A few days ago, I mentioned a lot would be said about Richard and Falcon Heene. I was right. I claimed Heene was a Dad who taught science by doing. Sadly, I was right on this, too. But this time, he was the experiment. The police in Colorado are going to press charges against Richard Heene because the balloon incident was a hoax. Falcon was never in danger. As the case was built, the police didn’t tip any clues to the media, who were pretty much played again. 
The police investigated Heene by lying to him to the way he’d lied to them. And through Scientific Method, Heene was exposed. Or at least that’s how the police are telling it now. Given the Sheriff's choice of clothes to wear for such an important press announcement, it’s hard to say who knew what what when.
Heene represented someone who explored science as an enthusiast. Whether or not he really did, whether or not he was teaching his sons the joy of experiments and results; it’s meaningless now. Heene could have had the cure for a disease, routinely fed the homeless, or invented drought resistant veggies, but now branded a liar and a cheat, he and everything about him will soon be filed away into obscurity.
It’s unfortunate when bad Science ends up in the news. I remember hearing about Cold Fusion while in High School, and wondering how it was going to change the world. It was fake. Why do people do this? Do they really think they can get away with such nonsense?
If Richard Heene wanted attention, he could have done something far more cool with the balloon. Instead, he’s made a mockery of others who really are weather enthusiasts and interested in environmental topics. More than anything, he disappointed the few of us who thought quirkiness might be a an innovative method to helping kids learn.
