"Balloon Boy" Outs His Parents On CNN For Publicity Stunt

Talk about "jumping to conclusions". ONE word does it, when it comes to the conclusions of this genius.

When the various individuals and groups stop making mistakes we will all be able to trust these types of reactions. Until then, the benefit of a doubt is always the prudent and reasonable expectation.

Handsomestofall-

All too often people jump to conclusions with little information and the media which is more often opinion based instead of fact based doesn't help.

Determining someones guilt this way is wrong. I would hate it if it happened to me.

Reminds me of the old days with vigilante groups, lynchings and no trials.

What if it gets out that there was no access inside the balloon??? The authorities didn't see a way inside this 'spaceship'....other than tearing into it... Looking at the video of the 'countown/takeoff,' delaying their 911 call, opting for calling the news media's 'eye in the sky' BEFORE calling the proper authorities....what a show....mom's angst over her 6 yr 0ld's ignorance of how to 'fly' a frikkin' bollOOOn....?? just where was this kid supposed to be inside of this ignorant contraption??

....anybody without any skepticism, especially in this day and age...puhlEEze.....

I say this BS is JUST the thing our society should expect to see more of, considering all the STUPID television shows out there.....like...uh...wife swap....??

It sure looks like a "mistake in identity". A sequence of mistakes led to a situation whereby NOW the family is using the media attention to their advantage. That is how real life works. It was one of the brothers that pointed out that Falcon entered the baloon. It was not the parents.

Handsome.., are you related to the Heenes? In the face of all objective evidence, you continue to defend them. There was a balloon expert on CNN news who said that no balloon that size and weight could have flown higher than the treetops if a child had been in the box - so, there were a lot of uninformed people who got suckered into this hoax just because there was a kid involved. Put a kid, a dog or a kitten in the story, and America eats it up, no matter how outlandish the pretext. It's hard to overestimate the guillibility of the media and the public. This is what happens when the news media play to emotions instead of to facts.

This was a huge waste of time and money to thousands of people, including those whose flights were delayed or rerouted from Denver.

My own step-kids had a habit of doing things like this. One time we had the police and others in the community out looking for about two hours after his teacher reported him missing.

He was is a box in a closet behind her desk. He was nine at the time.

Winelover: Personally, I have no stake in the fate of the Heenes family. I never heard of them, don't know a soul in CO, and have never been interested in the "reality" BS either. What disgusts me, is the joy that some people, like you, get in ruining other people's lives. Did your mom beat you up daily, during your childhood, and you have the urge to pass on the pain? Is that the problem?

The waste was caused by many people jumping to conclusions: Falcon's brother that mentioned that the 6 year old might have entered the balloon, the police investigators that didn't bring police dogs to search the property (and attic) immediately, while scouring the neighborhood for a hiding kid (typical in all these situations), the media that saw a money making opportunity, the NTSB that didn't notice all these previous discrepancies when entering the scene.

Pinning the blame on one entity is real typical for this society. People like you are a dime a dozen. You want to prove that this was a setup? Be my guest... However, YOU must bear the costs for proving this WITHOUT harming this family. Unfortunately the current system (backed by individuals like you) ruins the accused, while attempting to prove their innocence or guilt. It's up to YOU to pay for it all, and protect the accused from being harmed during this process. Can YOU do that? It's doubtful that you can or that you want to.

Kids "testimony" is not always reliable. Kids tend to say what "authorities" want to hear (parents, journalists, doctors, etc). Some kids are more mature, others are less mature. Six year olds are usually not sophisticated enough to avoid this pitfall.

Makes sense if he's running away from his parents and scared of being punished (especially if he hears their voices as they are looking for him.)

Nope, can't buy it. I've raised three sons and now have grandsons that age. Six year olds just don't have the capacity to sit still for that long. If this boy did, then he was scared to death, and that is not a good sign. I repeat - I'm having problems with this story.

he supposedly took a nap, I read in one article.

Philip

I have to disagree. Everyone is different including children. I'm glad you never experienced anything like this. I have raised my own children, 4 step children, and had a dozen foster kids, some through the courts, some from neighbors or friends who simply couldn't deal with their children for whatever reason.

Many strange things can and do happen with children. Some is caused by abuse, some simply children's fantasy's, some just strange ideas because of the way they see the world.

One child ate a dozen worms when he got to school one rainy day because over the weekend we had gone fishing. Seeing an adult standing there putting half a worm on a hook he assumed the adult had eaten the other half. He didn't realize the worm had been torn in half to go on two hooks. I found out he ate the worms when the school sent him home sick after he had spaghetti for lunch.

This was the same child who I talked about in #3.3

i'm there with you.

They really needed to ask some follow up questions with the kid, like "what show do you mean?" and get some details.

he could have meant anything, including that this was a hoax, but we don't really know.

Greck:

I agree. From my perspective it does not look like a hoax because there are so many unanswered questions. The problem, with this situation, is that at least 2 young kids hold the keys to the answers (Falcon and the brother that pointed him as being in the balloon). Young kids' answers and comments are not always reliable (before, during, and after) any given conversation. Therefore, an issue such as this might not be solvable.

...in the balloon ??? can anyone even get in the balloon?? I'm thinking this guy took his family on a ride into the wild, wild world of manipulation....looking at the home videos, it sure looks to me like daddy counted down the launching of this ignorant enterprise, and then acted all upset when the thing actually got into the air...now, you can blame his being upset on his thinking that his kid was 'inside' this doorless vessel, but....what in heavens was he doing releasing the balloon in the first place??...what sort of count-down is needed in order to 'release' this thing 10 or 20 feet in the air?? I just can't buy this as anything but a cynical ploy for media attention...

The premise of the kid being 'inside'.....anybody...show be the way in....probably not gonna happen...sooo many defenders of the holy father figure out there...you know how that liberal media is out to destroy the family....wackos, all, here's your sign....'wife swaps pursued for money'......subtitle; It's profitable, being an idiot..on TV... Lalaland Inc.

"In the balloon" means "in the equipment compartment" attached to the bottom of the balloon in this case. The small kid fit in it.

okay, handsome;

"In the balloon" means "in the equipment compartment" attached to the bottom of the balloon in this case. The small kid fit in it.

ooohhhh...the equipment compartment....link me a pic of that, would yuh?

i heard this morning, on BBC, that criminal charges are iminent against the father...

so now I guess you can frame this new scenario as government ineptitude and corruption....right??? ..I mean, beings you know so @!$%#in' much.... are you one of those who will never admit they might be wrong??

Wasn't it obvious? They made fools out of themselves. They have to cover up the mess somehow, don't you think? After all, we're talking about major agencies being pulled into a story that didn't end up with a death kid! Someone's "gotta pay"! There's nothing new here. Same ole' crap!

Doesn't it sound suspicious when the county sheriff apologizes to the local media for deceiving them publically, for a "good" cause (louring-in the family, without an attorney by their side -- talk about naive!)

It seems to have been a hoax, as the Associated Press article linked to below cites a sheriff stating today, Sunday, October 18. They fooled me.

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/10/18/3395451-colorado-sheriff-runaway-balloon-saga-was-hoax

I look forward to learning more about how officials determined it was a hoax and their evidence.

handsome;

Wasn't it obvious? They made fools out of themselves. They have to cover up the mess somehow, don't you think?

'they', being the authorities....cover up ?? ....my goodness, but you've lost your frikkin mind....so it's the authorities that should be indicted for their 'cover up' wow...you MUST be related to the real perp...or...a GOPer.... what??? even the obvious, right in your face obligations for objectivity get your proud dismissal ?? You cannot admit the possibility of this being a publicity stunt, that is what amazes me....

It's not clear that "he" wanted this. It "is" clear that the medias are racking in the advertising bucks and eventually this family will too (intentionally or unintentionally.) To me it looks like the media has indeed used this "opportunity", as well as this family, in an inappropriate manner.

We all have to remember that the media IS the message!

Little kids say a lot of things. Usually it relates to what adults expect of them. Not all these "things" are accurate.

I agree. This event was blown way out of proportion. What a waste of time - hoax or no hoax.

Many experts believe that stress is good for us. Therefore, the father is behaving as expected. However, the mother seemed incapable of uttering coherent sentences. Should we have the mother removed from this family due to total incompetence? Should the kids be raised by more "adequate" parents chosen by the experts (child protective services, of course)?

;-)