• Eilan said on Oct 17, 2009....

  I wouldn't call it a hoax, really.  More like a publicity stunt gone bad.
  
  I think some sort of charges should be filed, and I think the family should have to pay for wasting taxpayers' money on the "search and rescue."
  

• Twylarants said on Oct 18, 2009....

  A publicity stunt gone bad, like Eilan said.  Knowing little boys as I do, the last thing you do if you want to keep a secret in your house is tell a little boy.
  
  Falcon was probably confused when he said his dad said "It was for the show."
  Letting the balloon loose from it's tether may have been an attempt for attention since this dad seems to be a publicity hound, but I doubt he would involve his child in it, especially his youngest one.
  
  Years ago, when my kids were small, a neighborhood search was conducted when a little girl went missing.  We and the police searched for an hour for her when she disappeared after her mom yelled at her.  She was found sleeping under her bed, so I can believe that's what Falcon did when his dad hollered at him.
   
  

• Hegemone said on Oct 18, 2009....

  Yeah, I'm still on the fence, but I'm really more likely to think that somebody was trying to get publicity and it just went the opposite direction from where they wanted.  Hopefully it'll be a good lesson to those people and others.

• speaking_up said on Oct 18, 2009....

  Not a hoax, but a publicity stunt is my vote....and boy did it work!!!!

• CreativeWoman said on Oct 18, 2009....

  Eilan,
  I've had my doubts about the whole thing because the balloon looked too flimsy to lift an 80 pound boy.  It also looked like to me that there would be no way for him to breathe if the whole thing was filled with helium.  I'm a skeptic on this one.
  
  Twyla,
  I was struck by Falcon's comment.  Little children can be incredibly honest.  I do think he would involve his children because a friend of his said on Good Morning America that the father has taken his children storm chasing with him.  That's pretty dangerous in itself.  I thought maybe the boy was told to go hide.
  
  Hege,
  Well, I don't buy the guy's the story.  Like I said, I'm skeptical about it.  I once saw and episode of Mythbusters where they tested the theory that helium balloons could carry away a child.  It took many, many more balloons than the myth stated and then it didn't take the sand bags all that high.  This helium balloon that is in question looked so very flimsy.  I would love to see Mythbusters try this one out.
  
  CW
  

• CreativeWoman said on Oct 18, 2009....

  speaking up,
  Whatever it was, I think it was very calculated.
  
  CW
  

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