down in the basement?

These storms they chase - what storms occur in Colorado that warrants the family sleeping fully clothed, waiting on "ninja mom" to wake the kids with a bull horn to load 'em up and move 'em out to watch the weather?

Plus, watching the end of JVM and it looks like Falcon's tshirt was on backwards.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

...Aaaaand new family reality show in... 10... 9... 8...

Good thing Kate and Jon have the divorce to help them compete.

These human zoos are getting disgusting.

 

[legalmania]

I predict now the family will now do the Media circuit either tomorrow or all next week and dad will work on choreographing a new YouTube Video. :sheesh:

Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me. I'm not watching.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

Just tried to watch a bit of the Wife Swap episode... ugh. Such an unpleasant family. They are like one giant college kid's FB page in which every photo has someone flipping the bird at the camera, as if that was ever cool.

Sigh.

 

[crystalgenie]

Why would anyone want to call CPS. What a joke... :furious: The morons that work at CPS can't seem to save the kids they investigate. How many stories have we all read... the poor starving babies in Escambia county that the female egg donor takes off and leaves for the weekend with 6 jello cups??? Gee... CPS had been over there several times. The children were under-weight and they did NOTHING!!! Now one of the twins is dead. That's only one story. If this wasn't a PR stunt... Then this is just kids being kids. I don't care what show these people have been on but kids do stupid things. I know I have done them too. I climbed all over the roof of our house. The houses were two story townhomes and the kids in our quad would walk back and forth across to see eachother. I had most excellent parents. They were strict if anything. They had no idea I was walking on the second story roof. I am sick of Jane Velez Mitchell not only is she snarky but her and her panel are screamy but an hour on this story. C'mon! Poor little Lindsay Baum... Michael Jackson died around the day of this child's disappearance and there was absoulutely nothing, no stories and she's still missing.

Yes, these parents may need to rein these kids in but they are healthy and happy. That's more than I can say for the rest of these deadbeat parents. Can't we all be happy the little boy is alive and drop the call "CPS" lines. I haven't ever heard one single story about CPS that was good, especially from the poor children stuck in their system and certainly not from the poor dead ones....

I had to vent, sorry for venting so much but not for what I said. BTW this wasn't directed at any specific person or post. I dont want to be banned but CPS ticks me off to no end!!!:banghead:

MOO!!!