6 yr. old alone in runaway experimental balloon (1 Viewer)

[Big Rocks]

This family being involved with the show Wife Swap just makes it even better.

 

[pantagrapher]

**** in a Box

 

[Schlzm]

**** in a Box

 

[Death Bytes]

When the police got involved, most kids would have confessed at that point. When the first news camera showed up, you'd think that would have done it.

You have to remember that these kids were on two different episodes of Wife Swap. These aren't your average kids. Cameras don't scare them. In fact, having cameras show up may have been the whole motivation for the hoax. They probably figured it was a way to get back on TV again. They were right!

 

[Harry Manback]

Not to mention they were told the kid was in the balloon! Why the hell wouldn't they believe it???

Because it was physically impossible to: a) board the balloon or b) have the balloon lift the child in a phantom seat within the balloon.

Dude, ####. Seriously.You think if this were possible to determine the police would have called in a ####### Blackhawk helicopter?

You look like a jackass.

Seriously we were contemplating attaching a giant net to aircraft to attempt a cartoonesque airborne rescue thirty minutes before the damn thing landed gently of its own accord (then was pummelled into submission). It's fun to give a ton of #### to the media over this but no one knew what was going on.Schlzm

The police (you know, the ones who were actually there, heard the stories, and did the investigating) seemed to think calling in a Blackhawk helipcopter was warranted.But Tigran here knew all along he was in the attic, and he woulda found him within 5 minutes.

He also brings up some physics BS, as if this makes it a certainty the kid couldn't have been in the balloon, without actually knowing anything about the balloon, how filled it was, how big the balloon was, how big the crate below it was.

He comes in all condescending and self-righteous ####ting on the police for taking the fact that the kid may have been 8000 feet in the air seriously.

But if they didn't take it seriously because they used his stellar deductive skills, and the kid turned out to actually be in the balloon and died, he would have lambasted them for not doing enough.

People like him piss me off, who are so detached from reality, so in love with themselves that they really think they know more than anyone else about any given subject.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Sounds like Officer Barbrady was on the case.

who is that in your avatar dammit?eta: applegate?

Tina Fey

http://deadon.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/tinafey_21313.jpg

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

Not to mention they were told the kid was in the balloon! Why the hell wouldn't they believe it???

Because it was physically impossible to: a) board the balloon or b) have the balloon lift the child in a phantom seat within the balloon.

Dude, ####. Seriously.You think if this were possible to determine the police would have called in a ####### Blackhawk helicopter?

You look like a jackass.

Seriously we were contemplating attaching a giant net to aircraft to attempt a cartoonesque airborne rescue thirty minutes before the damn thing landed gently of its own accord (then was pummelled into submission). It's fun to give a ton of #### to the media over this but no one knew what was going on.Schlzm

The police (you know, the ones who were actually there, heard the stories, and did the investigating) seemed to think calling in a Blackhawk helipcopter was warranted.But Tigran here knew all along he was in the attic, and he woulda found him within 5 minutes.

He also brings up some physics BS, as if this makes it a certainty the kid couldn't have been in the balloon, without actually knowing anything about the balloon, how filled it was, how big the balloon was, how big the crate below it was.

He comes in all condescending and self-righteous ####ting on the police for taking the fact that the kid may have been 8000 feet in the air seriously.

But if they didn't take it seriously because they used his stellar deductive skills, and the kid turned out to actually be in the balloon and died, he would have lambasted them for not doing enough.

People like him piss me off, who are so detached from reality, so in love with themselves that they really think they know more than anyone else about any given subject.

Who was right? Me or Blackhawk Down over in Colorado?

 

[Harry Manback]

Sure, now we do.

You think they did at the time? ####### you people are unreal. Get off your ####### high horse.

Face it, you would have done the same damn things as the professionals (you know, the people trained to do this sort of thing) did.

But I'm sure you would have dismissed the brother saying he was in fact in the balloon, not even bothered with attempting a rescue, gone straight to the attack went right to the box he was in and opened it. Case closed.

We've got Inspector Gadget here folks.

Keep it up.

You got me, good one.

I knew you weren't really that stupid.

I can admit when I was fished.

You're a dumbass.. seriously.

So you really are that stupid.OK.

 

[Dexter Manley]

Not to mention they were told the kid was in the balloon! Why the hell wouldn't they believe it???

Because it was physically impossible to: a) board the balloon or b) have the balloon lift the child in a phantom seat within the balloon.

Dude, ####. Seriously.You think if this were possible to determine the police would have called in a ####### Blackhawk helicopter?You look like a jackass.

Seriously we were contemplating attaching a giant net to aircraft to attempt a cartoonesque airborne rescue thirty minutes before the damn thing landed gently of its own accord (then was pummelled into submission). It's fun to give a ton of #### to the media over this but no one knew what was going on.Schlzm

That was my favorite part of this thread. People advocating attaching a giant net to helicopters and having the kid jump into said net at 8000 feetl.

 

[-jb-]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

 

[Big Rocks]

**** in a Box

 

[Death Bytes]

Not to mention they were told the kid was in the balloon! Why the hell wouldn't they believe it???

Because it was physically impossible to: a) board the balloon or b) have the balloon lift the child in a phantom seat within the balloon.

And don't forget the fact that the only witness was what... 8 years old?

But he was consistent.Look, when a little kid's story flies in the face of back of the envelope physics, it might be time to consider alternatives.

You're right. You're exactly right. This is why I would never make it as a cop. To be a cop you've got to go with your gut instinct, and that gut needs to be filled with 80 extra pounds of jelly filled powered sugar covered donuts. Oh, and you need to be within a 4 degree relative of Wolf Blitzer too.

 

[Harry Manback]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

 

[Dexter Manley]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

In defense of the police here, apparently the 8 yo brother was 100% consistent in what he told them under heavy questioning. To put this in perspective, think about how many adults waffle and fold under police questioning. If an 8 yo is continually saying the same thing and not contradicting himself while being questioned by police, they are almost certainly going to believe the kid.

 

[John Mamula]

In this thread: Taking sides of who is to blame in hot air balloon hoaxes is extremely serious business.

 

[Harry Manback]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

In defense of the police here, apparently the 8 yo brother was 100% consistent in what he told them under heavy questioning. To put this in perspective, think about how many adults waffle and fold under police questioning. If an 8 yo is continually saying the same thing and not contradicting himself while being questioned by police, they are almost certainly going to believe the kid.

Naw man, they shoulda known better.

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

 

[Death Bytes]

The lesson to be learned here is that no matter how consistent an 8 year old's testimony is, eventually the JiffyPop foil will rip! Just give it time.

 

[-jb-]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

I agree that you can't dismiss the possibility of the kid being in the balloon until you can speak to someone that can give you some good information on what is possible. A good police officer would understand that, and speak to an expert on the subject of this balloon. If only there was such an expert close by to answer such questions in this time of need. Someone with intimate knowledge of such balloon technology. Perhaps someone who has been involved in the designing and construction of such an apparatus. If only someone like that were available...wait a minute...what......who.........oh............never mind.

 

[Harry Manback]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

It's okay to be wrong.

 

[-jb-]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

In defense of the police here, apparently the 8 yo brother was 100% consistent in what he told them under heavy questioning. To put this in perspective, think about how many adults waffle and fold under police questioning. If an 8 yo is continually saying the same thing and not contradicting himself while being questioned by police, they are almost certainly going to believe the kid.

Yeah, I can only imagine how the father would have crumbled when questioned by the police. After all, who is he to answer questions about that wacky flying machine in his back yard? Best to only listen to the nine year-old. I mean, he was 100% consistent, right?

 

[Harry Manback]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

I agree that you can't dismiss the possibility of the kid being in the balloon until you can speak to someone that can give you some good information on what is possible. A good police officer would understand that, and speak to an expert on the subject of this balloon. If only there was such an expert close by to answer such questions in this time of need. Someone with intimate knowledge of such balloon technology. Perhaps someone who has been involved in the designing and construction of such an apparatus. If only someone like that were available...wait a minute...what......who.........oh............never mind.

You really don't think they tried to determine if it was possible before blowing thousands of dollars launching a blackhawk to try and stage a rescue?Really??

It's easy to say after the fact, but while this is happening you don't have the luxury of reaching out to the FFA to do some rudimentary physics and determine that the kids hiding in the attic.

Jesus christ.

 

[Death Bytes]

Lifetime just offered $250K for the rights to the movie.It'll be a made for TV movie though. Who should the cast?

Lifetime just withdrew the offer.However ABC is considering the story for an after school special.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Knowing six year olds like I do, I am holding out hope that the kid is literally behind a tree at the famliy home terrified to come out because he thinks he's in trouble.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Knowing six year olds like I do, I am holding out hope that the kid is literally behind a tree at the famliy home terrified to come out because he thinks he's in trouble.

If that was my kid, he'd wish he had gone up in that balloon by the time I was done with him.

 

[GroveDiesel]

In this thread: Taking sides of who is to blame in hot air balloon hoaxes is extremely serious business.

Seriously. Some people taking this unbelievably personally. I don't get it.

 

[Death Bytes]

This thing made 8 pages in 2 hours. The story on pg 1 sounds horrendous ... what's the Cliffs version of pp 2-8?

Any develpments, any good non-video links?

Apparently it was nothing more than a JiffyPop promotion.

C'mon, DB ... my brother in initials. Shoot me straight.

We'll have to wait until the news media is done with this before we get the straight facts. And I'm not kidding in the least!!!

OK. The media is done with the story. So out come the straight facts!!! God Bless America!!!!

 

[Harry Manback]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

It's okay to be wrong.

What exactly am I wrong about?At the time this was happening, based on the info the police had, it was not inapropriate to assume he could have been in the balloon, and to take appropriate precautions.

I'm sure they searched the house, I'm sure they called for him. Short of bringing dogs in I don't see how they could be expected to find him in the house. it wouldn't have made any sense to waste resources searching the house, when they needed to search god knows how many miles for a kid who potentially fell to his death from a balloon.

You are assuming way too many things after the fact, because you know now what happened. It's easy to say after the fact that it was stupid for the cops to even consider the fact that he was in the balloon, but no one knew for sure. You seem to think you did.

 

[E Street Brat]

Did they find the kid?

 

[Dexter Manley]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

I agree that you can't dismiss the possibility of the kid being in the balloon until you can speak to someone that can give you some good information on what is possible. A good police officer would understand that, and speak to an expert on the subject of this balloon. If only there was such an expert close by to answer such questions in this time of need. Someone with intimate knowledge of such balloon technology. Perhaps someone who has been involved in the designing and construction of such an apparatus. If only someone like that were available...wait a minute...what......who.........oh............never mind.

I'll put on my funny hat and start smoking my Sherlock Holmes pipe and venture that the dad was a complete wreck at the time since he thought his 6 yo was 1000's of feet up in the air in his weather balloon. A lot of people cannot deal with anything effectively or rationally if their kid is hurt or in harm's way.For example, I remember on one vacation as a kid, me, my sister, and dad were swimming in the pool at the campground we were spending the night at. My sister jumps off into the water feet first facing away from the pool, and the edge of the pool sliced right through her bottom lip. My sister was crying and a bloody mess, and we quickly made our way back to the RV to go to the ER. My dad was so frazzled that he kept fumbling the keys and could barely hold onto them, let alone get the key in the lock.

I finally grabbed them from him and opened the door. The point is, a lot of parents cannot function properly when their kid is hurt or in harm's way.

 

[Harry Manback]

In this thread: Taking sides of who is to blame in hot air balloon hoaxes is extremely serious business.

Seriously. Some people taking this unbelievably personally. I don't get it.

I dislike smug know-it-alls, although I supposed being in the FFA I should have known better! Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I blame myself.

 

[-jb-]

Hindsight is 20/20.

I love you people who think that rough estimates of the balloons size and shape would be enough to definitively determine the boy couldn't be there.

Look at that, some dude surfing the internet figured it all out while an entire police for couldn't.

I'm sure you knew that Jaycee Duggard was living in tent city the entire time, because, well, it was obvious!

Mentioning Duggard as an example of fine police work doesn't exactly help your point here. The police admitted their negligence on that one. Was it obvious that Jaycee was in tent city? No, but it probably would have been a good idea for the police to actually check a sex offenders back yard when they were sent there to do just that. Similarly, it would have made sense for the police to interview the father on the balloons capabilities and his kid's tendencies. The police officer in the press conference said as much that kids hide in situations like this because they think they will get in trouble. I really don't think it's unreasonable to 1) deduce that it's unlikely the kid was on the balloon, and 2) find him hiding in your own house.

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

I agree that you can't dismiss the possibility of the kid being in the balloon until you can speak to someone that can give you some good information on what is possible. A good police officer would understand that, and speak to an expert on the subject of this balloon. If only there was such an expert close by to answer such questions in this time of need. Someone with intimate knowledge of such balloon technology. Perhaps someone who has been involved in the designing and construction of such an apparatus. If only someone like that were available...wait a minute...what......who.........oh............never mind.

You really don't think they tried to determine if it was possible before blowing thousands of dollars launching a blackhawk to try and stage a rescue?Really??

It's easy to say after the fact, but while this is happening you don't have the luxury of reaching out to the FFA to do some rudimentary physics and determine that the kids hiding in the attic.

Jesus christ.

I clearly don't know the whole story, but all we've heard is that they asked the nine year-old what happened. The nine year-old. Not the father. The nine year-old. I haven't heard them say anything to the tune of, "We spoke to the father, the guy who designed the balloon, and he concurs that it's possible for his son to be carried away in it. Based on this information, we've deployed some Blackhawk helicopters and we've called in Austin Powers to sky dive onto the top of it." In fact, the only thing we have heard about the design of this thing is that it was intended to float 20 feet above the ground.Perhaps the media is doing the right thing by protecting the father, but given the circus today that flies in the face of reason.

If your son told a neighbor that he built a floating lawn chair out of some trash bags and old blowdryers, would your neighbor ask for a ride? Or maybe he'd check with the adult to see what the heck the son was talking about. Not sure.

 

[Capella]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

Well, he was right, wasn't he?

 

[Norman Einstein]

Knowing six year olds like I do, I am holding out hope that the kid is literally behind a tree at the famliy home terrified to come out because he thinks he's in trouble.

If that was my kid, he'd wish he had gone up in that balloon by the time I was done with him.

i did like the discussion on CNN about the appropriate punishment for this act...

 

[cstu]

Has the Not ####ified video been posted yet?

 

[Norman Einstein]

i'm glad the kid is safe and at home...

i was beginning to get the feeling this was going to turn out to be an elaborate coverup for something much worse....it was in Colorado after all...

 

[Harry Manback]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

Well, he was right, wasn't he?

Not the point I'm trying to make.All I'm saying is to act outraged that the police took the fact the kid may have been in the balloon seriously, because you read on a message board that the vessel couldn't have floated away a kid, even though we had 5 different formulas, with 5 different results, and even right now, no one is even sure of the exact dimensions of the thing, is stupid.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Knowing six year olds like I do, I am holding out hope that the kid is literally behind a tree at the famliy home terrified to come out because he thinks he's in trouble.

If that was my kid, he'd wish he had gone up in that balloon by the time I was done with him.

My son choked on a grape once and I had to heimlich him. I was so terrified, I'd have a hard time feeling angry if I were the parent. In a case like this, the obvious question is why did the son even have access to this device?

 

[Capella]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

Well, he was right, wasn't he?

Not the point I'm trying to make.All I'm saying is to act outraged that the police took the fact the kid may have been in the balloon seriously, because you read on a message board that the vessel couldn't have floated away a kid, even though we had 5 different formulas, with 5 different results, and even right now, no one is even sure of the exact dimensions of the thing, is stupid.

I took his point to be about how idiotic the media is, hence the comment "Interesting to see the media botch this a dozen different ways." I don't think anyone is complaining about the cops covering all angles.

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

They were looking though. He was insisting they should have found a kid hiding in a box in a freaking attic, and not even taken the fact that the brother said he was in the balloon seriously.

I maintain that they should have taken it seriously, and they should NOT have relied on his Jr. Mathematician skillz to determine the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

It's asinine to say, after the fact, that you knew he wasn't in the balloon or that the police should have known better than to take that possibility seriously, because you know if they hadn't take it seriously, and it turns out the kid was in the balloon, youd never hear the end from him about how inept the police were for not doing something about the kid in the balloon.

How about before the fact?

You're so smart!:swoon:

It's okay to be wrong.

What exactly am I wrong about?At the time this was happening, based on the info the police had, it was not inapropriate to assume he could have been in the balloon, and to take appropriate precautions.

I'm sure they searched the house, I'm sure they called for him. Short of bringing dogs in I don't see how they could be expected to find him in the house. it wouldn't have made any sense to waste resources searching the house, when they needed to search god knows how many miles for a kid who potentially fell to his death from a balloon.

You are assuming way too many things after the fact, because you know now what happened. It's easy to say after the fact that it was stupid for the cops to even consider the fact that he was in the balloon, but no one knew for sure. You seem to think you did.

Pretty much everything.Look, son... I'm a chess super grandmaster. The "Iron Tigran." World Chess Champion 1963-1969 back when your parents were probably playing with blocks. I'm a four time Soviet Champion and brainchild of the Petrosian Variation of the King's Indian Defense. I honestly don't know what it's like to wallow in serfdom, be distracted by shiny objects, or not seriously ponder life's great questions. I can't and won't sympathize with that kind of existence. My brain won't even allow it after a night of good vodka and revelry. You and I... we live in entirely different worlds.

So situations like these? They are like a simple combination.. mate in three. You scan the board, and without even calculating.. you have it. Voilà! Like a bolt from the blue.

I know this kind of intuition isn't inherent to us all, but at least know when you have it and when you don't. How do you know you wonder? When you frustrate the hell out of Botvinnik until he wilts like a pulled weed, you know.

 

[Harry Manback]

Well, he was right, wasn't he?

Not the point I'm trying to make.All I'm saying is to act outraged that the police took the fact the kid may have been in the balloon seriously, because you read on a message board that the vessel couldn't have floated away a kid, even though we had 5 different formulas, with 5 different results, and even right now, no one is even sure of the exact dimensions of the thing, is stupid.

I took his point to be about how idiotic the media is, hence the comment "Interesting to see the media botch this a dozen different ways." I don't think anyone is complaining about the cops covering all angles.

My issue was with his statement that they should have found him in the attic sooner.My stance is why should they have? They concentrated their resources on the worst case scenario, that he was actually inside the balloon. He maintains they should have known that was impossible. I think it's easy to say that now, after the fact when we know he wasn't in there. But it's stupid to say that you would have done things differently, when an entire police force didn't.

 

[Harry Manback]

It's okay to be wrong.

What exactly am I wrong about?At the time this was happening, based on the info the police had, it was not inapropriate to assume he could have been in the balloon, and to take appropriate precautions.

I'm sure they searched the house, I'm sure they called for him. Short of bringing dogs in I don't see how they could be expected to find him in the house. it wouldn't have made any sense to waste resources searching the house, when they needed to search god knows how many miles for a kid who potentially fell to his death from a balloon.

You are assuming way too many things after the fact, because you know now what happened. It's easy to say after the fact that it was stupid for the cops to even consider the fact that he was in the balloon, but no one knew for sure. You seem to think you did.

Pretty much everything.Look, son... I'm a chess super grandmaster. The "Iron Tigran." World Chess Champion 1963-1969 back when your parents were probably playing with blocks. I'm a four time Soviet Champion and brainchild of the Petrosian Variation of the King's Indian Defense. I honestly don't know what it's like to wallow in serfdom, be distracted by shiny objects, or not seriously ponder life's great questions. I can't and won't sympathize with that kind of existence. My brain won't even allow it after a night of good vodka and revelry. You and I... we live in entirely different worlds.

So situations like these? They are like a simple combination.. mate in three. You scan the board, and without even calculating.. you have it. Voilà! Like a bolt from the blue.

I know this kind of intuition isn't inherent to us all, but at least know when you have it and when you don't. How do you know you wonder? When you frustrate the hell out of Botvinnik until he wilts like a pulled weed, you know.

All I gleened from this post was the bolded.I'm going to get high, after reading my posts, looks like I need it.



But I still think its stupid to say the police should have known the kid couldn't have been in the balloon.

 

[RudiStein]

I am really tempted to change the name of my fantasy team to the Falcon Henne Air Farce.

No?

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

I am really tempted to change the name of my fantasy team to the Falcon Henne Air Farce.No?

Heene... and do it.

 

[desert rose]

So how many of those saucer shaped balloons would it take to lift a house and fly it to South America?

 

[RudiStein]

I am really tempted to change the name of my fantasy team to the Falcon Henne Air Farce.No?

Heene... and do it.

Thanks. Heene is actually funnier.

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

In the interview, Mr. Heene is saying that this balloon is a "Jetson's type craft" that uses a "million volts" to create a "plasma field."

I'm not sure people are acknowledging just how nuts this guy is yet.

 

[ODoyleRules]

Lifetime just offered $250K for the rights to the movie.It'll be a made for TV movie though. Who should the cast?

Lifetime just withdrew the offer.However ABC is considering the story for an after school special.

The Boy Not in the Plastic Bubble?

 

[Verbal Kint]

This family being involved with the show Wife Swap just makes it even better.

As soon as I read this part in the news, I called Shenanigans. atsselfonback: