Florida Man Arrested For Attempted Hamster Wheel Adventure

There is something really strange about this story of a Florida Man and his Hamster Wheel. The main thrust of it would be why he was arrested, but there’s more I want to know.

So, a guy put together a Hamster Wheel with the intention of taking it across the Atlantic Ocean to London. Okay. He should be allowed to do that. It’s his life, and he just might make it. I’m cheering for the guy. I can promise you that.

But along comes the Coast Guard to say, “Hey, what are you doing there, bud?”

Why is their nose in his business? I can see them checking it out for certain reasons, like when security comes up on you in the bay or a lake to see if you’ve been drinking. Also, if a man is getting ready to cross the ocean in a contraption like this Hamster Wheel, is he on drugs? Is he transporting drugs and partaking of the load? Those are good reasons to check on the man.

But when they determined that he was not, in fact, on drugs or intoxicated, that he was just a little crazy, they should have backed off and let the man go on his way. Why did they push things as far as they did and end up arresting him?

As it goes, they deemed the vessel unsafe and told him to get in their boat. But it was okay in June when the Titan went on a dive with rich people in it and it imploded, killing them all. Where was the Coast Guard to stop that from happening?

Also, how far does it go that law enforcement of any kind is responsible for our safety? Can I still jump out of airplanes? Can I still climb a tree?

I’m not saying don’t try to stop the man. It was a very risky undertaking and would most likely have resulted in his death. But you should only be allowed to warn the man. After that, he’s on his own.