Two prayers....

God's will be done and may He have mercy upon us all.

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A Catholic who follows Rome & the Magisterium. I'm against gay "marriage", abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, human cloning. Altar girls, Communion in the hand, Eucharistic Ministers and "Protestant" music in the Church doesn't bother me at all. A proud American retired submarine sailor. Our borders should be secured with a 10 ft. high fence topped by concertina wire with minefields out to 20 yards on both sides and an additional 10 yards filled with warning signs outside of that Let's get energy independent NOW! Back Israel to the max, stop appeasing followers of the Pedophile Prophet. Pro 2nd Amendment, pro death penalty, Repeal all hate crime legislation. Back the police unless you'd rather call a hippie when everything hits the fan. Get government out of dealing with education, childhood obesity and the enviornment. Stop using the military for sociological experiments and if we're in a war don't micromanage their every move. Kill your television, limit time on the computer and pick up a book. God's will be done and may He have mercy upon us all.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sheesh, what next? Will they penalize drowning victims?

Holly Ramer, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CONCORD, New Hampshire - A teenager who spent three nights alone on Mount Washington in April after he sprained an ankle and veered off marked trails has been fined more than $25,000 for the cost of his rescue.

Scott Mason had been praised for utilizing his Eagle Scout skills - sleeping in the crevice of a boulder and jump-starting fires with hand sanitzer gel. But authorities say he wasn't prepared for the conditions he encountered and shouldn't have set out on such an ambitious hike.

"Yes, he'd been out there in July when you could step across the brooks. And people have been out there in winter in hard-packed snow. But with these spring conditions, it was soft snow, it was deep snow," said Fish and Game Maj. Tim Acerno.

Acerno said he believes Mason's fine is the largest ever sought under a 9-year-old New Hampshire law that allows lost hikers and climbers to be charged for rescue costs. Mason's rescue was particularly expensive because the helicopters the state typically used were unavailable, and a helicopter from Maine had to be brought in, Acerno said.

Mason, 17, of Halifax, Massachusetts, had planned to spend one day hiking 17 miles (27 kilometres) in the New Hampshire mountains but ended up lost after he hurt his ankle and decided to take a shortcut. The shortcut led him into rising water and deep snow caused by unseasonably warm weather.

Mason was negligent in continuing up the mountain with an injury and veering off the marked path, Acerno said. Negligence, he said, is based on judging what a reasonable person would do in the same situation.

"When I twist my ankle, I turn around and come down. He kept going up," Acerno said.

"It was his negligence that led to him getting into that predicament," he said. "Once he was in that predicament, yes, that's what we praise him for - he used his Boy Scout skills, and that's why he's still alive."

Several states, including neighbouring Maine and Vermont, have rescue repayment laws similiar to New Hampshire, though others tend to be more lenient.

New Hampshire officials have estimated that they could seek reimbursement in about 40 of the 140 or so rescues it typically handles each year. The money goes to the Fish and Game department's rescue fund. In most cases, hikers pay a few hundred dollars.

Expecting a 17 year old to exercise the judgment of a mature adult is idiotic. Thats why the age of being able to vote, buy cigarettes, enlist in the military without parental consent, etc. is set at 18 (even that may be too optimistic for an expectation of adult reasoning).

The kid and his parents should tell the state of New Hampshire to pack sand.

4 comments:

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

Wow! I agree, are they going to charge dead people next?

ABNPOPPA said...

Once again the ugly head of a bureaucracy run by some moron is raised. This guy should run for president. At least all the morons would be in one place.

Pops

Most Rev. Gregori said...

Golly, do you think if I save someone's life by using CPR, or pulling them out of a burning structure, can I send them a bill?

It is all about money isn't it? Common sense and decency takes a back seat.

sig94 said...

In most states it is illegal for a person under the age of 18 (or even 21) to enter into a contract.

This kid couldn't contract with a helicopter operator to fly his ass off that mountain yet the State can fine him for the same service? That's just BS.

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