“Calling Story of Boy and Balloon a Hoax, Sheriff Seeks Felony Charges”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/us/19balloon.html?scp=1&sq=balloon&st=cse

-Summary of the article-
On October 15, 2009, the spaceshiplike balloon which was made by amateur scientist, Mr. Richard Heene, floated out of their backyard carrying a 6-year-old boy, and it had been floated for two hours in the air. Also, because there was a fact that the balloon carried a boy, his father reported to police, then, the helicopter was sent away to go to the rescue of that boy. However, surprisingly, when the balloon caught on the desert in Colorado, the 6-year boy, Falcon Heene, wasn’t on the balloon. In fact, the 6-year boy, Falcon Heene, was just found alive and he was at his house. Moreover, he was found hiding in a box in the family’s garage. This news was told to the television company and transfixed millions of television viewers.
A few days passed, a story that transfixed millions of television viewers — about a child aboard a spaceshiplike balloon as it floated uncontrollably across the Colorado landscape — was concocted by the boy’s parents to gain publicity, law enforcement officials said. Also, local police in Colorado concluded that the balloon incident was all a hoax which is made by Heene Family. Jim Alderden, the sheriff said as below: “It was a publicity stunt. We have evidence to indicate it was a publicity stunt done with the hope of marketing themselves to a realty television show sometime in the future.” In addition, Sheriff Alderden said that among the charges being considered were three felonies: conspiracy to commit a crime, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and attempt to influence a public servant. The last carries a possible prison term of six years. The charges could also include a misdemeanor, filing a false report.

-My respond to the article-
I saw an interview to the Heene Family on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwKunktFx3M

It shows the video with the family had been surrounded by reporters in front of their home. Firstly, I couldn’t understand why mother doesn’t apologize to the people who were transfixed by this incident. When I think about this matter in terms of Japanese sense, I strongly expected mother to bow down and say “We deeply apologize for making a flutter. Thanks to the help, my lovely son came back to us. Thank you very much.” But she didn’t do anything like that and just laughing at the action of her son. I didn’t feel good because mother talked and laughed without a guilty look. However, I could understand the reason why the parents did not think about themselves. The reason is in the Falcon’s words. On “Larry King Live,” Falcon said to his father, “You guys said that, um, we did this for the show.” I don’t care this incident was an accident or hoax. In either case, I don’t think the children of Heenes will be a matured person under the protection of their parents.

“On Return From Cuba, an Arrest in ’68 Hijacking”

“On Return From Cuba, an Arrest in ’68 Hijacking”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/nyregion/12hijack.html?hp

Summary of the article

On November 24, 1968, there was an incident of airline hijacking. The incident occurred in the airplane that toward to Puerto Rico from Kennedy international airport in New York. On October 11, 2009, the U.S. federal authority arrested the suspect after an interval of about 40 years. The name of suspect is Louis Armando Peña Soltren, and he is 66 years old now. He was a fugitive who has been living in Cuba for four decades to avoid prosecution for his role in an airline hijacking. According to the decades-old indictment, nearly 40 years ago, Mr. Soltren and accomplices threatened the crew and passengers with the gun and the knife and ordered the pilot to change course for Havana, capital city of Cuba. Two of accomplices were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison respectively for threatening the lives of flight crew members. That two accomplices were arrested when they returned to the United States. But Mr. Soltren never left Cuba, where he was protected from prosecution. However, On October 11, 2009, Mr. Soltren was arrested. Mr. Soltren is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. According to the article, their aim of hijacking is “Long live free Puerto Rico”. This sentence had scrawled by one of the hijackers inside the plane. In 1968, there were many people who had thinking like the hijackers had, so, more than 30 planes were hijacked or attempted to have been hijacked to Cuba. There were many people who wanted the freedom and wanted to escape to Cuba at that time.

My respond to the article

Interesting is that the reason of why the suspect of this hijacking, Mr. Soltren, had arranged his return to Kennedy International Airport with the F.B.I and State Department. The reason is that he wanted to see his family, including his wife, who lived in either Puerto Rico or Florida. I think he had many confused or mixed feeling while he was in Cuba for four decades to avoid prosecution because he left his family in the U.S. This means he chose freedom rather than his family. I think he had a strong feeling to get his freedom because he left his family and chose to do hijacking. However, from the action that he returned to the U.S., it is easy to imagine that Mr. Soltren was starved for affection. In addition, it is easy to imagine his feeling of loneliness in Cuba. I definitely do not agree with the thing which he did. However, I think it is good just for me that he returned to the U.S. with having the feeling of loneliness and the feeling of starvation to affection which are one of the core shaping the human feelings in spite of he did the crime against humanity. This is only my personal feeling, but, Mr. Soltren should strongly expiate the crime that he committed.