Balloon Boy Parents - GUILTY

Sometimes the legal system actually works. If you were following the recent "Balloon Boy" story, you know that a couple of media starved parents (particularly the dad, it seems) staged a hoax in which they claimed their son had climbed into a UFO-like weather balloon and drifted away. The press bit and suddenly the nation was following what could be a tragic story. Lo and behold, the boy (aka "balloon boy") was hiding the attic the whole time because he was scared that he father would be upset with him. It certainly seemed like a believable story until folks started digging a little. Then, to make matters worse for the parents, they appeared on Good Morning America where little balloon boy accidentally told the reporter that his dad told him to hide in the attic. D'ohh!

I fully expected a long, drawn out court sequence where the parents refused to admit any wrongdoing. But in this case, the prosecutors went right for the jugular. Balloon Boy's mother is from Japan. If she were to be found guilty, the United States would have her deported. D'ohh! A please bargain was reached and the parents are now awaiting sentencing. Why can't the legal system work like this more often?