Why Richard Heene Should Not Pay for Search and Rescue Efforts

Jillita Horton, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Oct 16, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

There's one fat reason why Richard Heene should not have to pay for the search and rescue efforts surrounding his 6-year-old son, Falcon, when it was believed that the boy was inside his father's weather balloon as the balloon soared several thousand feet up into Colorado's skies during the afternoon of October 15.

Let's first assume that the balloon boy saga of Falcon was not a hoax, was not a publicity stunt. Do you still believe that Richard Heene should be required to pay for the search and rescue efforts, which have been estimated at around $28,000 according to "Anderson Cooper Live"? Well, for Richard Heene of "Wife Swap" to be responsible for this expense, he would've had to have done something illegal such as a hoax -- but remember, for purposes of this article, we are assuming that Falcon the Balloon Boy is NOT a hoax.

Now, based on what I've read on posting boards about Richard Heene, the man is a complete whack job, and Falcon has quite the potty mouth. Every single posting by a person who has seen him on "Wife Swap" describes him in a seriously negative way, and that's putting it nicely. Richard Heene has been called psycho, nut job, whack job, brutal, neurotic, out of control, abusive, woman hating, you name it.

So as a result, you may despise Richard Heene without even ever watched "Wife Swap," and thus, feel that he should pay for the search and rescue efforts for balloon boy son Falcon. But ask yourself this: Even though Richard Heene came across as obnoxious, arrogant and reckless on "Wife Swap," AND ASSUMING the balloon was NOT a hoax, what did he do illegally, regarding that now-famous weather balloon?

Is it illegal to have a 20-foot by 5-foot balloon in your backyard? People have far worse things in their back yard. It is perfectly legal to have a 20-foot by 5-foot inflatable balloon in one's back yard. Or isn't it? But of course, it is unlawful to involve your sons in a costly hoax -- if indeed this is what Richard Heene did.

And we still don't know for sure that's what Richard Heene did with Falcon. Again, we're assuming that the balloon boy saga was not a hoax or staged in any way. So Richard Heene likes to build what he calls weather balloons, and apparently sends them off into tornadoes to record magnetism or something like that. Call it crazy, but it's not illegal.

So should Richard Heene pay for search and rescue efforts just because one of his other sons mistakenly reported to him that Falcon was inside an airborne balloon? The brother made an error. Richard Heene, instead of blowing the older boy's observation off as a mistake, took it seriously and called the authorities. This is a normal reaction, though Richard Heene should have known that the flimsy balloon couldn't have possibly supported Falcon's weight - or could it have? The verdict never came in on that.

Yes, Heene could have anchored the balloon better to the ground. He could have had better watch over the entire morning's operation. He could have realized, "Hey, Falcon's too heavy to ride in that balloon" and instead thoroughly searched his premises; Heene should have known that Falcon might have ventured into the attic above the garage; doesn't he know his own son? "Wipe Swap" depicted Richard Heene as head of a savage household and submissive wife.

However, despite all that, it all comes down to that one question: Is it illegal to have a small weather balloon in one's yard? This whole balloon boy saga unfolded only because the older boy jumped to the wrong conclusion.

After reading what tons of "Wife Swap" viewers have said about Richard Heene and his flaky wife, and after seeing a few YouTube videos of Richard Heene, I have concluded that he and his wife have serious problems and are recklessly raising their boys. These nuts actually make their boys sleep in their clothes and shoes so that, at a moment's notice, they can be awakened and hurried into the car to accompany their parents' storm-chasing in the middle of the night!

Richard Heene, at this point, will not be required to pay for search and rescue expenses, and thus far, he is not suspected by authorities of staging the whole balloon boy incident. However, further investigation should be taken, simply because Falcon, the balloon boy, made a disturbing comment when asked by Richard why he didn't respond when his name was called.

Falcon Heene replied something to the effect of, "Because of the show." Daddy's reaction at that moment appeared to be that of a man whose cover had been blown by a nervous child. I'm skeptical; this really sounds fishy. If there's more to the balloon boy saga than what has been currently revealed, it will hopefully come out very soon. If it turns out that Falcon the Balloon Boy indeed was a hoax, then YES, Richard Heene should pay the full $28,000.

Published by Jillita Horton

Freelance writer for fitness print magazines and fitness Web sites; ghost writer for fitness Web sites View profile

Why Richard Heene Should Not Pay for Search and Rescue Efforts

12 Comments

Yahoo! Voices

Also on Yahoo!

Yahoo! Contributor Network