My prayers are with you Mike (Michael Patrick)

[Jim]

OK, I moved this here because it looks like the discussion is going this way.

I agree with Jesus. (I've never said THAT before.) If this WAS a premeditated "stunt" (and it sounds like it was since he spent the night in a B&B) it was very selfish. Did he not realize the police and coast guard would get involved... costing taxpayers thousands of dollars and wasting resources? One of the rescue divers or performers/passers-by who jumped in to look for him could have been seriously injured or killed. Not to mention the emotional pain he likely caused his friends and family. The decision to pull this off was irresponsible and stupid.

Houdini would not have approved.

I wonder how many other people were involved... and if any of them tried to talk him out of doing it.

[Jim]

smug shot

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

f you stephon

Michael is dear friend and my fiance and i were devestated by the news. I was in the middle of a show when i got the news and immediately packed my props and almost flew to key west.

i extremely pissed at him as are alot of his friends.

[Stephon]

"f you Stephon"? Seems like kind of a a strong reaction.

Not trying to start a fight, Beaumanz, just saying how it seemed to me. And I was at least half right.

So, to be clear, you're saying you didn't know anything about this before it happened?

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

no one knew, just him, his girlfiend and his dog.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/monroe_county/cities_neighborhoods/florida_keys/15906511.htm

[jesus]

I bet cha...

Based on these quotes:

"Patrick would not reveal his ''magician secrets,'' police said."

"Patrick told police he was planning a press conference to reveal his hoax when they found him too soon and ruined his big ``ta-da.''

I bet that sooner or later we will see the words "ART" "Rights" and "Freedom of Expression" used to justify this ill concived-
" One helluva escape!!"

(Damn-it, I said I was going to be done, but this kind of stuff really pisses me off on a social philosophical level.)

[Stephon]

Ok. My mistake.

Is the article correct? 3 minutes for a straightjacket escape? Is that "performance" minutes, or actual minutes?

[Hunter]

I'd wager a bet that you could legitimately argue for that as freedom of expression. The thing is that the constitution states that "...congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech." No one would likely be able to justify 'prior restraint' to stop a stunt like this; however that doesn't mean he won't be help culpable for the repercussions of his actions.

Also - I can't tell if the reporter is being serious about barracudas attacking large shiny things. Anyone want to help this midwesterner suss out some sarcasm?

[Jim]

Anyone up for a benefit show? Looks like he needs to raise $25,000 to pay restitution.

I do agree with Gav; Street performers need try harder not to piss off the cops.

This is the kind of thing that gives escape artists a bad name.

[Jim]

Originally posted by Hunter
I'd wager a bet that you could legitimately argue for that as freedom of expression. The thing is that the constitution states that "...congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech."

Are you kidding?

If this isn't yelling "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater, I don't know what is.

His "freedom of expression" put other peoples' lives in danger. Not cool.

[Hunter]

hold up

His "freedom of expression" put other peoples' lives in danger. Not cool.

I was just trying to make the point that any freedom of speech arguments would only have applied before the act itself; didn't mean to imply it was cool or right.

[jesus]

Pardon me while I get on my soap box.

I tell my 11 year old boy on an almost daily base “Just stop and think”.
Whatever he is doing he needs to think about the consequences. If he is going to shoot BBs at something out by the barn he needs to think who is around and what else could be hit. If he is going to draw on a piece of paper on a wooden table, he needs to think if the ball point pen will mark the wooden surface under the paper. If he is going to push the buggy at the grocery store he needs to stop and think about the people around him. These may be little and nit picky things put the lesson is a life lesson.

I feel this is a real problem with society today, especially here in America. We are very focused on ourselves with little regard for what goes on around us.

This “escape” incident brings to mind the “Runaway Bride” story that happened here in the States a few years back.

The bride completely disappeared from Georgia just before the wedding and a large search was undertaken. She finally showed up a week or so later in New Mexico. When she was found she said that she had been abducted by two men in a van and so another search was undertaken.

It soon became clear that she had gotten possibly the world worst case of cold feet and bolted, and then when she was found she made up the abduction story to cover her ass. She was charged with making false statements etc and ordered to make restitution for the cost of the searches.

I heard people say, “Don’t we even have the right to disappear in this country any more?” “What about our freedom?”


If she had called someone as soon as she saw the first national news report and realized that a major search was underway and said “I am fine I just needed some space”, I would say she should not have been held responsible for the cost of the search. She should have the freedom to go across the country and not tell anyone. I myself often go for over a year without any contact to friends and family. (I tell them they should be worried when they DO hear from me.)

However the minute she lied and made her disappearance into something it was not, she became responsible for the entire thing being a hoax of sorts.

The same is true of this “escape”.

If Michael wanted to perform the “ultimate escape” he should have thought ahead and informed the people around his show, and he should have then had someone that would announce it in some “ta-da” way to his audience after enough time had gone by to create just the right tension. Performance wise it would have been a much stronger choice to reappear after sometime in another place close to the crowd.

Had he without drawing any attention to himself at mid-day dove into the ocean in a straight jacket to see if he could do it and some passerby seen and called 911 in a panic I would be the first to say “its not Michaels fault the police where called”, but that’s not what happened.

As it was, regardless of how malicious his original intent, he involved a lot of other people in a very frightening “hoax”.

But it seems he didn’t “stop and think” before his “ultimate escape” and therefore in my opinion he deserves what ever punishment he receives.

I apologize if this seems to be me attacking someone I don’t know. That is not my intent. Personal responsibility is something I feel very strong about and that is what is at issue to me in this discussion.
I will try to put my soap box away now.

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

Unfortunately for the festival, this bad publicity, along with the arrests of Mark, Cassey, and Rhondini, probably put a sour taste in the city's mouth.

[Jim]

Amen, Jesus.

-------
Dallas, what's the story with the arrests? Something to do with Michael?

[Stephon]

Originally posted by Hunter
Also - I can't tell if the reporter is being serious about barracudas attacking large shiny things. Anyone want to help this midwesterner suss out some sarcasm?

Not sure if the danger would be legitimate in this case, but I do know that people are advised to take off watches and other shiny jewelry when swimming in barracuda-inhabited waters.