Bob CollinsIt’d be OK with us if we nipped gender-reveal parties in the bud. They’re the latest “look at me” experience in which people have to outdo each other on the public stage, in this case revealing whether a pending newborn is boy or girl.
Without the surprise among a few close relatives, what’s the point of even going to the delivery room anymore?
The U.S. Forest Service has released this video of one gone awry. A couple actually thought putting an explosive — Tannerite — in the middle of a tinder-dry wildland in Arizona was a good idea.
Under the plan, Dennis Dickey, a Border Patrol agent, would shoot at a target, one that said “boy” and one that said “girl.”
It wasn’t a good idea.
“I feel absolutely horrible about it. It was probably one of the worst days of my life,” he said at his sentencing in September.
He’s been ordered to pay restitution of $8.1 million for the damage caused by the resulting wildfire. He’ll start with a $100,000 payment and make monthly payments of $500 for 20 years, for a total of only $220,000.
Nearly 600 firefighters and related crews worked the fire, which forced over 100 people to evacuate their homes, the Arizona Republic reported.
The Arizona Star, which got the video under a Freedom of Information request, said at the time winds were gusting to 40 mph and there was a fire advisory in effect.
It was a boy.
