Balloon family owes this guy a big apology, the guy who runs like hell to catch the balloon

[Liberal_in_LA]

Run time: 04:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz2Jaad8NEs   Posted on YouTube: October 15, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 18, 2009 By DU Member: Liberal_in_LA Views on DU: 1971

 
starting at 1;15, the guy runs like his life depends on it in work pants and work shoes. All the time the family KNEW balloon boy was not in the balloon

[davidhilton]

1. no child left behind!!!

[Turborama]

2. K&R Agreed. He's not the only one they owe an apology to, either.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. I'd like to hear from running man...how he feels about the hoax

[snagglepuss]

4. +1

[bluestateguy]

5. They owe President Obama an apology

For interrupting his speech. We are a nation at war.

[Pool Hall Ace]

6. As someone who was transported by rescue squad earlier this year

I feel bad for any sick or injured people who could have been in need at the time.

[medeak]

7. and the farmer who's wheat crop was ruined n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. good point. Many emergency vehicles ran over the field.

[newmac]

9. That tiny balloon could not even lift a single pound.....

unless the kid was 12 ounces......

[creeksneakers2]

10. It didn't seem to have a cockpit either.

[Mind_your_head]

11. Yeah, absolutely.

I don't have cable or the teevee, so this is the first time I've seen all of this hoopla (even though I'm 'aware' of the story).

The breathless teevee announcer sounds like someone on the old "Roller Derby" back in the day. Cheap and untrustworthy who is 'reporting' on a fake/contrived 'event'. (But at least, "back in the day" we knew it was all fake. Now for some reason, we want to RUSH to believe it's all true). And heros like the guy who ran like h*ll ~ he probably didn't know it was all a fake when he ran like h*ll. Kudos to him.

[AwakeAtLast]

12. And the family who owned the field of grain that was totally destroyed

[Mind_your_head]

13. LOL

you said, and the family who owned the field of grain was totally destroyed
Wha??? :wtf: (they most likely got a tax deduction or exception b/c they "played the game")

What was destroyed? the family or the field?

[Turborama]

14. Bad missquote. Obviously it was the field they were referring to

:spank:

Copied and pasted: "And the family who owned the field of grain that was totally destroyed"

Sounds like the family's finances have been destroyed.

Balloon Landing Turns Crop to Crap

Posted Oct 17th 2009 8:20AM by TMZ Staff

The infamously boy-less balloon caused even more trouble than we thought on Thursday -- because its landing also wreaked havoc on a valuable wheat crop desperately needed by a local family.

TMZ spoke with Doug and Joanna Abbott who told us their 300-acre wheat crop was destroyed mostly by emergency vehicles racing across their field to chase the balloon -- which also caused its fair share of damage.

The couple tells TMZ: "It does make you wonder what kind of attention the family was after by using this little boy."

Sadly, we're told the field only produces a crop of wheat once every two years, which means the couple will have to wait two more years to see the full fruit of their labors ... all because of some giant empty publicity stunt balloon.

We asked if the couple would be considering their legal options -- but they wouldn't say.

From: http://www.tmz.com/2009/10/17/balloon-boy-landing-wheat-crop-destroyed/#ixzz0ULjSW1E7

[Liberal_in_LA]

15. The entire 300 acres was destroyed? That's a huge amount of land.

Unless the vehicles crissed crossed back and forth just to be malicious I can't imagine all 300 acres was destroyed.

[Go2Peace]

16. Why do these stories continue to get rec'd here?

I just don't get it. OK, looks like it was a hoax, law enforcement seems to have it under control.

But why do much gossip about what is really not a story, except for right wing media types? So it makes us feel superior in rightious anger?

I refuse to watch sensationalized news. Interestingly, I went the entire weekend without learning any more about this situation, but then WHERE did I find out the latest but on DU, a place where people are supposedly less snookered into distractions?

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. Every non-health care story isn't a 'distraction'. some of can pay attention to more than 1 story at

at time. Perhaps you are the one feeling superior when you turn your nose up at the interests of the masses.

[Go2Peace]

18. Not at all

Maybe a little more aware that changing political policies does not change people. Authoritarians have done a good job, they not only have turned the country's policies to the right, but have much of the population encorporating their (right wing) attitudes and own authoritarian bent as well. We have encorporated authoritarian mindset so deeply into our society that we on the left even have a difficult time recognizing when we are playing into it.

This country will never get turned around until we understand how destructive we are in our social attitudes, and the phenomenon of "mob media judgement" is one of those destructive social attitudes. We should discuss it, counter it, and move past it.