To the Surprise of No One … Balloon Boy Incident was a Hoax & Publicity Stunt … Heene Family facing Criminal Charges

It’s official … “Balloon Boy” incident was a hoax. Sheriff anticipates criminal charges.

Charges expected in Colorado balloon case. There may also be federal FAA charges as well. Richard and Mayumi Heene will not be winning any parent of the year awards anytime soon as they face many criminal charges in the near future including contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

This probably comes as a surprise to no one as many had speculated why law enforcement had not stated as much sooner. As we stated early on in this story, we should have all known better when the balloon at the center of the story looked like a tin foil hat. However, as Larimer County law enforcement gathered the facts and became increasingly suspicious of the story, it is as Sheriff Jim Alderden stated Sunday in a press conference … “Authorities know there was “a conspiracy” between Richard and Mayumi Heene and “It has been determined that this is a hoax,” adding police “believe we have evidence at this point that it was a publicity stunt.”

“It has been determined that this is a hoax,” the sheriff said, adding police “believe we have evidence at this point that it was a publicity stunt” by the family in hopes of “better marketing themselves for a reality show at some point in the future.”

The dramatic announcement included an admission by Alderden that authorities misled the media on Friday when they said they still believed it was not a hoax.

In fact, after a comment on CNN Thursday night by Falcon, the 6-year-old boy, “it became very clear to us at that point that they were lying,” Alderden said. But in order to get to the truth, “it was very important that they maintain their trust with us.” So investigators misled the media while they carried out their “game plan” of gathering the truth.

No charges have been filed yet and no arrests; however, this is only a matter of time. The Heene’s are facing a myriad of charges from conspiracy to delinquency of a minor. The  Larimer County Sheriff stated that all three of the Heenes’ sons knew of the balloon hoax; however, they would not be charged of any crimes due to their ages.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office will recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant against the Heenes.

No charges have been filed yet, and neither Richard or Mayumi Heene are under arrest. Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

One must admit that as the story evolved of “Balloon Boy” it became more and more obvious that the story was a scam. How ironic that in the end it was not just the silver flying saucer balloon that was full of hot air, it was the Heene family.

People were questioning the truth of the story; however, when Falcon Heene stated the following in an interview with Wolf Blitzer, “We did it for the show,” all bets were off. It was some what stunning that a news organization like CNN did not pick up on this comment and question what the 6 year old meant. What would Anita Dunn say?

Out of the mouth of babes, “We did this for the show”

Then the story came out where 25 year old researcher Robert Thomas admitted to helping Richard Heene devise the media hoax. View the emails HERE between Thomas and Heene.

For the first time, 25-year-old researcher Robert Thomas reveals to Gawker how earlier this year he and Richard Heene drew up a master plan to generate a massive media controversy using a weather balloon. To get famous, of course.

Thomas spent several months earlier this year working on developing a reality science TV show to pitch to networks.

One had to speculate when this first occurred how could a video be running of the silver balloon when it was tethered by string not show the 6 year old boy getting into the balloon?

UPDATE I: LIAR, LIAR …

Read more

UCONN Football Player Jasper Howard Stabbed & Killed in On campus Attack

Shocking news from Storrs, Ct and the University of Connecticut … UConn football player stabbed and dies in on campus attack.

It was just Saturday afternoon that 20 year old Jasper Howard was playing for the UCONN football Huskies in a win over Louisville. Today, he is dead. Twenty year old Jasper Howard of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, was stabbed during a fight early Sunday

20 year old UConn student Jasper Howard

Last night, the Miami native was in an altercation and the stabbing happened when a school sponsored dance at the student union was let out. According to police, a fire alarm was pulled at 12:26 a.m. The stabbing happened just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday on Hillside Road near the center of campus. Two people were stabbed in the attack and rushed to Windham Community Memorial Hospital. The other individual, whose name has not been released, who was stabbed was treated and released.

State Police major crime unit and UConn police say the stabbing happened just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday on Hillside Road near the center of campus. Police said two people were stabbed and were found near each other on Hillside Road. Both were taken by UConn ambulances to Windham Community Memorial Hospital.

Howard was airlifted by LifeStar to St. Francis where he died. Police also said there was a second victim who is not being identified and was treated and released from the hospital, but it does not name which hospital or say if the second victim was male or female.

Police said the stabbing happened when a school-sponsored dance at the student union was let out. A fire alarm was pulled at 12:26 a.m., an altercation happened outside the building between two groups of people and then two people were stabbed.

The perpetrator of the stabbing is still at large.

Anyone with information on what happened is asked to call UConn police at 860-486-4800. The state police major crimes squad is assisting with the investigation.

UPDATE I: UConn mourns stabbing death of football player

This story just got worse, if possible. 20 year old Jasper Howard was an expectant father, was the first person in his family to go to college and came to the University of Connecticut to get away from the violence on the streets of his hometown.

How sad, tragic and ironic that his life would end in this manner at a place that was supposed to be a sanctuary. It is just the ultimate tragedy that a sports scholarship which would provide chances not otherwise afforded to Jasper Howard would put him in such a position that would end his life. From all accounts Howard was a great kid with character.

Sunday, as he rattled off memories of Howard, Cubit recalled sitting on the front porch of Howard’s home in Miami and wondering about the circumstances of his upbringing.

“The kid got a chance in life because he was getting a college football scholarship,” Cubit said. “It gave him an opportunity to grow more. And so I feel for Randy (Edsall) because you become like a dad for these kids. They get to campus, and they look to you for direction.”

According to UConn Police Major Ronald Blicher, it is the first homicide at the university in the over 30 years associated with the school.

Edsall said Howard’s death was especially tragic, because he was about to become a father. No additional information about the expectant mother, who Edsall identified as Howard’s girlfriend, was provided by police or the university.

The coach gathered his team at its training facility at 6 a.m. to deliver the news.

UPDATE II: UCONN Mourns Jasper Howard (VIDEO)

Read more

OUCH: Harris Poll has Barack Obama at 45% Approval Rating (-20 Favorability Gap Among Independents)

The bad polling news continues to come in for President Barack Obama. It appears that Obama’s recent Nobel peace Prize has done little for his approval ratings in the United States. A recent Harris Interactive Poll (full pdf results) has Barack Obama at 45% approval rating. In May 2009 Obama had a 59% – 41% approval ratings. That has all but reversed itself and then some as in four months Obama’s approval ratings are a -14.

H/T: Wake Up America

President Obama may have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but unfortunately, he is not winning accolades from the American public as his job approval rating continues its downward slide. In September, U.S. adults were split almost evenly on the job the President has been doing – 49% gave him positive ratings and 51% gave him negative ratings. This month, the number giving him positive ratings drops to 45% while over half of Americans (55%) give him negative ratings.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,293 adults surveyed online between October 5 and 12, 2009 by Harris Interactive.

The approval ratings of the president by Democrats and Republicans are as one would expect with 77% of Democrats giving President Obama positive ratings compared to 14% of Republicans. Independents, however, are more down on the president as 60% give him negative ratings while 40% give him positive marks on his overall job performance.

Making matters worse, 3 in 5 Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. As stated by Wake Up America, the public is dissatisfied with the direction of the country and Obama’s policies … the polls are starting to reflect “We the People” opinion of Obama’s agenda and not the fact that he is a slick Campaigner & Chief.

Hot Air has some more details on the Harrison polling numbers that should be causing much concern with the Obama Administration and those Democrats who wish to put their neck out on the line and vote for any of his socialist agenda like Obamacare and Cap and tax.

As the Harris summary mentions, the only age group Obama wins is the youngest (18-32), and only barely at 51%/49%, and only 10% of these think Obama has done an “excellent” job. He loses the other three age categories by wide margins, from 10 points to 22 points. Most troubling for Obama and Democrats as they close out their first year of single-party control of DC are the independents. Obama has a -20 favorability gap among unaffiliated voters, with only 6% rating him as “excellent” while 28% rate him “poor”.

The real question is just what politician in their right mind, risking political and reelection suicide is going to back the agenda and policies of a President whose poll numbers are in free fall? Less than one year into his Presidency, Barack Obama is going to be hard pressed to force Democrats, especially Blue Dog Democrats to vote for his socialist vision of America. Think these poll numbers are not weighing heavily on those who face reelection in 2010? How about the upcoming 2009 Governor races in New Jersey and Virginia?

Record Deficits for Fiscal Year 2009: $1.42 Trillion … More than Triple the Record Set Last Year … BTW, Where are the Jobs?

More Obama “Hope and Change” you can believe in … Record Deficits and no Jobs!

The numbers are in and the Obama Administration has just released (on Friday of course) the latest deficit numbers. OUCH! The deficit for Fiscal Year 2009 comes in at a record $1.4 trillion. This record is more than triple from the record set just last year.

It gets better, or worse as the case may be. Obama is currently projecting a total of $9.1 trillion in the coming decade.  All this and Obama claims that Obamacare is deficit neutral. Do you really believe that America? Interestingly enough, Harry Reid did not seem to think so.  Red State nails it, we have finally found something bigger that Obama’s ego … the budget deficit.

The Obama administration has released new deficit numbers, and they are not pretty.

The deficit for Fiscal Year 2009, which ended Sept. 30, came in at a record $1.42 trillion, more than triple the record set just last year.

In addition, future deficits are currently projected to total $9.1 trillion in the coming decade.

How much can the American tax payer and the future generations take? Wait until Obamacare, cap and tax and the rest of Obama’s socialist agenda are added to the mix. By the Way Barack, what ever happened to the jobs you promised from the $787 billion stimulus plan?

 Obama stated: “We have now lost 1.2 million jobs this year and if we don’t act swiftly and boldly most experts know believe that we could lose millions of jobs next year.” [Mr President, we did lose more jobs this year and your promise of 2.5 million jobs is a idle promise.

From the Gateway Pundit comes the following Obama promise reminder:

Last November Barack Obama promised to “create or save” 2,500,000 jobs with the record stimulus package he was planning to pass as president. He promised 2,500,000 million jobs…

But so far the democrats record “stimulus” package has only stimulated the economy enough to create only 30,000.

Wait, the exact number from The Hill is that data published Thursday showed contracts from the $787 billion economic stimulus created or saved 30,083 jobs.

Election 2009 – New Jersey Governor: Republican Christie Still Leads Democrat Incumbent Corzine 45% – 41%

Corzine and Democrats could be in deep trouble is the Deep Blue state of New Jersey.

There are no more deep blue states than New Jersey and the incumbent Democrat Governor Jon Corzine is still trailing in a recent Rasmussen poll 45% – 41% to Republican challenger Chris Christie. This is a far cry from the 53.5% – 43% margin that Corzine had back in 2005 when he defeated Doug Forrester to become NJ governor.  How much is Corzine’s troubles attributed to him and how much is a backlash against Obama’s policies and Obamacare?

The latest numbers show Christie getting 45% of the vote, Corzine with 41% and Daggett at nine percent (9%). Over the past week, support for Christie is down two points, support for Corzine is down three points, and support for Daggett is up three. The number of undecideds is up a couple of points to five percent (5%).

However, the race may be even closer than those numbers suggest. When voters are asked their initial choice, 38% name Christie, 38% Corzine, and 16% prefer Daggett. But 57% of Daggett’s supporters say they could change their minds before election day. That dwarfs the number of swayable Corzine and Christie voters.

Less than one year ago Barack Obama won 57% of the New Jersey vote. Corzine has spent $17 million on his reelection bid. All this in a deep blue state. If Christie pulls off this monumental upset, it will most certainly signal just how much trouble that Democrats and Obama will be in for the 2010 midterm elections.

Governor Jon Corzine is certainly not winning any last minute support stating that he is open to upping the state’s fuel tax rate during a second term to help support the state’s transportation fund.

American Buyers Remorse: 43% of Voters Say they Would Reelect Barack Obama in 2012

Hope & Change: Barack Obama, here is some job approval polling you can believe in …

You’ve come a long way baby in such a short period of time. Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential election over John McCain by a 53% to 46% margin. Flash forward to less than one year into Obama’s presidency and in a recent poll only 43% stated that they would reelect The One in 2012. Obama’s actual job approval rating has also fallen to 49%.

It would appear that Obama’s policies and the handling of the economy, health care and Iran have come home to roost as his popularity no longer rules the day.

In what may be the ultimate job rating, 43 percent of voters say that they would vote to re-elect President Obama if the 2012 election were held today, down from 52 percent six months ago, from April 22-23, 2009.

Obama’s job approval rating comes in at 49 percent this week. That’s down just one percentage point from late September, but it marks a new low approval for the president — and the first time the Fox News poll has measured his approval below 50 percent.

Can you say voters buyers remorse! This is not only bad news for Obama, it’s bad news for all Democrat candidates running in elections in 2009 and the midterms in 2010.

Read more

Missing Balloon Boy Falcon Heene Feared Adrift in Run Away Balloon … Ultimately Found Safe Hiding in Attic

In the end in turned out to be much-a-do about nothing.

It had been earlier feared that 6 year old Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene was missing and speculated that he was in a silver flying saucer shaped hot air balloon adrift. Thousands of people watched on cable news and the Internet as helicopter cameras tracked the balloon  floating aimlessly above rural Colorado. The drama was compelling, but …

We should have known better when the balloon in question looked like a tin foil hat

After all was said in done there was a bizarre, yet happy ending in the fact that the 6 year old Colorado boy was found safe. Not in the balloon, but instead hiding in his home. He was in the attic the entire time while every news outlet speculated that the boy was in the hot air balloon. Authorities said the silver helium balloon, 20 feet long and 5-feet high, at approximately 7,000 feet above the ground while adrift. The balloon was found more than 90 minutes later in a field near Colorado Springs.

He was in a box. In the attic. The whole time.

Read more

The Dana Pretzer Show On Scared Monkeys Radio – Thursday, October 15, 2009 – Special Guests: Blink on Crime, Mark Williams, Robin Sax, Carmen Mercer, Sean Burke and Diane Dimond

Listen to the Dana Pretzer Show on Scared Monkeys Radio

Tonight Dana Welcomes Special Guests:

• Blink from Blink On Crime Discussing the Haleigh Cummings and Casey/Caylee Anthony cases.
• Mark Williams, Florida Newsman and Nancy Grace regular discussing the Casey/Caylee Anthony case.
• Robin Sax Discussing her new book  “It Happens Every day”  .
• Carmen Mercer from the Minute Men Project discussing her new book and how the Obama government is trying to take power away from Sheriff Joe Arpaio
• Sean Burke Founder of The Paparazzi Reform Initiative
• ET correspondent Diane Dimond discussing Jon and Kate Plus or Minus Eight  

 The Dana Pretzer Show On Scared Monkeys Radio – Thursday, October 15, 2009 – Special Guests: Blink on Crime, Mark Williams, Robin Sax, Carmen Mercer, Sean Burke and Diane Dimond [77:10m]: | Download

Casey/Caylee Anthony Case: Prosecutors Release Anthony Family Depositions

Orlando, FL– In the latest bombshell in the case against Casey Anthony, late this afternoon prosecutors released the depositions of Anthony family members George, Cindy and Lee.

Read the rest at Blink on Crime:

LEFT Wing Liars and Media Wins … Rush Limbaugh Sacked from NFL St Louis Rams Bid

It’s a sad day in America when lies and slander can prevent a private citizen from Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from the group looking to bid on the St. Louis Rams.

Limbaugh was to be a limited partner in a group headed by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts. Checketts said in a statement Wednesday that Limbaugh’s participation had become a complication in the group’s efforts and the bid will move forward without him.

Checketts told the Associated Press he will have no further comment on the bid process.

As the Gateway Pundit states, State-Run Media Liars Win!

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had stated that the NFL is no place for divisive comments. However, Goodell seems to think that its ok to give convicts, law breakers and players responsible for others deaths a second chance.

As we had previously posted, it is rather amazing that Rush does not belong in the NFL, yet as The Powers that Be writes … look who is.

PowerLine states, Rush is Out and offers this final observation that all should head. Because at some point, it might just be you.

A final observation, perhaps too obvious to require saying: It’s no coincidence that Democratic Party outlets like CNN had to dredge up fake quotes to make their case. Nothing Rush actually said would do the trick, even though he’s been on the radio three hours a day, five days a week, for more than twenty years. That really tells you all you need to know.

Our final observation is that to word of wise to the LEFT. Do not ask for things they might come true. Had you allowed Rush to become a part owner of the Rams he might have taken a fancy to his new endeavor and taken time of his radio show to devote to being an owner. The NFL is a big boys club after all. However, since you have seen fit to prevent him from this, guess what. he will remain on the radio and be an even bigger voice against the LEFT, Liberalism, Socialism and Obama.

In the end, because of the false cries of racism and slanderous accusations, the LEFT has actually made Rush Limbaugh a martyr to the out of control use of the race card. Republicans are called it constantly for disagreeing with any Obama policy. Think these chickens are not going to come home to roost? Think again.