Up, up and away

Up, up and away

The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C.: Most of us probably have had enough of the “balloon boy” stories — and still may be a bit put out that we were taken in by the hoax. However, we will relish seeing the heedless Heene parents punished for their outlandish publicity stunt.

Nonetheless, their stunt endangered a lot of people, especially the pilots who tried to get close to the soaring balloon to see if the boy was still aboard. Many people, including law enforcement officers, air traffic controllers, military personnel and others, also wasted time and taxpayers’ money on this bogus emergency.

So we have no trouble with the plan by Sheriff Alderden to charge the Heenes with conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and whatever else he can throw at these parents.

As often is the case with ill-advised attempts at pop-culture immortality, we are left wondering: What could they have been thinking?