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Family rescued at sea says satellite cell phone service provider left them in a life-or-death crisis
ABC10 News ^ | 7-11-14 | Allison Ash

Posted on 07/11/2014 9:01:04 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

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Video interview at source.
1 posted on 07/11/2014 9:01:04 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

In spite of what happened, the Kaufmans say they plan to travel the world with their kids again, as soon as they get a new sailboat.

___________________________________

“I’ll take Doubling Down on Stupid for a Thousand, Alex.”


2 posted on 07/11/2014 9:06:00 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Was the service cancelled because they didn’t pay their bill???

Those poor kids — having morons for parents.


3 posted on 07/11/2014 9:06:22 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Maybe it is just me, but does a rational adult place a one year old child in a position/situation where something like this could happen?
4 posted on 07/11/2014 9:06:48 AM PDT by buckalfa (Long time caller --- first time listener.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

and no backup communications?


5 posted on 07/11/2014 9:07:45 AM PDT by camle (keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: Uncle Chip

I don’t know, but I’ll bet that the card was re-issued with a new date and nobody remembered to notify the automatic payment plan. That has happened to me.


6 posted on 07/11/2014 9:08:09 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Uh, what if the battery died? What if he got water on in the phone?

Seriously, blaming the satellite company for a situation out of their control?

The phone was working and then stopped. I don't get how this is the satellite company's fault.

Why couldn't the wife go with the girl and he could sail the boat back?

7 posted on 07/11/2014 9:08:10 AM PDT by raybbr (Obamacare needs a death panel.)
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To: buckalfa

I watched this mindless mother say that they raised their children to be sailors and love the sea —

Her kids are 1 and 3 years old.


8 posted on 07/11/2014 9:10:40 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
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To: afraidfortherepublic
As the family boarded the USS Vandegrift, Eric Kaufman did what was necessary to sink the Rebel Heart.

To those who may find this deliberate sinking odd, if a vessel has to be abandoned, it cannot be allowed to drift as that makes it a "Hazard to Navigation!" Either sufficient capable people would have to stay on board to safely navigate the vessel OR it must be sunk!

9 posted on 07/11/2014 9:11:04 AM PDT by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: raybbr

To your question, because the boat was taking on water whenever they tried to start it up so the coast guard had to sink it. Funny how that is not mentioned in this article.

This couple are typical liberal thinkers. When the consequences of your poorly thought out actions come to bite you in the butt.... blame someone else.


10 posted on 07/11/2014 9:13:21 AM PDT by longfellowsmuse (last of the living nomads)
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To: raybbr

We have a winner Alex!


11 posted on 07/11/2014 9:17:13 AM PDT by BigIsleGal (Wake Me Up When the Stupid Wears Off)
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To: raybbr
Why couldn't the wife go with the girl and he could sail the boat back?

Because they're incredibly stupid?

I'm sure that thought occurred to every last person on the USS Vandegaft as well... "He did WHAT?!?!?!"

12 posted on 07/11/2014 9:17:18 AM PDT by End Times Sentinel (In Memory of my dear Friend Henry Lee II)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Why would you not have other forms of communication? Ham radio? Long distance marine radio? Second sat phone?

All the cell phone providers I know of allow you to call 911 and the phone company itself even on a disconnected phone. They want you to pay your bill and will let you do it pretty easily. I don't know whether sat phones have the same feature.

What was the connection issue? Did they not pay their bill?

Why in the world would you bring kids too young to handle it if they fall overboard, even with a life jacket?

Why did they have to scuttle the boat rather than putting the kids and maybe one parent on the helicopter and try to return to port with the boat or at least stay on board for and pay for a recovery crew to come out to sail or tow it to a nearby port?

All sorts of questions which the idiot press won't cover in a three minute human interest story.

13 posted on 07/11/2014 9:21:49 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (The IRS: either criminally irresponsible in backup procedures or criminally responsible of coverup.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

An “experienced” sailor without a VHF, 1000 miles out to sea, relying on a sat cell phone? That would be like an experienced sailor without a sail, I’m assuming he took one of those with him, of course.


14 posted on 07/11/2014 9:24:30 AM PDT by Toespi
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To: longfellowsmuse
To your question, because the boat was taking on water whenever they tried to start it up so the coast guard had to sink it. Funny how that is not mentioned in this article.

The fact that the news report left that out makes me wonder what else they left out in order to make the story better for the idiot family. If they didn't bother to update their billing credit card and are blaming the phone company for that, I hope the company crushes them and gets lawyer fees from them.

15 posted on 07/11/2014 9:25:38 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (The IRS: either criminally irresponsible in backup procedures or criminally responsible of coverup.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

HAHAHA, for sure, another set of parents that are Darwin Award prospects!


16 posted on 07/11/2014 9:41:51 AM PDT by SgtHooper (This is not my tag!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Maybe I’m missing the obvious, but why didn’t they return to port when the child became ill? Or at least sail back once she was airlifted off, rather than sink the boat? I think the best they’ll be able to establish is some degree of shared liability against the phone company.

There’s no explanation of why their service was shut off.


17 posted on 07/11/2014 9:42:37 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: SES1066
To those who may find this deliberate sinking odd, if a vessel has to be abandoned, it cannot be allowed to drift as that makes it a "Hazard to Navigation!" Either sufficient capable people would have to stay on board to safely navigate the vessel OR it must be sunk!

So we must wonder why the father didn't stay aboard when the family was offloaded, so he could bring back the boat.

18 posted on 07/11/2014 10:13:57 AM PDT by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: SampleMan
He wanted a new boat and intended to get it by suing the Coast Guard, the ocean, the wind, the waves, his daughter, his parents, her parents the cellphone company.
19 posted on 07/11/2014 10:20:57 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Traveling like that with very young kids is beyond irresponsible.I don’t care *how* many antibiotics or satellite phones they have on board.


20 posted on 07/11/2014 11:02:52 AM PDT by SayNoToDems (Will the dancing Hitlers please wait in the wings? We're only seeing singing Hitlers.)
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