STUNT OR REALITY? EITHER WAY, BALLOON BOY'S FATHER ON A HELIUM-INDUCED ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
Friday, October 16, 2009 at 03:00AM 
Balloon Boy's Father, Richard Heene, Giving a Blow of Hot Air (ABC.com)
The balloon boy story must go down in history as one of the most bizarre events EVER: Six-year old boy detaches homemade hovercraft "vehicle" slash helium balloon from back yard...climbs inside...takes off through the Colorado sky...stops all news on Obama, health care, Rush Limbaugh and the war in Afghanistan...only to find out boy is not inside the "craft" but is really in the family's attic! Fox News article here.
I called my dad after the boy had been found alive but before it was reported just where exactly Falcon Heene was found. My dad said, "I am sure the boy said to himself, 'Oh s**t, my dad is going to kick my a** once he finds out I let the balloon loose. I better go hide.'" Well, my padre knows best; moments later it was revealed that is exactly what happened: the boy hid in the attic because he knew his father would yell at him!
But wait, the story gets better. The boy's father is a total wack job. He is a mad-scientist type...oh wait, I mean "psyientist" according to dad, Richard Heene, who has his own web page: www.thepsyiencedetectives.com -- last I checked, the site was nonexistent --
Watch this video where the mad-psyientist talks about life on Mars while he dissect a photo on NASA's web page. The best part of his homemade show is at the 1:10 mark where he says, "Maybe I'm nuts. Let me know." Well, Mr. Heene, you are totally nuts! Watch a bit more - he talks about how a rock on Mars looks like an "ear, eye and nose." Or how a rock could be a pig snout. Honestly, I think the guy must have smoked some serious grass (or inhaled a massive amount of helium) before filming!
No Laughing Matter
Richard Heene is so out-of-this-world that I think he needs to be evaluated. Usually, I look for a way to defend a person but this dude is wack and I'm concerned about the kids.
Child protective services need to visit the home and evaluate the parents. Clearly, the father's nuttiness has put his child in danger.
The fact that the parents had a balloon loosely tied down in the backyard is beyond negligent. Of course, this whole thing seems like the dad's sick plot to get media attention. I am not sure what is worse: the media stunt or that the story is true and the kid was able to get out of the balloon before it took off into the sky. Regardless, little Falcon's father might be mentally disturbed and he has now put his children at risk of serious injury and or death. What's worse? Having a python loose in the house?
At the end of the day, we must be happy to know the boy is alive but he is not really "safe" until the parents who raise him are evaluated and the conditions of the home are made safe.
Don't forget the mad-psyientist may be criminally charged if investigators determine this was a stunt for TV...
Watch the videos here.
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Reader Comments (2)
I couldn't agree more. No Father of the Year award on his horizon. Of course, maybe TLC will come calling now that they've decided to quit filming America's other most dysfunctional family: Jon & Kate plus 8.
It is a sad indictment, and one that's been on the docket for some time, that the mainstream media covers such shit. But equally sad is the fact that most Americans know more about these celebrity douche bags than the folks they send to Washington. Discerning the difference, however, may be impossible.
The balloon boy story would not have gotten so much publicity if a few of those news reporters had bothered to watch that myth-busters episode about how many helium balloons it takes to lift one small child (thousands)